Sarah Palin does her thing with the media, ducking and charming, after voting in Alaska. And, as is now her habit, she is resolutely on message. One wonders if a different approach to the mainstream media would have worked out better for all concerned. If Palin had gone on talk show after talk show, and done impromptu press gaggles day after day, would the MSM’s attacks have lost their effect? And if John McCain had overwhelmed the media with access, would the coverage have been any different? Perhaps not. But Palin has demonstrated that there is something to be gained even in short interludes–the public again and again gets the sense of who she is. And if you are disciplined enough the message does get through.

If McCain-Palin had had a “Plan B” after they went to war with the MSM, they might have had an easier time getting out their message. Palin once observed that you never win with the people who buy gallons of ink. True–but you can tighten up the score. It is a knotty problem, one that future Republican tickets will need to manage. Step 1 is getting candidates who are likable and can communicate. And Step 2 is finding outlets to allow them to do that. It was Step 2 which utterly flummoxed the McCain camp this time. The next ticket will have to do better.