Palin Lands a Talk Show─Well, Kind Of

Several weeks ago, we published a gallery of GOP contenders for the 2012 presidential nomination. Logical candidates like Tim Pawlenty and Sarah Palin were on the list, and also dark horses like Newt Gingrich and Dick Cheney. But we mused then, and still do now, why someone like Palin, with such a lucrative brand, would even want the job. A talk show or radio program would allow her to keep her privacy, deny interview requests, and earn much more than a paltry presidential salary of just $400,000.

Well, not to boast that we called it, but we totally called it.

The New York Times reported today that Palin recently signed a deal with Fox News to become an occasional host and contributor to the network. Finances were not disclosed, but the contract outlines an occasional feature that Palin will host and that she may fill in for absent anchors. The formal deal has yet to be announced by Palin and Fox spokespeople.

It’s a nonexclusive deal, meaning she can take Brand Palin elsewhere, perhaps to a channel that might offer the former veep candidate an Oprah-style talk-show chair and a giant pile of money.

The million-dollar question remains as to whether Palin could still be positioning herself for a 2012 run. The jury’s still out, although she may find that fawning producers and make-up artists are more fun to work with than angry taxpayers and prodding reporters.

See the full gallery of GOP contenders here.