That perception may have been strengthened, in a roundabout way, by the incident in which she and fellow GOP talking head Mike Murphy were caught trash-talking Sarah Palin into an open mic last fall: The backstage Noonan was refreshingly candid about assessing the weakness of the Palin pick.

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That would be perfectly legal under Supreme Court precedents that allow the police to tail suspects, go through their trash and even cross private property to observe their activities as long as they are out in the open.

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