Alternate headline: “Blogger raises traffic expectations for 2011-12 from ‘bonanza’ to ‘apocalyptic.'”

Well-placed sources tell TheIowaRepublican.com that Sarah Palin is slated to be the keynote speaker at the Republican Party of Iowa’s Ronald Reagan Dinner on Friday, September 17th. The state party is slated to release more details about the event tomorrow.

The visit would be Palin’s first visit to Iowa since making a brief stop in the state in December of 2009 for a book signing. The visit to the First-In-The-Nation Caucus state is certain to create buzz about a potential run for president in 2012.

Her favorable rating among Iowa Republicans was 58 percent as of June, but when PPP polled the state two weeks ago, she finished fourth behind Huckabee, Mitt, and Gingrich(!). The leading theory as to why? Simple: She hasn’t spent much time there yet. And now comes tonight’s news. Hmmmmmm.

Here she is on Fox Business talking about the economy, Obama’s Iraq speech, and the Beck rally. Exit question: Is the Iowa speech a head fake or…?