Sarah Palin, teabaggers, ego, greed and lies...

Sarah Palin wrote (cough cough) an op-ed for Usa Today, explaining her reasons for speaking at the Teabaggers convention in Nashville. Some sections didn't go unnoticed:

Later this week I'll head to Nashville, where I'll have the honor of speaking with members of the Tea Party movement. I look forward to meeting many Americans who share a commitment to limited government, common sense and personal responsibility. This movement is truly a grassroots, organic effort. It's not a top-down organization; it's a ground-up call to action that already has both political parties rethinking the way they do business.

Recently, some have tried to portray this movement as a commercial endeavor rather than the grassroots uprising that it is. Those who do so don't understand the frustration everyday Americans feel when they see their government mortgaging their children's future with reckless spending. The spark of patriotic indignation that inspired those who fought for our independence and those who marched peacefully for civil rights has ignited once again. You can't buy such a sentiment. You can't AstroTurf it. It springs from love of country and the knowledge that we can make a difference if we just stand up and stand together.

I thought long and hard about my participation in this weekend's event. At the end of the day, my decision came down to this: It's important to keep faith with people who put a little bit of their faith in you. Everyone attending this event is a soldier in the cause. Some of them will be driving hundreds of miles to Nashville. I made a commitment to them to be there, and I am going to honor it.

But participation won't be limited to those in Nashville who have a ticket. It's much bigger than that. Because the Tea Party movement is spread out across the country — with no central offices or annual events — this is an opportunity to connect with like-minded folks. Yes, there will be speeches given in a room in Nashville. But we'll also be speaking with thousands of Americans watching online at twitter.com/SarahPalinUSA, or through various news outlets. And the conversation will continue on my Facebook page.

I will not benefit financially from speaking at this event. My only goal is to support the grassroots activists who are fighting for responsible, limited government — and our Constitution. In that spirit, any compensation for my appearance will go right back to the cause.

Sarah Palin skirted the subject of Tea Party Nation being a commercial endeavour. She didn't elaborate on it and quickly changed the subject.

Sarah says she's committed to the cause and will speak because she's keeping faith with people who put faith in her, that the faithful are going to travel hundreds of miles to drink from her fountain of knowledge. It's not the money, nooo...

How will the compensation go right back to the cause? There is a maximum that can be donated to PACs, provided she is allowed to make contributions to SarahPac herself. FEC rules are very difficult to search and somewhat confusing. Will she put her hand in her pocket (God forbid!) and donate directly to various teabagging candidates? Will we have to check each candidate's disclosures to spot her name as a donor and add them all up until the total reaches $115,000 less the Washington Speakers bureau cut?

Sarah knows nobody will check. (The SarahPac financial disclosure alone is migraine inducing and points to some dodgy dealings. The majority of donations to candidates were made almost as an afterthought, at the last possible minute.)

Words are cheap, Ms Palin. We want to see the deeds.

I love how Sarah changed her tune on the rules about broadcasting her speech. It started with the usual proviso of no cameras or other recording devices allowed. Then it was open to friendly media only. Now it's a free for all and all about Sarah... her twitter, her Facebook page. At least she included other media outlets. So far, the broadcasting of the event is been negotiated with PJTV, FOX News, CNN and Reuters TV.

Sarah Palin's greed and ego match each other in their monumental proportions. Her mendacity is in a category all by itself...
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