4 Signs that Sarah Palin Is Running for President

Following a Fox News interview and her Tea Party speech, pundits say she's gunning for the White House

On Fox News Sunday, Sarah Palin said it would be "absurd" not to ponder a 2012 presidential bid. That comment is only the latest indicator that she's setting her sights for the White House. She fueled suspicions on Saturday after delivering a rousing speech at the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville. During the address she slammed the president on fiscal policy and national security. When she exited the stage, the crowd erupted "Run Sarah Run!" Though she won't make any guarantees, the following pundits say her speech speaks for itself. Here are three other signs she's in it to win it:

• Just Look at Her, writes Ann Gerhart at The Washington Post: "She's lost a lot of weight, perhaps 15 pounds. She looked trim and firm, like she's hoisting the barbells or maybe chopping wood...She was animated and full of energy, so much so that she kept knocking her microphone with her hand as she made her points... She certainly looks like a woman who has some plans."

• Just Listen to Her, writes John Avlon at The Daily Beast: "While calling for cuts she offered no specifics—and pointedly avoided any mention of entitlement reform—a dead giveaway that she’s planning to run for president...Assuming she runs, whatever mistakes she makes between now and the nomination will be dismissed by her supporters as the work of the liberal media playing 'gotcha' politics. And in the dynamics of the Iowa caucus that Teflon devotion could bring her victory."

• It's All in Her Message, writes Andrew Sullivan at The Atlantic: "She's running for president." Scrutinizing her speech, he sees "two potent messages" that reveal her presidential ambitions. "Delegitimizing Obama as 'the other' and as a weak-kneed traitor to the troops, and casting herself as the avatar of the real America, ready to die for its survival - are political gold."