With former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty now making it clear that he's ready to run for President on the GOP side, are we finally starting to see this race get moving?

Go back four years ago at this time, and the race for the White House was already in full swing, in both parties.

But the sharp elbows for the 2012 elections haven't really been deployed as yet in Republican ranks, as we wait to see if Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee and others actually decide to get in the race.

Palin was making some news of her own during a trip this week to Israel, but is she really going to run?

The lack of a ground organization in Iowa makes me wonder. And her troubled numbers in the polls also can't be ignored.

As I have said on the air, my gut simply tells me that the GOP nominee will be someone who did not run in 2008, and that includes Palin.

But she is welcome to prove me wrong, since her mere presence in the race will certainly spur a lot more intrigue in Republican ranks.

We also can't forget others like Newt Gingrich, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, former Utah Gov. John Huntsman, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and others who could stir the pot an awful lot in coming months.

As for the schedule, right now, the Iowa Caucuses are slated for February 6, 2012. But just like 2008, other states are trying to push their way to the front of the line.

One of them is Florida, which keeps insisting that it will hold a primary on January 31.

Remember back in 2008, when Florida also went early and both parties threatened to strip half of their delegates? GOP candidates went and campaigned there, but Democrats did not. Some of you might recall Hillary Clinton landing in Florida to claim victory on Election Night after the polls were closed.

One very interesting story that cropped up in recent days was talk that some states might get rid of their Presidential primaries in order to save money.

California, Missouri and Alabama might abandon Super Tuesday in March and push back their primary to June; Washington and Kansas are talking about caucuses, rather than a primary.

There really isn't that much time left to organize, raise money and get things in gear for next year.