Rove Questions Palin's "Gravitas" to be President
Voters may not take Sarah Palin seriously enough to elect her president, former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove told the UK's Daily Telegraph.
"There are high standards that the American people have for [the presidency] and they require a certain level of gravitas, and they want to look at the candidate and say 'that candidate is doing things that gives me confidence that they are up to the most demanding job in the world,'" Rove said.
Speculation continues over whether the former Alaska governor would start a bid for the presidency, and Palin herself has given signs she may run: She has commented on her potential motivations for running, and last month she made an appearance in Iowa, home of the nation's first presidential nominating contests.
Nevertheless, Rove said Palin's other activities, such as starring in a reality television show, detract from her ability to run as a serious candidate.
"With all due candor, appearing on your own reality show on the Discovery Channel, I am not certain how that fits in the American calculus of 'that helps me see you in the Oval Office'," Rove said. He took particular issue with a quote from Palin featured in the promotional clip of her new show in which she says, "I'd rather be doing this than in some stuffy old political office."
While he said Palin was a "terrific" vice presidential candidate in 2008, Rove argued that being a presidential candidate is more work than Palin could be up for. "It's going to be blood, it's going to be sweat and tears and it's going to be hard effort," he said.
Meanwhile, one of Palin's political rivals in Alaska, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, said in a debate last night that she could not support Palin if she were to run right now. Murkowski running as a write-in candidate for re-election after being ousted in the Republican Party by Joe Miller, who has Palin's support.
