Sarah Palin’s “One Nation” bus tour through America’s historic sites could be the start of a presidential campaign. Or she could be kicking off a new reality-TV series. With Palin, it’s often hard to tell the difference.

She insists she is still making up her mind about a White House run. But we do know that Palin represents a new archetype in our public life, the politician-as-celebrity – or celebrity-as-politician – who has mastered the modern media environment better than anyone else. With the possible exception of Donald Trump, who had pizza with Palin when her tour hit New York.

That means big trouble for the Republican Party should Palin decide to run. If she wins the nomination, the party will field a candidate even many Republicans regard as unqualified and unelectable. Karl Rove, one of the savviest GOP strategists, has repeatedly questioned her “gravitas” and warned that “the American people have Ö high standards” when picking a president.

Polling reinforces Rove’s point. In a recent Gallup survey, 62 percent said they would “definitely not” vote for Palin. Even among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents 37 percent view her unfavorably, ABC reports.