There were times during the election when I looked in the mirror and felt I could not judge Palin, because in many ways I saw the things that made her in myself. I still see those things now: the stubbornness, the glint in the eye. It also appears that neither Palin nor I back down gracefully.

Palin in many ways reminds me of the local gal who makes good. If you’re from a small (smaller, small-ish) town, you probably have one or two. Maybe three. Palin made good, and she’s not going away now that she has had a taste of the big time, the major leagues, the show.

She’s not fading away. Instead, Palin has formed her own Political Action Committee, a more than strong indication she wants to have a presence in our country beyond her current position of Governor of Alaska. The publicity surrounding her soon to be released biography is featured on People Magazine’s website.

Is that what bothers us? Not just the willful ignorance, the butchering of basic syntax, or the air of entitlement – is it because we saw those things, then she lost, and now she won’t fade away into the Alaskan topography? Would we like Palin more if she stayed in Wasilla and didn’t try again for the brass ring?

I remember when it was fashionable to hate on Hillary Clinton. When it was a water-cooler pastime to judge Clinton’s hair, clothing, personality. Was she pretty enough? Soft enough? Why was she sticking her nose into things that weren’t her business? Who did she think she was? Well, right now, she’s Secretary of State.

Who knows what Palin will become?

What I know is that I expect a lot from those who run and represent our country. “Just plain folks” are just plain fine, but for me, I expect a lot from our elected officials. The idea of a female Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes affecting our country’s future frightens me. (Rent “A Face in the Crowd”, it’s a classic that might scare the crap out of you depending on your level of fear.) However, I can’t deny that while Palin and I are not cut from the same cloth, some of the seams are the same.

Sarah Palin and I will never be friends, let alone best friends. There won’t be any chats on the phone, “girls weekend” trips to Cabo, or candle/jewelry/Mary Kay hostess parties. There will be no shopping at Claire’s Boutique in the mall for matching BFF necklaces with her wearing one side of the heart charm, and me the other. What there is, is a knowledge that while I am on the other side of the spectrum politically, I see someone with whom I have some things in common. I wince when Palin missteps. That’s why I often want to offer her advice, to help smooth the rough edges.

Sarah, from one to another: your slip is showing.