Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall

This is a very nice column from Richard Cohen. I don't think I've reprinted a Cohen piece before, and I think I used to read him in venues other than the Washington Post. (The Washington Monthly, maybe?)

The gist here is that Sarah Palin is neither the demon feared by the left, nor the savior awaited by the right. She's an empty suit, a vessel into which people pour their fears and longing, a distorting mirror in which one sees what one desires, expects, or most wishes not to see. (I think the tendency on the left to see these characters as threatening is due in large part to a desire for validation. "See, I told you there was a fascist in that closet!")

What do you think? Is Sarah Palin a political phenomenon, or just another gold-digger from Sandpoint?