Palin urges Republicans not to become negative

Former vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin urged the Republicans not to become the “negative party” of US politics today.

The moose-hunting mother-of-five, who was blamed in part for the Republican’s defeat to Barack Obama, denied she was a political celebrity and aimed to tone down speculation she might run against Obama in the 2012 presidential election.

The self-styled “hockey mom”, who invigorated the party’s conservative base with her Christian values, folksy charm and straight-talking approach, was criticised as an inexperienced “whack job” by McCain campaign aides who also accused her of acting “like a Diva”.

But today, at the Republican Governors’ Association in Miami, Florida, she sought to tone down speculation she had emerged from defeat as a potential leader for the party on the national stage. Instead, the Alaska governor said the party needed to focus on the governors races in 2010.

“I, like all of our governors, we’re focused on the future,” she told reporters before her keynote speech.

“The future for us is not the 2012 presidential race. It’s next year and our next budget, and the next reforms in our states and in 2010 we’re going to have 36 governors positions open across the US. That’s what we’re focused on.”

Talking about last week’s election, she added: “As far as we’re concerned, the past is the past, it’s behind us. We’re focused on the future.”

Later, in her speech Mrs Palin, 44, said it had been a “privilege” to inspire young girls and said she wanted “no more ceilings on achievement, glass or otherwise”.

She also said it was “not for us to question now what voters decided” and added: “We are the minority party... let us not become the negative party.”

But she also told reporters a woman would be good for the Republican presidential ticket in the next election.

“It would be good for the ticket. It would be good for the party. I would be happy to get to do whatever is asked of me to help progress this nation,” she said.

Palin has held a flurry of one-on-one interviews with major US TV news programmes this week. She said she has put the “brutal” 2008 campaign behind her and was looking to the future.

She indirectly but unmistakably put her name in play as a potential presidential candidate for 2012, saying she would “plough through that door” if it was God’s will and the conditions were right.

She also denied any responsibility for her ticket’s loss.

“I think the economic collapse had a heck of a lot more to do with the campaign’s collapse than me personally,” she told NBC’s Today show on Tuesday.

She also blamed unpopular President George Bush and the handicap of representing the incumbent party.

Last night, she told CNN’s Larry King Live: “I’m not going to close any doors of opportunity that perhaps are open out there in the future.

“Not having a crystal ball, I do not know what those opportunities will be.

“If... circumstances change and the door is open for me to do so, it would be something that I would take that challenge on, that responsibility.”

And on Monday, she told Fox: “I’m like, OK, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I’m like, don’t let me miss the open door.

“And if there is an open door in '12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I’ll plough through that door.”