Return of Sarah Palin
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Well, she wasn't gone long. Just a couple of months. Now Governor Palin has done an extensive interview with Internet reporter John Ziegler. The chat is interesting, and Mrs. Palin is still relevant, even though we will welcome a new president shortly.
There is no question Governor Palin wants to run for president in 2012, but in order to do that she has to change some perceptions about her. That is the drama.
In the interview with Mr. Ziegler, the governor put forth some very legitimate anger, especially when asked about being mocked by comedians.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Click here to watch "Talking Points."
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TINA FEY, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": I believe marriage is meant to be a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}JOHN ZIEGLER, CONSERVATIVE RADIO TALK SHOW HOST & FILMMAKER: How did that make you feel?
GOV. SARAH PALIN, R-ALASKA: Well a grizzly rises up in me hearing things like that. You know, here again, cool, fine, come attack me. But when you make a suggestion like that, that certainly attacks a kid, that kills me.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Well, Governor Palin has a right to be angry at the media. It exploited and demeaned her because it largely wanted Barack Obama to win the election.
And there was also a class issue.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}PALIN: I've been interested also to see how Caroline Kennedy will be handled, and if she'll be handled with kid gloves, or if she will be under such a microscope also. It's going to be interesting to see how that plays out. And I think that as we watch that, we will perhaps be able to prove that there is a class issue here also that was such a factor in the scrutiny of my candidacy vs., say, the scrutiny of what her candidacy may be.
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Now that was very perceptive analysis by Governor Palin. The fact that she does come from a working-class background certainly alienated some snobby media types.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The governor's also outraged by her treatment on the Internet, especially involving her newborn son, Trig.
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PALIN: I wasn't believed that Trig was really my son. You know, that rumor persists today even. We're still receiving calls in our state press office regarding Trig and who is the real mother of this child. When did we start accepting as hard news sources bloggers, anonymous bloggers especially? It's a sad state of affairs in the world of the media today, mainstream media especially, if they're going to rely on anonymous bloggers for their hard news information. Very scary.
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Again, the governor hits the mark. Corrupt mainstream media reporters now use guttersnipes on the Net as legitimate sources, and that is dangerous.
Mrs. Palin went on to address an interesting question from Mr. Ziegler.
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ZIEGLER: If, by chance, you had been chosen as the vice presidential candidate for Barack Obama, pretend you wanted to be really post-partisan, how do you think your candidacy would have been treated differently?
PALIN: I think they would have loved me as a candidate. There's so much hypocrisy in it all. It's pretty baffling. But yes, had I been chosen perhaps to run as a reformer on the Democrat ticket, we would have seen an absolutely different and, I think, if you will, a much prettier profile of Sarah Palin and the Palin family and my administration.
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And finally, Governor Palin said she will run again, she wants to run again, and she will put herself through the ordeal. The question: Is she a legitimate contender for the Republican Party presidential nomination in 2012?
And that's "The Memo."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pinheads & Patriots
As you know, we were pretty tough on Barney Frank, the head of the House Finance Committee, after he took no responsibility at all for the meltdown of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It was ridiculous.
Well, Congressman Frank had to face another journalist who was tough as well, asking how all the bailout money is being spent.
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REP. BARNEY FRANK, D-MASS.: We are sufficiently dissatisfied with what the Bush administration did with the first half. Now the second $350 is frozen and is not being spent until we come to some agreements with the Obama administration about how to spend it.
CHRIS CUOMO, ABC: Mr. Chairman, your title is chairman of the House Financial Committee. I mean, certainly this isn't just about you looking to the administration. You have a role in this also. You seem to be saying that you're powerless in this. Why should they have confidence in the new administration?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FRANK: No, I'm not saying that. Excuse me, I'm sorry, this is terribly distorted. I didn't say I was powerless.
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Yes. Well, for challenging Frank, who is never at fault for anything, ABC's Chris Cuomo is a patriot.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On the pinhead front, let me introduce you to the possible new senator from Minnesota, who apparently is a big fan of Mick Jagger.
Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots."
Pinhead? You have no idea, ladies and gentlemen.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com