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Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is keeping quiet on her plans for 2012, but recent polls and political analysis suggest it's too soon to count her out as a political heavyweight.

Palin has drummed up a great deal of media attention on her nationwide book tour, which takes the former GOP vice presidential candidate to Iowa next month. A new poll out of the state -- a key state in presidential primaries -- shows that Republicans in the state highly approve of Palin.

As many as 68 percent of Iowa Republicans view Palin favorably, according to the Des Moines Register's Iowa poll. Palin ranked higher than former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who won 66 percent of Iowa Republicans' approval. She also beat out former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is viewed favorably by 58 percent of the state's GOP voters.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the 2008 Iowa caucuses in his bid for the GOP presidential nomination, still has higher approval ratings than Palin at 70 percent, according to the poll. A comparison with Huckabee's numbers also reveal Palin's weaknesses. Twice as many Iowa Republicans hold an unfavorable view of Palin as they do of Huckabee. Meanwhile, moderates view Huckabee more than twice as favorably as Palin.

Fifty-five percent of all Iowa residents, including Democrats, hold an unfavorable opinion of Palin, according to the poll, while only 8 percent say they are unsure about her.

While it could appear that voters have already formed an opinion about the former governor, her book tour may be boosting her popularity. Palin's popularity numbers have edged up in national polls in recent months, to the point where they nearly equal to President Obama's, Andrew Malcolm of the Los Angeles Times reports.

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Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in politics

** Now the real fight over health care reform begins...

** President Obama tackles unemployment...

** Sarah Palin rises in polls during her book tour...

HEALTH CARE: Democrats Saturday night squeaked by with 60 votes on a procedural motion to move the health care debate forward.

Still, writes Shalaigh Murray of the Washington Post, " Democrats had little time to savor their weekend Senate health-care victory, as two of the lawmakers who voted to move the debate forward Saturday night indicated Sunday that they will not vote to pass the package if it includes a government-run insurance program."

"Despite the success in the test vote, the fragile consensus in the Democratic caucus will face its greatest test yet as the health-care debate moves to the Senate floor and Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) struggles to stave off internal schisms. The cracks in the 60-member caucus are most obvious over the public insurance option.

"One member of the Democratic caucus, independent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.), reiterated Sunday that he will oppose any bill that contains a public option. Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," he called such a government-run plan 'radical.'

"Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), another centrist who supported the move to continue debate but has made it clear he has many objections to the legislation as currently written, restated his opposition to a public plan. 'I don't want a big-government, Washington-run operation that undermines the private insurance that 200 million Americans now have,' he said on ABC's 'This Week.'"

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Tina Fey reprised a tiny bit of her "Saturday Night Live" Sarah Palin impersonation last night during a presentation at the Ad Council Annual Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.

During her 7:40 minute routine, Fey made some jokes about the former McCain vice-presidential candidate's best-selling book, "Going Rogue," and then said (at around 2:40 in the video below), "Mrs. Palin and I continue to have so much in common. They recently made a porn movie... this is true... about Sarah Palin and then this same adult actress, Lisa Ann, played me in a porn parody of '30 Rock' ...Weirdly, of the three of us, Lisa Ann knows the most about foreign policy."

Fey saved her brief impersonation for the end of her time on stage, starting out in her own voice, "We'll begin with an issue that is," and then in her Palin voice "so critical to the future opportunity."

The audience laughed, and she said, "I'm gonna be doing that 'till I'm dead."





Daniel Farber is editor-in-chief of CBSNews.com.

With Sarah Palin in the spotlight as she continues her nationwide media and book tour, the Democratic National Committee is suggesting to its supporters that the former GOP vice presidential candidate could pose a real threat to the Democratic agenda.

In a fundraising e-mail sent out Friday, Organizing for America -- the community organizing component of the DNC founded in the wake of Barack Obama’s inauguration -- said it is aiming to raise $500,000 in the next week "to help push back against Sarah Palin and her allies."

"Right now, Sarah Palin is on a highly publicized, nationwide book tour, attacking President Obama and his plan for health reform at every turn," says the e-mail, signed by OFA Director Mitch Stewart. "It's dangerous. Remember, this is the person who coined the term 'Death Panels' -- and opened the flood gates for months of false attacks by special interests and partisan extremists."

Palin has managed to draw in large crowds on her book tour, illustrating the fact that she still has ardent political supporters more than a year after losing the 2008 election and months after resigning as governor of Alaska. Mainstream media outlets, as well as both conservative and liberal outlets, have thoroughly covered Palin's moves because of the public's strong interest in her.

It is open for debate, however, whether the DNC truly considers Palin a threat or is simply using Palin's current moment in the spotlight to its own advantage.

"This e-mail is a standard political tactic: use a highly controversial opponent to rally your base," CBS News' Political Director Steve Chaggaris said. "Knowing how strongly liberals dislike Palin, President Obama's political arm sees an opportunity and is trying to take advantage of that anti-Palin passion to benefit its cause."

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Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:

** Gearing up for a long health care Senate debate...

** Stimulus tracking comes under fire...

** Republican governors focus on economic issues...

HEALTH CARE: "The Senate Thursday began what promises to be a bitter, lengthy battle over the future of health care in America, and taxes, abortion, affordability and federal deficits emerged as key flashpoints," reports McClatchy Newspapers' David Lightman.

"Senate Democratic leaders expect the first test vote on their new $848 billion, 2,074-page health care overhaul bill will come on Saturday evening. Although Democrats are likely to get the 60 votes they need to move forward with the debate, the outcome is uncertain.

"Should the measure pass that initial test, lawmakers made it clear Thursday that they're ready for weeks of political warfare.

"Democrats framed their mission in heroic terms.

"'This is about the woman with high cholesterol, or the man with heart disease, or the child with hay fever who can't get help,' said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. 'That's why we're stopping insurance companies from deciding they'd simply rather not give health care to the sick.'”

"The first test for the bill, which would extend coverage to 31 million more Americans while reducing federal deficits by $130 billion over the next decade, will come Saturday evening," write the Washington Post's Lori Montgomery and Shailagh Murray. "That is when Democratic leaders hope to keep together all 60 of their caucus members to turn back Republican procedural objections. Reid's efforts are focused on three moderate Democrats who oppose various provisions in the measure and have not declared whether they will support efforts to advance it.

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Sen. John McCain defended his 2008 presidential campaign staff today against the attacks lobbed at them from Sarah Palin's new book, "Going Rogue."

In an interview with Reuters, McCain praised his campaign manager Steve Schmidt and campaign adviser Nicolle Wallace. Palin, McCain's 2008 running mate, criticized both in her book.

"There's been a lot of dust flying around in the last few days, and I just wanted to mention that I have the highest regard for Steve Schmidt and Nicolle Wallace and the rest of the team," McCain said. "I think it's just time to move on."

Wallace said Palin's claims about her are not true and said the book is "based on fabrications."

Other members of McCain's campaign staff have disputed the stories from Palin's book. Additionally, factual errors and discrepancies in Palin's claims have come to light since excerpts of the book were released. Earlier this week, McCain said Palin was wrong about a $50,000 bill she claimed to have received for the vice presidential vetting process.

Despite the controversy, McCain told Reuters, "I'm still really proud of her and the campaign she ran, and I think it's pretty obvious that she has a substantial base and interest out there." The interest in her book, he said, showed "the strength of the base" of the Republican Party.

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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.

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Hundreds gathered at the Barnes & Noble in Grand Rapids, Mich., in the wee hours of the morning, facing temperatures that dipped into the 30's. But the crowd didn't mind a sleepless night in the cold, as long as they got the chance to meet Sarah Palin, who will be signing copies of her book, "Going Rouge" later today.

Reporter Jessica Wheeler with CBS affiliate WWMT spoke with fans of the former Governor of Alaska. "She's got a lot of support here in Grand Rapids -- as you can see," said Brad Osburn, a Palin supporter.

As some fans praised Palin, others offered their support. "She's a strong woman -- she says what she means and means what she says," said resident Tamara Miller.

"I think the media has crucified her and I'm here to support her," added Emese Kalmoki.

Palin continues her book tour Thursday in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Watch Jessica Wheeler's full report above.

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Sarah Palin's book is based on fabrications, former John McCain adviser Nicolle Wallace has told MSNBC.

In her new book "Going Rogue," the former vice presidential candidate claims that Wallace convinced Palin to do an interview with CBS News Anchor Katie Couric because Couric admired Palin as a working mother. Palin also claims that Wallace, a former CBS political analyst, told her that Couric had low self-esteem.

"The whole notion there was a conversation where I tried to cajole her into a conversation with Katie [Couric] is fiction," Wallace told MSNBC. "I am not someone who throws around the word 'self-esteem.' It is a fictional description."

Furthermore, Wallace said, the interview was set up on the day of the U.N. General Assembly to emphasize Palin's foreign policy savvy -- in other words, the interview was not about the connection Couric and Palin shared as working mothers.

"It was never made as two working gals," Wallace said. "It's either rationalization or justification or fiction."

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Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:

**Palin book tour kicks off in Michigan

**Analysis and reaction to Obama's visit to China

**Reid nears unveiling of health care bill

**Obama says Gitmo won't be closed by January

SARAH PALIN: CBS affiliate WWJ Radio reports, "Sarah Palin's book tour gets under way Wednesday at a Barnes and Noble store in Grand Rapids [Michigan].

"In her new HarperCollins book, 'Going Rogue,' the former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate states that Michigan is 'where I 'went rogue' trying to reach out to during the campaign.' She and running mate John McCain made a stop there last fall.

"In fact, people were already standing outside the Barnes and Noble store early Wednesday amid the cold and wind. 'I've wanted to meet her ever since I saw her...speak at the Republican Convention,' said one woman. 'We purchased two books, one for each other,' said another couple.

"'I don't think people realize she's down to earth,' said one man."

"Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Tuesday she is not trying to reach 'the liberal elites' on her book tour, but instead is focusing on 'everyday, hard-working Americans,'" Politico's Andy Barr writes.

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