Sarah Palin: Will She or Won't She?

At this particularly vulnerable moment for Republicans, Sarah Palin's ongoing ambivalence regarding her candidacy for the presidency is absolutely intriguing.

Is she really still unsure? She's been here before; she knows what it takes, and she knows what's at stake.

She may be playing it "smart." The current candidates are all putting themselves, their opinions, and their cash out there, and none of them have really gained a damn thing from doing so. Best case, a couple of them have gained name recognition (Herman Cain) which Palin does not need this early in the race, while worst case, a few have already crashed and burned (Tim Pawlenty and soon enough, Michele Bachmann). All the while, Palin keeps the possibility of a Presidential candidacy open, as she rakes in the dough from her various ventures and appearances.

She may be playing it selfish. As long as Palin's name continues to be bandied about by the media and by the increasingly desperate Republican party, she remains a commodity. She may have zero intention of running for President, but be consciously choosing not to say so. She may simply be whoring out her non-candidacy to gain the constant visibility and public attention that ultimately fills her personal coffers.

She may be playing the clock. Maybe Palin is genuinely unsure, and so she is patiently waiting for a few more casualties and for some of the debris to be cleaned off the path before she decides (or maybe she really is just milking her already over-extended 15 seconds of fame). Either way, there are critical primary deadlines in the month of October, so we should find out for sure in the next three weeks.

In my gut, I believe Palin's only real loyalty is to herself and her bank account (just ask the citizens of Alaska on whom she bailed in the middle of her term as Governor). I don't think Sarah Palin is bright, but I do think she is smart enough to know that the only "win" for her is to keep everyone guessing as long as she can, until she is finally forced to climb atop her money pile and announce that she can't run for President because she simply must devote herself to caring for her oh-so-needy family.