Palin: Presidential run possible

WASHINGTON — Sarah Palin said Sunday that she might run for president in 2012 if she decides it's good for her family and country.

Fresh from a speech to conservative activists at a 'tea party' gathering in Nashville, Tenn., the former Alaska governor said President Barack Obama could be defeated in 2012, that she's boning up on foreign and national policy and that she would run if it felt right.

'I would,' she said on Fox News, where she's a paid contributor. 'I would if I believed that that is the right thing to do for our country and for the Palin family. Certainly, I would do so.'

Palin added: 'I think that it would be absurd to not consider what it is that I can potentially do to help our country. I don't know if it's going to be ever seeking a title, though. It may be just doing a darn good job as a reporter or covering some of the current events.'

Asked how she would make the decision, Palin said she 'thankfully' has plenty of time. She noted other potential candidates for the Republican presidential nomination know more about the issues.

'Right now I'm looking at ... other potential candidates out there who are strong. They're in a position of having kind of this luxury of having more information at their fingertips right now.'

Palin, who had said she was ready to be president when picked as the Republican vice presidential candidate, acknowledged she knows more now than she did then.

'I would hope so,' she said. 'Two years ago my engagement was on the state of Alaska — largest, most diverse state in the union, 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy coming from our state, while desiring to and working towards ramping up that domestic energy production. That was my focus.

'Now, of course, my focus ... has been enlarged. So I sure as heck better be more astute on these current events, national issues, than I was two years ago,' she said.

Covering the politics of the Lowcountry, South Carolina and the Nation.

She said Obama could win re-election if he is seen as a tough president in a time of war. She said, for example, that he could play 'the war card' by attacking Iran, or express stronger support for Israel.

'If he decided to toughen up and do all that he can to secure our nation and our allies, I think people would perhaps shift their thinking a little bit and decide, ‘Well, maybe he's tougher than ... he is today,' and there wouldn't be as much passion to make sure that he doesn't serve another four years.'

But he could be defeated if he maintains his current course, she said. 'He wouldn't win.'