President? I'd give it a shot: Sarah Palin's clearest indication that she intends to run for office

Sarah Palin gave the clearest indication yet that she might run for president in 2012.

During a high-profile visit to Iowa, a state which casts one of the first votes in presidential nominating campaigns - and one where potential candidates routinely stop in the hope of bolstering their chances - Mrs Palin said she'd be prepared to run for the top job.

She said: 'If the American people were to be ready for someone who is willing to shake it up, and willing to get back to time-tested truths, and help lead our country towards a more prosperous and safe future - and if they happen to think I was the one - if it were best for my family and for our country, of course I would give it a shot.'

Eyes on the White House: Republican sweetheart Sarah Palin makes a point during a speech during the Republican Party of Iowa's Ronald Reagan Dinner in Des Moines

But she added: 'But I'm not saying that it's me. I know I can certainly make a difference without having a title. I'm having a good time doing exactly that right now.'

She also called for and end to hostilities between battling factions of Republicans ahead of the November 2 congressional elections.



'The time for unity is now,' she declared at the Iowa Republican Party's Ronald Reagan Dinner.

Her influence among 'Tea Party' activists is strong after conservative candidates she backed won in Delaware and New Hampshire Senate primary races on Tuesday.



Been here before: Mrs Palin back in 2008, when she was running mate for presidential hopeful John McCain. The question now is whether she'll run for president herself in 2012

The former Alaska governor, who was Republican Senator John McCain's vice presidential running mate in the 2008 campaign, was coy about whether she will join what could be a long list of challengers to Democratic President Barack Obama.



She told the crowd of about 1,500 that her husband, Todd, had suggested she not go for an exercise run outdoors in Des Moines because the headlines would be 'Palin in Iowa decides to run'.

And she said she liked a comment from Iowa's Republican candidate for governor, Terry Branstad, that 'We need to stay focused on this election and not the next one'.

Competition: Up to a dozen Republican candidates are likely to run against U.S. President Barack Obama

Iowa and New Hampshire cast the first votes in presidential nominating campaigns and potential candidates routinely stop in each state in hopes of propelling themselves into the national spotlight.



The Republican lineup for 2012 will start forming late this year and in early 2011. As many as a dozen aspirants are possible and many of them have already rolled through Iowa.



But none have received the attention Mrs Palin has, with a large contingent of national political reporters and a phalanx of television cameras on hand for her appearance.



Mrs Palin used a sometimes rambling 30-minute speech to throw darts at many targets, including Mr Obama, top congressional Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, pundits from the Republican establishment, and the 'lamestream' news media.

She spent considerable time castigating 'gutless' reporters who she said have reported untruths about her.

Mrs Palin said establishment Republicans who say some Tea Party-type candidates will not be able to win against Democratic opponents in the November 2 congressional elections need to get over it and help rally behind them.

'You lose some, you win some,' she said.



Republicans expect big gains against Democratic majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate but some believe Tea Party-backed Christine O'Donnell's victory over a moderate Republican in Delaware probably cost the party a chance to take command of the Senate.

'Those internal power struggles need to be set aside,' Mrs Palin said. 'The need is great because the cause is so great.'



Palin urged Republican leaders to spread out across the country to help rally voters, including Karl Rove, who has been harshly critical of Mrs O'Donnell. Mr Rove was the architect of George W. Bush's two presidential victories.

Mrs Palin said: 'Karl, go to hear. You can come to Iowa, and Karl Rove and the leaders will see the light that these are normal, hard-working Americans.'



'If Mrs Palin runs [for president], it would be the best news Democrats could possibly have'



Mrs Palin's visit to Iowa was seen by many in the crowd of 1,500 as a first step toward a possible run.

'She's looking at something for the future,' said Henry Reyhons, a Republican representative in the Iowa state legislature.

'I think she will,' said DiAnn Rose of Mapleton, Iowa. 'I hope she does.'

Mrs Palin, admired by many conservatives, is not viewed favorably by a large segment of the American electorate, and the White House was quick to try to portray her as the best the Republican Party can muster.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called Palin 'a formidable force in the Republican Party and may well be, in all honesty, the most formidable force in the Republican Party right now'.



Does the White House interpret her trip as a first step in a run for the presidency?



Mr Gibbs said: 'It is normally around this time of year that you go to dip your toe in the water [in Iowa]. My guess is that she is going to dip that toe.'



If Mrs Palin runs, "it would be the best news Democrats could possibly have' - according to University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato.

While popular among conservatives, Mrs Palin still has a long way to go with other Americans.



A CBS News poll on Thursday said 46 per cent of American voters viewed Mrs Palin unfavorably, compared with 21 per cent who had a favorable opinion of her and 33 per cent who were undecided.

Mrs Palin promotes a traditional Republican low-tax, pro-business economic policy and aggressive foreign policy.