I think you hit that nail on the head, it’s pretty obvious now. I’d even take it a step further and say that Palin was possibley picked for her “divisive” qualities. There is nothing like a gun touting, bible thumper to scare the shit out of the progressive left and a polar opposite of Obama which scares the shit out of the GOP base. Never meant to win, just divide.
I think what also is obvious that came to light recently is the power Fed and Treasury wield over politicians. It’s just out in the open now.
TPTB have a lot on their plate right now. They are controlling the the collapse of the US the best they can. Iraq is fighting their security deal for permanent bases, the real reason for the invasion. Iran has stopped trading in dollars, Latin America is starting their own currency and banking system. Pakistan is pretty much up for grabs. Israel is threatening to nuke Iran. Oil production is falling through like a brick in “friendly” countries and concentrating the remaining reserves all in SE asia. Oh, what’s a rouge superpower to do?
Still, I wouldn’t totally discount Tricky-Dicky Cheney and his band neocon pranksters yet, they could still pull off a game changer. And I don’t mean that in a partisan way everybody thinks.