JUNEAU, Alaska—
A year after abruptly announcing her resignation as Alaska's governor Sarah Palin has become a political force.
A Facebook post can generate endless headlines, and crowds clamor to hear her. She's easily the most coveted Republican endorsement this election year.
She's everywhere: In South Carolina, campaigning for gubernatorial hopeful Nikki Haley; in Nevada, addressing the tea party crowd; in Arizona, defending a controversial state law cracking down on illegal immigrants.
But there are two stops she has yet to make in 2010: Iowa and New Hampshire. Republican strategists and activists in those early caucus and primary states, plus battlegrounds such as Florida, say Palin has a realistic shot at becoming the GOP presidential nominee in 2012.
Whether she could win the presidency is another matter.
