"Two questions," said the Mad Hatter. "The Sarah Palin scapegoating, cui bono, who benefits? And, why would the Mormon Church leap to spend $74 million dollars to promote a California proposition?"
"Spill, haberdasher dude," said Alice.
"First, what would the McCain camp gain by all this post-game backbiting? McCain's a senator, he's poised to go back and usher in a new era of aisle crossing with our President-elect, such as working together on environmental issues. He can only lose by staying and playing in the mud baths, rather than looking forward to coalition building and senate leadership. On the other hand, there are folks in the Rethuglican Party who would like to bury McCain and completely marginalize Sarah Palin."
"Like who?" wondered Alice, as she blew a big bubble which popped on her face.
"Well, McCain's too old to run in 2012, but someone can still get a boost by standing on the corpse of his expired campaign. They want to make sure that the moose killah from Wasilla doesn't get that chance-that she's denigrated so much that she's caribou stew. But-her base, they don't want to lose her base."
"You mean Christianists?" Alice ventured.
"Exactamente, Blondie. So McCain drowns in the mud, Palin gets exiled, and the field is open for a more mainstream Rethuglican to play Phoenix, arising from the ashes. Someone who can draw back all the voters who shifted blue this year."
"How perfectly Rovian," said Alice. "But you said something about California?"
"Yes, Proposition 8. The gay marriage ban. The Mormon church, tax exempt status and all, spent 74 million dollars to promote a constitutional amendment to take civil rights away from a population far, far from Utah. Or should I say, far, far more closeted in Utah."
"Bummer," Alice opined. "I mean, the way I see it, wouldn't peeps who support and even practice alternative marriage styles be more open-minded and sympathetic?"
"You would think, my dear," returned the Mad Hatter. "But, what if this millions of millions 'investment' was actually a way to buy Mormon cred among the Christianists."
Alice whistled.
"So, leak the dirt that disses both McCain and Palin, clearing the field. Build your Christianist cred, and be 'the choice you should have made in '08'. Your party's standard-bearer for the next election: Moderate, Christian, Dynamic, Handsome, Knowledgable, Articulate-Mitt Romney, the white man's Barack Obama."
"Ooh, you're mad, Hatter!" Alice cried.
"That's my name. Cui bono, girlfriend."
