Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has put the "brutal" 2008 campaign behind her and has the next presidential race in her sights, with a flurry of national television interviews and a high-profile appearance at the Republican Governors Association meeting this week.
She's put her name in play as a potential presidential candidate, saying she'll "plow through that door" if it's God's will and the conditions are right.
While John McCain has largely kept a low profile in the week since the election -- giving his first postelection interview on the "Tonight Show" on Tuesday -- Palin has spoken forcefully to deny any responsibility for her ticket's loss. "I think the economic collapse had a heck of a lot more to do with the campaign's collapse than me personally," she said Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show.
She said she resents rumors she said were spread about her and her family during the race. "I did not know that it would be as brutal a ride as it turned out to be," she said.
Her comments seemed aimed as much at the McCain operatives who have reportedly said she was ill-prepared on foreign policy as well as those who were astonished by her expensive campaign wardrobe -- a wardrobe she said she didn't want.
Palin's role at the Republican Governors Association conference highlights her newfound popularity. She is to speak about the GOP's future at Thursday's meeting in Miami, but start her day with an informal news conference. She also has two interviews airing on CNN today -- one with late-night host Larry King.
Palin has fielded questions about her political future, most recently with Fox News on Monday. "I'm like, OK, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I'm like, don't let me miss the open door," she said. "And if there is an open door in '12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I'll plow through that door."
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