Georgia on my mind

The Alaska Daily News wrote recently that although Alaskans and Governor Palin alike should pause briefly to take pride in "her amazing two-month run on the national stage," "then it's time for her to settle in and do the business Alaskans elected her to do." With concededly different motivations, I concurred: serendipitously, the best thing for Alaskans and for Palin's own ambitions is for her to "go back to Alaska, continue doing the outstanding job that brought her to our attention in the first place."

Still, I counsel cutting her some slack for taking some time out to campaign for Saxby Chambliss in his runoff election against Jim Martin. The business Alaskans elected Palin to do includes serving their best interests; that doesn't just mean camping out in Juneau. As Lewis says, the stakes are high, and the closer to 60 votes the Democrats get in the Senate, the worse off all of us -- in Alaska no less than those in the lower 48 -- will be.

The ADN editorial claimed that Palin's "obligations as governor point her in one direction. Her national ambitions point her in another." That will perhaps be true some of the time over the next few years, but here, happily, they both point in the same direction. If Palin can help Chambliss win, she will be serving the best interests of her constituents.