Has Sarah Palin lost interest in the presidency?

The Alaskan political celebrity gives the nation a big hint when she suggests running for office would put her in "shackles"

Best Opinion:  Hot Air, Salon, Wash. Post...

Sarah Palin still hasn't announced definitively whether she is running for president. But on Greta Van Susteren's Fox News show Tuesday night, the former Alaska governor did give some reasons why she might sit out the race. "Is a title and is a campaign too shackle-y?" she mused aloud. "Does a title take away my freedom to call it like I see it and to affect positive change that we need in this country?" Without the constraints of a campaign, Palin added, I "can be rogue, can be maverick, can be passionate about issues and can get people to think very wisely about issues." On the other hand, when Van Susteren asked if Palin thought she could win, should she decide to jump into race, Palin said, "I do." Still, did Palin just beg out of the 2012 race?

Yes. Palin prefers being an outsider: Palin sure doesn't sound like someone with "the needed 'fire in the belly'" to stage a "bruising and difficult" late run for the GOP nomination, says Ed Morrissey at Hot Air. And really, who'd want to "endure another season of handling and caricatures" from the hostile media? What I heard on Fox was "a leading activist preparing an explanation for disappointed followers as to why she's decided to remain an activist."
"Palin: Is the title of president worth it?"

And she's obviously not interested in the job: Mama Grizzly "told Greta Van Susteren she's still thinking about her options," says Joan Walsh at Salon. But come on, "Palin clearly isn't running." The presidency is hard work, and "if she wanted it, she wouldn't make it sound like a big inconvenience." As Palin has learned, it's much easier "being mavericky and making millions of dollars."
"The Christie/Palin tease"

Don't write her candidacy off just yet: Palin still doesn't understand the difference between a "title" and "an actual job, with responsibilities and obligations," says Jonathan Bernstein at The Washington Post. But that's "absolutely no reason to rule out the possibility that she could still enter the presidential race." And that should scare the bejeezus out of Republicans. Palin can't win the GOP nomination, but the GOP can't stop her from staging a "mavericky" third-party bid.
"Make no mistake: Sarah Palin is still a wild card"

Either way, we'll know by Halloween: I've "given up trying to predict what Palin will or won't do," says Guy Benson at Townhall. Her remarks on Fox could certainly be a tacit concession that "she can be more successful and influential as a fundraiser and truth-telling gadfly than as an official candidate." Or it could mean just the opposite. But with Florida threatening to push up the GOP primary calendar, Palin realistically only has about a month to either jump into the "fluid and volatile" GOP race or officially sit out for four more years.
"Palin calls 'Herb' Cain GOP 'flavor of the week,' suggests title..."

 

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