The Sarah Palin autobiography “Going Rogue: An American Life” is officially out today, 54 weeks after she and John McCain came out on the short end of the stick in the 2008 presidential race. The release is of note here, of course, since Palin will bring her book signing tour to Sioux City on Dec. 6, after kicking off the tour tomorrow in Michigan. So, with the release, The Journal this morning fronts a top of the page piece relating details from Palin’s appearance on the Oprah Winfrey talk show, inside is a book review by Associated Press writer Mark Kennedy (he’s not dazzled) and the opinion page has a Palin-themed column by Richard Cohen of the Washington Post.

If you want to check out some other Palin pieces, click away. First, we have an article from The Hill, in which McCain disputes a Palin claim that his campaign stuck her with a $50,000 bill in vetting her as a possible candidate. McCain said the bill is Palin’s for  legal work related to allegations that Palin made improper use of her influence as Alaska’s governor to press for the dismissal of a state trooper. Beyond that, McCain says he hopes Palin sells a ton of “Going Rogue” books, for which she received a $5 million advance.

Or click here for Palin’s take on Levi Johnston, the father of her granddaughter,  pursuing porn by appearing in Playgirl magazine. I’m much more interested in an academic review of Palin’s distinctive speech patterns, from the “you betcha”-style lingo and dropping of g’s off “ing” words — something the Alaska academics noted weren’t her style of speaking until she launched into the national sphere with the vice presidential nomination.

Lastly, a Politico piece recapping the Oprah appearance, including Palin remaining noncommittal on any 2012 presidential plans and dishing on her October 2008 interview with CBS news anchor Katie Couric. “I was annoyed by her badgering,” Palin says.

We in Siouxland, coincidentally, will have had the chance to see both Couric and Palin in our midst in a two-month period, which is weird when you think about the odds of that. Couric accepted an award at the University of South Dakota campus on Oct. 8, where Journal reporter Michele Linck recounted her impressions of the Palin interview. Couric said she essentially tried to ask casual questions about the issues of the day and what shaped Palin’s worldview. Palin struggled to answer what she reads to form her stances on issues, and the interview was widely seen as a down moment for the candidate.

Between her book and the Oprah appearance, Palin has no problem sharing her view of the Couric interview. Wouldn’t it be nice to have split the time/distance difference of the Oct. 8 appearance in Vermillion by Couric and the Dec. 6 appearance in Sioux City by Palin with a joint meeting of the two women to talk things out on Nov. 7 in Elk Point, S.D.?