Source: Perry Friendship Won't Stop 'Mama Grizzly' From Running

"It wouldn't stop her, certainly if she is planning on running."
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ABC News' Shushannah Walshe quotes a source "with knowledge of Palin's thinking" who says the friendship between Rick Perry and Sarah Palin would not prevent Gov. Palin from getting into the 2012 presidential race, if the former vice presidential candidate wants to run:

Rick Perry launched his presidential campaign with a headline-filled week on the stump. Sarah Palin is still undeclared, but seemingly giving it serious thought.

Her most recent move -- a video released by SarahPAC reprising her trip to the Iowa State Fair earlier this month -- looks a lot like a campaign commercial. She'll also be returning to Iowa Sept. 3 to headline a Tea Party rally.

Perry and Palin have known each other since before the 2008 election and they've both sung the other's praises over the years, but whether their relationship is close enough to stop Palin from getting into the race remains to be seen.

A Republican strategist with knowledge of Palin's thinking says they are close. "At the principal level, the relationship between Gov. Rick Perry and Gov. Sarah Palin is very warm," the source said.

Their "excellent relationship" notwithstanding, the source said, there's no way it would stop the former Alaska governor from jumping in the race.

"It wouldn't stop her, certainly if she is planning on running Perry's entrance wouldn't stop her because everyone knows that as soon as she enters, she'd be a top-tier candidate," the source told ABC News.

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So much for the "Palin won't run if Perry does" meme.

- JP