It’s Sunday, so that means it’s time to highlight one of topics of the week. Whether it’s a bombshell in the world of politics, a barn burner in the realm of news or a shocker in mass media, I profile it here with the added gusto that only plate of french toast and a frothy glass of milk can provide. Check back next week to see what’s on the skillet.

The beltway buzz following Thursday night’s much watched vice presidential debate is that Republican Governor Sarah Palin scored a win over low expectations and potential pitfalls. It’s true that a series of embarrassing press interviews have tarnished the Alaska maverick’s image, even bringing some conservatives to openly opine that she step down from the ticket. But Palin’s performance Thursday largely dismissed those critics. Rest assured, Palin is here to stay.

But for how long, seriously? I mean, if she’s elected with John McCain, she’s on Number One Observatory Circle until at least 2012, but what if she loses? Is she going back to Alaska with a cadre of conservative strategists to plot the ouster of Obama in 2012? Is Palin the magic bullet that will wash away eight years of conservative blunders and restore Republicans to undisputed power? If so, Democrats had better duck, because conservatives may be ready to lock and load sooner than anyone realizes:

Pitbull Palin Mauls McCain
By Frank Rich
New York Times

… Palin is an antidote to the whiny Republican image … Alaska’s self-styled embodiment of Joe Sixpack is not a sulker, but a pistol-packing fighter. That’s why she draws the crowds and “energy” that otherwise elude the angry McCain. But she is still the candidate for vice president, not president. Americans do not vote for vice president.

So how can a desperate G.O.P. save itself? As McCain continues to fade into incoherence and irrelevance, the last hope is that he’ll come up with some new game-changing stunt to match his initial pick of Palin or his ill-fated campaign “suspension.” Until Thursday night, more than a few Republicans were fantasizing that his final Hail Mary pass would be to ditch Palin so she can “spend more time” with her ever-growing family. But the debate reminded Republicans once again that it’s Palin, not McCain, who is their last hope for victory.

You have to wonder how long it will be before they plead with him to think of his health, get out of the way and pull the ultimate stunt of flipping the ticket. Palin, we can be certain, wouldn’t even blink.

Wait, what?! Flipping the ticket? Is that possible?

As was pointed out to me earlier this week, there is no constitutional barrier to dropping a vice presidential nominee from a ticket post convention but pre-Election Day. The downside of employing that option, of course, is that ballots are being printed up already. If McCain has another maverick up his sleeve, most voters would still be seeing McCain/Palin in their voting booths and not the name of her supposed successor. But what if the tables were literally turned? Given persistent questions about the possible recurrence of McCain’s melanoma, is Rich right? Could McCain acquiesce to the vice presidential role and serve as Yoda to Sarah Palin?

Such a move would certainly be a game changer. It would also constitute a cheap and desperate attempt by Republicans to do anything to hold onto the White House. I mean, seriously, you would think George W. Bush had been hiding a stash of gold at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. since Jan. 20, 2001, given the Republican’s desperate attempts to keep the ball in their court (or perhaps more accurately, the court under their feet).

I don’t know if such a move would be very wise. It would turn some heads, certainly (maybe a few heads would turn all the way around), but it would be patently unfair for Republicans to do this to Americans. One of the reasons we’ve been spinning around this election for so long is the give voters the opportunity to get to know the next president of the United States.

As Palin herself pointed out during the debate, she’s only been at this for five weeks and Americans are still getting to know her and understand the impact she would make as vice president. To suddenly thrust her into the top spot would be the ultimate insult to the Democratic process. If Palin has the mettle necessary to restore American credibility, fight her enemies and bring about economic recovery, why didn’t she throw her hat in the ring years ago? The American presidency is anything but a beauty pageant, and I have every confidence that (at least most) Americans are smart enough to know the difference.

So what does McCain really have up his sleeve? Just because flipping the ticket (jumping the shark?) isn’t on the menu, that doesn’t discount Republicans from making a bold gesture before Nov. 4. So what is it? After all, it’s October, so it’s time for a surprise. If anyone thinks Republicans are going to be rolled over by an Obama landslide, you are sorely mistaken. They won’t take these waning days lying down.

So if you’ve been watching from the sidelines, now is the time to join the game. Things are about to get interesting.

… oh, and you’ll notice this is my first Sunday blog in a while. While I am still under the stress of computer paralysis, I can still turn the bastard on now and then. I’m feeling the need, despite ducking laborious reporting assignments and rabid despot MONKEYS, to blog more and more.