Alaska News

Sarah Palin will resume her 'One Nation' bus tour in Iowa next week

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is expected to announce his presidential intentions in a speech in South Carolina on Saturday. And when he does so, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will likely be nibbling on fried Twinkies, pressing the flesh and getting the press at the Iowa State Fair.

"We are very happy to jump back on the bus for another leg of our 'One Nation Tour'!," she wrote to supporters of her political action committee SarahPAC. "We accept with gratefulness an invitation to meet folks at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines this week."

Though her presidential aspirations are still a mystery, at least one trip to the Iowa State Fair is a prerequisite for any presidential campaign.

Regardless of whether or not she's running -- or setting herself up to be some sort of kingmaker -- her timing is perfect. Not only will her presence in Iowa take at least a hunk of buzz away from Perry's announcement, Saturday is the day of the Republican straw poll, which means that the candidates will also be making the obligatory fair visit to drum up support for that poll.

If she's there, however, it's like to be Palin-day in Iowa.

Whatever weaknesses Palin may have as a politician, timing isn't one of them. Palin's "One Nation" tour was launched on Memorial Day weekend, where she visited historical sites in the east. She finished her tour in New Hampshire -- to great fanfare -- the day that Mitt Romney announced his run. She visited Iowa to attend the premier of the "The Undefeated" in June, a day after Michele Bachmann made her candidacy official in a speech in the same state, taking much of the air out of that announcement.

Below is the email in full she sent to her supporters. And also check out her new "One Nation" campaign video here.

Amanda Coyne at amanda(at)alaskadispatch.com

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