We’re still a year and a half away from the 2012 election, and, for whatever reason, it seems that it is political suicide to announce Presidential ambitions this far out - even if everyone in the country already knows you’re going to run. For this reason, no serious candidate will openly commit himself or herself to a run before Congress is sworn in the year before the election. That said, most candidate who do intend to run will offer cryptic hints about their plans - usually by saying that its “too early” to make that call, or that they will examine the situation fully in a year or so. Yet in the middle of her latest media tour, thought by many to be an attempt to rebuild her image in preparation for a run in 2012, Sarah Palin has knocked down the speculation that she will be a Presidential candidate in the next cycle:
When asked about her plans for 2012, Palin said that a presidential run in two years is “not on my radar screen right now.”
“I am dealing with so many issues that are important to me,” she said. “What I am seeing every day is that you don’t need a title to be important.”
Stating that a run “isn’t on the radar” is a considerably stronger statement than saying that it is too early to decide, or that you have not decided at this point. Combined with what appears to be the opinion that she could continue to have a major role in American politics even outside the Oval Office, and I would not be at all surprised to hear that the Fmr. Governor of Alaska will not be seeking the White House three years from now.