Palin denies presidential decision is imminent

Former Alaksa Governor Sarah Palin greets guests following a television appearance at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa August 12, 2011. REUTERS/Daniel Acker

Former Alaksa Governor Sarah Palin greets guests following a television appearance at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa August 12, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Daniel Acker

WASHINGTON | Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:49am EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin on Tuesday shot down speculation that she is close to deciding whether to jump into the 2012 presidential race, after talk that she would announce her plans during the Labor Day holiday weekend in early September.

The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee has flirted for months with entering the race for the party's nomination to oppose Democratic President Barack Obama next year.

She has kept her name in the spotlight with surprise stops in Iowa and New Hampshire, states that hold early nominating contests, and authorized a flattering documentary about her life.

"Any professional pundit claiming to have 'inside information' regarding Governor Palin's personal decision is not only wrong but their comments are specifically intended to mislead the American public," Palin's SarahPAC political action committee said in a statement.

The statement did not mention leading Republican strategist Karl Rove by name, but he suggested during a weekend television interview on Fox, where he and Palin are both contributors, that Palin might announce her plan during a speech in Iowa on September 3.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, editing by Eric Beech)
Politics
Barack Obama
Election 2012
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (7)
NobleKin wrote:
Just go away, will’ya?

Dontchaknow most Americans see you as a perpetual punchline?

Alaska is happy you’ve gone. (because you quit right?)

But America needs this too.

We know you are selling huge numbers of books to the more challenged followers of the Tea Party/Republicon base, so the dollars you are raking in are probably on par with a widely syndicated pastor from the South, but is taking such money based on zealot inciting hot air rhetoric the right thing to do?

Aug 23, 2011 11:59am EDT  --  Report as abuse
ccg123 wrote:
The reason Palin is newsworthy is not because of her policy positions or her deep analytical assessment of complex issues, but because she is entertaining! Its fun to watch her spaz out on the media and others who criticise her. Serious times are upon us, and we need serious proven leaders, not slogans and drama. We’ve got some talent in the pool right now, and she is welcome to join in but the end result would be the same regardless if she runs or not – she’ll never be president.

Aug 23, 2011 12:48pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
USAPragmatist wrote:
This would be funny if it wasn’t a sign of all that is bad in the American political process. A person, Ms Palin, that can become a celebrity and make A LOT of money just from being an attractive, not to bright ‘political’ pundit. There is WAY to much money in politics.

Aug 23, 2011 12:51pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
This discussion is now closed. We welcome comments on our articles for a limited period after their publication.
See All Comments »