Sarah Palin says she could beat President Obama in 2012

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has said she could defeat President Barack Obama in the 2012 election.

Mrs Palin made the declaration in an interview with ABC, one of several recently in which she has said she was weighing a presidential bid.

She told ABC she was "looking at the lay of the land".

The 2008 Republican Vice-Presidential hopeful was a major figure in the mid-term elections and is a favourite of the anti-government Tea Party movement.

Family consultation

Mrs Palin, now employed as a Fox News analyst and making speeches across the country, told ABC she was "trying to figure that out, if it's a good thing for the country, for the discourse, for my family, if it's a good thing".

And in an interview with the New York Times published online on Wednesday, Mrs Palin said affirmatively she was considering a presidential run.

"I'm engaged in the internal deliberations candidly, and having that discussion with my family," she said.

Meanwhile, on Sunday Mrs Palin's reality television show Sarah Palin's Alaska debuted on TLC television to mixed reviews.

Other Republicans said to be weighing a race against Mr Obama include former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, 2008 Republican candidate Mitt Romney, and outgoing Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.