Palin: Is she running, or just protecting her brand?

Palin has set off on a “One Nation’’ tour of America, but is she eying the presidency or trying to sell more books and to boost her TV ratings?

“Is Sarah Palin sightseeing or campaigning?” asked Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times. After months of dropping coy hints about her presidential ambitions, Palin roared into Washington, D.C., this week on the back of a Harley-Davidson, then loaded her family into a luxury bus and set off on a “One Nation’’ tour of America. In typical “mavericky” fashion, Palin has refused to reveal the itinerary of “her (wink wink) non-campaign tour,” said The Baltimore Sun in an editorial, or to say more than that she is “contemplating” a run for the White House. But already she’s made stops at such tellingly historic locations as Gettysburg, Fort McHenry, and the Statue of Liberty, and has hinted she’ll conclude her trip in the first primary state, New Hampshire. “Just when you thought the Republican presidential field was getting set, up pops the most mischievous force in American politics.”

Poor Mitt Romney, said John Dickerson in Slate.com. With a host of possible contenders having dropped out, the former Massachusetts governor—who currently leads Republican polls—hoped for more time in the spotlight. So did his chief rivals, former Govs. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Jon Huntsman of Utah. But in addition to her “One Nation” bus tour, Palin has also announced the imminent release of an authorized documentary, The Undefeated, that provides a flattering account of her tenure as Alaska’s governor. It sure looks “as if her ultimate destination may be the White House.” Why wouldn’t Sarah Palin run? said Peter Beinart in TheDailyBeast.com. Although the Republican intelligentsia has decided she’s unelectable, she has more passionate support than any other candidate in the lackluster GOP field. In politics, the passionate base sometimes trumps the pragmatic center, which is how Barry Goldwater and George McGovern got nominated. “Could that happen again in 2012? If I were Sarah Palin, I’d want to find out.”

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