By Kenneth T. Walsh

It isn't getting any easier to be a Republican. Only 22 percent of the voters identify with the GOP, according to the Pew Research Center, compared with 39 percent who see themselves as independents and 33 percent who consider themselves Democrats. The party has no consistent message. And in an era when Barack Obama so clearly represents the Democrats, the Republicans are ill defined, with a multiplicity of voices inside and outside Congress, none of them very popular and most little known outside Washington or their home states.

It gets worse. One third of Republicans have an unfavorable view of their own party (compared with only 4 percent of Democrats who think unfavorably of their party), according to a new USA Today/Gallup Poll. Fifty-two percent of Americans can't specify the "main person" who speaks for the Republicans. Thirteen percent say it's radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, followed by former Vice President Dick Cheney at 12 percent, Arizona Sen. John McCain (the party's presidential nominee last year) at 5 percent, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 4. Former President George W. Bush came in fifth, with only 3 percent. All these potential spokesmen are middle-aged or elderly white men, at a time when more and more voters are women, Hispanics, and young.

Last week, the party's internal tug of war got a bit more intense when party leaders in Washington sparred with Sarah Palin, the charismatic governor of Alaska who catapulted to fame as McCain's vice presidential running mate last year. Palin has become a darling of grass-roots conservatives but an unreliable enigma to many veterans of the GOP establishment. [Read 10 Things You Didn't Know About Sarah Palin]

The latest fuss seemed petty to some but exposed serious GOP fault lines. It started when Palin didn't confirm she would attend a Washington fundraising dinner Monday for the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. After several weeks of confusion, the organizers decided to give the coveted keynote speaker's slot to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a potential competitor with Palin for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. Just before the event, Palin decided she wanted to attend after all. But she wasn't assigned to the head table and wasn't given an opportunity to address the group, which some of her fans considered a slap. Palin was seated in the first row, however, and drew a big crowd of well-wishers.

Palin's fans say that, while she is distrusted by Washington's conservative insiders, she remains one of the GOP's biggest draws. The weekend before the Washington fundraiser, she helped to attract 20,000 people to a parade in Auburn, N.Y., the hometown of William Seward, secretary of state in the 1860s and the man who arranged for the United States to buy Alaska from Russia.

But prominent GOP strategists don't understand why Palin has avoided appearing at events that could bolster her standing among conservatives who will be instrumental in the 2012 primaries. "She's getting a reputation for being on-again, off-again," says one conservative strategist. "People aren't even sure how to get in touch with her and whether their messages are getting through." Conservatives say their calls to her office in Alaska frequently aren't returned, leading to speculation that she isn't interested in cooperating with the GOP establishment and that her staff isn't ready for prime time.

Some Republicans say she needs to concentrate first and foremost on being a good governor, but she runs the risk of alienating conservative leaders if she is too aloof. Palin needs to make a basic decision, the conservative strategist says: "Is she running for president surreptitiously or overtly?"

More important, Palin is doing little or nothing to create a consensus on what it means to be a Republican and seems reluctant to reach out to new voters, which many GOP strategists consider their top priority.

Meanwhile, others are trying to build a new majority, but their messages have yet to catch on. The GOP's appeal since Ronald Reagan made conservatism the dominant ideology has been based on four themes: cutting taxes, slowing the growth of government, preserving "family values," and strengthening national defense. But in recent years, many Republicans have felt their party going astray, especially on the issues of limiting government, restraining spending, and making common-sense decisions about using force and enhancing national security.

Gingrich is full of ideas and brio, but his failure to maintain GOP momentum when he was House speaker in the mid-1990s undermines his claim to be the conservative of the future. Limbaugh is bombastic and entertaining and draws lots of attention, but he has shown no interest in running for office. Cheney has made some effective arguments in defense of Bush administration national security policies, but he remains deeply unpopular with independents and Democratic voters. Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and an also-ran in the 2008 GOP presidential race, has been working behind the scenes to cultivate grass-roots support, but many Republicans still wonder if he is a genuine conservative and whether he can bond with everyday voters.
Meanwhile, GOP leaders in Congress such as Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Rep. John Boehner of Ohio haven't gained much traction with their critique of Obama as a big-spending liberal who is weak on defense and a neophyte in foreign policy. These are the same criticisms the Republicans have directed at the Democrats for years. Americans are indeed worried about some of Obama's policies but so far haven't converted these concerns about Obama into support for the GOP.

Of course, nearly five years ago, the Democrats were in the same boat. The White House and Congress were controlled by the GOP. The Democratic nominee, Sen. John Kerry, lost the presidential race to George W. Bush. And myriad Democratic voices were clamoring to be heard. "It's difficult when you don't have a president in office," says a senior Obama adviser, because a commander in chief tends to create unity in his party.

Frank Donatelli, chairman of GOPAC, a conservative political action committee, and former political director for President Reagan, adds that there is no permanent majority in American politics. He predicts that the GOP will make a comeback when the political pendulum swings to the right again, either because the Republicans manage to capture the country's imagination or because Obama falls flat.

But until that happens, chances are that Republican divisions will only get worse.

By ANNE SUTTON, Associated Press Writer

JUNEAU, Alaska – Gov. Sarah Palin must pay back taxes on nearly $18,000 in expenses she charged the state for living in her home outside Anchorage instead of at the state capital, officials said Wednesday.

A review of state policy and Internal Revenue Service tax laws determined the per diem payments should be treated as income, Department of Administration Commissioner Annette Kreitzer said.

The charges came to light after Palin was named John McCain's running mate on the Republican presidential ticket in August and became a campaign issue after she was presented to the nation as a fiscal conservative.

"These issues were raised during the national campaign and as result of the national campaign the governor asked us to look into this," Kreitzer said.

Palin had collected nearly $17,000 in per diem payments before she was named to the Republican ticket. The expenses were paid for more than 300 nights she slept at her home in the Anchorage suburb of Wasilla and commuted 40 miles to her Anchorage office instead of living in the governor's mansion in Juneau, the state capital. The practice started up again shortly after last fall's general election.

Juneau, in the Alaska Panhandle 600 miles from Wasilla, is only accessible by airplane or ship.

Palin's spokesman, Bill McAllister, said Wednesday he didn't know if Palin was still collecting per diem or if she would continue to do so.

McAllister said her taxes are a personal matter and wouldn't disclose how much she owes. However, he said Palin would pay the amount required.

Palin returned to work on Nov. 7 — three days after McCain's loss to Barack Obama in the general election. From then until Dec. 14 — the last date for which records were available — she continued to charge the state for meals and incidentals, amounting to $1,168, an Associated Press review of records show. The state released Palin's expenses for the first two weeks of December on Wednesday.

She requested the full $60 a day for all but three of the 19 per diem requests. For example, on Nov. 14 when she attended a formal dinner celebrating the state's 50th anniversary, she requested $28 that day, which covered breakfast and lunch only.

Per diem payments are intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business. State officials have said Palin's claims were permitted because her "duty station" is Juneau.

Palin also previously charged the state for having her children travel with her — amounting to $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office through last fall. She also charged for hotel rooms for the girls in some cases.

Her office has claimed the girls were acting on state business, and Kreitzer said the state did not review the matter.

"That is a decision that has been made for many years by the governor's administrative services section and the governor's office essentially as to what constitutes business travel. My understanding is that all of the travel that's been paid for the family has been for a business purpose," Kreitzer said.

In some cases, event organizers said they were surprised when the Palin children showed up uninvited.

Kreitzer said the ruling also affects other state employees.

(AP) Sarah Palin called on fellow Republican governors to keep the new president and his strengthened Democratic majority in check on issues from taxes to health care as she signaled she'll take a leadership role in a party searching for a new standard-bearer.

Addressing the Republican Governors Association meeting Thursday, this year's GOP vice presidential nominee - and an oft-mentioned candidate for 2012 - revisited some aspects of the bitter campaign and talked about the role of the governors in the coming year. After losing the White House and several seats in the Senate and House, the party is engaging in some soul-searching about its direction.

"We are the minority party," Palin said at a session on "Looking Towards the Future: The GOP in Transition." "Let us resolve not to be the negative party."

Palin never mentioned the name of President-elect Barack Obama, but she took a swipe or two at the Democrat. She said with governors, "the buck stops on our desk. ... We are not the many voting yea or nay or present." While an Illinois state lawmaker, Obama often voted "present," a practice the GOP criticized during the campaign.

Palin noted that Congress is led by the likes of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Rep. Barney Frank, and said it was incumbent upon GOP governors to ensure that the federal government doesn't take over the health care system. She said if Obama and the new Congress "err on the side of excess taxes, we have to show them the way."

Facing the prospect of being out of power at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue for the first time since 1992, Republicans are looking to their governors to fill the leadership vacuum. Speculation has centered on the telegenic Palin despite her tumultuous two months on the national political scene. She likely would have competition for a possible 2012 bid from Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal - all in attendance at the three-day meeting.

On Wednesday, Barbour told his peers that now isn't the time to think about the next presidential election.

"Anybody here tonight that has thought about the 2012 presidential election needs to keep their eye on the ball," Barbour, a former Republican Party chairman, told a reception for the governors and their supporters. "We don't need to talk about 2012."

In a series of national television interviews, Palin did not rule out seeking the presidency, saying, "It's crazy to close a door before you know what's even open in front of you."

Asked about the 2012 talk at a news conference Thursday morning, Palin said, "I, like all of our governors, we're focused on the future. The future for us is not the 2012 presidential race. It's next year and our next budget, and the next reforms in our states and in 2010 we're going to have 36 governors' positions open across the U.S. That's what we're focused on."

©MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

(CNN) -- Former Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has said she is optimistic about Barack Obama's incoming administration and that she prays for the president elect and his family.

Palin drew huge crowds at her campaign stops, garnered intense media interest and brought big ratings to "Saturday Night Live" as comedian Tina Fey impersonated her in several political skits.

The Alaska governor appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" on Wednesday to discuss the historic campaign, how she thought she affected the Republican ticket, the concession speech she never got to make, her family's coverage in the media and her plans now that the election is over.

Palin emphasized her admiration for the president-elect in the interview. "I'm proud of Barack Obama," she told King. "I pray for him, his family, the new administration. I look forward to the good things that are in store for this nation."

She said that despite characterizing Obama during the campaign as inexperienced and "palling around with terrorists" she had no fears for the United States under his presidency. Watch highlights of Larry King's interview with Palin »

"I don't have fear, I have optimism," Palin said. "Barack Obama is going to surround himself with those who do have executive experience.

"There was nothing mean-spirited -- there was no negative campaigning when I called Barack Obama out on his associations. You know, we're talking specifically, of course, about Bill Ayers -- an unrepentant domestic terrorist, who campaigned to bomb our United States Capitol and our Pentagon.

"I don't think that there is anything wrong with calling someone out on their associations, their record, their plans. I expect to be called out -- and so did John McCain -- on his associations and our record."

Palin said she did not regret her interview with Katie Couric of CBS and wished she had been more available to the media during the campaign.

"I should have done it, yes. And her questions were fair," Palin told King. "Obviously being a bit annoyed with some of the questions, my annoyance shows through."

Palin had some well-publicized fumbles during interviews with Couric in late September leading up to her vice presidential debate.

"Certainly I should have done the interview. And to attribute I think that interview to any kind of negativity in the campaign or a downfall in the campaign, I think it's ridiculous."

Speculation is mounting that Palin could have designs on the Republican presidential nomination in the next race for the White House. Watch if Palin could be the next GOP star? But as the 2012 buzz takes off, a new poll suggests that just less than half of all Americans have a favorable view of Palin.

Forty-nine percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research survey released Wednesday had a favorable opinion of Palin, with 43 percent viewing her unfavorably. Watch whether Palin could be next Republican star »

That is lower than a previous poll, suggesting that favorable opinions of Palin are dropping among Americans.

Asked by CNN's King whether she was ready to run for the presidency, Palin refused to rule out a bid. "I'm not going to close any doors of opportunity that perhaps are open out there in the future. Not having a crystal ball, I do not know what those opportunities will be," she said.

"But at this point, I'm very happy to get to serve my constituents in the great state of Alaska and start contributing our state more to national security and economic prosperity across America."

Palin said she was sad when she heard the result. "You know, sad because I knew had hard that our ticket had worked. Again, I'm convinced today, as much as I was along the campaign trail, that John McCain is a true American hero and he does have solutions that need to be..."

She played down reports of a rift over her concession speech that never was. "I had some very nice words penned ready to deliver it. It was going to just be a sweet shout-out to Sen. McCain and all that he has overcome and the challenges that he has met and the victories within his own life and his character.

"I had good words penned there that I would have loved to have been able to express. But John McCain is a very, very humble man. It was decided that -- at the very last minute that, no, he would do the concession speech solely. That's our right. That's, you know, that's their call. That's the strategists' call and John McCain's."

Palin also talked about how surprised she was that her children became part of the campaign story. "It wasn't naive, not after Barack Obama came out and said that his wife was off limits. Why should my children, then, have been this assumed target? And they were and that was unfair.

"But, yes, I thought it was ridiculous, not so much the reporting on my children, but the lies that were told about my children and about my own record. That -- you know, stupid things, Larry, you know, like who is Trig's real mother?

"And mainstream media wouldn't correct the erroneous assumptions or suggestions in a story like that? That was ridiculous."

King asked Palin about her daughter's pregnancy. "You know, I looked at her and thought -- and I thought, Bristol, honey, you're going to have to grow up really fast. She is a strong and kind-hearted young woman. She's going to make a great mom. She is very strong. She's going to be just fine.

"But Bristol has an opportunity, at this point, also, to reach out to other young American women and let them know that these are absolutely less than ideal circumstances that she or any other unwed teenage mother are in. And it is not something to glamorize."

Defeated Republican running mate Sarah Palin has said that a woman would be good for the party's ticket in 2012.

Attending the Republican Governors Association in Florida, she did not say if that female nominee might be her.

But the Alaska governor told reporters she would be happy to do whatever she was asked to progress the nation.

Mrs Palin, who is scheduled to speak about the Republican Party's future on Thursday, said she stood for everyday hardworking US families.

Correspondents say the mother-of-five could face stiff competition if she wants to become the Republican nominee in 2012.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who both failed in their candidacy this year, along with Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour may also be candidates.

'Honour to assist'

Mrs Palin, 44, was asked by reporters on Wednesday about speculation that she is the party's future.

She said: "I don't think it's me personally, I think it's what I represent. Everyday hardworking American families - a woman on the ticket perhaps represents that.

"It would be good for the ticket. It would be good for the party. I would be happy to get to do whatever is asked of me to help progress this nation."

Meanwhile, in an interview with NBC on Wednesday, Mrs Palin said she would feel at ease with President-elect Barack Obama in the White House as long as his advisers understood threats against the United States.

"I'm comfortable with Barack Obama as our commander-in-chief, assuming that he has those around him who recognise... that terrorists have not changed their minds," she said.

She has also hinted at a possible run for the top job in 2012 during a flurry of national television interviews this week, telling one network she would "plough through that door" if it was God's will.

She told CNN it would be her "honour to assist and support our new president and the new administration" if asked.

But she said Mr Obama's ties to former militant William Ayers "still concerned" her.

Correspondents say her sudden media blitz is a marked departure from her tightly-controlled interaction with journalists during this autumn's presidential campaign, when she was John McCain's running mate.

Arizona Senator McCain praised Mrs Palin on Tuesday night during his first post-election interview, saying she inspired people and "would play a big role in the future of this country".

The former beauty queen, who was relatively unknown outside Alaska before Mr McCain picked her as his number two in August, energised crowds on the campaign trail.

But she also drew criticism from across the political spectrum that she lacked experience.

By Julie Bosman

In her first national television interview since the election, Gov. Sarah Palin delivered a lengthy post-mortem of the presidential campaign, criticizing the media, her campaign handlers and the aides who anonymously leaked damaging characterizations about her to the press.

“I believed in going off script once in a while in some of the rallies in order to really reiterate, perhaps, something that I believed about John McCain,” Ms. Palin said. “Maybe it wasn’t written in the script, but so what? Geez, if this is all going to be so scripted and kind of like a movie screen and we have to follow verbatim everything that somebody writes for you, I don’t want any part of that. That’s not who I am and that’s not who John McCain is either.”

Ms. Palin granted the hourlong interview, a one-on-one talk conducted in her home in Wasilla, Alaska, and her office in Anchorage, to Greta Van Susteren of Fox News. The second part of the interview will air on Tuesday.

The show kicked off a week of high-profile national interviews for Ms. Palin, on the scale of the interviews that she famously flubbed in the first weeks after being chosen as Mr. McCain’s running mate. On Tuesday morning, she will face Matt Lauer on the NBC “Today” show, and on Wednesday, she will appear on “The Situation Room” on CNN.

Speaking with Ms. Van Susteren, Ms. Palin struck a more relaxed, low-key note than previous television interviews with Katie Couric of CBS News and Charlie Gibson of ABC News.

Of course, Ms. Van Susteren kept it light. She avoided questions on policy in favor of open-ended conversation about life on the campaign trail and the difficulty of national media attention.

Ms. Van Susteren spent the first eight minutes of the interview asking about the hefty clothes expenditures, and on the anonymous accusation that Ms. Palin thought Africa was a country, not a continent. (The charge was first leveled on Fox News.)

In response, Ms. Palin said, “We discussed what was going on in Africa. And never, ever did I talk about, well, gee, is it a country or is it a continent.”

Seated behind her large desk in the governor’s office, Ms. Palin did not wear the expensive clothes the Republican National Committee bought for her on the campaign trial. Instead, she wore the boxy pink jacket that she wore on the campaign trail in Florida, and proudly told a crowd that she had bought at her “favorite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska.”

Ms. Palin directed most of her media criticism at liberal bloggers, whom she twice called, “those bloggers in their parents’ basement just talkin’ garbage.”

But she had a kind word for President-elect Barack Obama, who she said called her during the campaign to wish her luck.

“He was cool,” Ms. Palin said, with almost a giggle. “He said, ‘good luck, but not that much luck.’”

On the question of whether Ms. Palin will run in 2012, she answered, “This is what I always do. I’m like, O.K., God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I’m like, don’t let me miss the open door. Show me where the open door is. Even if it’s cracked up a little bit, maybe I’ll plow right on through that and maybe prematurely plow through it, but don’t let me miss an open door. And if there is an open door in ‘12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I’ll plow through that door.”

At the Republican Governors’ Association conference in Miami on Thursday, Ms. Palin will appear at a news conference and later at a panel titled, “Looking Toward the Future.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin suggested in an interview broadcast on Monday that she might run for higher office in 2012 if the right opportunity presents itself.

Even before the Republican loss in last Tuesday's election in which Palin was the running mate of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, there was talk of the 44-year-old first-term Alaska governor running for president in 2012.

"Show me where the open door is. Even if it's cracked up a little bit, maybe I'll plow right on through that and maybe prematurely plow through it, but don't let me miss an open door," Palin said in an interview on Fox News' "On The Record" program. She did not specify which office she might be interested in seeking.

Palin, whose term as governor ends in two years, said she could not predict the future. But she said it would be "very exciting" to have an opportunity to serve in a greater capacity.

"If there is an open door in '12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I'll plow through that door," Palin said.

As McCain's surprise pick in a hard-fought campaign against Democrat Barack Obama, Palin attracted controversy but also a strong following in the Republican Party's conservative base.

(Writing by JoAnne Allen; Editing by Peter Cooney)