Palin's whiny lament ("How am I gonna react to the circumstances, to the changed conditions [after the 2008 Presidential campaign]? Am I gonna just keep pluggin' away an' keep my head down...?") stands in stark contrast with a statement made by newly-sworn-in Senator Al Franken in an AP interview yesterday, when he spoke about the changed conditions in his own career path:

Franken said in an interview with The Associated Press on Monday that while he is still garnering attention for his career as a comic, he expects the publicity to die down once he is able to establish himself in the Senate.

"I think they'll get to used to the idea that I'm a senator, that I've kind of changed careers," Franken said. "I just don't think it will take that long. They'll see what I do and what I say. Mainly I'm going to put my head down and get to work."

From this AP article (with emphasis in boldface by me)


...so the answer to Palin's question is: Yes, Sarah, that's how it's supposed to be done. You put your head down and you plug away. It's called focus. Perseverance. Tenacity. Purpose. Moral strength (a.k.a. "grace").