AN ODD SARAH STORY - AT 10:42 P.M. ET:  There is a strange political story out of Iowa, and it involves Sarah Palin, who may be a candidate for president in 2012.  The Politico reports that Palin is asking a $100,000 speaking fee to give a speech in Iowa, and eyebrows are raised above heads:

A conservative Iowa group’s effort to lure Sarah Palin to its banquet next month has had an unintended effect: Rather than exciting conservatives about the prospect of a visit from the former Alaska governor, the group’s plan to raise a six-figure sum to bring her to the state has GOP activists recoiling at the thought of paying to land a politician's speaking appearance.

The Iowa Family Policy Center’s effort to cobble together $100,000 for Palin would represent a striking departure from customary practice in the first-in-the-nation state, these Republicans say, noting that a generation of White House hopefuls has paid their own way to boost their party and presidential ambitions.

That's correct.  And Sarah certainly can't be clueless about normal and accepted procedures.  It may well be that she won't be running in 2012, and simply sees this as another paid-for speaking engagement.  But if she even has a vague thought about higher office, she can't make running a business. 

Were Palin to appear in Iowa on November 21st, it would mark her first trip back to the state since she spoke to a handful of rallies there last fall as the GOP’s vice-presidential nominee. She would offer powerful counter-programming to another major political event that night: The Iowa Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner with Vice-President Joe Biden as the headliner.

Biden powerful?  Interesting?  Significant?  Fascinating?  None of the above.

But representatives from other Iowa-based political advocacy groups said they would never consider shelling out money for what many politicians see as a privilege: the opportunity to speak to a room full of sure-fire caucus-goers who often serve as precinct captains and can be instrumental to a presidential candidate’s success.

COMMENT:  They are correct.  Let's see what Palin does in the end.  She should lower her fee to expenses plus a token honorarium.  She's had some gaffes along the way.  Let's hope this isn't another one of them.

October 29, 2009