Bayou Buzz: The race is on, and Sarah's a runner

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Jeff Crouere at Louisiana blog Bayou Buzz says Sarah Palin is the only candidate with the support and talent to lead the GOP to victory in 2012:

Is Palin interested in running for President? Yes, I believe that she will be a candidate for President, which is why she decided to address the Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC) in New Orleans in April. This is a major development and ensures that the event will be wildly successful. The conference will be the first step in that long path toward the 2012 GOP nomination. According to SRLC Executive Director Charlie Davis, “The Southern Republican Leadership Conference is the most prominent Republican event outside of a Republican National Convention. It is held every two to four years and brings the top Republican activists, donors, candidates, and elected officials together for three days of training, briefings, receptions and speeches from the leaders of the Republican Party.”

At the SRLC, there will be an important 2012 GOP presidential straw poll among attendees from 14 southern states. By participating, Palin is indicating that she wants to win this poll and raise support for a potential presidential campaign.

Crouere says that Gov. Palin is simply taking the next logical step after the success of her Going Rogue memoir and book tour. He cites a year-end Gallup poll which showed the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate in a statistical tie as one of the two most admired women in the country and recent polls which indicate that she has closed the gap with President Obama in popularity.

Crouere, a New Orleans native, sees Sarah Palin's decision to attend the SRLC conference as more than just is a boost to the event's organizers, but to all those who want her become the 2012 Republican presidential nominee.

Read the original op-ed here.

- JP