the buzz log

The 2008 presidential election is less than two weeks away. But that's old news. Let's talk about who's going to run in 2012, shall we?

Andrew Romano of Newsweek speculates that Gov. Sarah Palin may be gearing up for a run at the White House in four short years. The blogger acknowledges that the idea might seem a bit wacky at first glance. However, he cites several examples of Palin disagreeing with her running mate, John McCain, that support his theory. To name but a few, Gov. Palin has publicly disagreed with Sen. McCain on North Korea, gay marriage, and those oh-so-irritating robo-calls. Romano writes that it's almost as if Palin is putting herself in a position where she can say, "It wasn't my fault," should the Obama-Biden ticket prevail.

But that's not all. According to several sources within the Buzz, various Republicans are "considering" Palin as a 2012 presidential candidate. The Daily Telegraph speculates that "Ms Palin seems to be positioning herself for a long future on the national scene." The Washington Post writes: "Like her or hate her, Palin remains VERY much in the mix as a 2012 candidate."

Of course, there hasn't been any official announcement. Still, it's worth noting that searches on a possible Palin presidency are already picking up steam. We're not sure if the lookups are sincere or ironic, but "palin 2012," "sarah palin for president," and "palin for president stickers" are all making noise.

In short, 2012 may be four years away, but it's already looking like Caribou Barbie has enough buzz to make another play, should she and McCain fall short in '08.