Like it or not, the moment Sarah Palin gives even the slightest hint of a breath of a word that she's gone from "seriously thinking about" a run to definitely running for president in 2012, the blogosphere will explode in a tizzy unlike anything we've ever seen. (Since the Lebronocalypse, at least). But until Palin, who is amassing funds for a PAC war chest, changes her status from conservative celebrity to presidential hopeful, readers will have to make do with "She's really running, trust me" articles.

The latest in a long line of such stories comes from Time's Mark Halperin, who expertly dissects the two-minute "mama grizzlies" YouTube video of Palin, offering it up as the "surest sign yet" that she will mount a "real bid" for the White House in 2012. He writes,

Palin doesn't need specific policies to crank up the energy -- or even specific criticisms of Obama. She knows that injecting emotion into the conversation is the most efficient way to spark a movement.

Apparently her continued visibility—thanks, US Weekly—is enough for Halperin and many other top political analysts to consider her the game changing candidate that she very well could be. That is, if she ever gets around to becoming an actual candidate.

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Erik Hayden