Inside-the-Beltway folks are having a field day analyzing the motives of Gov. Sarah Palin. Conservatives and liberals alike seem mystified. I am reminded of the story told about Talleyrand, the nineteenth century French foreign minister. He was on his way to a Paris meeting with the Russian foreign minister when the Russian collapsed in his carriage and died. When informed of the Russian’s sudden death, the wily Talleyrand stroked his chin thoughtfully and said: “I wonder why he did that!” I’ll bet you didn’t know that Paris even had a Beltway.

One thing that surely contributed to Gov. Palin’s decision is the super-human viciousness of her opposition. Because she’s pro-life, because she is upfront about her Evangelical Christian faith, her liberal critics assume she must be dumb.

And it’s interesting to see, when their guard is down, what they really think of people who are not highly intelligent. The Huffington Post website—a leading liberal chat room—posted a piece in which the author said Palin will run for President in 2012 on a platform of “more retardation.”

Now that Al Franken’s gone to the Senate, the field is wide open for tasteless satire. Here’s how the HuffPo humorist assailed Palin:

Her first act as President: To introduce a Pre-K lunch buffet that includes lead paint chips. Sort of a Large HEAD-START Program.

She will then encourage women to hold off on pregnancies until their 40's just to mix up some chromosomes.

She now is in favor of abortion only in case of diploid birth.

Her policies will increase jobs because Wal-Mart is building new stores each day and someone has to be the greeter.

This will lead to smaller government because fewer Americans will have the cognitive ability to hold a government job

Now, The Huffington Post did, eventually, bring down this thoroughly mean-spirited, utterly vicious piece. And the author apologized—but not until he learned that some of his liberal friends had loved ones who were mentally retarded. (Let’s give a salute to the family of Sargent Shriver. Always liberal, they’re the ones who started the Special Olympics. God bless them.)

General Charles de Gaulle was one of the towering figures of the twentieth century. To be sure, he not only vexed Hitler and the pro-Nazi government of occupied France, but also his own allies. Churchill said the heaviest cross he had to bear in WWII was the Cross of Lorraine (the symbol of DeGaulle’s Free French forces.)

Still, it is interesting to learn what it was that DeGaulle thought had shaped his character and his destiny: “The love of Anne DeGaulle,” he told a reporter. It took some digging. Mme. DeGaulle’s name was Yvonne. Anne DeGaulle was the mentally retarded daughter whom the DeGaulles refused to put in an institution. They rearranged their entire domestic life to accommodate this special needs young woman. Anne returned their unstinting love in full measure. And when they stood at her graveside, Charles embraced his wife and said, tearfully: “Now, she is like all the others.”

Americans will make up their own minds about Gov. Palin’s sudden announcement. It may take time. But it should take no time at all to make up our minds about the kind of writer who would offer up this bitter-tasting fruit—and the kind of outfit that would post it.