Sarah Palin speech in Iowa keeps fans guessing

The political eyes of the nation and world will be watching Sarah Palin's scheduled appearance in Iowa tonight for signals about her plans.

More than 50 news media organizations, from as far away as London, plan to cover the Republican Party's biggest celebrity when she headlines the Iowa Republicans' marquee fundraiser in Des Moines. It's her first appearance in Iowa as a 2012 presidential prospect.

But there is little about Palin's visit to the leadoff caucus state to suggest whether the 2008 vice presidential nominee is weighing a campaign for president.

Palin's speech at the Ronald Reagan Dinner is the only public event on the former Alaska governor's Iowa schedule. 

If she does run, she would be expected to reach out to Republicans in Iowa more than her schedule today indicates, Republican campaign strategists said.

"I'm not making any assumptions that she's in the race," said Bill Lacy, who managed Republican presidential campaigns for Bob Dole and Fred Thompson. "But even with her level of celebrity, it would be very hard to win a race without engaging voters in a very retail way."  (Continues here)