Last week conservative pundit David Brooks threw in the towel on Sarah Palin as a serious vice presidential pick. Now Kathleen Parker, who first applauded Palin’s selection, is suggesting she do the Republican ticket a favor and announce she’s decided to spend more time her family.

It was fun while it lasted.

Palin’s recent interviews with Charles Gibson, Sean Hannity, and now Katie Couric have all revealed an attractive, earnest, confident candidate. Who Is Clearly Out Of Her League.

No one hates saying that more than I do. Like so many women, I’ve been pulling for Palin, wishing her the best, hoping she will perform brilliantly. I’ve also noticed that I watch her interviews with the held breath of an anxious parent, my finger poised over the mute button in case it gets too painful. Unfortunately, it often does. My cringe reflex is exhausted…

If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself.

Parker acknowledges that McCain can’t admit his monumentally bad judgment without making his campaign suspension permanent. Which sounds like a great idea to me, but not to Republicans. Instead, she calls on Palin’s sense of patriotism.

McCain can’t repudiate his choice for running mate. He not only risks the wrath of the GOP’s unforgiving base, but he invites others to second-guess his executive decision-making ability. Barack Obama faces the same problem with Biden.

Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.

Do it for your country.

Nice try, Parker. But Palin isn’t all that committed to this country anyway, having participated in those Alaska secessionist conferences with her husband, a member of their party. And Lord knows, she can’t have that much maternal instinct if she’s pushing off on her five-months’ pregnant 17-year-old a 4-month-old with Down syndrome, as every photo shows. Experts say what happens in the critical early stages of development is crucial to the Down infant’s lifetime potential, yet Palin seems unconcerned.

As much as conservatives might wish, I don’t look for Palin to pull a Harriett Miers and go quietly.