Rumor of the day: TLC trying to sign Palin for another season of Alaska show

But … doesn’t she have something else she’s supposed to do next year? Or is the plan to somehow squeeze the tapings in between primaries?

You know, a documentary series following her around on the trail would be fantastic TV and, a la “Going Rogue,” would be a blockbuster thanks to interest from political junkies. Imagine what she could ask for a show like that. Why, she could move the whole family into Rush’s old penthouse on Fifth Avenue.

“3.066 million people turned in last week to see her episode with Kate Gosselin,” a TLC insider tells me. “That is more people than are watching Bravo’s ‘Housewives’ series or most other cable shows. For sure the network is doing everything it possibly can to convince Sarah to do another season, but at the end of the day it looks like it will all come down to money.”

Sarah, who is reportedly making more than $250,000 per episode for the eight-week series, is no fool — when the show debuted to over 4.96 million viewers, insiders tell me she started talking about a new deal right away.

“Sarah knows to strike when the iron is hot and started talking about season two right after the show debuted to huge numbers,” a friend of Palin tells me. “She knows that celebrities get millions of dollar for each episode of their shows and thinks she’s worth it too. Jennifer Aniston took home millions from ‘Friends’ and in Sarah’s eyes, she’s no different.”

Yeah, really? A “friend” of Palin’s told this guy that she sees herself as no different from Jennifer Aniston? The name of that “friend” doesn’t happen to rhyme with “Peev-eye Bonnston,” does it?

Actually, this is a fun peg for slightly more serious speculation about Huckabee’s ambitions next year, or lack thereof. Not one but two NRO fixtures have hinted in the past few days that they think he’ll pass on running again and stick with his show. Jim Geraghty shared some small talk with Huck in the Fox green room and got the sense that he’s having too much fun with it to give it up, and Jonah Goldberg is hearing whispers that Fox might be about to sign him to a big new contract. So here’s a (far-fetched) possibility: What if he and Palin both decide not to run? Let’s say unemployment starts to tick downward in the first half of next year and Obama’s approval rating begins to climb, dimming the GOP’s chances in 2012. If both of them decide to pass, who becomes the social conservative favorite? Gingrich has been pandering to religious voters for years now so presumably he’d get a big boost, and no doubt Pawlenty would suddenly become a lot more vocal about his faith. Pence would benefit too if he runs, but I think he might end up shooting for governor instead. Who else would suddenly spring into contention?

Via RCP, here’s the latest viral clip from Palin’s show. It’s officially international news, of course.

Update: Palin aide Rebecca Mansour says never believe Popeater.

• Bobby Jindal: Paternalistic, big-government liberalism is the biggest loser here
• Chris Christie: “I’ll be here to welcome” Obama when he comes to tour the NJ coast again next week
• MSNBC consensus: Obama’s speech was historic, amazing, “one of the best of his presidency”

Blowback