Palin ‘to run for president in 2012’

Leading conservative Republicans are considering the prospect of Sarah Palin running for president in 2012. Bracing themselves for a defeat on November 4, some Republicans are said to be looking ahead to four years' time when Palin could be their candidate against President Barack Obama.

"Sarah's the one," said one leading conservative, convinced McCain will lose this election. "The party is broken and only she can fix it. We need someone who comes from outside Washington and relates to the aspirations of ordinary Americans."

Palin, who appears to be subtly distancing herself from McCain, is thought to be positioning herself for a presidential run in her own right.

While some Republicans worry that the Alaska governor is a divisive figure others believe her future lies with convincing voters that she can stir up the Washington elite. Alex Castellanos, a leading Republican strategist, said that Palin needed to return to her roots as a populist.

"For a while... She was President Harry Truman, she was that Maggie Thatcher figure. She can become that again."