Sarah Palin's visit shows how vital today's runoff is for nation

Principles never more at risk

Political endorsements don't get much bigger than this one.

That's fitting, since elections don't get much more important, either.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the most imposing presence in Republican politics today, whipped up an excited crowd at the James Brown Arena in Augusta Monday in support of Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss' re-election in today's crucial runoff election.

Only Palin could have led more than 3,000 area GOP faithful to stand in a chilly line snaking down the block and to the Bell Auditorium on a crisp early Monday morning after Thanksgiving. And none of the other speakers who preceded her wasted any time trying to compete with her: The crowd was waiting to explode for her, and it did.

No one in years has energized the GOP like Sarah Palin has.

The most important thing, though, was what she said: that the country and world are watching the Georgia election closely, since it could mean a filibuster-proof majority for Barack Obama if Chambliss loses the runoff to Democratic challenger Jim Martin.

In short, that could mean a blank check for Obama.

A Chambliss win, on the other hand, means checks and balances on the new administration.

Palin was stumping not just for Chambliss Monday, but also for conservative principles in general - limited government, freedom, the sanctity of life.

Those principles have never been more in jeopardy in our lifetimes.

Georgia simply must stand up for them by voting for Saxby Chambliss today.

From the Tuesday, December 02, 2008 edition of the Augusta Chronicle