When Katie first left the Today show to anchor the CBS Evening News in 2006, ratings began a steady decline. Katie was blamed, and it really looked like she was going to be fired in the spring of 2008. Now, however, she is more popular than ever, and that is thanks (at least in part) to her interview with Ms. Palin.

Governor Palin has accused Katie of "exploiting" her, but in last week's LA TImes Couric responded to this claim: "I felt bad about that, because I have been very circumspect about the whole thing. So I don't really understand what she meant." Even though we think Sarah Palin is full of shit, there is no denying that Couric's ratings went up because of the interview. During the last five weeks, her program has been up 7%, and during the inauguration week, Katie was hard at work interviewing Michelle Obama and covering the inauguration ceremonies.

Couric also has some new projects in the works. She has teamed up with Susan Zirinsky, CBS news producer, for several different shows. In an article that somewhat condescendingly begins: "How about a big hand for the little lady?", today's The Washington Post discusses Couric's most recent "exclusive" project. Last night, Couric headed up a special edition of the "CBS Evening News," where she was "very much the activist-anchor":

Couric reported Part 1 of an "exclusive" shocker series about domestic violence committed against spouses and girlfriends by troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. She gave this troubling story not "a woman's touch" but the attention of a good reporter. The segment was labeled "Katie Couric Investigates" to help raise her profile even higher.

Although The Washington Post speculates on the role of the "woman's touch," writer Tom Shales makes it clear that Couric is such a benevolent presence because of "16 years of goodwill" and her role as "Americas sweetheart" (which, one could argue, is by definition a woman's position- one that would certainly contribute to the myth of a "woman's touch").

Weirdly enough, Couric is also going to be a big part of the Grammy Awards this year. She is to host an hour-long prime-time special featuring "freestylin' interviews" with the likes of Justin Timberlake and Lil Wayne, airing February 4th. In an interview with the Observer Zirinsky explains her new found appreciation for the self-proclaimed feminist anchor: "She's a powerhouse. The more venues we can have her on, letting Katie be Katie, the better it plays for us." Although the whole discussion of a "woman's touch" is somewhat irksome, it is great to see a network let Katie be Katie, and celebrate her hard-won position among what is typically a bit of a boy's club. Couric has shown America that she can be a serious reporter, and we will now see whether she can hold her own with Lil Wayne. Our money's on Katie.

Good News, at Last [Washington Post]
A Newswoman's Journey to the Anchor Seat [Washington Post]
Not-So-Suddenly Susan! [The New York Observer]
CBS Puts Its Prime Time in the Service of Couric [New York Times]
Katie Couric in no hurry for change [LA Times]

Related: Katie Couric Flies Her Feminist Flag

Yes, She's A Feminist:

"So have evangelicals accepted the sexual revolution? Yes and no. While they generally agree that women should have careers, evangelical women and men still have some traditional social views — that sex should be reserved for marriage, that marriage is between a man and a woman, and that the possibility of abortion on demand, far from being a key to women's happiness, is simply wrong. In other words, like most Americans, they have rejected the more radical elements of feminism."

— Naomi Schaefer Riley, in the Wall Street Journal.

"Palin grew up in an age when many of her female counterparts chose to reject marriage and husbands. She grew up in an era when many women decided to send their children to day-care or not to have children at all. She grew up in an era when women could pursue the most masculine of careers and make a good living doing so. […] If feminism is about giving women choices, she should be cheered as an example of the success of feminism."

— Karin Agness, on Townhall.com.

"Sarah Palin represents a new feminism. . . . And there is no bigger threat to the elites in this country than a woman who lives her conservative convictions."

— talk show host Laura Ingraham. From a story by Robin Abcarian, in the Los Angeles Times.

"On the one hand, her political views (she's anti-abortion and pro-gun and an evangelical creationist) seem directly counter to the until-now traditionally liberal tenets of feminism. Yet at the same time, she's a powerful governor and mother of five, a combination that seems the very definition of what the women's movement was fighting for. […] Palin is a classic third-wave feminist, benefiting from all that came before her in terms of the women's movement, while remaining the embodiment of patriotic, religious, small-town values. […] Certainly, she's the change agent they might need: a right-wing politico in the body of an attractive modern "executive", wife and mother."

— Barbara Lippert, in Adweek.

"On that stage last night, Sarah Palin represented everything the feminist movement claims to strive for: a successful working woman with a happy family life and a husband who helps raise the children. Yet, rather than hailing her accomplishment, the feminist establishment has sat by silently as she's savaged for being a working mother. Turns out old feminism is really just a bunch of good 'ole girls telling you what to think. […] Where is the condemnation for the sickening misogyny, such as the DailyKOS's mock Playboy cover with Palin? The Huffington Post's photo montage of Palin, headlined "Former Beauty Queen, Future VP?" The Washington Post's Sally Quinn criticizing Palin for being a working mother? Well, I suppose she could've stayed home and baked cookies."

— A column by Kirsten Powers for the New York Post, via FrontPageMag.com.

"Palin's candidacy brings both figurative and literal feminist change. The simple act of thinking outside the liberal box, which has insisted for generations that only liberals and Democrats can be trusted on issues of import to women, is the political equivalent of a nuclear explosion. The idea of feminists willing to look to the right changes not only electoral politics, but will put more women in power at lightning speed as we move from being taken for granted to being pursued, nominated and appointed and ultimately, sworn in."

— Tammy Bruce, in a column for the San Francisco Chronicle.

No, She's Not

"Really, most of the 'feminism' talk is coming from conservatives appropriating the language of the movement to push a ridiculously anti-feminist candidate. But what I find even more upsetting is the Palin/feminist talk coming from mainstream outlets who are demonstrating absolutely no knowledge of feminism. Take the Adweek article, for example, which says 'Palin is a classic third-wave feminist, benefiting from all that came before her in terms of the women's movement...' So by this definition, any woman who has benefited from feminism is a feminist. So, all women are feminists? Uh, yeah."

— From a post by Jessica Valenti, of Feministing.com.

"The Palin pick is disheartening on so many levels. For starters, even what little we know about the Alaska governor's policy views is enough to make a traditional feminist weep. The staunchly conservative Palin not only opposes abortion rights (even in cases of rape or incest), she also supports abstinence-only sex education and takes a strict free-market approach toward health care. Of course, these days, the feminist mantle is claimed by pro-life conservatives and pro-choice progressives alike. Palin herself is a proud member of Feminists for Life. Feminism seems no longer to denote a particular set of values or ideological agenda; it is merely a label appropriated to proclaim that one is committed to the best interests of women—whatever one believes those to be."

— Michelle Cottle, in an article for The New Republic, September . (Here's a reaction piece by Emily Bazelon on Slate.)

"Conservatives have probably used the word 'sexist' more in the past week than they have in the past 50 years. This would all have been entertaining if it were not such rank hypocrisy. These are people who have inveighed against affirmative action, a version of which undoubtedly played a part in this selection. […] The governor has talked about the choice she and her pregnant teenage daughter have made, but would deny other women the right to make their own choices. She talks about fighting the old boys' network and corrupt politicians, but would turn over the private reproductive decisions of American women to both. […] But she could certainly help move the inevitable tide of women's rights, the tide that has floated her own boat, by demanding that she be honored with the same tough scrutiny the guys in this race get. Which was, in case these improbable born-again friends of feminism missed it, the entire point of the exercise in the first place."

— Anna Quindlen in Newsweek.

Note To Mainstream Media: Sarah Palin Is NOT A Feminist [Feministing]

Probably the former. Yes, families where both parents are present in the children's lives are more stable and ultimately create a better environment for children, but Grove is implying that parents need to not only be married for children to thrive, but the man needs to be working and providing ("responsibility") for his young while the woman stays home and cares for them. Why not promote a society where single mothers can provide for their children on their own? Grove says that the Conservative government will provide a maternity nurse service for families who need help during the first days after childbirth, but there is no mention of this service being available to single mothers (or fathers) who have a newborn. An emphasis is placed on the relationship between the father and mother, implying that they are together.

And what does Grove think of women's magazines? While he condemns lad mags' presentation of a "narrow conception of beauty and a shallow approach towards women," he praises women's magazines (and their publishers) for addressing their readers "in a mature and responsible fashion." So, being obsessed with materialism, being fearful of any beauty "imperfection," and constantly being reminded that the attention of men is necessary to live a happy lifestyle is "mature"? Has this dude ever looked at a women's magazine?

Lad Mags Linked To 'Social Ills' [BBC]
'Lads Mags' Condemned Over Images Of Women [Telegraph]
Poll" Do Lad Mags Make Men Feckless? [Guardian]

• Hugh Hefner and his gang are planning on opening a new Playboy club and casino in London. • Speaking of Playboy: readers can find out what "the girls of Olive Garden" look like behind the shapeless white button-downs. • An adorable and blind 5-year-old girl in Korea who never learned how to formally play piano can play a song on the piano after just one listen. • Indian cricketer and mega-celeb needs female bodyguards to protect him from crazed female fans. • Hey '80s TV fans: Square Pegs is on DVD! See SJP before SATC! • Missy Chase Lapine's charges of plagiarism against Jessica Seinfeld for her create-bad-food-habits-by-lying-to-your-kids-about-healthy-food cookbook have lifted the sales of both books on Amazon. Whatever, Jessica Seinfeld still sucks. • A 14-year-old girl broke the record for fastest swim across Lake Erie on Sunday with a time of 5 hours, 40 minutes, and 35 seconds.

They are normal girls living this fantasy lifestyle. They're good friends dating the same guy, and maybe the viewers are thinking, 'That won't ever be me,' but they like to look into it as if it was them as sort of an ultimate fantasy.

Recently, I tried to convince a male who found himself searching my DVR log to give the show a try. "They are girls!," I whined. "And they are, like, always naked! At the Playboy Mansion! What part of this don't you want to watch?" I selected one of my favorite episodes, where lead girlfriend Holly convinces Hef that the girls should design and execute their own individual photo shoots for their second appearance in Playboy, rather than be photographed together in straight-forward settings. Within three minutes flat, my male friend had lost interest. He might've even been nodding off, if I'm not mistaken. Who knows, I was glued to the TV.

You see, as expressed by Daphne Merkin in her piece on the subject in the June 2007 issue of Elle, these are the girls we all could be. They are the anti-fantasy. Behind the fake boobs and the fake tans and the fake hair and, in Holly's case, the fake nose, these are girls that are (sorry Us Weekly) just like us. They're feisty. And have something to say. Could this be why men aren't interested?
Why Women Love 'Girls Next Door' [NYP]
Related: I Dream Of Holly (And Bridget, And Kendra) [Elle]