Lucia de Vernai

On Tuesday, Sarah Palin confirmed that she has purchased a mansion in my home state of Arizona because “not only are we good investors, and it’s a buyer’s market, but we like to thaw out once in a while.” If you want to thaw out, you go to Malibu. If you want to bake cookies in your car four months out of the year and suffer heat stroke from going to your mail box, you move to Arizona. Unless, of course, you have other, less innocuous motives.

The Sarah Palin will-she-or-won’t-she rumor mill starts up every time she makes an appearance in an election-significant state like Iowa. Without a strong leader emerging out of the Republican presidential hopefuls, her name recognition could certainly give her leverage needed in the primary.

But Sarah Palin is too clever to do that, at least this election cycle.

Instead there will probably be a spin-off of her show called “Sarah Palin’s Arizona” with a cute episode about Todd clearing the neighborhood of javelina with his hunting prowess and a very special episode about the scorpion in baby Tripp’s room. The people of Arizona will tune in just for the novelty of seeing familiar places on a cable network (“OMG! I drove past that cleaners last week!”). A guest appearance on Steven Segal’s “Lawman”—also filmed in the area—is only a matter of time. Give it a season and Palin will have public support and devotion Arizonans previously reserved only for Barry Goldwater.

Not that she particularly needs the TV exposure is she were to run for a state office. A May poll by Public Policy Polling shows that she was the Republican favorite for Arizona Senator Jeff Flake’s seat with 35 percent of the vote to Flake’s 33 percent. Beating the incumbent in a senatorial race in a state you don’t even live in yet? That, folks, is what Charlie Sheen would call “winning”.

That’s assuming that Palin is willing to give up the lucrative life of being a private person to return to the far less the glamorous life of an elected official. Judge by her quick and unemotional transition from governor of the country’s biggest state to use the momentum she gathered in 2008 to pursue the American ideals of life, liberty and reality stardom. No public servant salary—even in the highest office—would let her buy a second home for $1.7 million cash.

Her ongoing flirt with public office is by no means a thoughtless tryst, however. America likes being teased by the unbelievably attractive, quotable and impossible to ignore Palin. We’re not sure if we want her to be her constituents, her best friends or Todd. The move to Arizona can be a serious strategic move for her long-term career or a publicity stunt. Her lack of commitment is what keeps the country—supporters and opponents alike—focused on her.

For those of us horrified of her running anything other than a sewing circle, let’s hope that she keeps courting the Tea Party, going on book tours and doing publicity stunts. It may be the only way to keep her away from Arizona and national politics.

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