Gov. Sarah Palin's future is secure. She's a genuine grassroots sensation and will remain one. Too bad that John McCain, the man who made her a star, isn't prospering with her. In fact, despite her nice turn on "Saturday Night Live," she has turned toxic for the McCain camp.

Palin's cheery good looks-and her gun-toting, Bible-thumping small town conservatism - electrified the Republican convention and temporarily transfixed the "mainstream" media.

But her drawbacks have become painfully clear. For a variety of reasons, she has sent wavering Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans scurrying to Sen. Barack Obama - even as she has failed to substantially expand Sen. John McCain's support, even among the ranks of self-described  conservatives.