Greta Van Susteren, please define “popular”

Members of the media continue to do their best to portray Sarah Palin, post-resignation stunner, as being “popular.” The latest is Fox News' Greta Van Susteren. And yes, you might want to keep in mind that Van Susteren's husband has served as an adviser to Palin.

From Van Susteren's program last night:

And she's still popular! Some think very soon to be former Governor Sarah Palin could be eyeing a run for the White House in 2012. If so, a new Gallup poll is good news for the governor. In a poll of Republicans and right-leaning independents, 72 percent of those polled have a favorable opinion of Governor Palin. That being said, when given six choices of possible presidential candidates, Governor Palin comes in second, with 21 percent listing her as the top choice. In first place, according to the poll, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

Like the New York Daily News did previously, Van Susteren built her case for Palin's popularity around partisan polling that only sought the opinion of people who were already predisposed to liking her. Namely Republicans and right-leaning independents. Honestly, why would Palin not be popular among them?

But in the broader Gallup survey that Van Susteren cited to prove Palin's popularity, when voters across the political spectrum were asked about Palin, a majority indicated they would likely not vote for her for president. And that included a clear majority of independent voters who suggested they wouldn't vote for Palin.

Sort of a new definition for “popular,” no?

And just curious, why did Van Susteren run a Palin-friendly, she's-still-popular segment last night when the polling data used as the hook for the discussion was nearly a week-and-a-half old?