From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. --

As conservative political activists gather in Washington for their annual conference, columnist George Will asks why former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is "obsessively discussed as a possible candidate in 2012."

"Why? She is not going to be president and will not be the Republican nominee unless the party wants to lose at least 44 states," says Will, a conservative himself.

"Conservatives, who rightly respect markets as generally reliable gauges of consumer preferences, should notice that the political market is speaking clearly: The more attention Palin receives, the fewer Americans consider her presidential timber. The latest Post-ABC News poll shows that 71 percent of Americans -- including 52 percent of Republicans -- think she is not qualified to be president."

Populism, Will goes on to say, doesn't succeed as a long-term movement in American politics, and by extension, he says, Palin won't either: "Populism has had as many incarnations as it has had provocations, but its constant ingredient has been resentment, and hence whininess. Populism does not wax in tranquil times; it is a cathartic response to serious problems. But it always wanes because it never seems serious as a solution."