Foot-Shooting
Inigo Thomas · Palin v. Dole
The title of Sarah Palin's ghosted memoir is Going Rogue: An American Life. Will Palin, the rednecks' favourite, eventually see the idiocy and the aptness of her title? Maybe, maybe not. A rogue is a crook or a vagabond. A rogue is an elephant ostracised by its herd. A rogue is a racehorse inclined to shirk its work on the course, something Palin may know about having given up as governor of Alaska before finishing her term.
Still, in the annals of right-wingers shooting themselves in the foot (quite a phenomenon in the US), Palin's book title doesn't quite match a song Bob Dole chose for his campaign in 1996. That was a rendition of the Sam & Dave song, 'Soul Man' – the words of the chorus were changed from 'I'm a Soul Man' to 'I'm a Dole Man'. I heard the song at a field in San Diego, the scene of that year's Republican convention, as Dole disembarked from a paddle steamer to address the crowd. When 'I'm a Dole Man' was amplified through open-air loudspeakers the words became 'I'm a Dull Man'. And so he was.
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