You said — I am of the mind that Sarah Palin’s attorneys, on her resignation, begin to studiously collect and document new examples of libel directed against her and her family, with an eye that when a particularly egregious example happens, she sues their pants off.
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As a public figure, I don’t think she’s going to be able to shield herself and/or her family, any more than it could have been prior to her resignation. She’s still going to be wide-open for all kinds of remarks, no matter what, and legally permissible.
That is the traditional approach to libel. However, it is not an end-all, be-all rule. For example, her family are not public figures, or at least are only to a small and temporary extent. And depending on the maliciousness of the attacks, and if they are for politics or profit, also matters.
Remember that celebrities regularly sue tabloid newspapers and win.