Don’t laugh, says John O’Sullivan:

I know Margaret Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher is a friend of mine. And as a matter of fact, Margaret Thatcher and Sarah Palin have a great deal in common. . . .
She has obvious intelligence, drive, serious moral character, and a Reaganesque likability. Her likely Republican rivals such as Bobby Jindal and Mitt Romney, not to mention Barack Obama, have most of these same qualities too. But she shares with Mrs. Thatcher a very rare charisma. . . .
If conservative intellectuals, Republican operatives and McCain “handlers” can’t see it, then so much the worse for them.

The whole thing is worth reading, but I disagree with O’Sullivan’s assessment that Palin has “probably eight years” to prepare for the presidency. I am certain that Obama won’t be able to fix the economy. That failure will render him politically vulnerable in 2012. If Palin doesn’t take that shot, she may not get another shot. That means Palin really has only two years to get ready, since the jump-off time will be December 2010 for the 2012 campaign.