Cornell law professor William Jacobson sees Sarah Palin's recent appearance on Conan O'Brien as a turning point for her -- and, perhaps, for the MSM:

The segment started out with Palin being mocked, mildly, by William Shatner, in the manner of making sentences from Going Rogue seem so silly when presented in Shatner's signature style. If that's all there was to the segment, it would have been par for the course.

By bringing Palin onto the stage with Shatner, and having Palin mock sentences from Shatner's own book, the show sent an enormous subliminal message: Perhaps some of the mocking of Palin that goes on in the entertainment media was not justified since anyone could be the subject of such mockery.

Palin thus took on the pervasive liberal and Democratic caricature of Palin, and did so in a humorous and sympathetic way. Palin was allowed to fight mockery with mockery. Touche.

Palin's appearance on the Conan show may mark a turning point. The mainstream media, very begrudgingly and in small steps, is shifting its approach to Palin as polls show Palin's popularity rising. Palin's appearance on Oprah brought the show ratings it had not seen in years.

Obama used his appearance on Oprah, and other entertainment media love, to establish his popularity. Which is why it damages Obama's image so badly when SNL mocks Obama. At this point, Obama needs the media more than the media needs Obama.

Palin, by contrast, established her popularity independent of, and despite, the entertainment media. When it comes to Palin, the entertainment media is following not leading. We have reached the point where the mainstream entertainment media needs Palin more than Palin needs the media.

One of the things I liked so much about the Conan skit is that it explodes our own expectations about what we are being asked to find funny. When I first saw the clip, I was annoyed watching Shatner mock Palin. I said to myself, "This is so lame. More stupid, unfunny gratuitous Palin-bashing masquerading as humor." But as the skit continued, and Palin came on stage--and clearly came as a surprise to Shatner--I was delighted. And much of it had to do with Palin's affect. She kept it light, and actually quite gentle. She gave Shatner his due for poking fun at her using her own words--and then just blithely returned the favor, all in good fun. It was funny--and it had class. Conan O'Brien has, in this sense, done something quite remarkable: he is not only proposing a new standard for political humor, but has also given Palin the opportunity to be an ambassador for a friendlier, more down to earth, and altogether more likable public culture. Coming at a moment of intense, seemingly unbridgeable partisan division, that's a huge and important and potentially radical thing.