The New York Times gives Sarah Palin an early Christmas present. Update!

From the New York "Freaking" Times:

On how Palin's close knit group of supporters function:

Her inner circle shuns the media and would speak to me only after Palin authorized it, a process that took months. They are content to labor in a world without hierarchy or even job descriptions — “None of us has titles,” Davis said — and where the adhesive is a personal devotion to Palin rather than the furtherance of her political career.

On whether she is considering a run for the Presidency in 2012:

“I am,” Sarah Palin told me the next day when I asked her if she was already weighing a run for president. “I’m engaged in the internal deliberations candidly, and having that discussion with my family, because my family is the most important consideration here.” Palin went on to say that there weren’t meaningful differences in policy among the field of G.O.P. hopefuls “but that in fact there’s more to the presidency than that” and that her decision would involve evaluating whether she could bring unique qualities to the table.

On her avoidance of the media:

I asked her if by avoiding the national press, she didn’t bear at least some responsibility for the way the public viewed her. “I’m on television nearly every single day with reporters,” she shot back. “Now granted, that’s mainly through my job at Fox News, and I’m very proud to be associated with them, but I’m not avoiding anything or anybody. (And I bet she said that whole sentence with a straight face.)

Her opinion of the media:

Palin told me that because of the media’s unfairness toward her, “I fear for our democracy.” She cited a recent Anchorage Daily News article that commented on her casual manner of dress at a rally for Joe Miller, as well as a Politico headline that used the word “drama” for an item about Representative Michele Bachmann’s quest for a Republican leadership position. Palin viewed these references as sexist — but also, she said, as “distractions.”

Purposefully distracting, I asked, or just simplistic? “How can it be simplistic?” she scoffed. “They’re the elite,” she said sarcastically of news organizations. “They know much more than I know and other people like me! So, no. They know just what they’re doing.”

Her impact on the White House;

His voice dripping with exasperation, the White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said to me one July afternoon in his office: “If I would have told you that I could open up a Facebook account or a Twitter account, simply post quotes, and have the White House asked about those, and to have the entire White House press corps focused on your quote of the day on Facebook — that’s Sarah Palin. She tweets one thing, and all of a sudden you’ve got a room full of people that want to know. . . .”

Gibbs shook his head and continued: “Now, I could say, ‘You know what? I’m not going to deal with that.’ And big headline: Palin Accuses Obama of X. The White House Had No Comment.”

Here is an interesting tidbit:

It’s a curious feature of Palin World that none of its charter members knew her before 2008.

(In fact it appears that ALL of them arrived on the scene AFTER April of 2008.  Things that make you go "Hmmm.")

Here is the article's introduction to the Grizzled Mama's number one Palin-bot:

But it is Rebecca Mansour who especially personifies the amorphous yet fervid network of Palin World. Mansour said to me with undisguised relish, “I majored in English and history and minored in philosophy, but I’ve never been a Beltway person, so that does confuse people.” A graduate of the American Film Institute, Mansour was writing screenplays in L.A. when, following the 2008 election, her disgust over “what I perceived as unfair treatment” of Palin inspired her to start the blog Conservatives4Palin. Mansour’s knowledge of Palin became so encyclopedic that in the summer of 2009, Meghan Stapleton asked her if she would come to Del Mar to help with Palin’s biography. The blogger had never met her subject before. She showed up with binders full of research, and when she was introduced to Palin, “the first thing she did was hug me — I was like, ‘O.K.,’ ” Mansour said with a laugh. “She is the most ordinary person. She’s shorter than I am.” At the same time, Mansour was impressed with Palin’s nimble mind. “I remember sitting with her while she was working on the book; she would be typing furiously, and I’d ask her, ‘Governor, when was the year you did such and such,’ and she’d say, ‘That was the year we did the budget.’ And then she’d be reading the chyron at the bottom of the TV screen while typing and talking to me. And then would read to me what she just wrote, and it was brilliant.”

(As somebody who sat through WAY too many of Palin's self written speeches, "brilliant" is not a word that even comes close to describing my impression. I even attempted to listen to one after getting hammered and the stupid still killed more brain cells than the alcohol did. This is just an attempt by RAM to put down the rumors that SHE, and other staff, do every single bit of Palin's intelligible writing for her.)

Snowdrift Snooki takes a moment to drive her heel into those divorce rumors:

Then again, Palin confessed to me a tendency to avoid longtime political operatives — “these unprincipled people who are in it for power, money and job titles.” Her wariness extends even to her top lieutenants, who have thus far been excluded from her 2012 considerations. Instead, she relies on Todd — “the one person she trusts,” according to Rick Halford, a longtime friend and a former Alaska state senator. “Todd is somebody that I think really grew and took on the job of being her support system, way beyond his education and where he came from.”

Yep Todd knows his place alright.

Palin's view of Liberals:

I brought up her past efforts at bipartisanship to Palin. “I was so innocent and naïve to believe that I would be able to govern for four years and if I ever moved on beyond the governorship I could carry that with me nationally,” Palin said. “And it was proven when John McCain chose me for the nomination for vice president; what it showed me about the left: they go home. It doesn’t matter what you do. It was the left that came out attacking me. They showed me their hypocrisy; they showed me they weren’t willing to work in a bipartisan way. I learned my lesson. Once bitten, twice shy. I will never trust that they are not hypocrites until they show me they’re sincere.”

Well THIS liberal is sincere Sarah.  I sincerely want to reveal the truth about you and deflate your attempts to lie your way into a position of prominence in this country. NOW do you trust me?

Later in the piece the journalist discovers that even after agreeing to write up this story as a love letter to Sister Sarah that one wrong question can get his head bitten off:

Palin became testy when I asked her about the books I heard she had been reading. “I’ve been reading since I was a little girl,” she snapped. “And my mom is standing 15 feet away from me, and I should put her on the phone with you right now so she can tell you. That’s what happens when you grow up in a house full of teachers — you read; and I always have. Just because — and,” she continued, though in a less blistering tone, “I don’t want to come across sounding caustic or annoyed by this issue: because of one roll-of-the-eye answer to a question I gave, I’m still dealing with this,” she said, referring to her interview with Katie Couric. “There’s nothing different today than there was in the last 43 years of my life since I first started reading. I continue to read all that I can get my hands on — and reading biographies of, yes, Thatcher for instance, and of course Reagan and the John Adams letters, and I’m just thinking of a couple that are on my bedside, I go back to C.S. Lewis for inspiration, there’s such a variety, because books have always been important in my life.” She went on: “I’m reading [the conservative radio host] Mark Levin’s book; I’ll get ahold of Glenn Beck’s new book — and now because I’m opening up,” she finished warily, “I’m afraid I’m going to get reporters saying, Oh, she only reads books by Glenn Beck.”

(Quick to anger and insanely defensive, yep that's the Sarah Palin I know. Nice try Mr. Draper, but even kissing her ass was not enough to placate the nasty middle school girl that is at the heart of Sarah Palin's personality.)

I am shocked that the New York Times is now carrying Palin's water.  However I knew all along that when she got closer to her announcement she would have to start reaching beyond Facebook and Fox News in order to get national attention.

Some have questioned WHY I have started to post about DWTS, Palin family dramas, and the tabloid side of her life.  The reason I have drawn attention to those seemingly lightweight stories is NOT because I have lost sight of the bigger picture, it is because that has BECOME the bigger picture!

While everybody has been waiting for Palin's big announcement she has ALREADY been running her presidential campaign via Twitter, Facebook, Fox News, People Magazine, DWTS, and now "Sarah Palin's Alaska."

Sister Sarah is doing an end run around the "Lamestream media" and speaking directly to her supporters, and bringing in thousands of new ones I might add, right under the media's nose. 

So my job, as I see it, has been to draw attention to her stealth campaign tactics and, hopefully, pull the curtain back to reveal what she is attempting to smuggle past public scrutiny.

It is time to realize that Sarah Palin is NOT in the process of deciding whether to run for President or not, she IS RUNNING!

Update: Even Barbara Walters is treating her like a serious contender.  Check out how smug she has become.