I’m starting to believe the detractors are wrong and that Palin is executing a shrewd strategy that has catapulted her past potential rivals, co-opting the same media establishment she loves to denigrate. Even her recent hints about running for president—if indeed she’s willing to subject herself to constant journalistic scrutiny—are designed to stoke interest in her now that midterm madness has faded…

David Frum, the conservative commentator and a harsh Palin critic, tips his hat. “The language of politics is very formal, very stilted, and to most people very artificial and remote,” he says. “Palin speaks in a completely different way. Palin’s said 100 things that would have ruined someone else, and she’s still popular and thriving. These media ventures enable her to connect with people while allowing her to avoid answering questions that might embarrass her with more traditional gatekeepers.”…

John Ellis, a seasoned political analyst and a cousin of George W. Bush, puts it this way:

“‘She’s too stupid’ is what the Establishment GOP really thinks about Sarah Palin. ‘Good-looking,’ but a ‘ditz.’ This is unfertile ground, since Palin can turn the argument on a dime and say: ‘They drive the country into bankruptcy, they underwrite Fannie and Freddie, they bail out Goldman Sachs, they fight wars they don’t want to win, they say enforcing the immigration laws is silly and they call me stupid! I’ll give you a choice: You can have their smarts or my stupidity, which one do you want?’”