Sarah Palin rolled into the nation’s capital is style Sunday morning — on the back of a gleaming black Harley Davidson, one of thousands present at the annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally to commemorate U.S. veterans raise awareness for missing and captured military personnel, and decked out in black leather jacket and shades.
There had been some confusion about whether Palin had actually been invited to attend the rally (she had), but the former Alaska governor did not formally address the crowd, making just a few remarks in passing (e.g., “I love that smell of emissions”) to a swarm of photo crews, reporters and loyal supporters before hopping on the back of a bike to join the convoy from the Pentagon to the National Mall.
Palin’s appearance marked the first leg of her recently-announced “One Nation” bus tour, which has fueled speculation that she might be considering a run for president. Her husband Todd and daughters Bristol and Piper also rode in the rally. “There’s no better way to see D.C. than on the back of a Harley!” Palin wrote on her PAC website. “My family may be used to snowmachines more so than motorcycles (though you couldn’t tell it with Todd driving a hog today with Piper on the back and with Bristol riding on the back of another bike). But whether you’re riding the open road or the frozen tundra, you’re celebrating a free spirit. What could be more American than that?”