So Sarah Palin isn’t running and finally it seems that the Republican slate is locked in.  While I have said in the past that she may have a chance this time around, assuming that she brushed up on current events and formulated some positions, there are a two good reasons that not throwing her hat into the ring now is good:

Not Enough Time

The first primary is in January. Rick Perry barely entered the race with enough time, and even that may have been a mistake, given his performance at the last couple of debates. Without a good, solid four months or so to really reintroduce herself to primary voters, Palin could have been entering for nothing. The problem is that while we knew she was a Republican last time, and had a shallow sense of her positions, we didn’t really know them deeply enough to make a decision whether or not she’d be the “right person.”  I don’t think three months would have been enough time to get around before the first primary.

Divisiveness

Let’s face it. Palin remains very divisive, even if undeservedly. And not just among the general electorate, but among Republicans, too. There are people who simply cannot stand her, and I’m not convinced would rally to her as effectively as someone like Perry or Romney. Heck, even Michelle Bachmann could probably unite Republicans quicker than Palin, and I consider Bachmann to be football fields more partisan than Palin. Republicans would eventually coalesce for a general election with Palin as nominee, but the divisiveness would continue there, something that Obama could use effectively to beat her.

I think Palin should take the next four years to really build up her profile, and then come back in 2016 (assuming there’s no Republican) and try to take the field once it’s free and clear of an incumbent.