Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who had been the early favorite for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, has had a rough time of it since November. And though the base may still be enamored of the former vice-presidential candidate, the GOP establishment is reportedly souring on her.
U.S. News & World Report's Paul Bedard, who generally seems to have good sources on this kind of thing, writes on the magazine's Washington Whispers blog, "Palin's bright star has fast faded in the eyes of Washington Republican officials and analysts, calling into question her efforts to become a national party figure ready to run for the White House ... While some Republican officials say that there is time for her to recover, many are already looking to others to carry the GOP flag, such as Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich, in the 2010 and 2012 elections."
Most notably, Bedard quotes one unnamed "party strategist who has worked for former President Bush" as saying, "She's just not ready for prime time. I mean, she's starting to look like she's having trouble being governor of Alaska."
That may be true, but it is also true that she has plenty of time -- more than three years -- to get back on the right track. The problem is that this is the time when she needs to be assembling supporters and building a network that will help her fundraise later, and that will prove difficult unless she can turn things around fairly quickly.
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