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Spicer, asked now if Palin is being considered to be ambassador to Canada, he did NOT deny it -- just said updates to come later tdy/tmrw — Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) February 8, 2017

For Trump, there are reasons for choosing Palin. Trump is a showman. He likes his people to look and speak the part. Palin is not a diplomat by training or instinct, but she is a celebrity who would bring her travelling carnival to Canada.

If the Captain of Chaos wants to disrupt everything – including resetting relations with little ol’ Canada – Palin would be the one to break the china. She has unapologetic views and a lot of swagger.

Palin, you may recall, catapulted to fame in 2008 when John McCain made her his vice-presidential running mate. It was the worst decision of his career. He has never apologized.

A vice-president should do no harm in an election. Mike Pence, a soap salesman, did no harm to Trump. Nor did Tim Kaine, who channelled Howdy-Doody, harm Hillary Clinton. Palin broke the rule: so great was her ignorance, so hilarious her gaffes, she hurt the ticket.

For our Annie Oakley of Alaska, though, it was the gift of a lifetime. When the campaign was over, she resigned as governor and became a brand – giving speeches, turning out books, making her eccentric family, the northern Clampetts, a reality television show.

She represents the descent of politics. We see today a direct line from Palin to Trump. Politically, Trump is Palin’s child.

She knew that when she endorsed him for president before Iowa. Typically she spoke gibberish – no syntax, no message, a kind of slam poetry – but she laid down a marker.

Trump remembered that. When he won, he considered her as secretary of veterans affairs.