She’s an idiot. She’s a moron. She’s unqualified. She’s bad. She’s a hick. She’s a know-nothing. She’s a liar. She couldn’t define the Reagan Doctrine. She’s mean to her daughter’s baby daddy….

And nonetheless, Sarah Palin is dominating the news once again in advance of the release of her book. Which is to say, front-page stories, the lead stories on the morning shows, all using tiny tidbits of information about the book and a few clips from Monday’s Oprah. Whatever Sarah Palin is, she is also, as all this makes clear, a huge star. With the very prominent exception of Barack Obama, she’s the sensation in American politics this decade. And a person who can make news just by opening her mouth is a person to be reckoned with, a person who is not going away, a person who is going to play a role in American politics for a long time.