In a move that's only surprising for how long it took, its been announced that former Vice President nominee Sarah Palin will be a contributor to Fox News. What's interesting is her role will be on the network, that she'll be acontributer and not someone with a regular show. Like her Facebook page, she gains a large distribution platform, while having to answer to no one or at most very few people, which she'll then use to secure an even larger media platform (Sarah Palin? There's an App for that).

Will she run for President in 2012? Highly doubtful, in my opinion, as it opens her up to something she hates, not being in control and being challenged. The position she's in now grants her an enormous amount of power and say in choosing not only who Republican candidates will be, but also the actual Republican platform and talking points to some extent, while still not having to answer to anyone and appear in any interview she doesn't want to appear in.

However, if she does decide to run, as a Fox News contributor (you seriously don't think she'll give up the gig if she's running, right?) she would have her own 24/7 media outlet at virtually zero financial cost to herself. Either way, going forward, she has options and all of them promise to benefit her enormously.

What would you do if you were Sarah Palin and were asked about Canada's healthcare system by a comedian posing as a news reporter? Just be yourself and say "Canada needs to reform its health care system and let the private sector take over some of what the government has absorbed."

Former Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin wrote a book and it's being released today. Unsurprisingly, she got a few things wrong, but says a 2012 Presidential run isn't on her radar.

No longer Governor, Sarah Palin released her first policy statement on Friday via Facebook and yes, it's everything you would expect and more:

"The Democrats promise that a government health care system will reduce the cost of health care, but as the economist Thomas Sowell has pointed out, government health care will not reduce the cost; it will simply refuse to pay the cost. And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil."

It's so out there, other conservatives are flat out calling her statement crazy.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty made his first stab at a 2012 Presidential run this past Thursday. Giving a speech at the Republican National Committee's summer meeting (YouTube), he set to introduce himself to a national stage. First thoughts? Meh.    Continues...

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is under investigation again for possible ethics violations. This time it's about whether she broke state ethics laws by using her government position to help solicit funds for a fund to help pay her legal bills.

"In light of the evidence that the governor expressly authorized the creation of the trust and the fact the trust website quite openly uses the governor's position to solicit donations, there is probable cause to believe that Governor Palin used, or attempted to use, her official position for personal gain in violation of Alaska statute," Anchorage attorney Tom Daniel wrote in his report.

Various sites (Talking Points Memo is the only linking to an Alaskan source) are reporting that Sarah Palin will resign as Governor of Alaska at the end of the month. Politico speculates that this frees her up to run President in 2012.

CBS has (exclusive! behind the scenes!) emails between Sarah Palin and John McCain's chief stagiest, Steve Schmidt.

The emails, from the final three weeks of the Presidential campaign, chronicle Palin's discovery and reaction to allegations that her husband, Todd, belonged to the Alaska Independence Party, which advocated separating Alaska from the United States. Palin wanted to respond to the stories, while Schimdt wanted to ignore it. Back and forth ensues, yada yada yada.

What's interesting is that these were leaked now, eight months after the election. Somebody on the Republican really doesn't like Palin.

Alaskan Republicans want newly elected Senator Mark Begich to resign, and then a special election held for the Senatorial seat lost by the formerly indicted, now unconvicted Ted Stevens. Governor Sarah Palin agrees, you betcha.

Jindal, Sanford, and four other Republican governors all say they'll turn down the stimulus money. One opinion is that they can't do that without legislative approval, and it seems unlikely that they will.

So which is it? Principal or grandstanding?

Time's Person of the Year is President-Elect Barack Obama, something Craig Robinson found out 20 years ago.    Continues...

First there's a trailer for Oliver Stone's "P." which looks at the life and rise to power of Sarah Palin.

Then there's you. Person of the year was nice, but are you change we can believe in? If not, you can be courtesy of a Photobooth plugin.

Remember that story citing unnamed sources saying Palin didn't know Africa was a contient? The source has come forward and it's "Martin Eisenstadt, a McCain policy adviser." Not only is this person not real, but also an elaborate hoax.

What now, John Mccain? What now, Sarah Palin?    Continues...

What an election this has been!

John McCain plays the comedian card, Sarah Palin got punk'd, and nudists lobby for clothing optional polling place.

McCain is clearly not trying to court the science vote. Federal funding for science is tight and has been tightening over the past several years (AAAS figures), yet McCain used a high-profile bear conservation research project as an example of ridiculous pork barrel spending. Next he referred to the Adler Planetarium's request for funding to replace its outdated equipment (which was denied [PDF], by the way] as another example of earmarks that are out of control. More on that here. Last week, Governor Palin used funding for research on fruit fly genetics as the campaign's latest example of wasteful spending. Transcript and video. Ironically, fruit fly studies have been instrumental in basic research on the kinds of childhood disabilities, including autism, that Palin advocated earlier in the same speech.    Continues...

Probe finds Palin pipeline terms curbed bids.

Earlier in the week, Chuck Todd said he thought there was a "a tenseness" and "bad vibes" in the McCain/Palin interview with Brian Williams, and wondered aloud about disappearing cohesion in the campaign. Now the descriptions of the campaign include "tension", infighting, dissension, and questions about candidates "going rogue" (Language Log on "going rogue"). The response: deny, deny, deny.

"Oh, if people only knew how frugal we are."

Barack, John, Joe and Sarah, what are you not telling or showing us?

As 'hockey mom" Sarah Palin sat down for her first CNN interview, reports came out of the $150K clothing spree the RNC treated her to.

Sarah says no, John says yes. Problem is they're on the same team.

With Obama in the lead after a record breaking fundraising month and string of endorsements such as Colin Powell & The Chicago Tribune, Sarah Palin (yes the real one) appears on SNL.

Why didn't the rumor about Sarah Palin being the grandmother of Trig work? Why haven't the rumors against Obama been working?

Turns out there's more to rumors and our responses to them.

Tickle your funny bone: Compare Obama, Biden, McCain and Palin to various things in a ranked order of goodness.

For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) provides “The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust.”

Findings from the Palin investigation, aka Troopergate, have been released.

Hey Sarah Palin. Truly fantastic, 3:53 of SLYT bliss.

Palin's tax returns have been released and NPR notes "missing travel reimbursements," while Gawker goes with "tax cheat."

Meanwhile, the final report from the Troopergate investigation is due this Friday, unless Alaska's Supreme Court says no by the end of the day on Thursday.

While the polls say Biden carried the debate, others believe Palin won.

Ladies and Gentlemen! In this corner, marching North to the Future, hailing from the Land of the Midnight Sun, Sarah "Barracuda" Palin. And in this corner, the statesman from The First State: Joe Biden!

PALIN! it's as good as bingo. But there are always drinking games. What to watch it online? CSPAN's got you covered.    Continues...

It's been just over a month since Sarah Palin was introduced as the GOP vice-presidential candidate.

There have been a few questions in that time, such as:
Was she really vetted? Will she give interviews? Did she support the Bridge to Nowwhere? Is Trig really your son? What's the deal the church she attended? Was she connected to the Alaskan Indepence Party? What really happened in the Troopergate scandal? How much foreign policy experience does she have? Will she cooperate with an ethics probe? How will she do when interviewed? Was the McCain campaign interfering in the Troopergate investigation? What's up with the witch doctor who blessed her? Why can't the press follow her? Can she handle being interviewed by Katie Couric? Why hasn't she done her financial disclosures yet? When did local opinion of her change?

And finally, how will she do in tonight's Vice Presidential debate against Joe Biden?

Palin needs to be off the ticket, says Kathleen Parker.

Yoda voice alert: Sarah Palin Gets Protection From Witches

Man, what a day. McCain tells Congress to put up the bailout bill or Churchy Spice is taking her ball and going home... where she promptly craters on CBS. Not even Couric can save her. Meanwhile, on the same network, in the same town, David Letterman was trying to tape a show, but his guest wouldn't arrive. That's ok, because he found a replacement. Then the president was on, but he couldn't stop rubbing his microphone... So I watched the old President on Larry King, mostly because he's not crazy. He explained how he wasn't campaigning for Obama in Florida till AFTER the Jewish Holidays, since he thinks the Jewish population there might frown on it. But never fear, afterward he was going to be put out to hustle up the cracker vote.    Continues...

Sarah Palin and the Kenyan Witch Hunter

Matt Taibbi: The Lies of Sarah Palin

Obama and McCain's debates? Free wheeling and town hall format. Biden and Palin? More structured with less opportunity for direct comments between the two, which could be difficult for the loquacious Biden.

Never mind that Sarah Palin's email account was hacked, what about the designer of her glasses and Palin's fashion style?

Salon columnist makes sense of the recent interview Sarah Palin gave.

Sarah Palin on love. Sarah Palin on reforming Washington. Sarah Palin on answering questions. Sarah Palin on Obama. Sarah Palin on family. Sarah Palin on the campaign. Sarah Palin on sexist questions. Sarah Palin on foreign policy. Sarah Palin on foreign policy experience. Sarah Palin on leadership.

Alaska Women Reject Palin decided to host anti-Palin rally in Anchorage, despite threats. It turned out to be the largest political rally in Alaska's history.

Sinfest is, hands down, one of the best comic strips ever. As an added bonus, it has recently gotten political.

“You should be ashamed! Stop blogging. Stop blogging right now!”

John McCain was on "The View" today. A highlight is up on YouTube. The full video is on the "The View"'s website (but their viewer's less than great). They brought up the sex ed and lipstick ads specifically. Also just about everything else of substance that seems to be lacking in "serious" coverage at the moment, including Palin's record vs. the reformer message, his interpretation of the Constitution, and his stance on Roe v. Wade. Associated Press story.    Continues...

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to McCain's Speech Our Skin-Burning, Cigar-Chomping, Douchebag-Studded, Palin-Aghast Report from the RNC

Of pigs, lipstick and old fish. Obama's campaign insisted that he was not alluding to Palin at all.

Lies To Nowhere

Palin business partner requests emergency motion to have divorce records sealed. The story isn't clear yet, but Daily Kos is questioning if it relates to Trig Palin's paternity.

Gloria Steinem on Palin: wrong woman, wrong message. "Sarah Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Hillary Clinton. She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger." [Via]