CEW,
Most here at FR are obsessed with a philosophy and when a leader espouses them, most would raise that leader, period. Present another leader who is willing to do the same as her in both in words and actions and most will likewise.
As I said, ideas just don’t migrate by osmosis so a leader who is not afraid the espouse a philosophy with articulate confidence is deserving of the mantle. Ergo, the desire in many that she would have taken on not only the liberal media but also the Republican establishment.
That is all. Without a leader who walks the walk, ideas are just mere words and catchy phrases.
I disagree with that assessment of a lot of Freepers regarding Palin and others. More often than not, people pick a leader and then assign certain qualities to that leader, or over look problems with that leader, so as not to pop their personality culture bubble. Again, this is not a statement about Palin, it's about the dynamic of personality obsession in general.
Ergo, the rest of your point is moot.