"Notice anything about Sarah Palin? Mmmm-hmmm, you know what we mean. Don't worry, apparently it's okay to talk about; commentators were taking note long before she got the veep nod.

• "Let the rest of the country drool while we honeymoon with a hottie." (Anchorage Daily News, Dec. 10, 2006)
• "New quarter design blah blah blah Alaska blah blah blah OMG Sarah Palin continues to be the hottest governor ever." (Wonkette.com, April 25, 2007)
• "Is it just me or do you get a kind of naughty librarian vibe from the governor? . . . I think she was kind of coming on to me a little bit, because she said 'succulent.' North to Alaska! Thank you, Governor, and I don't mean to be disrespectful about your sexiness." ( Craig Ferguson, June 27, 2007, after Palin offered him honorary citizenship and "rich, succulent wild Alaskan salmon.")
• "Palin's high cheekbones could rival any runway model's; she's well-dressed, and often wears her brown hair with gold highlights fashionably swept up." (Associated Press, Dec. 14, 2007)
• " . . . the beautiful conservative Republican governor of Alaska . . . [she] could become the Republican Party's Ségolène Royal, the French Socialist Party's glamorous leader known for her heels and political bite . . . enchanting . . ." (American Spectator, Feb. 26, 2008)
• "She's a babe. I saw a picture . . . Well, it's undeniable . . . The babe is the icing on the cake aspect, something the Democrats can't claim on their side." ( Rush Limbaugh, Feb. 28, 2008)

(Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts, The Reliable Source, The Washington Post, September 1, 2008)