THE LADY HAS STYLE - AT 8:20 P.M. ET:  Sarah Palin's book tour is over.  She ends it in high style:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Sarah Palin has returned to Alaska to end her national "Going Rogue" book tour in her home state.

The former Alaska governor, who gained instant fame with her run last year as the Republican vice presidential candidate, is holding the final book signings at two Air Force bases on Sunday. The events are closed to the public.

Palin was to sign copies of her best-selling memoir at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, then at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks.

COMMENT:  Great style, ending the tour at military bases.  As we've said, Sarah must now study the issues carefully.  But she will be a major news story in 2010, as she campaigns for other candidates.  Her self-confidence is improving, she's endeared herself to growing numbers of people. 

What Sarah should do is give a series of policy speeches, each one packed with substance.  Then, she must answer press questions about the speeches.  One step like that can put her on the larger political map.

She should learn from the career of Ronald Reagan, called an "amiable dunce" or a "warmed over movie actor."  Reagan overcame the ridicule first by building a coalition and a political base, then by performance alone.  One thing he didn't do was let the pseudo-intellectuals and skeptical TV anchors get to him.  Neither should Sarah.

And she should always remember that the purchase of Alaska in 1867 was called "Seward's Folly,"  for Secretary of State William H. Seward.  Some folly.  The visionaries are often the ones who get laughed at most.   

December 13, 2009