Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin speaks during a rally in Ohio, 29 Sep 2008

Former U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin says she will pursue higher office in the future, if the opportunity presents itself.

During an interview televised Monday night on U.S. cable outlet Fox News, the Alaska governor says her deep religious faith will reveal - in her words - "if there is an open door" for her in politics.  Palin says she would "plow right on through" to take advantage of the opportunity, even if it is a premature move.

Palin's name has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.  Her term as governor expires in 2010. 

During the interview, Palin dismissed reports following the election suggesting she was not aware Africa was a continent rather than a country, saying it did not come up during discussions about the region.

Palin also denied she ever asked for the much-publicized $150,000 wardrobe during the campaign, saying it was bought by the Republican Party, and that many of the clothes purchased for her and her family were never worn.

In a separate interview with an Alaskan newspaper Monday, the governor says voter dissatisfaction was the reason for the Republican ticket's defeat to Democrat Barack Obama last week. 

Palin says she believes she and McCain may have represented "too much of the status quo" to voters tired of Bush administration policies.  Palin said she is amazed the Republican ticket did as well as it did.

She has scheduled a series of media interviews over the next few days.  Later this week, she will attend the Republican Governors' Conference in the southeastern U.S. state of Florida.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.