“Men Are Talkers; Women Are Doers”

She has written an autobiography; her book tour might become a campaign tour.

No two women could be more different: Hillary Clinton is regarded by mainstream America as a liberal women’s rights advocate, Sarah Palin as a “hockey mom” with traditional conservative family values and ideals. But Palin, who up to now has attacked Democrats as traitors to America, praises Clinton in her newly published book “Going Rogue” saying, “Should Secretary Clinton and I ever sit down over a cup of coffee, I know that we will fundamentally disagree on many issues. But my hat is off to her hard work on the 2008 campaign trail.” She says Hillary Clinton proves the truth of what is said about the difference between men and women; namely, “If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.” Now America is speculating when the “Coffee Summit” might take place.

The brief excerpt from Palin’s autobiography was revealed during one of the most important political Sunday talk shows. The following day, 45-year old Palin had a seat on Oprah Winfrey’s couch. The marketing campaign for her book had been going on for weeks and experts were predicting sales in the millions; Palin herself had already received a $1.25 million advance on the book – more than she had ever earned in total as a politician. She had been mayor of the small town of Wasilla for six years and Governor of Alaska for two and a half years. In the spring of 2009, she resigned mid-way through her first term as governor, ostensibly to lead a life outside politics.

The U.S. media, on the other hand, speculates that the book tour is nothing less than a test run for a possible presidential candidacy in 2012. Palin will travel for weeks throughout the United States, giving preference to stops in small towns because they are considered to be solid, bedrock Republican strongholds. She will avoid the metropolitan areas that tend to favor the Democrats. Barack Obama did something similar in the summer and fall of 2006, using a tour for his book “The Audacity of Hope” as a sounding board for his chances in the coming 2008 election.

The question of who will carry the banner for G.O.P. in 2012 is currently dividing Republicans. Palin is seen as the person most palatable to the conservative base of the party, but it’s questionable whether she could ever unite a majority of voters behind her.