Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall in Sarah Palin's "One Nation" bus? Late at night, after a long day of rewriting history about Paul Revere or stepping on the toes of Mitt Romney on the day he announces his candidacy, I imagine the former governor and her husband, Todd, kicking back with a MGD and asking each other, "Are we in, or out?" It's a difficult question for the former first couple of Alaska. If Governor Palin runs, she has to get off the backseat of a Harley and hit the briefing books. Certainly, she would add pizzazz to a lackluster stable of candidates, but that glitz would quickly fade after a couple of inevitable gaffes. Governor Palin's lack of experience and grasp of the issues would come through in any debates for the Republican nomination. And now she has Michele Bachmann to contend with. If anyone can match Sarah Palin's appeal to the Tea Party, her telegenic personality and her ability to snare attention seemingly wherever she goes and with whatever she says, it's Minnesota's own representative from the 6th congressional district. Arguably, Rep. Bachmann has more experience than the short-term governor, is a proven fundraiser, has a growing national profile and, including her foster children, has an even larger family than the failed vice-presidential nominee. Here's the risk. If Sarah Palin runs for president and does poorly in the candidate debates and fails to win any of the early caucuses or primaries, she becomes irrelevant in the 2012 election. She could go back to her old job at FOX News when she is no longer a candidate and she could write another book or two, but she becomes the Roseanne Barr of politics – at the top of her game one day and relegated to an occasional appearance on Piers Morgan the next. But if Sarah Palin decides to sit out the race, then she's not even in the arena. By default, Michele Bachmann is ensconced as the face and voice of America's far right. Sarah Palin only becomes the "go to person" for the media if Michele Bachmann isn't available. And let's face it, when isn't Rep. Bachmann available for an interview or a sound bite? It's a late-night dilemma on the "One Nation" bus for Sara and Todd Palin as they hash out what to do about 2012. If she runs for president, but performs poorly, Sarah Palin risks becoming irrelevant. If she stays out of the race and lets others (especially Michele Bachmann) steal her thunder, she risks becoming irrelevant. Unless Sarah Palin can come up with another alternative, her time on the national stage could be waning. Which could only be good news for Michele Bachmann.