Palin Reportedly Halts ‘One Nation’ Bus Tour

Fans hoping for a late jump by Sarah Palin into the 2012 GOP field got a troubling blow this morning as it has been reported that her "One Nation" bus tour, which already rolled through New Hampshire and intended on making additional stops in key primary states like Iowa and South Carolina, has run out of gas.

Via Real Clear Politics:

"Though Palin and her staff never announced a timeline for the remaining legs of her trip, aides had drafted preliminary itineraries that would have taken her through the Midwest and Southeast at some point this month. But those travel blueprints are now in limbo, RCP has learned, as Palin and her family have reverted to the friendly confines of summertime Alaska, where the skies are currently alight for over 19 hours a day and the Bristol Bay salmon fishing season is nearing its peak.

As Palin enjoys her sojourn to the 49th state, she has not reconnected with key early-state figures like Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and she may have jeopardized whatever political momentum she gained from her recent reemergence in the 2012 discussion."

The tour raised attention when went it revved up in the crucial early primary state of New Hampshire, with many media sources and pundits assuming the trip would serve as a mobile base and grassroots vehicle for her 2012 Presidential campaign launch.

Supporters have already begun to express confusion and anger in regards to the decision on comment boards and blogs across the net.

"Sarah, I am losing my patience with you. Either you are running for President or you are not," wrote one fan on Palin's Facebook page. "Is the 'One Nation' bus tour really over? Say it ain't so," quipped another. Supporters have grown alarmed that Sarah PAC as well as Palin's official Facebook and Twitter pages have not been active lately, only posting a handful of posts in the last few weeks with no Facebook posts since June 10.

As swarms of staffers continue to exit Newt Gingrich's campaign like Jenga pieces and new names in GOP National Politics like Huntsman and Perry have picked up steam, Palin, a presumptive 2012 republican candidate, has become increasingly difficult to peg. It is possible that Palin's decision to end the tour could be fueled by the desire to assemble staff in Alaska to focus on an official campaign launch, letting the upcoming documentary praising her record in Alaska, "The Undefeated," finish off the tour's grassroots intentions when released July 15.

Still, some media sources have speculated that the morning's news could mean the end for Palin's 2012 hopes. Or, rather, the end of the hopes her supporters had for 2012.

What do you think? Does this mean the end for Palin 2012? If Palin was your candidate who will you support now?

(H/T:Mediaite)

UPDATE

The Washington Post is now reporting that Palin has decided to cancel her upcoming trip to Sudan as well:

"Palin scrapped her plans to visit the North African country for scheduling reasons, several sources close to Palin said. She was planning to travel with Franklin Graham, the son of evangelical leader Billy Graham, as well as Fox News personality Greta Van Susteren to the July 9 independence ceremony of South Sudan, the sources said.

The decision comes at a time when speculation is mounting about whether Palin will run for president. Palin’s weeks-long silence since the end of her “One Nation” bus tour along the East Coast has prompted a raft of questions about whether there will be a second or third leg, as advisers initially said there would be, through the Midwest and South."