Sarah Palin Unplugged

I don't care who you are, this interview is fascinating on several levels. Now that she is out from under the McCain campaign handlers, we are getting a good look at a candid and authentic Sarah Palin the likes we have not seen since, oh about the end of August. I think we are going to get an idea of how much the McCain campaign's fear of a gaffe held her back.

If you watch the video she's displaying a gut level political instinct that is just dead on. True she's a little bit raw, but even despite that, it's a hell of a lot more appealing than the usual politicians we get.

Some points:

-She's holding to Reagan's 11th commandment, to not speak ill of a fellow Republican. That includes her former ticketmate, but apparently does not include campaign staffers.

-The clothes are gone, "Sarah Palin" clothes now. heh.

-When asked about Ted Stevens knew that it takes 66 votes to unseat a senator, a fairly esoteric piece of knowledge that most Americans (including moi) don't know.

-She effortlessly connects her campaigning to her job in Alaska, as if she was just on an extended Alaska boosterism tour. Which she was quite successfully if you look at the news reference volume in Google Trends.

-Big priorities as a governor: Get the trans-Canada gas line moving and scale back the budget in the face of falling oil prices. Which is exactly right, for Alaska and for her future. The gas pipeline is an immensely complex project that has languished for years but for which she was able to make tremendous headway in just two years. It's already an impressive accomplishment and important for Alaska. And she's positioning herself right on the budget. "We can't spend like we used to". Her Alaskan approval ratings will be fine.

2012? We'll know she's thinking about that if she continues to show up at a fundraiser and a GOP rally here and there. And if, a few months down the road, she is scheduled on Meet the Press or other serious Sunday show. That of course would result in MTP's highest ratings in 20 years.