One of the most promising rumors of the summer had the staying power of mid-August morning dew, but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.

I refer to the widely reported buzz that Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska and very nearly the vice president of the United States, was planning to divorce her husband and move to Montana. The rumor first appeared on an Alaska blog with a history of antagonism toward Palin, and it probably would have been confined to the blogosphere but for two things.

For one, the report was posted on the first day of August. This is traditionally the slowest news month of the year, known as the silly season, when all kinds of oddball stories - often involving reports of very large or oddly shaped cucumbers - take the place of real news. In fact, Norwegian reporters refer to such stories as "cucumber news."

The second and more important factor was that Palin's spokeswoman went on Palin's Facebook page the same day to quash the rumors. "The Palins remain married, committed to each other and their family, and have not purchased land in Montana," she said.

But since you can't prove a negative, I think it's fair to say that the rumors aren't entirely dead. After all, 17 years after the Weekly World News first reported the discovery of Bat Boy, no one has ever proved the nonexistence of the young half-human supposedly found in a West Virginia cave.

House hunting?

We need to be proactive and operate on the assumption that Sarah Palin is going to move here, with or without her family. You will notice that the spokeswoman said only that the Palins had not purchased land in Montana. They may have bought a condo, or maybe the spokeswoman could have added, "But with the Yellowstone Club in turmoil, maybe they can still snag a mansion at bargain-basement prices."

Montana would seem to be a natural fit for the maverick barracuda. It's a wide-open, resource-rich state, just like Alaska, and though you can't see Russia from here, we're pretty close to Moscow, Idaho. And while "you betcha" isn't heard much, Conrad Burns once made "you bet" famous in these parts. We could adapt.

What would Palin do if she did move to Montana? It's too late to run for mayor of Billings this election cycle, unfortunately, but Brian Schweitzer, our own folksy, gun-toting governor, will be unable to run for re-election in 2012 because of term limits.

The possibility of a Gov. Palin apparently is intriguing to some Montanans. KTVQ ran an online poll last week, giving readers seven options in answer to the question, "If Sarah Palin moved to Montana, what would you like her to do?"

By Friday afternoon, 16 percent of the respondents said she ought to run for governor, and 15 percent preferred a run for Congress. Uncharitably, 47 percent of those responding thought that if she came to Montana the first thing she should do is go back to Alaska. Let's just ignore those party-poopers and move on.

Possible job opening

Maybe Schweitzer, who likes to bill himself as bipartisan, could fire his controversial appointee, Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director Joe Maurier, and replace him with Palin. She has worked on her husband's commercial fishing boat and brags of bagging moose. She probably wouldn't have much patience with Maurier's second-in-command, Art Noonan, a Democratic Party soldier who doesn't hunt and hasn't had a fishing license in 20 years.

If Palin is uncomfortable working with so many Democrats, she could hire the governor's brother, Walt "the Big Tuna" Schweitzer, as her chief of staff and director of security: You wanna see the director? You talk to the Big Tuna first.

Another option would be for Palin to start all over and get herself elected to office in a town similar in size to Wasilla, Alaska, where she was mayor before becoming governor. With a population of just under 10,000, Wasilla is nearly the same size as Havre. What do you say, Havreites (Havreinians?), you want to put your city on the map? Or she could start really small and go for mayor of Jordan. For her first project, she could build a bridge to the Middle of Nowhere.

If we give a Big Sky welcome to Sarah Palin, it could lead to great things. We could make Montana famous as a haven for wayward governors and former governors. Gov. Eliot Spitzer? Come on down! Gov. Mark Sanford? Pack your bags! Gov. Rod Blagojevich? Say howdy!

I hope Sarah Palin takes my suggestions to heart. I'll be checking her Facebook page.