How Palin Can Get the 2012 Nod

Don’t write off Sarah Palin as the 2012 Republican nominee: Roger Simon says she’s got what it takes to get there, with a little fine-tuning. He offers her seven steps in Politico:

• Leave Alaska behind. Don’t run for governor in 2010; instead, hang out in the Lower 48.
• Gather a staff smarter than you are. People might laugh, but they laughed at Bush and Schwarzenegger—and they both won.

• Choose a few issues and “stick to them.” You already talk about a few concerns, like the deficit, that are “good issues for Republican primary voters.”
• Study hard—at least as hard as those who are interviewing you.
• Believe in yourself: the GOP’s latest incarnation suits you.
• Don’t change. The “warmth” and “passion,” coupled with the “you betchas,” have worked well.
• Don’t fear failing—“there’s always 2016.”

(More Sarah Palin stories.)