Politics

Krauthammer calls Palin tour ‘eccentric,’ doubts she’ll run in 2012

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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With a lot of media attention, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin visited the nation’s capital over the weekend to kick off a bus tour, in which she will visit various national landmarks. But some see the trip as a campaign stunt for a possible 2012 presidential campaign.

On Monday’s “Special Report,” syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer offered his thoughts on the bus tour, but admitted he wasn’t clear on what was motivating it.

“I don’t know – it’s more eccentric than usual, this event,” Krauthammer said. “She says she is going around to highlight ‘the foundation of the country.’ I don’t want to be picky but generally we say the founding of the country. I know I’ll get e-mail on that.”

Regardless of the motivation for the tour, Krauthammer suggested it would keep Palin’s brand fresh. He also noted that it would be problematic if both Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann and Palin ran for president, citing an unscientific Fox News poll.

“But does the country need reminding about the Constitution and the Gettysburg — Concord, which is not in New Hampshire, it’s in Massachusetts? I’m not sure what she is doing except to say – I’m with Juan [Williams]. I think if she is still here with Fox, she is not running. She is not running. What I think she is doing to trying to keep the brand vibrant. During the next 18 months when all the attention will be to other candidates, and she showed what she can do. At Rolling Thunder she came, she saw, she sucked all the oxygen out of the room. There is nobody who can do that as she can. But as we saw in the poll, it looks as if she and Bachmann would be splitting this constituency that they have. And Bachmann, you know, this is unscientific poll but she clearly can represent that position and draw as Palin does, equally well.”

Later during segment, Krauthammer clarified his remarks, saying he confused a Palin gaffe with a Bachmann gaffe.

“Let me just say, it was Bachmann who slipped up on Concord, not Palin,” Krauthammer said. “I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. But Bachmann is a stronger and more organized candidate for that constituency.”

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