McCain isn’t just another Senator to Palin. He turner her into a national star by picking her as his running mate. Do you REALLY expect Palin to not help out McCain now?
If Palin feels that excessive loyalty to McCain on her part is necessary, then perhaps she should not serve as the leader of the conservative movement, since her admiration for the man has clearly blinded her and is now a liability, not just to her, but to the conservative movement, if she were to become its leader.
As stephenjohnbanker wrote at post 59, McCain is a vile man and a traitor. I agree with this assessment.
If Palin is unwilling to confront McCain, or at least get out of the way of other conservatives (like Hayworth) who are willing to confront McCain on his repugnant political record, including his post-election moves to continue shaping the Republican Party into a lite version of the Democrat Party, then she has a serious problem on her hands.