Palin "Smarter Than She Gets Credit For," Says Barbour

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On "Washington Unplugged" Wednesday, Mississippi's Republican Governor, Haley Barbour, told host Bob Schieffer that he expects Sarah Palin "is going to sell a lot of books."

"Whether she intends to run for something else, or where she's headed, I'm not privy to that," he said, noting that he is focused on 2010 as opposed to 2012.

"My wife and I like her," Barbour said of Palin, the former Alaska governor. "She's a heck of a lot smarter than she gets credit for."

Barbour, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association, also said Democrats are "whistling past the graveyard" if they don't recognize the lessons from Republican victories in this year's two governors races.

"The American people want us focused on jobs, not on health care reform, not on energy policy," he said, later adding: "You've got 10.2 percent unemployment and no end in sight to the loss of jobs, that's what Americans want the president focused on."

Watch the entire episode, which also includes an interview with Democratic Governors Association chairman Nathan Daschle, above.

More Coverage of Sarah Palin:
Hundreds Line Up for Palin Book Signing
McCain Aide Nicolle Wallace: Sarah Palin's Claims are "Fiction"
Fact Checking Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue"
Marc Ambinder: Palin Needs to Take Herself Seriously
CBS News Poll: Fewer Than 1 in 4 Have Favorable View of Palin
Is Palin Selling Books or Settling Scores?
Exclusive: Palin Accounts Disputed by McCain Aides
Fact Check: Palin Seems to Misrepresent Timeline on Daughter's Pregnancy
Fact Check: Palin Contradicts Her Own Version Of Events With Oprah
Sarah Palin Calls Newsweek Sexist

"Washington Unplugged" appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 12:30 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.

[Unclemercer]

Sarah Palin rules the Heartland. She is the people's princess, the Alaskan Aphrodite, the American Athena.

[sdh26234]

Mr. Barbour, please answer the following question: Why was the USA in debt at the tune of 53 trillion dollars or so, when Obama was handed the Presidency? The answer is simply this: America has for many decades been and continues to be deeply in love with the unconstitutional evils that of Socialism/Commununis plus Imperialism.

These love affair with these evils, divided almost equally, between the two parties. Yes, these evils are to America what termites are to a wooden structure, with the inhabitants in either case, completely and totally not aware, as even proven with what Barbour says in the above article.

The very fact that the Republicans did not fall behind Ron Paul; says it all as to how so brainless the Republican party is, while now barking like wild dogs against Obama. For the record, yes, I voted for him here in California, as a write-in candidate, because he was the only one candidate that spoke truth with the spirit of the Founding Fathers.

Yes, presently the Founding Fathers are weeping much more over the Republican party than over the Democrats. Why may some ask? Yes, the Democrats are doing their thing openly as Socialists/Communist, while the Republicans blabber one thing but are in action no different than the Democrats, otherwise the true National Debt would not now be a monster, with a life of its own, right?

[stn_sage]

I wouldn't use the word smarter with Sarah Palin in the same sentence...but exploitative/exploiter...yes...manipulative/manipulator...yes...clever...yes.

But, he is right that the Democrats have the wrong agenda!

With the exception of the health care and climate bills, their agenda is the same as the GOP was formerly pushing! Which, is why the vast majority of the public is so disappointed in them! Where is ALL THAT CHANGE that we were promised? LIARS!