Democrats Back Palin?

For a political figure whose campaign got pretty damn surreal (moose hunting in full makeup), it could get even spookier. We checked in with some of the key Republicans who managed to not get Sarah Palin elected vice president a couple of weeks ago. What's going to come of their expensively dressed dame now?

"The GOP is split down the middle right now," remarked one of our top Washington insiders, who breaks bread with these red-state types quite regularly. "One faction wants to cleave closer to the Christian right—and those are the ones who think Palin is as close to the Second Coming as we're gonna get—and the other faction wants to distance themselves from the wack jobs and re-establish the party's strengths in the areas of economic development, smaller government, states' rights and moderate trade policy."

Wack jobs? In the Republican party? Quel joke, n'est-ce pas?

The best case scenario we're hearing from those Republicans who don't want Palin coming back for another stab at national politics: She stays in Alaska, gets a book deal from a conservative Christian imprint and we only hear another peep from her in about a year, and then she goes away.

"However, she's a crafty little minx with Hillary-type ambitions," added our Washington insider, "so don't count her out in any way, shape or form. She could pull a Ross Perot in four years, because she's as nutty and self-absorbed as he is and has the support of a very right-leaning minority with deep pockets who will fund her because Jesus told them to."

Indeed. But did you all know the entire Holy-Rollin' Democratic party is dying for the big-haired hon to re-enter the national race again? Latest Potomac poop is that a bunch of moneyed Washington Dems are secretly planning on funding her race in 2011, now, that's funny.