Iowa Could Be Palin's Waterloo

The buzz on a Sarah Palin GOP run for the White House apparently isn't thrilling Iowans, whose critical caucuses have the power to scuttle infant campaigns. "I want to like her and want to support her desperately. And yet, you just can't quite do it," said a female physician active in the state's Republican Party. "I don't think she has what it takes to actually lead our country into a better economic future." The Washington Post assembled groups of GOP activists from different regions in Iowa to test the waters for potential White House candidates. What they said about Palin "might give her pause" about a run, cautions the Post.

While discussions were also mixed about Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Haley Barbour, and others, comments were most critical about Palin. One attorney criticized her for ditching her job as Alaska governor. "If her reaction" to criticism "is to resign I have a very difficult time putting that level of trust in her," he said. Another characterized her as "combative, competitive, opportunistic," while a GOP country chair said Palin "shoots off her mouth." A "lot of women really wanted her to be someone special," said a GOP community volunteer. "I think as time has passed she's just not a presidential candidate right now." (More Sarah Palin stories.)