Palin says she'll make decision about 2012 'in short order'

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) said her decision on whether to run for president is due "in short order," likely meaning no later than the end of September. 

In Iowa, where Palin showed up Friday at the state fair alongside announced Republican presidential candidates, the 2008 vice presidential candidate said she didn't mean to upstage any of the candidates vying for a win in this weekend's straw poll in Ames. 

But it won't be much longer until those other candidates have to wonder or worry about whether Palin will enter the race. 

"We're still talking about it, thinking about it. And that's what I want supporters to understand. At the same time, I want to be very fair to supporters and not keep them hanging on in perpetuity," Palin told David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network. "It's fair to them to give them an answer here, in short order, so that they can jump on board with someone else."

Asked whether "short order" meant by the end of September, she said: "I think that that is a fair timeline for people, because fall time, they can start getting engaged with different campaigns, but still thinking about it, and really, really desiring to be a participant in the positive change that needs to happen in this country."

Palin's intentions have been beguiling not only for other Republican presidential candidates, but also for the political observers keeping an eye on any of her actions that might telegraph her intentions about 2012. 

Her last-minute trip to Iowa this week commandeered the attention of media on the ground, a testament to the star power she would bring to the campaign if she were to enter. A late decision to jump in the race would almost certainly reshape the dynamics of the presidential campaign. 

Palin said on Fox News that family concerns are a major factor in her decision-making process, and that she didn't think it was getting too late in the process for her to decide. She said she thought there were a couple months left before that window had shut.

"I still think that there is enough time here, knowing that the field is not yet set. I think that there will be people coming and going in the next couple months," she said on Fox.

---