It’s probably not a good sign when USA Today cheerfully publishes a story predicated on the assumption that Sarah Palin, is first and foremost, an opportunistic money-grubber.

One thing to consider when pondering whether Sarah Palin should run for president: Will she accept the pay cut?

ABC News reports that Palin has made at least $12 million since resigning as Alaska governor in July, thanks to book royalties, television deals, and speaking fees.

Palin would have to give up some of those revenue streams to run for president in 2012.

Of course, the fact that Palin reportedly resigned midway through her first term as Governor of Alaska in order to make “triple the money” may have something to do with the money-grubbing perception:

After she returned to Alaska following the failed presidential bid, Johnston claims she was different.

“Sarah was sad for a while. She walked around the house pouting. I had assumed she was going to go back to her job as governor, but a week or two after she got back she started talking about how nice it would be to quit and write a book or do a show and make ‘triple the money.’

(That’s Levi Johnston, the father of Sarah Palin’s grandchild, dishing out the inside dope.)

Still, all things considered, the USA Today article is pretty shortsighted.

Even if Palin has to take a pay cut, it doesn’t have to be for four years. Can you imagine the speaking fees Palin would be able to command once she adds the line “Former half-term President” to her resume? The temporary pay cut would be well worth it. And however stupid Sarah Palin may be about everything else, no one has ever accused her of not recognizing a positive NPV project when she smells one.