Sarah Palin speaks at the India Today Conclave on Saturday in New Delhi, India. Abroad, Palin bashes Obama

Moments after saying she wouldn't criticize Barack Obama abroad, Sarah Palin in India on Saturday said that if she were president there would have been "less dithering, more decisiveness" on Libya.

Pressed in a much tougher question-and-answer session than Palin has recently allowed herself to be subjected to during appearances in the U.S, the former Alaska governor told conference attendees at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi that Obama had not shown enough conviction in executing a strategy in Libya.


Asked how she would have handled the Libyan uprising had she been president, Palin told India Today Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie: "I won’t criticize what [Obama's] foreign policy has been. But certainly there would have been more decisiveness."

Palin described the "rich tradition" in America of weighing in on the side of those fighting for freedom, suggesting that the president should have declared earlier his support for those opposing Libyan dictator Muammar Qadhafi.

Palin, who is considering a run for the White House, said her strategy would have shown "less dithering, more decisiveness."

But Palin backed much of Obama's overall game plan, as she said that ground troops should not be used in the conflict and indicated that strategic air strikes and a no fly zone are appropriate measures.

She struggled to provide pointed answers to several of Purie's questions on foreign affairs, but was very much at ease talking about her own political prospects and those of her beloved tea party.

After blasting the mainstream media as untrustworthy — earning one of her few applause lines of the night — Palin was asked why she and John McCain were not able to beat Obama in 2008.

"The media," she responded bluntly, before adding, "No, I’m kidding.”

After Palin described Obama's successful branding as the "change candidate," the moderator pointed out that the label could have just as well applied to Palin.

“I wasn’t the top of the ticket," Palin responded.

After drawing laughter from the audience that made it clear her comment may have come off as a jab at McCain, Palin quickly added: "I wasn’t saying I should have been.”

Palin said that she doesn't yet know whether she'll run for president in 2012. “I don’t think there needs to be a rush still to declare yourself,” she said.

She also noted her sometimes rocky relationship with party leadership.

"I’m pretty independent, and some people in the hierarchy don’t like that," she said.

Palin credited the tea party with having "redefined politics in America in such a good way," and tried to draw a connection between the tea party's advocacy of more personal liberty with India's ongoing push for economic liberalization.

While the question and answer was lively, Palin's remarks to the conference were boilerplate.

She started with a long recital of her background and upbringing in Alaska – standard fare for anyone with the most basic knowledge base on Palin.

Palin did raise some eyebrows, however, when she contended that green energy jobs weren’t providing a boost to the economy, arguing that more oil exploration would provide a better shot in the arm.

Palin pointed to a study showing that showed green energy reforms had eliminated more jobs than it created as evidence that green energy does not have a strong future. Palin recently attacked Barack Obama over rising oil prices, contending that his policies – rather than uprisings in the Middle East – are to blame for his prices at the pump.

While Palin was quick to get into some of her favorite talking points, her appearance at the conference got off to a rough a rough start.

Purie, who introduced her to the gathering, poked fun at Palin's "creative vocabulary" and her polarizing place in American politics in his introduction of the former governor.

Purie identified Palin as the "the sexiest brand in Republican politics" and frequently made clear that not everyone in the United States has a positive view of the former Alaska governor. "Either you love her or hate her," he said.

Alluding to Palin's penchant for sometimes venturing into unique terminology, Purie said "if I may be forgiven for saying so, she has a creative vocabulary."

"Governor Palin, I hope you don't refudiate me," he said, smirking to an amused crowd.

If Palin took the comments as a dig, she didn't show it, thanking Purie for "a kind introduction."

The former governor called the introduction "an exemplification" of the kind of welcome she's received in India.