The Conservative Industrial Complex strikes again

Word’s out today that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is joining Fox News as a regular commentator and correspondent.

It’s a great business move for the political phenom from Wasilla, who translated her surprise nomination as VP candidate into national superstardom.

But as I’ve wrestled with here before: Is it good for the Republican Party or the conservative movement?

What happens when prominent leaders of the Right find it more lucrative and more rewarding to enter show business and the mainstream media?

Who’s left to rebuild the party? We saw last month that Rudy Giuliani has officially chosen the biz world over the political world.

Mike Huckabee has also expressed doubts about his willingness to climb back into the ring.

The bottom line? American politics is ugly business. Winning elections is hard. Governing is even harder.

Palin could, of course, still emerge as a political force in 2012. But I doubt it.

Fox is arguably a more influential opposition force to the Obama agenda than the GOP. With her on the team, the network is even more powerful.

After joining the most active, well organized, and powerful conservative movement in the country — where success is measured in ratings, not votes — why would she go back?