Arizona’s Jan Brewer is walking a political tightrope.  She needs to tend to her conservative base, while appeasing moderates that Republicans must win over to cement the presidential election.

In today’s The Daily Beast, I explain how the governor’s decision to sign a constitutionally unnecessary law permitting  an elective class on how-the-Bible-influences-Western-Civilizations  in Arizona public high schools (and charter schools) amounts to a clever act of political counterbalancing.

Because that  same day,  Brewer vetoed  a bill that would allow Arizonans to pack heat in libraries, schools, etc.

In other words,  the gun-bill  veto appeased moderates but outraged Brewer’s Tea Party base.  Signing the Bible bill into law appeased the base but outraged moderates.

The Bible law is very likely to face constitutional challenges if teachers are caught proselytizing. But by then, Brewer will likely be out of office.

Her focus now is keeping Dems from  winning over a demographically-changing state with a growing population of Hispanic voters still mightily offended by Arizona’s immigration laws — including SB 1070, which Gov. Jan signed.

To keep Arizona in the Republican fold, the governor must appease both  moderates and conservatives.

Just because the governor’s grammar falls short sometimes, don’t take her for a fool.