Can Sarah take Iowa and New Hampshire?

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In an NPR story by Liz Halloran, there are quotes from GOP insiders in Iowa and New Hampshire saying Sarah Palin could be the top GOP presidential contender in those two key early primary states in 2012 if she's interested in making a White House run. Only problem is, you have to wade through the typical leftist anti-Palin innuendo, lies and distortions (that your tax dollars help pay for) to get to the good stuff:

"Currently, Sarah Palin can raise more money and generate more excitement among likely Republican primary voters than any other politician," says Sarah Crawford, a New Hampshire-based consultant who was a senior McCain adviser during his 2008 presidential run.

[...]

"She's a political celebrity — and it doesn't hurt to be a celebrity in politics," says Douglas Gross, a lawyer and top Republican in Iowa who chaired Romney's state effort in 2008. (But don't suggest that to McCain, whose presidential campaign repeatedly attacked candidate and future President Barack Obama as a celebrity.)

Palin, says Gross, who has not gotten behind a candidate yet, could win in Iowa if she wants it.

[...]

But can Palin can translate excitement and ability to raise money into a legitimate presidential run? Former McCain adviser Crawford says that remains unclear.

"Of all the top-tier potential 2012 candidates, I think that Sarah Palin has done the least to start organizing in New Hampshire," says Crawford. "That's problematic if she is serious about running for president."

In Iowa, however, where former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee beat the wealthy Romney in 2008 with a shoestring organization and little money, politicos know that stranger things have happened.

"If she wants to run for president," Gross predicted, "the door's wide open."

The full NPR article, for those willing to wade through the liberal media manure minefield, is here.

- JP