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Sarah Palin, queen of the Republican right, starred Monday with TV talk queen Oprah Winfrey at the start of a frenzied book tour -- and, some believe, an unlikely White House challenge.
The slot on Oprah kicked off an unusually high profile tour for a political memoir and highlights Palin's return from the sidelines after her failed run for vice president alongside John McCain last year and surprise resignation as governor of Alaska.
"Going Rogue: an American Life" goes on sale Tuesday, but has already been a bestseller with pre-release sales knocking Dan Brown's latest thriller off the number one spot on Amazon.com.
Publisher HarperCollins says it has printed 1.5 million copies, but prior to Tuesday the contents were known only through media leaks.
Getting most attention are Palin's attacks on the McCain camp, which she claims mishandled her, resulting in the self-described hockey mom and Alaskan moose hunter being widely portrayed as ignorant and afraid of the media.
Other reports warn of a less than thrilling section on an Alaskan gas pipeline.
But the manner in which Palin is flogging the 413-page tome may prove more important than its contents.
During last year's election, Winfrey endorsed Barack Obama and would not host McCain or Palin. Now the talk show veteran has embraced Palin and plugged her book -- a snippet of advertising that has previously worked wonders for authors.
From the "Oprah Winfrey Show," Palin goes on to a five-part interview with ABC's softball specialist Barbara Walters.
Then there's the bus tour from Grand Rapids, Michigan to small cities like Fort Wayne, Indiana or Roanoke, Virginia that stand out less for literary connections than Palin-friendly electorates.
She's also on the cover of Newsweek magazine. Add Palin's Facebook posts and Twitter feeds and the publicity blitz might be mistaken for a dry run election campaign.
Palin is coy about her political ambitions.
Asked by Winfrey if she was considering a run for president in 2012, she said: "I don't know what I'm going to be doing in 2012.... It's not on my radar screen right now."
Rudderless after last year's election drubbing, the Republican Party is eagerly casting about for a new leader, but whether Palin is that person is a matter of hot debate.
Her folksy, small town manner, unbending arguments for small government and constant references to her patriotism grated on many in 2008, amid fatigue with George W. Bush's Republican presidency.
Today, Obama's star has faded, while "tea party" protestors against taxes and state involvement in health care would provide Palin with a small, but fervent core constituency.
"If she grows, she'll be the Republican nominee. More than anybody else in the party, her future is in her hands," former Republican speaker Newt Gingrich said.
Another senior Republican, Senator Lamar Alexander, says Palin, regardless of her weaknesses, has a priceless quality in the business of politics: "She's interesting."
For now, the Democratic Party shows no sign of concern.
Hari Sevugan, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, said Palin's book does "little to add to her credibility, (but) does generously add to the on-going soap opera that is the Republican party. We wish her the best of luck on her tour."
So far, the numbers would indicate an uphill battle for Palin to take the top job.
A new Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 53 percent would not consider voting for Palin in 2012 against nine percent who definitely would. Another 37 percent would consider it.
Sixty percent believe she is not qualified to be president.
However, among Republicans she retains a strong following, with a positive rating of 76 percent.
