...the media says “how high?”

The Washington Post's John Wagner is up with a profile of a “little-known” Republican gubernatorial candidate who managed to snag the endorsement of Fox News contributor and soon to be “reality” television star Sarah Palin.

As Slate.com's David Weigel notes:

John Wagner profiles Brian Murphy, a first-time candidate for governor of Maryland who got no media coverage until Sarah Palin endorsed him. Apres, le deluge:

In the 72 hours after Palin's announcement, Murphy braced for a surge in campaign contributions, particularly from out-of-state Palin supporters. The endorsement became the talk of the political blogosphere. Murphy appeared on almost every Maryland TV and radio station.

And he was summoned to New York for an appearance Friday night on a Fox Business channel show on which a panel of guests nodded as Murphy argued that business leaders are best suited to run the state.

Keep reading, though, and it's obvious that Murphy's Palin nod does not change the fact that former governor Robert Ehrlich will win the GOP nomination. She proved -- like we needed proof -- that people want to write articles about what she does, and get the resultant Web traffic. (See what I did there?)

More and more, Weigel's description of the half-term Alaska Governor as the “Empress of the Assignment Desk” seems apt.