A new Washington Post-ABC News poll has just been released, and the results are not particularly encouraging for former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin with regards to a potential bid in the 2012 presidential race. The poll suggests that that less than 6 off 10 “Republicans and GOP-leaning independents see Palin in a favorable light,” throwing cold water on any speculation that Palin is the presumptive GOP nominee (though there is certainly plenty of time for public opinion to change.)

In her recent hour-long interview with Barbara Walters, Oprah Winfrey revealed that she’s still one of President Obama‘s number one fans. “I think it’s unfortunate when you have a nation of people who don’t want to support the president of the United States,” she said, adding that she doesn’t think Americans realize how much worse the recession could have been if not for Obama’s actions. Oprah was a lot less open, however, when it came to expressing her opinion of another polarizing political figure: Sarah Palin.

Veteran Republican campaign consultant and advisor Ed Rollins has had it up to here with Sarah Palin comparing herself to his old boss, Ronald Reagan. In a piece published on CNN.com today, Rollins expresses his feelings about those comparisons plainly: “I knew Ronald Reagan, and you’re no Ronald Reagan.”

President Obama sat down with Barbara Walters for a holiday weekend special set to air next Friday called A Barbara Walters Special: A Thanksgiving Visit with President and Mrs. Obama and it seems that Ms. Walters was able to generate draw out his thoughts on the 2012 campaign. Though he says that he’s not giving much consideration to the coming presidential run, he is instead focusing on being “the best possible president.” And, he said, he certainly isn’t focused on a potential challenge from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Presidential contenders know that the journey to the Oval Office begins with an Iowa office. As such, the fact that Sarah Palin is now searching for an office in Des Moines, IA, has people raising their eyebrows right off of their foreheads. People like The Guardian, who report that two of Palin’s aides are “looking into office space and other logistical needs for the coming year.” Let the horror and/or some amusement begin! (Update Jim Geraghty is now reporting that this is not true.)

Frank Rich tackles a hot topic in his column in the New York Times this Sunday: Sarah Palin‘s possible presidential run. And he contends that America should get ready — because Palin has what it takes to win, and her opponents in the Republican Party are afraid to stand up against her.

Sometimes it seems like people in the media just can’t stop talking about Sarah Palin. And it’s not just in America. Recently, Mediaite’s own Mark Joyella joined the hosts of Australia’s The Morning Show (while it was certainly not morning here) to talk the former governor’s chances of ending up in the White House. He pointed out that she’s succeeded wildly in the most important part of an American presidential bid; getting your name out there. Well, when the woman’s being discussed with great familiarity on a TV show from the other side of the planet, you can’t really argue that.

To wrap up a day filled with news about Palins of all stripes, here’s a brief clip from Sarah Palin‘s upcoming interview on Nightline. In it, she confesses to Barbara Walters that she’s seriously considering a presidential run—then answers “I believe so” when Walters asks if she believes she could beat Barack Obama.

By now, it’s common knowledge that people can see Sarah Palin’s Alaska from their living rooms. But as the show’s premiere edges closer, a new question is taking root: can 2012 be seen from Sarah Palin’s Alaska? According to one former aide quoted in The Daily Beast, the answer is yes. “She is running for president,” he said. “And this is a season-long bio ad, free of charge.”

While President Obama wastes his time on silly comedy shows, Sarah Palin isn’t afraid to make appearances on real, hard-hitting news programs—namely, Entertainment Tonight. While there, she gave another hint about her possible presidential aspirations.

Sarah Palin hasn’t announced whether or not she plans to run for president in 2012—but that won’t stop people from endlessly discussing whether or not she’s up for the task. Now Karl Rove has become one of the speculators… and unfortunately for fans of the Mama Grizzly, he sounds less than optimistic about Palin’s chances.

In a mostly overlooked radio broadcast from late last week, mega-popular conservative host Michael Savage railed against conservatives supporting Sarah Palin for president in 2012. “I know more about than the stupid Republican party does,” he explained. “If they run Palin, it’s over; Obama will be a term two-er,” said Savage. “She’s not electable as president. She’s not the right person — we need a business man.”

Numbers genius Nate Silver crunches…well…numbers and comes up with some extremely wonky but very interesting scenarios, which he explains in detail here. The general conclusion, and there are a lot of variables, is that Palin has a solid chance at getting the GOP nomination as long as no one asks too many detailed questions about anything. Some interesting notes on the factors weighing into it all after the jump.

Whatever else John McCain does with the rest of his political life — and lately he’s been doing quite a lot — it’s likely that he is going to be forced to devote some time to explaining the bizarre behavior of Sarah Palin to the rest of the world. Yesterday morning, Chris Wallace asked a smiling John McCain for his thoughts on this week’s Visorgate.

We’ve heard plenty about Mrs. Sarah Palin‘s plans three years from now — not to mention her potential running mates, including Glenn Beck. Now, Newsweek editor-in-chief Jon Meacham is utilizing his pot-stirring big spoon to serve up a new name: Dick Cheney in 2012. Is he serious or seriously “trolling for traffic,” as suggested by Salon’s Glenn Greenwald.

New York Times columnist Frank Rich gives Going Rogue a go, deriding Palin’s ego and star obsession, but giving her credit for what she is: the only person in American politics that can come close to the star power of Barack Obama. Quotable indeed — and there’s more!

Last night, SNL got off to a shaky start, but then, a digital short! That means tons of editing and high-quality footage and no line flubs and celebrity cameos and… voilà. Laughs. A topical movie parody paired with the author of the biggest book in the land: Sarah Palin, 2012, Glenn Beck, Going Rogue — just watch.

Future former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin wrote an op-ed piece for the Washington Post yesterday, in which she roundly dismissed the idea of cap-and-trade. The piece is generating quite a lot of discussion – but agree with her or not, cop to her expertise or not, Palin’s interconnectedness with energy policy is indisputable, making her voice newsworthy.