SARAH PALIN SPEAKS:
On the possibility of running in 2012, she says, on "Oprah":
"When asked about her plans for 2012, Palin said that a presidential run in two years is “not on my radar screen right now.” “I am dealing with so many issues that are important to me,” she said. “What I am seeing every day is that you don’t need a title to be important.”
Two things: 1] She's right. She's getting plenty of attention, and influencing the debate, right now. And 2012 might be too soon. I think she and the people around her know that 2016 might be better. By then, she'll be more seasoned, more experienced, and the political landscape might be much better. 2] It's no accident by the way that Palin did this "Oprah" interview. It fits right in with her book tour--bypassing the established, liberal media, and instead appearing in places and on shows where she'll find ordinary Americans to whom she can speak directly. I think it's going to work very well. And I think our liberal friends in the media are going to continue to be outraged by it. And their outrage is our joy.
POLLS/HEALTH CARE REFORM WATCH:
It's the cost, Mr. Obama:
"Americans are worried about hidden costs in the fine print of health care overhaul legislation, an Associated Press poll says. That's creating new challenges for President Barack Obama as he tries to close the deal with a handful of Democratic doubters in the Senate. Although Americans share a conviction that major health care changes are needed, Democratic bills that extend coverage to the uninsured and try to hold down medical costs get no better than a lukewarm reception. The poll found that 43 percent oppose the health care plans being discussed in Congress, while 41 percent are in support. An additional 15 percent remain neutral or undecided.
"Well, for one, I know nobody wants to pay taxes for anybody else to go to the doctor — I don't," said Kate Kuhn, 20, of Acworth, Ga. "I don't want to pay for somebody to use my money that I could be using for myself."
You know Democrats in the House and Senate see these polls.
Don't be surprised if health care reform legislation gets pushed back to 2010.
All this is good news for Republicans and conservatives. Keep pounding away on cost, folks! We can win this debate and stop this costly, dangerous "reform."
NFL DIARY:
Wow! Great rally by my Indianapolis Colts, coming from 17 points down to edge New England, 35-34. The Colts hung in. They never gave up. Obviously Peyton Manning was again a champion when it counted, and the defense made a big play when it had to. All those things are good. But...the Colts still have work to do. The run game's got to improve. The secondary is beat up by injuries, and you could see that in the way Tom Brady sliced and diced them for over 300 yards passing. The good news is that there remains time to fix things. And the Colts have a great shot at home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Meanwhile the Detroit Lions played hard, hung in gamely for a while against the Vikings (it was only a 17-10 game late in the 3rd quarter) but...really that was largely due to Vikings miscues. The Lions were outgained by over 200 yards and are clearly outclassed by the Vikings at most positions. It's a long, hard road for the Lions to improve...
NBA DIARY:
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Detroit Pistons, in Detroit, 95-90 last night in a hard-fought game. Both teams can take away positives--once again the Mavs found a way to win on the road, and Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry led them. The Mavs are now 7-3--quite a different start than that of last year. The Pistons meanwhile hung in with a tough Western Conference squad despite Ben Gordon having an off game.
