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By Alexander Burns (@aburnspolitico, aburns@politico.com)


THE 2012 SCORE - PALIN GOES GLOBAL: Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is dialing up her international profile ahead of the 2012 presidential cycle, planning several foreign excursions even as she stakes out firmer policy positions here at home. CNN reported last night that Palin's headed "to Haiti this weekend with Franklin Graham and his relief organization Samaritan's Purse. They will be visiting a cholera clinic, among other stops." That news followed - by a matter of hours - reports that Palin's due for a trip across the Atlantic. POLITICO's Andy Barr: "Details of the trip, including the timing, have not yet been worked out. But Palin sources confirm that plans are being considered for foreign travel in the new year, with Israel and Britain at the top of the list. The likelihood of such a trip was first reported by the Daily Beast." http://bit.ly/hULEkF and http://politi.co/gcmAvf


MORE - Palin's trip to Haiti comes after several weeks of bright-line-drawing on domestic policy. She delivered a speech criticizing the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing plan and came out against the proposed compromise on tax cuts. And in this morning's Wall Street Journal the former governor promotes Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan's budget-slashing "Roadmap for America's Future," writing: "The Roadmap offers a reliable path to long-term solvency for our entitlement programs, and it does so by encouraging personal responsibility and independence." The bigger picture here is that in a season when Palin's been roundly criticized for her less serious activities (filming a reality show, being featured on "Dancing with the Stars") she's also clearly seeking out opportunities to act like a GOP leader and a presidential candidate. http://on.wsj.com/fP48Bn


As the GOP circles Bob Casey, another Louisiana Dem wobbles and Joe Lieberman finally has a good week, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.


FRIDAY STANDINGS - BETTER OFF NOW? There's just a week left (we're told) in the lame-duck session, just three weeks until the new Congress is sworn in and there's still plenty for both parties to win or lose before the New Year. Here's how Morning Score thinks some of the top officials and operatives should answer the question: Are you better off now than you were seven years ago?


BETTER OFF: (1) New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who showed he can command the news cycle and fire up the 2012 buzz machine with a single speech on the economy, even while flatly, repeatedly ruling out a run for president; (2) Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, whose front-and-center role in pushing for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal has given him a rare opportunity to show home-state Democrats that the maverick shtick can actually work in their favor, too; (3) Every low-to-medium profile official willing to endorse the White House-backed deal on the Bush tax cuts - from Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas to Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to defeated New York Rep. Michael McMahon - who have had their support touted by the White House as if it were political gold. Bonus: (4) Jim Morrison, the late front man for The Doors, who was finally pardoned by the state of Florida for decades-old indecent exposure charges in one of the final acts of Gov. Charlie Crist's administration.


WORSE OFF: (1) National Economic Council Director Larry Summers, who warned that failure to pass the compromise tax package could result in a "double dip" for the economy, a day before House Democrats ignored the Obama administration's urgings and passed a non-binding resolution opposing the tax proposal; (2) Kentucky Rep. Hal Rogers, who's already taking incoming fire from the left, the right and the media over his appointment as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee - and his long record of earmarking and special-project spending; (3) Southern Democrats, whose ranks continued to thin this week as the No.2 Democrat in the Georgia House and the senior-most Democratic state senator in Louisiana switched parties, continuing the steady exodus underway since Election Day.


EARLY-STATE SIREN - STAYING THE COURSE: Iowa Republican Party Chairman Matt Strawn is running for a second two-year term that would put him at the helm of the state GOP for the 2012 presidential primaries. More from the Quad City Times: "'In football terms, it's only half-time, and Republicans need to finish the game,' Strawn said Thursday ... At a Des Moines news conference, Strawn said he has the support of a majority of Central Committee members. No one has stepped forward to challenge him, and Republicans have been pleased in how Strawn has turned around the party. Gov.-elect Terry Branstad called Strawn 'an articulate and energetic leader.' 'There is no better advocate, ally and voice for Iowa Republicans as we prepare for the 2012 caucuses and general election,' Branstad said." http://bit.ly/gJTeJg PLUS - IN SOUTH CAROLINA - Republican political consultant Wes Donehue, who published a list of essential GOP primary operatives earlier this week, followed up with an important late addition yesterday: Huck PAC executive director Hogan Gidley. Donehue writes: "He used to be the S.C. Republican Party executive director ... the media relations director for Huckabee, and has been the press secretary for David Beasley's Senate campaign and Karen Floyd's run for state superintendent, in addition to former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's campaign. ... Hogan's made his bones in South Carolina, and will have a big role here should Huckabee take the expected step and get into the race for 2012." http://bit.ly/fI2per


TODAY - From the White House guidance: "In the afternoon, the President will meet with President Clinton in the Oval Office. This meeting is closed press."


AND IN ALASKA - MOMENT OF TRUTH: Judge William Carey is expected to rule today on Republican Senate candidate Joe Miller's challenge to the outcome of his race against Sen. Lisa Murkowski, in a decision that could bring the country's only major unresolved election near a close. Alaska Dispatch sums up the legal state of play: "Miller's attorneys insist there is evidence that the election process was not followed to the letter of the law as should have happened, and the statutes governing voter intent are precise. Miller filed new paperwork just before the hearing began that he suggests shows hundreds of sex offenders were allowed to cast votes which would violate 'disenfranchisement' laws that prohibit convicted felons from voting. That suggests other felons might have been allowed to vote as well, his attorney said. That drew a sharp retort from the state attorney who noted that this case is the 'poster child' of why the state Supreme Court has held post-election challenges to very high standard. 'Miller is throwing in everything,' assistant attorney general Joanne Grace said." And the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner notes that the tea party-backed Miller's fans are still united behind him: "His strong showing Nov. 2 suggests many held their ground, despite intense public scrutiny of his work record and political positions, through election day. And at least some say they will continue to support Miller while acknowledging the extended race is dividing their political party alliance. 'This election has split the Republican party in Alaska severely and probably irreparably,' said Phil Evans, a commercial property owner and Miller supporter in Fairbanks." http://bit.ly/gmBjHc and http://bit.ly/i6AgSX


WARD OF THE STATE - Pennsylvania state Sen. Kim Ward is being recruited as a possible challenger to Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in 2012, PoliticsPA reports: "A source close to the Pennsylvania Republican Party noted Ward's profile as a strong statewide candidate. As a lifelong resident of southwestern Pennsylvania, Ward could cut into Casey's support in that part of the state. Ward is a respiratory therapist by profession, and could appeal to working-class voters. Additionally, some Republican insiders believe that a female candidate could be more competitive across the state, particularly in southeastern Pennsylvania." If Ward gets into the race, it could set up a competitive primary with state Sen. Jake Corman, who's believed to be planning a campaign. http://bit.ly/fY2G2W


2014 WATCH - MCCONNELL'S GUN: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's next chief of staff will be Josh Holmes, an experienced communications operative with a history in the Kentucky senator's political machine. Ryan Alessi reports: "Holmes will take over for Billy Piper, who is leaving at the end of the month to join a Washington lobbying firm after serving as McConnell's top aide since 2002. ... [Holmes] has worked on McConnell's staff since 2007. During the fall 2010 election, Holmes worked for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, including on behalf of Rand Paul in Kentucky. Two years earlier, he spent much of the 2008 general election in Kentucky working on McConnell's re-election bid against Democrat Bruce Lunsford." POLITICO's Manu Raju reads in further: "The selection of a savvy communications operative is a sign that McConnell is already gearing up for his 2014 reelection bid." http://bit.ly/fLInnS and http://politi.co/hpG3eA


STILL BLEEDING: The parade of white Southern Democrats crossing the aisle since Nov. 2 appears likely to continue, as longtime Louisiana legislator Noble Ellington signals he's all but certain to defect to the GOP. "I think at this point it would probably be hypocritical for me to remain in the Democratic Party because I find myself farther and farther away from what has become the liberal philosophy of the national party," said Ellington, a decades-long veteran of the Louisiana House, according to the News Star. "At least nationally, the Republican Party seems to fit my philosophy more than the current Democratic Party." http://bit.ly/dJ72l5


CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I have been booed by 60,000 fans at Yankee Stadium standing alone at the pitcher's mound, so I have never really cared if I stood alone here in Congress." - Retiring Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning, in his farewell address to the Senate http://bit.ly/h7Mlq8

Go to Morning Score Now >> http://www.politico.com/morningscore


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