In an op-ed ostensibly written by ex-Gov. Sarah Palin and published today in USA Today, we read an explanation of why Palin still plans to give the keynote address at the embattled National Tea Party Convention in Nashville later this week. Palin affirms her support for the "vision" of the Tea Party movement as a whole and that the event will be an important way for Tea Party grassroots activists to make contact with each other. Palin writes, "The spark of patriotic indignation that inspired those who fought for our independence and those who marched peacefully for civil rights has ignited once again. You can't buy such a sentiment. You can't AstroTurf it. It springs from love of country and the knowledge that we can make a difference if we just stand up and stand together." Also, despite some criticisms coming recently from that same grassroots about the convention being a for-profit event or a GOP fundraiser in disguise, Palin claims she "will not benefit financially from speaking at this event," and that "any compensation for my apperance will go right back to the cause." Read the op-ed here. On that last bit about returning the money to the cause, The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder notes that there are legal limits on campaign and Political Action Committee donations, and Kansas City Star columnist Yael Abouhalkah thinks Palin went "a little over the top" by invoking those who fought for Civil Rights. We tried to find conservative analysis or views of Palin's opinion piece, but every right-leaning site we went to just reposted it, or excerpts of it, verbatim. If anyone out there knows where to find a response from the right, let us know in the comments section. Finally, in case you haven't heard, a recent press release announced that portions of the Tea Party convention, and all of Palin's keynote address, will be broadcast live on the web by PJTV, CNN, Fox News, and Reuters TV.
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