Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin embarked on her nationwide book tour with confidence, determined to settle scores and explain her side following a bruising year in the spotlight.
She kicked off her media blitz with the same fierceness that marked her debut on the national stage, and while the approach is selling books, observers say it's not sowing the seeds for a presidential run.
Palin has ground to gain if she has designs on 2012. Fewer than three in 10 Americans think she's qualified to be president, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll. That puts her behind potential Republican 2012 contenders Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.
