Please save us, Sarah Palin!

BostonHerald.com: Please save us, Sarah Palin!

In 1988, Democrats got stuck with Gary Hart and the Seven Dwarfs. Now, Republicans have Mitt and the Lipitor Six.

You know the GOP presidential pack is bad when they look like extras from a cholesterol drug ad. The most exciting personality is Herman Cain, whose major qualification is running a company that makes bad pizza.

There is only one person who can prevent the 2012 race from becoming a dreary snooze-fest, and I think you know who I mean.

Save us, Sarah.

We haven’t heard too much from the former Alaska governor/reality show host since her daughter got booted from “Dancing with the Stars,” and most political observers doubt she will end up running. Her poll ratings are down and she’s about to get slammed by a couple of tell-all books.

But so what? Palin must be looking at this bland Republican field and thinking, “I can take these guys.”

There’s former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who clearly has the best chance of beating President Obama, and has already raised tons of money. But all the money in the world won’t make conservatives forgive him for Romneycare.

Then there’s ’90s relic Newt Gingrich. One Iowa voter recently told him: “Why don’t you get out before you make a bigger fool of yourself?” Unfortunately, it’s already too late.

Tim Pawlenty? Ron Paul? Rick Santorum? Yikes. And don’t forget former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, who’s being billed as “the new Ron Paul.” That’s the same Ron Paul who got 8 percent of the vote in New Hampshire last time.

A lot of Republicans were pinning their hopes on Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, but now he’s out. Daniels is a smart, respected and diminutive governor of a small state. He sounds a lot like Michael Dukakis, if Dukakis had married his wife twice.

Another potential challenger is former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, sort of a younger but grayer version of Romney. He has one small problem — he used to work for the Obama administration.

Let’s face it, national Republicans right now have the same problem as Massachusetts Democrats trying to oust GOP Sen. Scott Brown; they’re facing a beatable incumbent with a bunch of challengers who can’t beat anyone. It’s starting to look like the 1988 Democratic pack, which was so weak that Dukakis won the nomination.

Palin may never win the White House, but she would give the other candidates a much-needed kick in their pleated pants. And give voters a reason to watch.