Sarah Palin gained international recognition upon her selection
by John McCain as the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee. 
In the past year Palin has become immensely popular among a large
portion of the GOP base.  Her new book, 'Going Rogue: An American
Life', sold more than 1 million copies in the first two weeks and
has topped the New York Times best-seller list since late
November 2009.

In February 2010, Palin said she would run in 2012 "if I
believed that that is the right thing to do for our country and
for the Palin family."  Palin has also gone on the attack saying
that potential 2012 contender Mike Huckabee made a "horrible
decision" nine years ago when granting clemency to the man
suspected in the killing of four police officers in Washington
State on November 29th, 2009.  She is also weighing in on nearly
all Obama initiatives and voicing her opposition at every
opportunity.

While Palin possesses huge star power among Republican
conservatives, a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll shows that
six in 10 Americans view her as unqualified for the job of
President in 2012.  This is a sharp drop from Palin?s 6 in 10
approval rate peak in November 2008 but has remained basically
unchanged in the past year.  Additionally, her July 4th, 2009
'resignation without explanation' as governor of Alaska before
completing her first term and her stumbles on policy matters,
especially foreign relations, have led to numerous attacks.

Nonetheless, Sarah Palin is a force that the Republican Party
must reckon with.  She has effectively used social media and has
tapped into the Republican base.  Unlike her male counterparts,
she faces stereotypical assumptions that she's not tough enough
and dismissive attitudes about her qualifications and intellect.
She is however going to be the rallying point for conservative
Republicans in the 2012 elections.  

Following the major roles of Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton in
the 2008 race, the election of our first female president does
not seem too far off.
		

Mitt Romney is considered by many in the Republican Party to be
the front-runner for the 2012 nomination although his 2008
presidential campaign collapsed after a second-place caucus
finish to Mike Huckabee in Iowa, a state in which Romney had been
considered strong.  Romney, a Harvard graduate and longtime
venture capitalist is revered for his financial knowledge.  Many
believe that Mitt Romney is the most qualified candidate to help
the now struggling US economy.

The former Massachusetts governor has just announced the March 2
release of his newest book, 'No Apology: The Case for American
Greatness' and will strike out on a 18 state national book tour. 
The tour includes his third trip to Iowa, an early battleground
state, since the 2008 election. Romney will also visit the early
GOP primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The title of the new book refers to what Romney describes as
President Obama's pattern of apologizing for American behavior in
speeches abroad, such as his conciliatory speech in Cairo over
the summer to the Muslim world.  Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney
spokesman said, "The book is more than a critique of the Obama
presidency.  The book itself is primarily forward-looking."

It does in fact seem as though Mitt Romney is forward-looking to
the 2012 republican nomination. Mark McKinnon, a former adviser
to President Bush and 2008 Republican nominee John McCain stated,
"Romney is playing things very methodically and deliberatively. 
I think he understands the physics of this game very well now and
is carefully calibrating his approach to 2012."