Haters had a grand time over the weekend mocking Sarah Palin for writing crib notes on her hand at the Tea Party Convention. But now we're wondering: Did she really need to be reminded of the main tenets of her own platform, or was she setting up her detractors to become a punchline in her own genius joke? Because the next day, at an event for Texas governor Rick Perry, a photographer snapped another note on her palm — this time it read, "Hi Mom!" Okay, not bad. The ability to be self-deprecating is always an admirable trait for a politician. Except, as news outlets like ourselves pick up on the new palm-note story, the joke's actually on us. Because Sarah Palin has now spelled out in explicit fashion what's been evident for a while now: She truly does have the media eating out of the palm of her hand.

[via Oval/USAT]