March 20, 2011 | 5:15 pm

Sarah Palin is in Israel

Posted by Ilana Angel

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I am always happy when high profile people visit Israel because it sheds light on a place that I love.  The thing is, Palin stopping by for two days is not seeing Israel, it is a flyby political ploy, which is fine, but if this visit gets her closer to a bid for the White House, we should all be afraid.  She is going to suck up to Israel and I don’t trust her, or even care.

Today Palin toured the Western Wall and tomorrow is planning on having dinner with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  About her visit with Netanyahu she wrote on her website:  “As the world confronts sweeping changes and new realities, I look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu to discuss the key issues facing his country, our ally Israel.”

When she landed she did not speak to the press, which is no surprise.  Unless she is reading off a teleprompter, with the opportunity to edit her message, she does not speak to anyone other than her buddies at FOX News and even then they protect her from ever responding to anything that is not planned out with her responses memorized ahead of time.

Sidebar:  Why the hell is she wearing a Star of David necklace?  She has never worn one before so why now?  Does she think wearing the necklace makes Jews like her more?  I would have been more impressed if she had been wearing a Free Gilad Shalit t-Shirt.  The necklace is a weak and pathetic attempt at being one of the tribe.

The saddest thing is that she is a really great speaker off the cuff.  I have met her and she has a way about her that makes you feel like she has been your friend for years, is genuinely pleased to see you, and cares about what you have to say.  If she would trust herself, allow herself to speak, and stop listening to whoever is advising her, she’d be much better off.

I’d still never vote for her, but I would like her more, which I think is something that she needs.  Her inability, or perhaps unwillingness, to talk live to anyone about her plans, thoughts, or ideas, makes her scary.  Regardless of whether you like her or not, scary trumps likeable so she has got no chance in hell of winning over anyone new with her Kool-Aid.

She could have greeted the press with something simple like she was excited to be in the Holy Land, was looking forward to meeting the people, seeing the culture, but instead she said nothing, which makes her look ridiculous.  The statement on her website can be translated into I’m running for President in 2012, which is what I got out of it because her code is so easily deciphered.

I like Sarah Palin the woman not Sarah Palin the politician.  If she could blur the line between the two, she’d have a better shot at President.  For someone who quit her last political job, and alienates people with her rhetoric, you’d think she would try to get that. I want her never elected to anything, so it’s good she doesn’t understand, and for that I’m still keeping the faith.