Palin's media battle raises eyebrows

(CNN) -- Her bid for the vice presidency ended more than two months ago, but Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin appears determined not to become a mere afterthought.

Departing from a historical trend of failed vice presidential candidates who descend into relative obscurity after Election Day, Palin continues to command the intense media coverage that befits a national office seeker.

It's an astonishing development, given that she has no role in national domestic policy and is a first-term governor of a state almost 4,500 miles from Washington.

Palin empathizers say the Alaska governor is merely trying to recover her good name after months of damage by the mainstream media, liberal bloggers and even high-level members of the McCain campaign who grew publicly dissatisfied with their VP nominee as Election Day neared.

But some political observers suggest that Palin's ongoing -- and predominantly adversarial -- relationship with the national media is all part of a savvy effort to retain her popularity with the legions of rank-and-file conservatives who stood so strongly behind her during the campaign. Watch what Palin has to say about the media »

Should Palin eye a presidential bid herself in 2012, continued loyalty from grass-roots Republicans will be crucial in determining whether she is the early favorite in a race sure to feature a crowded field of high-profile GOP contenders.

"All of that media bashing plays to the base," said David Brody, a senior national correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network. "And at least within the Republican primary, that works well."

'Pedophile's paradise' in Alaska villages?

This morning, 43 Alaskan Natives filed a lawsuit against the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), claiming a widespread conspiracy to dump pedophile priests in small Alaskan towns and shelter them from exposure.

The suit was filed in the Bethel, Alaska Superior Court.

Reverend Father Stephen Sundborg—current president of Seattle University and head of the Northwest Jesuits from 1990 to 1996—is named as a co-conspirator.

Attorney Ken Roosa announced the lawsuit at a chilly press conference outside Seattle University this morning and said, as of today, he knows of 345 cases of molestation, only two of them against non-natives.