Is Sarah Palin prepping a presidential run?

The evidence? Start with the fact that Palin may well have left her home state, from which travel to the lower 48 is not easy. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Palin has purchased a $1.7 million home in a secluded neighborhood in Scottsdale, Arizona; as Ben Smith notes, a local Fox affiliate appears to have footage of Palin and her husband Todd on the recently-sold property.

Arizona, of course, is the home of former Palin running mate Sen. John McCain; it's also where her daughter Bristol recently bought a home. Palin would have a much easier time traveling to key early voting states if she bases her campaign in Arizona as opposed to Alaska; it would also put her and her advisers on a schedule much closer to that of national reporters, making it far easier for them to respond quickly to news stories and requests.

Then there's the fact that a two-hour laudatory documentary on Palin will be released next month - in the first-in-the-nation voting state of Iowa, no less. The film - which has Palin's enthusiastic backing - then rolls out in other important early states.

Palin has also rehired two aides who help with travel and public events and "is expected to resume a schedule of public events soon -- perhaps as early as this weekend," according to the New York Times.