She left in January and returns on Monday. With something like seven different Obama scandals now roiling conservative media, it’s a wise moment to reclaim the Fox News soapbox.

“I have great confidence in her and am pleased that she will once again add her commentary to our programming,” Ailes said. “I hope she continues to speak her mind.”

Palin will make her latest debut on the morning show “Fox & Friends,” on Monday. In addition to providing political insight and commentary, Palin will contribute to Fox Business Network.

“The power of Fox News is unparalleled,” Palin said. “The role of Fox News in the important debates in our world is indispensable. I am pleased and proud to be rejoining Roger Ailes and the great people at Fox.”

Per TV Newser, “Palin tested the TV waters in New York and Hollywood, and found interest from other networks, someone familiar with her decision says. Ultimately, however, Fox News offered the best deal in terms of salary and exposure.” Another thing that makes her return right now interesting is that you’re starting to see the Senate GOP polarize between old-school hawks like McCain and new-school libertarian-inclined insurgents like Ted Cruz, and not just on foreign policy either. Before she joined the ticket in 2008 and for a good long while after, she was assumed to be a Maverick-style neoconservative thanks to the fact that Bill Kristol had touted her and that she had retained Randy Scheunemann as an advisor. Things seemed to shift in 2011, and lately, thanks to her strong (and reciprocated) support for Cruz, she seems more aligned with the Cruz/Paul/Lee wing. E.g., I’m guessing McCain probably doesn’t share this sentiment about “boot-stomping” posted to her Facebook page four days ago linking to a Breitbart.com item about NSA’s new high-tech spy HQ:

Boot-stomping govt claims citizen spying never happened then pouts Congress knew all along; Congress denies. Our obtuseness = their strength…

Note to Chris Wallace: McCain famously will appear on virtually any Sunday show that’ll have him and Fox is surely looking for a splashy way to reintroduce Palin to the debate after her TV hiatus. Book them together and make this conversation happen.