Palin bows out of 2012: early reactions

But while she still can draw large crowds and claim six-figure speaking fees, a Palin run for the presidency would have had significant roadblocks — in addition to the lack of structural preparation for a campaign, a poll released Tuesday found two-thirds of Republicans didn’t want her to run.

She gave plenty of signals she would not run (Michael D. Shear, N.Y. Times): The decision from Ms. Palin on Wednesday placed a punctuation mark on the Republican presidential field. Her intentions were the biggest remaining question in the race. While there was not a groundswell among Republican leaders about a Palin candidacy, she has a deeply loyal following. Her announcement, which took the Republican world by surprise, was vintage Palin. It also raised the question of how intensely she plans to be involved in the race and whether she intends to endorse a candidate or simply be a commentator, cheerleader or critic.

Decision is far from shocking (Lindsey Boerma, National Journal): A Palin candidacy has long been called a lose-lose for the former Alaska governor, who since resigning from that post has established a lucrative career as a Fox News commentator, a best-selling author (with her autobiography Going Rogue), and the subject of TLC's "Sarah Palin's Alaska." Her average gross income from these projects has been estimated to be at least $5 million per year; had she run, she presumably would have been forced to forfeit her Fox News contract, as Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum had to upon declaring their candidacies.

'Preserving her power of celebrity' (The Washington Post): Palin is still a huge star, but she has steadily sunk in polls since the 2008 campaign. If she ran and fared poorly, it would only diminish her influence. "This is virtually a win-win decision for her," said Tracey Schmitt, a Republican strategist who worked with Palin in 2008. "By keeping her powder dry for whatever the future holds, she is preserving her power of celebrity."

A mixed blessing for the GOP (Kathie Obradovich, Des Moines Register): Palin is no doubt correct that she can be more effective as a cheerleader for conservative principles than she would be as a candidate. But she'll be a mixed blessing for whoever ends up the GOP nominee. Palin's a pitbull against President Obama, but her outspoken contempt for Washington money interests suggests she won't be a lapdog for the GOP.

She didn't explicitly rule out an independent candidacy, but ... (Reid Epstein, Politico): While she still can draw large crowds and claim six-figure speaking fees, a Palin run for the presidency would have had significant roadblocks. A poll released Tuesday found two-thirds of Republicans didn't want her to run, she had built up virtually no campaign infrastructure and the first ballot filing deadlines are approaching at the end of October. Plus candidates like Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum are appealing to the swath of social conservatives and tea party voters that would have made up a Palin base.