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　　莎拉-佩林已就在2012年参加总统竞选给出了她迄今为止最为明确的信号，称她正在就此事与她的家人商量。

莎拉-佩林

　　但这位前阿拉斯加州州长打造全国范围追随者队伍的努力已遭到挫折，接近完成的阿拉斯加州联邦参议员选票统计结果明确表明，选票外候选人丽莎-穆考斯基获胜，她击败了佩林全力支持的茶党候选人乔伊-米勒。

　　在2008年总统大选中担任麦凯恩副总统候选人的佩林对《纽约时报》称，她正在与她的家人和政治同事就参加角逐共和党总统候选人进行深度讨论。她说：“我已进行了内部的坦率考虑，我已与我的家人进行了的讨论，因为我的家人是我最重要的考虑。”佩林补充说，她的决定将涉及评估她是否能给总统选举带来独特的品质。

　　但她仍可能在数个月后才作出是否参加总统选举的最终决定，这个决定可能将受到被越来越多证据证实的一件事情的影响：虽然共和党许多右翼人士喜欢佩林，但他们认为她不可能当选总统。佩林承认，她在党内有一些很有影响力的批评者，这些批评者对她有限的政治经验和严肃程度都持质疑态度。

　　弗吉尼亚大学政治学教授拉里-萨巴托称，佩林赢得共和党总统提名意愿的可能性，由于共和党推出极端候选人而未能赢得更多参议院席位而受损。这一意愿由于穆考斯基成为50多年来首位以选票外候选人身份赢得参议员席位而得到加强，穆考斯基的获胜反映了阿拉斯加人对米勒反感情绪的强烈程度，也是对佩林的一个指责。

　　Sarah Palin poised to run for president in 2012

　　Republican critics and Tea Party loss in Alaska Senate vote are the main obstacles to Sarah Palin's presidency hopes

　　Sarah Palin has given her clearest sign yet that she intends to run for president in two years' time by saying that she is consulting her family about the decision。

　　But the former Alaska governor's strategy to build a national following received a setback when the near completion of the count in the Senate race in her home state pointed to a clear victory for the write-in candidate, Lisa Murkowski. She beat Tea Party contender, Joe Miller, who was strongly supported by Palin。

　　Palin, who was John McCain's vice-presidential running mate in 2008, told the New York Times she was in advanced discussions with her family and political colleagues on a bid for the Republican nomination for president。

　　"I'm engaged in the internal deliberations candidly, and having that discussion with my family, because my family is the most important consideration here," she said。

　　The New York Times said that Palin went on to say that "her decision would involve evaluating whether she could bring unique qualities to the table"。

　　But her final decision on whether to run for president could still be months away, and may ultimately be influenced by growing evidence that while many on the right of the Republican party like Palin, they consider her unelectable。

　　Palin recognised that she has some influential critics within her own party who have questioned both her limited political experience and seriousness。

　　Karl Rove, President George Bush's chief political strategist, has said that Palin lacks gravitas for appearing on her own television reality show. "I know that a hurdle I would have to cross, that some other potential candidates wouldn't have to cross right out of the chute, is proving my record。

　　"That's the most frustrating thing for me? the warped and perverted description of my record and what I've accomplished over the last two decades。

　　"It's been much more perplexing to me than where the lamestream media has wanted to go about my personal life. And other candidates haven't faced these criticisms the way I have," she said。

　　Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia, said Palin's chances of winning her party's nomination will have been damaged by the Republicans' failure to win more seats in this month's Senate elections because of extremist candidates, such as Christine O'Donnell in Delaware. That will have been compounded by Murkowski becoming the first Senate candidate in more than 50 years to win a write-in campaign, reflecting the strength of feeling among Alaskans toward Miller and delivering a rebuke to Palin. Sabato said that will make mainstream Republicans and Tea Party activists alike more wary of Palin。

　　"Activists are not really stupid people. Only rarely do they make a bone-headed mistake like they did in Delaware with Christine O'Donnell. Usually they don't nominate people who can't win," he said。

　　"It's not just the leadership that recognises she'll have a hard time winning. It's also a good bit of the rank and file. They get it. They're paying attention. They're not critical of her. They really like her. It's just that they don't think she can win and they really want to beat Obama. That's the key."

　　Sabato's view is backed by a survey of Tea Party leaders and activists in the Daily Caller which found that while "almost all in the movement love her and support her, many of them simultaneously have serious reservations about whether they want her to run for president". Some said she had "too many negatives" against her and is too divisive。

　　A recent poll found that fewer than one in five Republicans think she should be their party's presidential candidate. Palin's confirmation that she is discussing her political future with her family may lay to rest speculation that she was merely flirting with the idea to keep her name in the spotlight and promote other interests such as her Fox News show and her reality television programme on Alaska。

　　Palin told the New York Times that her experience as McCain's running mate was for the most part "amazing, wonderful, do it again in a heartbeat"。

　　But she added: "What Todd and I learned was that the view inside the bus was much better than underneath it, and we knew we got thrown under it by certain aides who weren't principled?" and that "the experience taught us, yes, to be on guard and be very discerning about who we can and can't trust in the political arena."

　　(卫报)

　　(解雨)