Yes, Palin could win - in a Mad Max world

Cue the horror music: Today, a largely meaningless Washington Post-ABC News poll has Sarah Palin placing second behind Mitt Romney among Republicans. It has provoked the usual "OMG! She Is STILL A Threat!" blathering from the usual suspects. Palin-obsessive Andrew Sullivan (who is convinced she's running) is particularly hyperbolic: "If the Republican radicals decide to destroy the American economy in order to save it in the debt crisis, and Obama simply cannot survive the depression that follows, Palin is poised. It's all so very Weimar." Well, yes, under those apocalyptic circumstances, a Huey "Kingfish" Long or Adolf Hitler figure (pick your poison) in the 21st century guise of Ms. Palin might be able to rise from the ashes, Phoenix-like. Throw in a massive meteor impact and roving tribes of "Mad Max" denizens -- heck, she might even go all the way to the White House. But the odds of this Worst-Case-Scenario playing out are slim to none. So why hyperventilate? It's time to take a deep breath folks.