Will 2011 be Sarah Palin's year?

Sarah Palin has an indisputable knack for staying in the headlines—she's out promoting a new book, she recently launched a reality TV show, and she's maintained a high political profile, doling out a series of much-analyzed midterm endorsements. But now there are reports—albeit disputed ones—that Palin staffers are looking for office space in the early caucus state of Iowa, the latest sign that the former Republican vice presidential candidate may be launching a bid for her party's 2012 presidential nomination. Will Palin be an even bigger factor in 2011?

She needs to scale back and focus: There is no question Palin is "the most media savvy politician out there," says Glynnis MacNicol at Business Insider. If she runs, her reality show, "Sarah Palin's Alaska," will amount to a weekly campaign commercial for which TLC pays her six figures. But skeptics, including conservative George Will, say that if Palin wants to return to politics she needs to cut back her media schedule and study—because "reality TV is going to lead Palin anywhere but the White House."

"'Sarah Palin's Alaska': The most expensive campaign commercial ever?"

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Even with stiff competition, she would dominate headlines: By any accurate measure, Palin "stands about equal in the Republican field alongside Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and only a little ahead of Newt Gingrich," says David Frum at Frum Forum. Palin just gets all the attention because, unlike the others, you never know what she's going to say next, since she's such an outspoken and "ferocious hater."

"Our national Palin obsession"

Nothing can stop her now: "If logic applied to Palin’s career trajectory," says Frank Rich in The New York Times, her political stock would be in the tank after she endorsed a midterm gaggle of "wacky losers" including "former witch" Christine O’Donnell. "But logic doesn’t apply to Palin"—in a time of anger against elites, "her amateurism and liabilities are badges of honor," and could be a "formula for success" in the coming year.

"Could she reach the top in 2012? You betcha"