Sarah Palin Basks in Attention as Other Republican Governors Watch
By Celeste Katz
Daily News Political Correspondent
MIAMI—Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin left the hand-wringing to others Thursday, waxing nostalgic about her good times on the losing GOP campaign for the White House.
Palin veered down memory lane at a Republican Governors Association forum about the GOP's future. For a second day, she overshadowed other possible 2012 contenders at the confab.
Although "you run to win," Palin said, "we carry with us the best of memories and joyful experiences that really do not depend at all on political victory."
Since the Republican governors last met, she said, "I had a baby, I did some traveling, I very briefly expanded my wardrobe, I made a few speeches, met a few VIPs—including those who really impact society, like Tina Fey."
Aside from that, Palin joked, "It's pretty much the same old same old."
Of course, it's hardly the "same old" anything when reporters ask Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour if the week hasn't become a "SarahPalooza"—he said no—and a man from Hustler is walking around with a bagful of porn DVDs featuring a Palin look-alike.
Earlier, she appeared at her first open news conference since Barack Obama defeated John McCain last week. A dozen other governors stood with her, awkwardly and silently, except for Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who introduced her and said no more.
The entire episode lasted about 11 minutes—about four of them dedicated to Palin taking questions.
Deflecting one inquiry, she said, "I don't even want to talk about strategy within a campaign that is over."
Republican consultant Dan Schnur said Palin helped her future prospects by doing a series of interviews this week to confront complaints—some from within Team McCain - that she hurt the campaign.
"By going on offense, she gets to tell her side of the story in a way she wasn't able to during the campaign," Schnur said.
Palin initially was seen as energizing the McCain campaign, Schnur pointed out, and "she spent the last several days reminding people what it was they liked about her the first time they met her."
And who did she like? She fondly recalled campaign mascot "Joe the Plumber" and families with Down syndrome children who had her "close to crying a few times, because they just touched my heart."
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