If true, Sarah beat “GOP leaders” to the punch and stopped herself.
We had a weak field, which doesn’t give those who didn’t deign to enter the race a free ride on the outcome.
No, the whole point of their psychological campaign was to convince her not to run and for her supporters to back the GOP-E candidate---Romney.
We'll never know what exactly happened behind the scenes following her September 2011 speech in Iowa at the conclusion of her One Nation tour (when all signs pointed to a run), but I suspect that she got word (probably via McCain or Malek) that the GOP-E would not support her against Obama, even if she swept the primaries and won the nomination, thereby losing before any nascent campaign could start.
It's the GOP-E way---kill its fastest prize filly before she could even get into the gate to run the Kentucky Derby.