Palin book tour has people wondering if it'€™s a campaign tour

The run up to former Gov. Sarah Palin’s book tour started Monday with her taped appearances on Oprah Winfrey’s show and this morning on “Good Morning America.”

“Going Rogue: An American Life” starts selling today.

But the big question on some people’s minds is whether Palin is using this tour to promote herself, as well as the book.

She certainly has a fan base out there, but it’s not one that will carry her into the presidency. Some Republicans have even suggested she is hurting the party by dividing the centrist Republicans from her far more conservative party members, in essence making it vulnerable to the Democrats when those folks aren’t especially in good stead around the country lately — two unpopular wars, health care, economy  — highlighted by two big losses back east last week, and President Obama’s continued slide in approval ratings.

So, while the Republicans should be licking their chops as the 2010 elections come around, they see this maverick out there bringing attention to herself and her hard-right beliefs. They aren’t seeing a book tour.

What the Republican Party should be doing, if it hopes to take advantage of the wounds Democrats are suffering, is embrace Sarah Palin. She’s a vote-getter. She draws a crowd wherever she goes.

She speaks the language of people who feel like they aren’t being heard. And that’s no small part of this nation’s people — on either side of the political fence.

So, while she could be seen as a divider, a shrewd political, and aren’t most of them, would find a way to use her considerable talents to bring in some people who don’t feel like they’re under the tent.

Palin’s near future on the national stage isn’t likely to be as a presidential candidate, but she could easily take up the role as king maker. And, in that job, she could restore some of the luster lost in the 2008 defeat and position herself again, if she wants, for a 2016 bid.

Until then, she can enjoy this time of seeing the county, making money off the book and speaking engagements. She can choose to be in the public spotlight as much as she wants on her terms.