It's Palin's party now

To brand Mrs. Palin the front-runner for the ’12 nomination, as opposed to calling her one of several top-tier contenders, isn’t a stretch at all. But don’t be fooled: this status has nothing to do with anything Mrs. Palin’s done since November and everything to do with what the Republican Party has become. Her improving odds of winning the next G.O.P. nomination are a symptom of the party’s rapidly shrinking base – not of an expanding appetite for Mrs. Palin among the general public.