I know, I know: "PLEASE stop diarying about this person. PLEASE make her go away."
But consider the upside (for Democrats) to such an ill-fated gambit on Palin's part. And consider this a hint that she's possibly preparing to announce. It's about that season: you'll remember that Clinton and Obama each announced in Dec/Jan about 23 months before the 2008 election.
New York Times upcoming weekend magazine has a large piece on "The Palin Network" - and it contains this interesting bit:
"I am," Sarah Palin told me the next day when I asked her if she was already weighing a run for president. "I’m engaged in the internal deliberations candidly, and having that discussion with my family, because my family is the most important consideration here." Palin went on to say that there weren’t meaningful differences in policy among the field of G.O.P. hopefuls "but that in fact there’s more to the presidency than that" and that her decision would involve evaluating whether she could bring unique qualities to the table.
Good Lord. More below.
Seriously?
Sarah Palin is preparing to throw her hat into the ultimate ring?
Sarah Palin, who made Katie Couric look like a MENSA member? Sarah Palin, who walked off the job of Alaska governor and onto some lame reality TV gig? Sarah Palin, who helped sink McCain's chances in the 2008 general?
You betcha.
Here is more from the NYT piece:
One afternoon in June 2009, Gov. Sarah Palin was sitting in the Washington office of her friend Fred Malek, whom she met through McCain during the 2008 campaign. She was listening to the former White House aide to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford map out logical next steps to her political career. Focus on amassing a good record as governor, he advised her. Run for a second term. Develop some policy expertise. Do some extensive overseas travel. Generate some good will by campaigning for fellow Republicans.
Malek told me that he could tell that this wasn’t what Palin wanted to hear. Here’s the problem, she replied impatiently: I’ve got a long commute from my house to my office. I don’t have the funds to pay for my family to travel with me, and the state won’t pay for it, either. I can’t afford to have security at my home — anybody can come up to my door, and they do. Under the laws of Alaska, anybody can file suit or an ethics charge against me, and I have to defend it on my own. I’m going into debt.
L Oh Freaking L.
Good timing... there was a snippet of news the other day that Palin's disapproval rating has hit an all time high. Apparently Republicans love her, Democrats hate her, and Independents... mostly dislike.
Despite all this, Palin apparently is now interested in pursuing the US presidency. Or, at least, in generating some early buzz to that effect.
Oh, please, may it be so. Let's hope she runs and plays brutally hard. You don't have to be Einstein to deduce that Palin has no chance in the general election - her approval ratings tell the tale - but it's pretty obvious that a brutal and demoralizing fight on the opposition's side can help the incumbent. I would love to see it, particularly against Romney whom I loathe as only a lifelong progressive MA voter can loathe him.
But back to Palin. What do you think... is she for real?