Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has no doubt that his former running mate Sarah Palin can defeat President Barack Obama in 2012 if she decides to run.

“Can she win the Republican nomination and can she beat Barack Obama?” Fox News’ Chris Wallace asked McCain Sunday.

“Of course she can — she can,” McCain insisted. “Now whether she will or not, whether she’ll even run or not, I don’t know.”

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“A lot of things happen in campaigns, Chris. I was written off a couple of times and was able to come back. It will be a roller coaster ride for all of them before we finally arrive at our nominee. But she certainly is a major factor. And I believe that she can be very competitive,” he added.

“What about her high negatives, especially among independents?” Wallace wondered.

“I think that the, again, that’s what campaigns are all about. I’ve never seen anyone as mercilessly and relentlessly attacked as I have seen Sarah Palin in the last couple of years. But she also inspires great passion; particularly, among Republican faithful,” the Arizona senator explained.

Publications like The New York Times reported last week that Palin is hinting that she might run. The former Republican vice presidential candidate has purchased a house in Arizona, has a movie premiering in Iowa to rehabilitate her image and is launching an East Coast bus tour.

A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll found that only 17 percent of Republicans had a “strongly favorable” view of her.

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Watch this video from Fox’s Fox News Sunday, broadcast May 29, 2011.



