The Center Of Attention

PalinChipSomodevillaGetty

Nate Silver notes Palin's ability to dominate the news cycle:

If Ms. Palin runs, there is probably some value to the candidate who positions himself as the “anti-Palin”, particularly since many Republicans have trepidations about how well Ms. Palin might fare in a general election against President Obama. But if she does not run, any attacks on her might seem gratuitous and could be counterproductive.

Ms. Palin may not be the front-runner in a traditional sense (although it’s not clear that any of the other candidates are either). But she literally commands as much of the public’s attention as the President of the United States, and the strategy for the other candidates will have to revolve around her to some significant degree. In fact, since it is uncertain whether she will run or not, they will effectively have to develop two separate sets of strategies, one contingent upon the assumption that she will enter the race and the other on the bet that she won’t.

(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty)

2006-2011 archives for The Daily Dish, featuring Andrew Sullivan