14 Feb 2011: Sarah Palin hires campaign veteran as chief of staff

The Telegraph (UK): Sarah Palin hires campaign veteran as chief of staff
Michael Glassner, who managed Mrs Palin's vice-presidential operations in 2008 and was a senior adviser to Bob Dole in his failed 1996 presidential campaign, will oversee the former Alaska governor's political operation across the country.

Like other potential candidates, Sarah Palin already has a fundraising committee, SarahPac, which raised $3.5 million (£2.2 million) last year.

On conservative websites and blogs, news of Mr Glassner's appointment rivaled the closing speeches by presidential hopefuls at the biggest annual conservative conference, CPAC, underlining Mrs Palin's ability to command attention.

She was one of only two potential Republican candidates not to attend the Washington conference attended by 11,000 delegates.

Her decision to stay away and not share the limelight with other hopefuls seemed to be justified by the fact that the presidential straw poll was won by Ron Paul, a maverick candidate in 2008 who is not regarded as a serious contender.

Since resigning as Alaska governor in July 2009 Mrs Palin has charted an unconventional course as a political celebrity, writing bestselling books, making paid speeches and appearing in a reality show with her large family.

Her appointment of Mr Glassner is a more conventional move, though some analysts said it merely signified that she was staying in the game while she made her final decision in March or April.

"I think she's keeping people off balance," said Ross Baker, a professor of political science at Rutgers University. "I think she probably finds that quite enjoyable, that somebody who's a relative newcomer in the party has been able to keep all of the pros guessing."

Recent polls have however given Mrs Palin pause for thought. She was shown as losing to President Barack Obama in theoretical match-up in the solidly Republican state of Tennessee.

In a Public Policy Polling survey she fared worst against Mr Obama than any of the four best known Republican contenders. She lost by 16 percentage points to the US president while Mitt Romney, a failed primary candidate from 2008, lost by six points.