Dear Dirty America

Ben Aveling

Sarah Palin continues to stroke the intellectual minds of conservatives everywhere: is she going to run for president in 2012? Even though she has no idea about government, business, global affairs, or what having common sense feels like. Palin will continue to flirt with a 2012 run because that makes her feel good, it keeps her name in the press, and there is nothing more pleasurable to the former disgraced Alaskan governor than constant attention.

Even if she has to shoot a moose to get a (negative) reaction out of liberals and a (gushingly positive) response out of hardcore conservatives, she will.

From the Huffington Post:

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will continue to stoke speculation that she may run for president by attending the Iowa State Fair later this week.

Palin is likely to attend the fair on Friday, though a specific date has not been set. Her appearance will come as all the other Republican presidential candidates debate on Thursday night and then some take part in the Ames Straw Poll on Saturday.

In an email to supporters, Palin said she was “excited to try some of that famous fried butter-on-a-stick, fried cheesecake-on-a-stick, fried twinkies, etc.”

“I’ll enjoy them in honor of those who’d rather make us just ‘eat our peas’!” she said, in a dig at President Obama.

By attending the state event, Palin will insert herself into the news cycle in the context of the 2012 primary just as Texas Gov. Rick Perry also gets closer to announcing his own run for the Republican nomination. Perry himself will not be at the debate or in Ames, but will travel to Iowa on Sunday after trips to South Carolina and New Hampshire — the third and second primary voting states, respectively — on Saturday.

Lawrence O’Donnell blasted the media back in May for their naive speculation that Palin would run for president and constantly taking her bait. Watch the video here.