The former senior adviser to George W. Bush and Republican strategist Karl Rove told a British newspaper that Sarah Palin may not be presidential material.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Rove said voters were unlikely to see someone who has her own reality TV show as a good candidate for president.
"With all due candor, appearing on your own reality show on the Discovery Channel, I am not certain how that fits in the American calculus of 'that helps me see you in the Oval Office,'" he said.
The documentary series "Sarah Palin's Alaska" will be premiering on TLC on November 14. The TV show is produced by Mark Burnett, who has produced shows such as "Survivor" and "The Apprentice."
Rove also noted a promotional clip for "Sarah Palin's Alaska" could be damaging in any future political campaign.
In the clip, Palin states she "would rather be doing this than in some stuffy old political office," between scenes of kayaking and dog-sled excursions in Alaska.
Rove's comments come amid news that Palin is considering a presidential run.
In an interview to air on CBS's "Entertainment Tonight" on Thursday, Palin said she will consider running if "there's nobody else to do it."
"It's going to entail a discussion with my family [and] a real close look at the lay of the land, to consider whether there are those with that common sense, conservative, pro-Constitution passion, whether there are already candidates out there who can do the job," Palin added.
Rove also implied that Palin lacked the stomach for the rigors of a presidential primary campaign.
"You can make a plausible case for any of them on paper, but it is not going to be paper in 2011," continued Rove. "It's going to be blood, it's going to be sweat and tears and it's going to be hard effort. Being the vice-presidential nominee on the ticket is different from saying 'I want to be the person at the top of the ticket.'"
"There are high standards that the American people have for it [the presidency] and they require a certain level of gravitas, and they want to look at the candidate and say 'that candidate is doing things that gives me confidence that they are up to the most demanding job in the world.'"
This is not the first time Rove has questioned the ability of a candidate in his own party to run for office.
In September, Rove claimed that Christine O'Donnell, who received an endorsement from Palin, could cost Republicans a chance to take the Senate seat in Delaware because of the "nutty things" she had said and done in the past.
Rove was criticized by conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh and Fox News host Mike Huckabee for his comments.
