Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin would lose to Obama by six points 3 years from now, but former Governor Mitt Romney would come in even with The One. The poll also reveals how disastrous a third-party candidacy by Palin would be, though that might not matter to some of her staunchest supporters. There are some in her ranks that would rather have Obama president for another four years and bitch about it than have their gal simply concede and try again later.

Just 21% of voters nationwide say Palin should run as an independent if she loses the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Sixty-three percent (63%) say the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee should not run as an independent. Sixteen percent (16%) are not sure.

If Romney secured the GOP nomination and Palin chose to run as an independent candidate, Obama would win the resulting three-way race with 44% of the vote. Romney is the choice of 33% of the voters under that scenario, with Palin a distant third with 16% support. Three percent (3%) like some other candidate, and four percent (4%) are undecided…

When Romney is the Republican nominee, he beats Obama among unaffiliated voters 48% to 41%. But when Palin is the GOP candidate, unaffiliated voters prefer Obama by a 47% to 41% margin…

In a three-way race, Palin hurts Romney by drawing 28% Republican support. Romney captures 52% of the GOP vote in that scenario.

Which puts another whole in the theory being floated by the Alaskan governor’s partisans that Americans would’ve loved to vote for her in 2008 but McCain got in the way. Even after the disastrous 6 months of The One’s administration, unaffiliated voters would still rather have four more years of Obama than give Palin the keys to the place. Not by much, but it doesn’t take much to lose an election.

Anyway, enough about Palin. This poll is more about Obama than any potential Republican nominee. He’s looking at falling approval ratings, the public turning against his biggest proposals, and now a man who couldn’t even win the Republican nomination a year ago coming in even for the whole shabang. That can’t put the White House political strategists in a comfortable position.

We can only, er, “hope”…