I am not ashamed to say that I was very uncomfortable with the thought of Sarah Palin as America’s new vice president during last year’s presidential campaign. The very idea of her being the next person in line if something were to happen to John McCain was absolutely maddening. Luckily, as a country, we dodged the proverbial bullet by electing Obama and safeguarded most of our union for four years by sending Palin back to Alaska.

Of course, Palin didn’t stay out of the political limelight for long and one is hard pressed not to find her in the news on almost a daily basis. Here’s a short rundown of what’s she’s been up to since the 2008 elections.

In July, Palin announced that she was resigning as governor of Alaska. Then Palin published her autobiography, “Going Rogue: An American Life.” Earlier this month, Palin appeared as the keynote speaker at the inaugural Tea Party convention in Nashville. Finally, when Fox News asked her if she would be running for president in 2012, she replied “I would be willing to if I believe that it’s right for the country. I won’t close the door that perhaps could be open for me in the future.”

Now, this is not a definite “Yes, I will be running for president,” but it’s a whole lot closer to it than what she was saying earlier this year. Luckily, her own party currently wouldn’t back her in a bid for the presidency – 52 percent think she’s not qualified, which is up by 16 points from an ABC/Post poll in November, and according to a recent poll conducted by ABC, 70 percent of its respondents believed she is not qualified to be the leader of our country.

Considering these numbers and her latest antics at the Tea Party Convention, one would think that we’re pretty safe from Palin rule. However, for those of you that are on the fence or even support her, let’s go over some reasons why Palin is a horrible politician and would make an even worse president.

1.) Palin puts herself before the American people and will continue to do so in any public office.

Palin resigned as governor of Alaska in July saying that she didn’t want to be a “lame-duck” governor and that she could do more for the Alaskan people outside of office. Really, Palin just wanted time to finish her autobiography and prepare for further monetary and political acquisitions. Now that she no longer is busy representing the people of her state, Palin is free to go on cross country book tours (which by the way visited many swing states – don’t tell me you’re not getting ready for 2012, lady!), rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars for speaking at political events, take trips overseas and rally support for other republican candidates. Notice how none of these things help or even involve Alaska in the slightest.

2.) Sarah Palin is petty and childish.

What do a 14 year-old and Sarah Palin have in common? Answer: Their love of Facebook, Twitter and other social networking Web sites. Palin spends time writing and posting notes almost every other day on Facebook, commenting on political issues and slamming politicians on her page. While this may seem like she’s using a modern way to reach out to her possible constituents, really it’s a way for her to say whatever she wants without fear of her critics. On Facebook, she won’t be interrupted or upstaged by any of her rivals.

Another good example would be her condemnation of Rahm Emanuel’s use of the word “retarded.” Apparently, Emanuel should be fired for saying it in a derogatory fashion, but when her pal Rush Limbaugh uses the term in the same way, it’s just fine.

3.) Politicians should be good public speakers and debaters and be able to answer tough questions from opponents and constituents honestly and accurately.

Sarah Palin does not have these skills. Let’s review her appearance at the Tea Party Convention. Palin made a veiled insult at the president for using teleprompters while writing crib notes on her palm and only received pre-screened questions from audience members. This was an event that she was the paid keynote speaker and she still was too afraid to field any real questions or concerns and have to actually think on her toes. Perhaps she was afraid that Katie Couric would jump up and ask her what she had been reading lately.

So ladies and gents, when it comes down to it, Sarah Palin is not your best choice in 2012. Go ahead and elect a female president, but please, send Sarah back to the frozen tundra where she can enjoy that lovely view of Russia from her house.

Nemec is a senior print journalism and German major and news editor for The Spectator.