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Sarah Palin’s decision: ‘Will I die’? [Video]

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Sarah Palin says she’s confident her decision not to run for president was the right one, even though it was one she wrestled with at times.

“I would go back and forth about whether now is the time, and if I say no to the opportunity that’s in front of me via running for office now, will -- politically speaking, will I die?” Palin told Fox News Channel’s Greta Van Susteren in an interview Wednesday night (video below).

Hours after announcing her final decision, Palin said a number of the candidates still in the running had reached out to her.


For the Record, Oct. 6: An earlier version of this post quoted Sarah Palin as saying “political speaking, will I die?” Her actual quote was “politically speaking, will I die?”


“I look forward to working with them in order to maybe help them articulate their message even in more detail so that we can make that best decision of who our nominee should be to unseat Barack Obama,” Palin said.

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Palin’s decision on the 2012 race was announced not on Fox, but on the Mark Levin radio show and with an email to her supporters. Writing on Facebook later, she said that in the mission to “bring this country back … one doesn’t need a title to help do it.”

“I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office -- from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency,” she said.

Palin told Fox, which pays her as an on-air talent, that she came to the decision after “prayerful consideration and a lot of discussion with the family,” and apologized to her supporters who might be disappointed.

“I’ve been hearing from them in the last couple of hours. But I believe that they, when they take a step back, will understand why the decision was made and understand that, really, you don’t need a title to make a difference in this country. I think that I’m proof of that,” she said.

Palin was asked about the announcement one day earlier from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, in a nearly hourlong press conference. Her response included a slight jab.

“I wanted to, you know, just kind of put the marker down and say, ‘No, I’m not running,’ not have a big press conference about it, not make a big darn deal about it because this isn’t about me,” she said.

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Palin did not specify which of her would-be rivals were now seeking out her support. When asked how she might settle on one of the Republicans for an endorsement, she said there is “no one perfect candidate.”

“I want people to keep that in mind and not be extremely disappointed in a politician. A politician is going to let you down. They’re going to make decisions that you don’t entirely agree with. And you can’t just lose hope in what that politician’s ideas reflect and represent,” she said.

She sounded impressed, though, by Herman Cain, who is enjoying another boomlet as the field appears to have settled.

“He has the business acumen and that background in the private sector, knowing how to create jobs and meet a bottom line and understanding the work ethic. He’s pulled himself up from the bootstraps,” she said. “That’s that Americana story that so many of us are intrigued with and impressed with.”

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