WASHINGTON – Amid diminishing media interest, Sarah Palin has quit her
high-profile bus tour halfway through and returned to Alaska with her
family, according to RealClearPolitics.

The move puts a damper on widespread speculations that Palin's "One
Nation" bus tour, which launched on Memorial Day, was a potential
precursor to a potential White House bid for 2012. Palin never made it
to her scheduled stops in the key primary states of Iowa and New
Hampshire.

RealClearPolitics, which originally broke the story about the bus
tour, reported Wednesday on Palin's "extended hiatus." The remaining
legs of her trip, according to Scott Conroy, are "in limbo" as "Palin
and her family have reverted to the friendly confines of summertime
Alaska."

The "One Nation" tour launched with intense media interest, as
reporters initially followed Palin and her family on the road,
diligently trying to decipher the former half-term Alaska governor and
ex-GOP vice presidential nominee's 2012 intentions. But after being
ignored and mislead and denied interviews or access, reporters'
attention fizzled.

Palin has been remarkably coy about her plans for 2012, declining to
rule out a presidential run but refusing to come any closer than
saying she has "fire in the belly."