If anyone needs further indication that former half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has already begun a run for the White House, here's another clue.

Over the weekend, reports surfaced that during an upcoming trip to England, Palin was hoping to meet with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, as the two had informally agreed during Palin's unsuccessful run for vice-president in 2008. The reports indicated that Palin's people seemed most interested in a photo opportunity with Thatcher and showed no interest in meeting the current PM, David Cameron. The reports that Palin was seeking an audience with Thatcher were subsequently confirmed in a note posted to Palin's Facebook page. Since then, it has been reported that Thatcher's people have agreed to schedule a meeting. Many favorable reports and commentaries on the matter have focused on how much a photograph with Thatcher would boost Palin's credibility among mainstream American conservatives by helping her assume a place as an heir to former President Ronald Reagan's legacy.

What hardly anyone is mentioning in much detail yet, however, is that, sadly, Lady Thatcher is not the same person she once was. Now 84 years old, she has been victimized by progressive dementia and stroke-induced mental degradation since the year 2000. If indeed Thatcher herself agreed to meet with Sarah Palin, hopefully she still knows that she's Margaret Thatcher, the conservative icon, the "Iron Lady" whose image is still very valuable. If that's not the case, it would be less exploitative and less unforgivable for Palin's team to dig up the corpse of Ronald Reagan for a photo.