Photo via aslakr.

Slot this in the "when life gives you rancid lemons, you pretend to make lemonade anyway" file (via Sullivan):

"McCain’s choice of Palin brought his polling numbers above Obama’s–until McCain endorsed the Bush bailout. Palin draws large crowds and has energized Reagan Republicans, gun owners, women and people of faith.  Obama knows this and has his surrogates trashing Palin with a "sack the quarterback" strategy most recently joined in by Colin Powell. She is an asset and the most consequential VP candidate in a generation," -Grover Norquist. 

Note how the problem is all with McCain failing conservatism, and not conservatism itself being at fault.   All hail Digby, who called this maneuver ages ago.

What we are seeing this election cycle is a wholesale rejection of what Norquist has birthed within the Republican party, along with fellow cronies Karl Rove, Ralph Reed, Jack Abramoff and their selfish ilk.  We are all reaping the fetid, stale whirlwind sown by republicans – "I got mine.  Screw you."  

But it’s not their fault things went badly…no, no, no…it was just executed incorrectly by this year’s conveniently placed scapegoat, John McCain.  Is it me, or are more and more Republicans sounding like they are issuing preemptive concession statements these days?  If I were McCain, I’d be feeling rather used and surly at the moment.

No failure so large which cannot be tap danced away from or pawned off on someone else’s dime, eh, Grover?

Oh yeah, she’s been a consequential choice alright. Boy howdy…