This being so, last week Sarah Palin became a one-woman national media empire.

She was paid a $1.25 million retainer by HarperCollins. Her book, “Going Rogue,” sold 2.2 million copies, according to its publisher, and she has another tentatively scheduled for this fall.

She now has an actual television career, including appearances as a pundit on Fox News, as host of “Real American Stories” four times a year, and a coming eight-part series on TLC called “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” which will cost, according to some media reports, $1 million an episode.

Palin may or may not be qualified to represent America around the world, but her popularity seems to appeal to more than just those in the Tea Party. When Palin stopped by to chat with Oprah Winfrey — the show achieved its biggest ratings in two years.

She is gutsy. During the 2008 campaign, she was accused by the staff of Sen. John McCain of running her own show and going off message. Then she took their distain and made a book title out of it. “Going Rogue” — Just one more example of how her inability or unwillingness to connect with the establishment leaders gives her credibility to her faithful.

Last week, she returned to Sen. McCain’s side to help in his re-election bid. As she bounded across a stage in Arizona, his wife Cindy McCain struggled to maintain her frozen smile, making the awkwardness of the situation evident to all.

Palin’s first TV special aired Thursday on Fox News Channel. During “Real American Stories,” Palin narrated touching profiles of Americans overcoming adversity and helping others. Problem was, several of the stories had been made by Fox News pre-Palin. Actor-rapper LL Cool J complained when he learned about Fox News’ plans to use an interview in the show he said he gave two years ago. The network agreed to drop his segment.

Country singer Toby Keith did appear, as announced, in footage focused on his hit song, “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” But Keith’s publicist had said he was similarly caught by surprise on discovering that his year-old interview had been included in the program.

Following the show’s airing, critics gave iffy reviews, calling it “canned,” “innocuous, flat,” and a “letdown.” And her show’s ratings did not beat the program it replaced.

Tina Fey, meanwhile, will tackle Sarah Palin again next month. Fey's satire of Palin's interview with Katie Couric during the 2008 campaign was widely considered a formative moment in cementing the popular image of the VP candidate.