Sarah Palin was unfairly mauled by the media during the election. There were a lot of ugly undercurrents surrounding the vitriolic attention she received that highlight the Left’s fear and loathing of strong female conservative figures. She had far more administrative experience than Barry and was no more inclined to gaffes than Joe Biden. It almost became Barry versus Palin, despite the two being on opposite ends of the ticket.

That being said, since the election, she has used her new found fame to increase her own power, influence, and bank account, sometimes at the expense of the national party (Delaware for example). There are far better, less polarizing, GOP candidates on deck. A 2012 run would be unnecessarily divisive.