What is a Trailblazer?

I've been baffled as to why Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Tim Pawlenty aren't out in front of the many issues the Tea Parties are railing against. Sure, they've given speeches at "conservative-friendly" rallies like CPAC or the SRLC, but what about in the mainstream media? All three seem to be missing.

I've often wondered why they don't engage in the issues the way that Sarah Palin does. And then it hit me..they don't have to.

Sarah is running interference for them.

She is the one taking on the issues and speaking out about them. She is the one that responds to all the new Obama initiatives in real time. She is the only one that dares to opine about the latest "scandal" in Washington.

She is the trailblazer.

She is Kit Carson, she is Jim Bridger, she is Daniel Boone, she is Amelia Earhart, she is, quite simply, a trailblazer.

She is leading the charge into the belly of the beast and she is alone in her efforts. Although she knows this, she is not afraid to step out into the forefront of public opinion. She's confident, articulate and, perhaps, naive. She thinks that other prominent Republicans will follow her lead, but I see no such thing. Her Alaskan roots define her as her opponents' Eastern roots define them. She is Andrew Jackson, raised on the simplicity of life in Alaska.

I remember a question once posed to me by a high school teacher. "How do you know a trailblazer when you see one?" I didn't know the answer. He answered by saying that some suggest that a trailblazer is the one laying in the trail, dead, with arrows in his chest. "Wow", I said, "how weird is that?" The teacher went on to explain. "Trailblazers will always be in your midst, but they may be careless and ignorant. They may die as you follow them. The true trailblazer is one that is a survivor and learns the way without taking the arrows".

He went on: "The dead trailblazer is just a pawn to the leader. He shields his master from taking the first blow, and often dies as a result. He is exalted for his heroism and often becomes an icon. The truth is that he died in the service of someone else. His sacrifice is noteworthy only as a footnote in his leader's success."

Sarah Palin is taking the arrows for the Republican Party. She is the only one responding to Obama. I have no doubt that Romney and friends consider her an "expendable" commodity. They will sit back and watch while she takes on the media and Obama administration with the hopes that she'll end up a dead icon. They think that they'll sweep in and harvest her efforts. I think otherwise.

I consider myself a leader, but I'll follow Sarah Palin anywhere. She's not only a trailblazer, she's a survivor.

She was considered dead after the 2008 election, but she lived on. She was considered a fool for resigning the governorship of Alaska, but her voice has grown stronger. She's been subjected to ridicule on countless levels, but she's the darling of the Tea Party movement.

She's a true trailblazer AND a leader. I'll follow her to the gates of Hell, because I know she is a God-fearing survivor!