WASHINGTON – The clout Sarah Palin had in 2010 is long gone.

There simply was no way to win, so she’s out.

After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.

It’s also hard to be considered presidential when you have the power king of the Republican Party Roger Ailes saying the reason he hired you is because you’re hot, all in hopes of big ratings.

An Eleanor Roosevelt image does not come to mind.

Then again, it’s always good when men on the right are honest about their feelings about women, our value and how serious they take us; as if the blonde brigade on Fox News channel didn’t send that message from Ailes already.

The end of Sarah for this political cycle began after the Tuscon domestic terrorism tragedy. Mr. Ailes reportedly told Mrs. Palin to back down, but she just wouldn’t listen. Her subsequent video message proving that even if Sarah has the fan base, she doesn’t have the judgment for the serious times of today.

The notion that Sarah Palin could raise enough cash to top Mitt Romney or Rick Perry is also in question. The organization alone needed to mount a serious contender campaign for president is beyond what Sarah Palin can manifest. Her biggest worry, as she said recently, is that the presidency might hem her in. Translate that yourself.

But you can never take the Tea Party queen’s 2010 crown away.

Sarah Palin was instrumental in the right’s Tea Party army, giving them cachet and clout from the moment her “death panel” squeal went up. From there it was a short hike to “mama grizzly” world and super celebrity on the way to her million dollar spokesperson career.

What-if is a question that will be asked by her fans. What if she’d been the one to hire Ed Rollins right after the 2010 November midterms, deciding to dig in and do as much due diligence as possible to gear up? What if Sarah had decided it was time to go back to her roots in Alaska when she was taking down Republican insiders and exposing the dregs? She might have joined the Occupy Wall Street protesters, representing the right, and made common cause where she actually once would have had one.

Because if any moment is an opportunity for Americans to join together it’s the Occupy Wall Street protests. Instead the right is too busy trying to tell their fans what’s going on is “class warfare,” while they laugh at democracy in action, afraid instead of the truth that might steal Tea Party thunder.

What’s going on in lower Manhattan is classes warring against Wall Street, because they’re robbing people of the American dream.

However, Republicans couldn’t possibly join in because they’d be rising up against their own.

Sarah Palin is not the first person to be seduced by bright lights and the big league, ignoring what got her into politics in the first place. She won’t be the last.

(Sarah’s letter, continued from above) … My decision is based upon a review of what common sense Conservatives and Independents have accomplished, especially over the last year. I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office – from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency. We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.

From the bottom of my heart I thank those who have supported me and defended my record throughout the years, and encouraged me to run for President. Know that by working together we can bring this country back – and as I’ve always said, one doesn’t need a title to help do it.

I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables. We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs.

Those will be our priorities so Americans can be confident that a smaller, smarter government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people can better serve this most exceptional nation.

In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the President, re-taking the Senate, and maintaining the House.

Thank you again for all your support. Let’s unite to restore this country!

God bless America.

– Sarah Palin

Taylor Marsh is a Washington based political analyst, writer and commentator on national politics, foreign policy, and women in power. A veteran national politics writer, Taylor’s been writing on the web since 1996. She has reported from the White House, been profiled in the Washington Post, The New Republic, and has been seen on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, CNN, MSNBC, Al Jazeera English and Al Jazeera Arabic, as well as on radio across the dial and on satellite, including the BBC. Marsh lives in the Washington, D.C. area. This column is cross posted from her blog.