Sarah Palin on 2012: No, not at all, not at all, no
You know that political action committee that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin set up a couple days ago? You remember, SarahPAC.
There was a lot of hoopla and buzz about it like this was proof that she's running for president in 2012.
What about Obama?
Many of our readers wondered if Americans could give our current president a little more time on the job rather than focusing on 2012 election coverage. After all, he's only been in office for nine days and his approval rating is quite high.
So, yes, we think Obama's presidency is still newsworthy. Our reporters are all over it.
In other news ... back to Sarah Palin's PAC.
She spoke about it yesterday. And she said - just like her PAC spokesperson said two days ago - that this is not about running for president.
"No, not at all, not at all, no," Palin told the Anchorage Daily News.
She set this PAC up so she could hit the rubber-chicken circuit.
"It’s helpful to have a PAC so that when I’m invited to things even like to speak at the Lincoln Day dinner in Fairbanks, to have a PAC pay for that instead of have the state pay for that because that could be considered quasi-political."
No dough
She further explained that the PAC's formation is necessary because she doesn't have money to eat at Lincoln Day dinners like past governors.
"Other governors in the past they all had a fund to be able to travel for things like that. I do not. But now we’ll have an available source of funds so that we’re not coming close to any ethical line to be crossed in terms of travel or participation in events that will help Alaska but could be seen perhaps as not worthy of state funding," she said.
So mystery solved. Sarah Palin is not running for president in 2012.
Big book deal
If you're like us, however, you'd still like to hear her take on the 2008 campaign. We told you that she's shopping a book deal and it could land her huge money. Like $11 million.
To put that into perspective, former First Lady Laura Bush received $2 million for her upcoming memoirs. And former President Bill Clinton last year made $4.7 million making speeches.
No dough
The reports of $11 million though don't add to Palin though.
"That $11 million figure that I read about also is laughable. That’s out of anybody’s realm of possibility of consideration," she said.
If she writes a book, she says, it will be only if it benefits Alaska - not her pocketbook.
"If there were an opportunity in the future to, again, do something to promote Alaska, I will do it. But I will only do it if it’s in Alaska’s best interest and it doesn’t harm my family," she said.
Unless a liberal media ghostwriter somehow sneaks into the project, she should be able to prevent harm to her family. After all, she'd be the writer.
