A hurricane bypassed New Orleans a few weeks ago, but it didn't miss the rest of the country and it is still wreaking havoc.

Its name is Sarah Palin, the governor of the 49th state, catapulted meteorically from obscure small-town mayor to the governor of Alaska to a possible office in the East Wing of the White House - all in the lightning span of six years.

Forget about shattering the glass ceiling. That's breaking the sound barrier.

Americans have always enjoyed heroic tales but we expect our heroes (and heroines) to work up a sweat, to feel a little pain, even taste defeat before they are permitted to savor victory.

If Rocky Balboa had beaten his opponent in their first match there would have been no sequels. If John McCain had not been a prisoner of war, the Republicans probably would have nominated someone else. They are authentic heroes because they endured considerable hardship, and their ability to overcome adversity is what makes their stories compelling.

Hillary Clinton fell short of achieving heroine status, and had to overcome strong gender opposition in her failed bid to become the first woman president. But in reaching for the heights, there were elements of authentic struggle which made her a believable figure for millions.

Barack Obama faces formidable obstacles of his own if he is to be elected the nation's first black president. Whether his journey will achieve heroic proportions remains to be seen.

Still, the adversity each confronted was not the only factor in their epic battle to gain the crown. Neither would have felt it possible to aspire to this pinnacle without the grounding in national and world affairs each can boast - and without first convincing the voters they had what it takes to lead.

More so, over the past two years each was exposed to the most intensive public vetting, and both passed the presidential readiness test.

The Sarah Palin story is quite different.

While the Palin distraction is causing many to forget that it is John McCain who heads the ticket, just as Republican strategists had hoped, her troubling selection is an audacious and cynical act designed to take voters' minds off the issues and to make the party responsible for the country's mess seem like the real agent of change.

To suggest that Palin is fully equipped to take over as president if necessary - which after all is the only reason we choose vice presidents - after a mere 20 months running a state with more animals than voters and where the contented populace pays less taxes than anywhere else thanks to publicly subsidized windfall oil profits, demands a leap of faith that even a pragmatic moose dresser might question.

It should be mildly disconcerting that any individual tapped to fill the nation's second highest office may have been interviewed for less time than it takes to order a cup of coffee. Never mind that her total foreign policy experience may be little more than her views across the Bering Strait of a dangerous adversary about which she knows little.

Apparently she disagrees with McCain that humans might have something to do with global warming even as the steady erosion of the polar ice cap is turning her state into baked Alaska. And while McCain has decried the infamous "earmarks" that reward legislators for their votes, reform advocate Palin engineered $346 million of these giveaways for her state.

None of this seems to have fazed the strong-willed, gutsy, wisecracking, rifle-toting frontier mom who has become an instant media sensation with a protective shield constructed to prevent any annoying inquiries about her vice presidential bona fides.

On Oct. 2, Palin meets Joe Biden in their only debate. He may have the best opportunity to show the nation if she really has the stuff of which heroines are made.

Vice presidential nominees do not make or break tickets, but this time around it may be different.