Is Palin qualified to be president? Arizona changes everything.

Prior to the shooting incident in Arizona, the debate seemed to be focused on whether or not Sarah Palin is qualified to be president and if she could beat Obama in a general election. It was a mixed discourse with some adamantly saying she was, some saying she wasn’t and some not certain yet. Palin’s biggest challenge seemed to be with those in the undecided category. It was this blogger’s analysis that the media was driving the meme to the point where people were incorrectly misinterpreting the meaning of polls this far out and being adversely affected by the play up of perceived damage to Palin’s image which was due to no fault or misdoing on her own part. This all came to a halt Saturday as the media seized upon the tragedy to take another angle at destroying Sarah Palin. This time it is backfiring badly, and it will change everything about the discussion of her from here on forward.

When Rush Limbaugh said the attacks on conservatives like Palin were attacks on the majority, us, it clicked.

Now, what they've done is essentially take aim at a majority of the people in this country.  A majority of the people in this country identify more with the Tea Party movement than with the Democrat Party today, with liberalism.

The liberals finally destroyed their credibility by seizing upon the opportunity to score political points by creating the myth that Palin was somehow complicit in the killing spree because she posted a map with surveyor symbols that resembled crosshairs on one of her web pages. Most Americans are reasonable people and see through that just as they see through the fact that the Oklahoma City bomber was not a mainstream conservative either.

The hellish scorched earth approach taken by the liberal media and their cohorts in the blogosphere and on social media lit up the landscape so brightly that the proof of the cries from Palin circles that the media lies is now clearly visible in the light of day and will become moreso as the smoke clears and the country has grieved.

A glaringly telling sign of how this will all play out down the road has been evident on Twitter since the shooting. Those who are normally engaged in the “Palin electability” debate from all positions amongst grass roots Republicans and conservatives are suddenly united in their outrage against the Left and are fighting for Palin as vigorously as the Palinistas are. Many are being attacked by liberals and standing up to these attacks quite well – a sign that the courageous conservatism required for keeping the movement strong going into 2012 is there.

Those of us who argued with each other over Palin are now in agreement that the egregious political play on the event by those on the Left makes us all sick at a time when we should be praying and grieving. Even Charles Krauthammer is defending her.

The conservative movement is unified again because the Left’s unwarranted attacks have interrupted and possibly changed forever the debate over Palin’s electability. Watching those who this blogger has called “trembling tigers” take to their keyboards with a vengeance in defense of Mrs. Palin demonstrate how effective we are as a unit if all of us fight for the same cause. This is an unintentional example of how great and effective we are as a movement when we all band together and stand up for Sarah Palin and the Tea Party movement.

No one wants to (nor should they) use this catastrophic event for political purposes. These observations are not born of a political agenda, but are rather an assessment that Sarah Palin will benefit from all of this whether we like it or not and whether we talk about it or not. It’s what Tammy Bruce calls the unintended consequences of what happens when the liberal reaction helps to "reinforce solidarity among the decent."

Because Sarah Palin is a good hearted person who knows not to exploit the situation or try to game the Leftist attacks for sympathy, she has remained quiet on the subject with the exception of an email to Glenn Beck where she clearly conveys how upset she is about violence. She is praying, letting the events play out and seeing to it that her star power doesn’t overshadow the grieving process that the country and the families are going through.

It will be how she demonstrates leadership and character during this event that could, without intent or the typical scheming that politicians do in order to enhance their images, be the game changer that causes many to take a second look at her.

Having seen the media’s handling of the situation, it's obvious to most conservatives and Republicans now (with the exception of the GOP Establishment which remains silent on the matter) that the media is intentionally hell bent on destroying her. They knew that before, but they never knew the depth of it until now. As a result, everyone who is not afflicted with Obama kool aid intoxication or Palin Derangement Syndrome will have no choice but to give Sarah Palin a second look. It will almost be a requirement for all honest voters to revisit Sarah Palin and re-learn her without the media filter.

So forget all that was ever said about her in the media in the past. Deciding whether she is qualified will have to be left to observing how she handles the campaign and how well she articulates her message. The liberals have fed the beast at their own peril. This is appears to be the breaking point where it all crumbles for them.