So now that we're about a week into the Second Coming of Sarah Palin, let's examine what we've learned:

* The former vice presidential candidate, in her new book, "Going Rogue," continues to blame CBS News' Katie Couric for the haven't-got-a-clue answers that Palin gave Couric in an interview last fall.

* Also according to the book, Palin's more-miserable-by-the-day performance as John McCain's running mate last year was the fault of McCain's campaign officials, particularly a guy named Steve Schmidt.

* The photo of Palin in bicycle shorts on the cover of the current issue of Newsweek is sexist and an obvious attempt by the magazine to portray her in a negative light. (Never mind that Palin willingly posed for the picture.)

Good Lord, Governor - oops, I mean Former Governor - do you take responsibility for anything that goes wrong in your life? Is nothing your fault? I'd like to tell you to "grow a pair," but that would be sexist. So let's make it "grow a backbone." Own up to your mistakes. Demonstrate that, at least once in a while, the buck stops with you. Your second round as a national figure already is shaping up to be as disastrous as your first, and things won't get any better for you if you continue along the same path.

You can forget about winning (or even running for) the presidency in 2012. Your unfavorable rating is creeping up toward 70 percent in several major polls, and even a large chunk of your own party wants nothing more than for you to just go away. (They know political poison when they taste it.) The best you can hope for at this point is a few million book sales, a regular gig as a talking head on FoxNews and perhaps a flattering segment on some "Where are they now" show a decade a two from now.