More canards about Sarah Palin, why she shouldn’t run, blah, blah. Even from our side.

“By telling Barbara Walters that she thinks she can defeat President Obama, Sarah Palin has dimmed hopes cherished by sensible Republicans that she might decide against a run for the White House in 2012. Here are just some of the reasons she should not run.

The Republican nominee should be someone with vast and impressive experience in government and the private sector — and a proven record. Voters chose a novice with plenty of star power in 2008 and will be inclined to swing strongly in the other direction in 2012. Americans will be looking for sober competence, managerial skill, and maturity, not sizzle and flash.

After the 2008 campaign revealed her weaknesses on substance, Palin was advised by those who admire her natural gifts to bone up on policy and devote herself to governing Alaska successfully. Instead, she quit her job as governor after two and a half years, published a book (another is due next week), and seemed to chase money and empty celebrity. Now, rather than being able to highlight the accomplishments of Sarah Palin’s Alaska, we get “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” another cheesy entrant in the reality show genre. She’d so much rather be out dog sledding than in some “dull political office,” she tells the audience. File that.

She is wildly popular with a swath of the Republican electorate, it’s true. And, as a conservative woman politician told me, the consultants (who get paid the big bucks win or lose) will doubtless descend upon her with game plans showing how she can win in Iowa and then cruise to the nomination. Maybe. But the general election would be a problem, since 53 percent of independent voters view Palin unfavorably, according to a recent Gallup poll, along with 81 percent of Democrats.

There is no denying that Sarah Palin has been harshly, sometimes even brutally treated by the press and the news/entertainment gaggle. But any prominent Republican must expect some of that and be able to transcend it. She compares herself to Reagan. But Reagan didn’t mud wrestle with the press. Palin seems consumed and obsessed by it, as her rapid Twitter finger attests, and thus encourages the sniping. She should be presiding over meetings on oil and gas leases in the North Slope, or devising alternatives to Obamacare. Every public spat with Dave Letterman or Politico, or the “lamestream media,” or God help us, Levi Johnston, diminishes her.”

Lots of quibbles with all of this. Of course the latter point that Reagan didn’t quibble with the press, is false. He did, although not as publicly. But had he had Twitter and Facebook he would have. Remember that Reagan was vilified by the press, both before and after he became President. Additionally Americans hate the press – by an alarming amount – and love a fighter, especially one that will defend their territory. They haven’t seen that in a while, Barack Obama doesn’t give them that, but Reagan did and so does Palin.

But then Palin doesn’t have to be Reagan to win. She’s doing fine just being herself.

For all the incredibly skewed polling about whether she’s “qualified” or whether you “like her”, she’s seriously outperforming all those expectations. Since she arrived on the scene in 2008 the leftwing media and democratic operatives have gone absolutely koo-koo trying to put her away with parity, innuendo, and outright false naratives about her, only to have her get stronger and more visible and yes, liked and respected.

Barack Obama had none of the above qualifications for the job of President and it shows. It’s like watching a five year old drive a car. More important the same leftwing media and democrat operandi have enabled him all the way. Palin is smart – and watching this she has continued to mold herself into exactly what Americans want right now. Decisive leadership.

During the midterm election Palin targeted – figuratively speaking – vulnerable Democrats and according to the results was successful in knocking off nearly all of them. She has provided guidance to incoming congressional freshmen as well as to the GOP as a hole. In short when she speaks, she does so clearly and concisely and people listen – especially the Republican base.

They listen because we haven’t had this type of conservative leadership since Reagan and as every day passes she only gets stronger at the job.

The 2012 election season is still a ways off, but Sarah Palin could well be elected and I believe easily so. The press must think so otherwise they wouldn’t spend all the resources and energy trying to tell American she’s not the one for them. Think about it, if they really thought she wasn’t a strong candidate they wouldn’t spend ten minutes on her. With every story they only give her all the more platform to speak to America and as she does she IS winning them over, in spite of what skewed polling shows.

In 2012 Americans will be looking for leadership, but they will also be looking for authenticity. Sarah Palin is authentic, speaks her mind and Americans so distrustful of the fraud of the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Charlie Rangel and yes, Barack Obama are clamoring for authenticity.

Based on this I believe Sarah will run, and in running she will win.