Has McCain found his excuse to sack Palin?

Could John McCain sack Sarah Palin after her disastrous interviews with Katie Couric of CBS last week, when, as outlined here, she "struggled" according to the more polite critics and was downright wobbly in the view of the tougher ones?

The UK website PoliticalBetting is suggesting today that McCain could use the excuse of the financial crisis in the US to ditch his running-mate and go for someone who will inspire more confidence on the economy.

This follows similar suggestions among various conservative American columnists. On Politico, Kathleen Parker, a former Palin supporter, urges Palin to step aside, while Kathryn Jean Lopez, writing for the National Review, says Palin's departure is "not a crazy suggestion" because "something's gotta change".

Mike Smithson, editor of PoliticalBetting, says the US bookmakers' odds on a McCain victory in the November 4 presidential election show the way the wind is blowing for the Republican. "From a position where he was heading towards evens, his declining opinion poll ratings have meant that he's now moved out to more than 2/1 on Betfair."

So what can be done, asks Smithson? "McCain is known as a gambler - just look at his actions last week over the bail-out plan and his threat at one stage to not show up at the first presidential debate. Could ditching Palin be his next [action]?"

For those who fancy a punt, Smithson points out that you can get about 12/1 on Intrade on Palin being kicked off the Republican ticket - though there are few betting possibilities in the UK.

This may all be wishful thinking, of course, but there's another bad omen for Palin that's developed over the weekend. Gibson Square, the London-based publishing company firebombed apparently in protest at the publication of The Jewel of Medina, was due to publish a biography of Sarah Palin next week. With publisher Martin Rynja forced into hiding by death threats, this is looking unlikely.

FIRST POSTED SEPTEMBER 29, 2008