Now that Sarah Palin has been found guilty of abusing power Democrats might be gleeful over the McCain-Palin ticket getting bogged down in Troopergate.

But not so quick.

I think this might be the best thing that can happen to the beleaguered Republican ticket.

Ever since the ill-fated Katie Couric interview it’s been apparent that noone, not even Republicans think she’s ready to be President. I, in fact talked to one lifelong Republican the other day who said he was so upset with Palin, he was not only switching parties, he’d put out his own money for a PitbullForPresidentwebsite.

Now McCain has two options.

He can see if Palin can make a convincing victim and move from pitbull to maverick-damsel-in-distress being bullied by male chauvinist pigs. Hmm, that’s a lot of barnyard metaphors here. That might rally the faithful more.

On the other hand if it looks like the rats are deserting the sinking ship, this would be the perfect moment for Palin to nobly step aside for “the good of the party” and to “avoid being a distraction to the nation’s work.” She won’t even need the lame “to spend more time with her family” line as Fareed Zakaria suggests in Newsweek

And McCain can go find himself a real candidate who would have otherwise never done it. But now he has to step in because duty calls.

Hmm, you think Colin Powell might be getting a call soon?

Now how’s that for an October surprise?