2012 run? Sarah Palin reportedly scouting for office space in Iowa

Sarah Palin, the ubiquitous superstar of the Republican Party, has been searching for office space in Iowa, according to a little-noticed report Sunday in a British paper.

Palin is scheduled to visit Iowa Nov. 27. Iowa is an crucial primary state.

"In the course of making arrangements for that tour, two aides organising Palin's visit to Des Moines on November 27 told locals they were looking into office space and other logistical needs for the coming year," the Guardian reported.

"The book itself was widely seen as a sign that Palin was considering a run for the White House," the paper continues. "She has said on a number of occasions that she is weighing her prospects with her family. In an interview with ABC television, she even said she could beat Barack Obama in an election.

"Some of her staff now appear to be putting the pieces in place in case Palin does decide to run."

A local rabbi was quoted as saying that an aide was examining options for longer-term space.

"He was looking to be able to accommodate the needs of those coming down looking to set up shop here for campaigning in the coming years," said Yossi Jacobson of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Des Moines.

Palin, while popular with the conservative base and tea partiers, doesn't have support from some prominent Republican strategists.

Last month, the former senior adviser to George W. Bush, Karl Rove, told a British newspaper that Sarah Palin may not be presidential material.

In an interview with the Telegraph, Rove said voters were unlikely to see someone who has her own reality TV show as a good candidate for president.

"With all due candor, appearing on your own reality show on the Discovery Channel, I am not certain how that fits in the American calculus of 'that helps me see you in the Oval Office,'" he said.

The documentary series "Sarah Palin's Alaska" premiered on TLC Nov. 14. The TV show is produced by Mark Burnett, who has produced shows such as "Survivor" and "The Apprentice."

"Being the vice-presidential nominee on the ticket is different from saying 'I want to be the person at the top of the ticket,'" Rove added.

"There are high standards that the American people have for it [the presidency] and they require a certain level of gravitas, and they want to look at the candidate and say 'that candidate is doing things that gives me confidence that they are up to the most demanding job in the world,'" Rove said.

With earlier reporting by Eric Dolan