What's behind Sarah Palin's surprise trip to the Iowa State Fair?
Sarah Palin and her One Nation bus tour are making a surprise trip to Iowa, if you haven鈥檛 heard. In an email sent yesterday to supporters of her political action committee she said she鈥檚 going to 鈥渕eet folks at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines this week.鈥�
鈥淪tate fairs hold a special place in our nation鈥檚 history and heritage, so my family is honored to highlight one of them on one stop along the One Nation Tour route,鈥� wrote the ex-governor of Alaska.
Does this mean a President Palin would make the Iowa State Fairgrounds a National Park? Just asking.
Palin also noted that she鈥檚 excited to try some of the Iowa State Fair鈥檚 famous fried foods, including fried butter-on-a-stick, fried cheesecake, and so forth. She鈥檒l enjoy them 鈥渋n honor of those who鈥檇 rather make us just 鈥榚at our peas,鈥� 鈥� noted Palin, in a not-so-veiled reference to President Obama鈥檚 recent statement comparing the hard choices in a debt deal with legume consumption.
Vegetables aside, we鈥檒l say this about that: once again, Sarah Palin has proved that she is the quasi-political attention-getting master of the US media universe.
That鈥檚 because there just happens to be a debate in Ames, Iowa tonight among declared GOP presidential contenders. A straw poll follows this weekend. So hundreds of political reporters are already in Iowa 鈥� pre-positioned for a Palin drive-by. Pure genius.
Somewhere Rick Santorum is sitting in a hotel room with his face in his hands. It鈥檚 the lagging candidates who鈥檒l really feel the tire tracks of the bus tour. If you鈥檙e a 鈥�Good Morning America鈥� producer, which story would you rather see on the air 鈥� Gingrich Campaign Still Dead, or Palin Views a Cow Made Entirely of Butter?
Plus, SarahPAC has posted a new that makes pretty much every other Republican contender鈥檚 commercials look underproduced.
It鈥檚 a paean to small town America, which grows 鈥済ood people ... with honesty and sincerity and dignity.鈥� It invokes Harry Truman, contains several quick shots of the young Ronald Reagan, and lingers on an Iowa State Fair sign.
The sound track is Palin鈥檚 speech at the 2008 GOP convention. The overall impression it leaves is that Michele Bachmann is a good speaker, Michele Bachmann is a former tax attorney, Michele Bachmann is a tea party favorite, but Sarah Palin is still way better at lighting people on fire with words.
Does all this mean Palin is going to run for president? She鈥檚 still not saying. But it sure looks like she鈥檚 running for something, even if it鈥檚 only Queen of the Midway.
