In ET interview, Gov. Palin leaves door wide open for a 2012 run

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Entertainment Tonight co-host Mary Hart flew to Alaska recently to visit Sarah Palin in Wasilla. In the exclusive interview, which will air on ET this evening, the first woman to be Governor of Alaska and first to be the Republican Party's vice presidential candidate told Hart that she'll run for president in 2012 "if there's nobody else to do it":

The former Alaska governor, mom of five, and star of TLC's upcoming series "Sarah Palin's Alaska" says that when it comes to deciding whether to run: "It's going to entail a discussion with my family [and] a real close look at the lay of the land, to consider whether there are those with that common sense, conservative, pro-Constitution passion, whether there are already candidates out there who can do the job … or whether there's nobody willing to do it, to make the tough choices and not care what the critics are going to say about you, just going forward according to what I think the priorities should be."

"If there's nobody else to do it, then of course I would believe that we should do this," Sarah tells Mary, leaving the door wide open for a 2012 run, while also noting that if it turns out there are candidates "who can do the job," they would have her full support.

Gov. Palin also comments in the interview for the first time on the recent New York Magazine cover story about one of the possible scenarios for a Palin presidential victory in 2012, and she tells Hart how she deals with critics.

A preview is here.

- JP