In a new interview with the New York Times magazine, former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin confirms she is considering a possible 2012 presidential bid.
Should Palin run, she would be entering what is expected to be a crowded field vying for the Republican nomination and the right to take on pro-abortion President Barack Obama.
Palin is also the former governor of Alaska and a strong pro-life advocate who has shared the story of the birth of her son Trig, who has Down syndrome, with pro-life groups across the country.
In the interview, Palin acknowledges she is considering a potential candidacy and discussing it with family and political advisors.
“I’m engaged in the internal deliberations candidly, and having that discussion with my family, because my family is the most important consideration here,” she said.
Palin also admitted she would need to seriously beef up her political staff, as her political action committee currently operates with a small staff — none of whom have extensive experience running a national presidential campaign.
“I’d have to bring in more people – more people who are trustworthy. I know that a hurdle I would have to cross, that some other potential candidates wouldn’t have to cross right out of the chute, is proving my record,” she said. “That’s the most frustrating thing for me – the warped and perverted description of my record and what I’ve accomplished over the last two decades.”
“Other candidates haven’t faced these criticisms the way I have,” she told the Times. “I’m on television nearly every single day with reporters … Now granted, that’s mainly through my job at Fox News, and I’m very proud to be associated with them, but I’m not avoiding anything or anybody. I’m on Facebook and Twitter. I’m out there. I want to talk about my record, though.”
Palin elaborated on that point and recalled problems she had with staffers on the John McCain campaign — making it clear she would want to find trusted advisers who she could rely on to defend her.
“What Todd and I learned was that the view inside the bus was much better than underneath it, and we knew we got thrown under it by certain aides who weren’t principled,” she said, adding “the experience taught us, yes, to be on guard and be very discerning about who we can and can’t trust in the political arena.”
The interview has already received significant publicity across the Internet and strong reactions from some like pro-life former Education Secretary William Bennett, who said he likes Palin but worries she doesn’t have the ability to take on a skilled politician like Obama.
“I want someone who goes head to head against the other side — debating with depth and mastery of the issues, and I haven’t seen that from Palin,” he said on Twitter. “Sarah Palin is terrifically able, but she’s not my candidate for president. I want someone who has a deeper grasp of the issues.”
Should Palin get the nomination, she would paint a stark contrast of herself against Obama — whom she recently said was the most pro-abortion president ever.
In an appearance with pro-life Texas Gov. Rick Perry at a fundraiser for a pro-life group, she described Obama as “the most pro-abortion president to occupy the White House.”
Palin also described the ObamaCare health care reform law as the “mother of all unfunded mandates” that will allow taxpayer funding of abortions.
She also applauded Perry and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott for supporting a lawsuit seeking to overturn ObamaCare — “Good for them, because we have to fight back against this federal power grab,” Palin said.
Palin has become a national conservative phenomenon supporting pro-life candidates across the country in the 2010 elections and continuing to keep her name in the limelight talking about political issues, writing a popular book, and keeping herself and her family in the media eye.
But the question on the minds of many Americans is whether she will take on Obama by seeking the GOP nomination for president in 2012. She’s previously said she would if no other better candidate steps forward, and she was coy with her audience last week.
Palin told stories about her family and said people have heard so many of them before.
“I need to run for office just so I have more material to share in my speeches,” she said jokingly.
