I just sat down with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell today. I asked him what the message coming out of the very short conclusion of Congressional action this fall. The key thing is that there will be two actions. The Democrats will abdicate their responsibility to pass appropriations bill and just pass a Continuing Resolution.
The second will be an energy bill. This is not a bad issue for Republicans. In fact, it is an outstanding issue. "Drill Here, Drill Now" seems to have hit a significant nerve for the American people. That will be the significant political fight of the month. That’s old news.
But consider this idea from Marc Ambinder:
Sarah Palin is, quite simply, the celebrity of September. Interest in her will be enormous. Just as Democrats painted on Barack Obama’s blank canvass in January and February of 2007, Republicans and independents will get the chance to fill in their view of Gov. Palin. She’s the new thing. The object of curiosity. The press and the larger media will obsess over her and her family and her life.
If Palin talks about energy for the next month, an area that she knows extremely well. So the dominant Congressional political issue happens to converge with her strongest issue both in terms of subject expertise and narrative.
And who will she be attacking? Congressional Democrats.
She will move the ball on the issue in Congress. She will move the ball on the politics surrounding Congress. And she will demonstrate expertise on an issue critical to her narrative.
Trifecta.