The Next Michael Steele?

CBS is floating a successor for Michael Steele who should make both sides of the aisle equally giddy: One Sarah Palin. Citing "talk in GOP circles," the network's top White House correspondent says, Palin is "the star of the Republican Party. She's the top endorser, top fundraiser—and now could be the party's top dog."

The Palin question is a moot point, others tell the AP, because the GOP isn't about to switch horses with four short months before crucial midterm elections. And regardless, the party has marginalized Steele to the point where there's only so much harm he can do: "Republicans have sort of put together a mode of operation for this election cycle that does not put the RNC chairman in a central role," says an insider. "That's not the optimal way of handling things. But in a very strange way that gives him some protection." (More Michael Steele stories.)