Palin's path to national office

I'm torn between wanting to ignore Palin completely on the premise that as long as we pay attention to her, she will never go away, and fascination with the ongoing train wreck of her quest to remain in the public eye. In any event, this item is too good to pass up. With the rumor mill working overtime to guess Palin's future intentions, current GOP senator Lisa Murkowski fires a warning shot across the bow of Palin's possible ambition to gain a foothold inside the Beltway she doth scorn too much.

Murkowski, up for reelection in 2010, is nervously awaiting word on whether John McCain’s former running mate will run against her in the GOP primary. But she says Palin is the one who should be nervous.

“I can guarantee it would be a very tough election,” Murkowski said in an interview.

Democratic pollster Ivan Moore agrees but also says, "Palin will do whatever she believes will position herself best."

“Sarah is interested in what is best for Sarah, and she is not necessarily going to get sidetracked by party loyalties,” Moore said.

It could get interesting. Palin is up for reelection as governor in 2010 and it's not out of the realm of possibility that she would prefer to fight Murkowski for the seat rather than face the potential embarrassment of losing her bid for another term. As she's gallivanting all over the lower 48 to keep her mug in the media's photostream, her constituents at home are wondering if she's ever going to -- you know -- actually do her job while she has it.

[More posts daily at The Newshoggers and The Detroit News.]