I believe you are wrong and I'll tell you why. "On the ground" in early primary states is useful for establishment Republicans. It's old thinking. Palin doesn't operate by conventional means. She will have a grassroots movement(tea party) ready to go to work on short notice. My belief is Sarah Palin is going to stun "conventional wisdom" in this election. I also believe that "tea party" styled candidates are going to swamp the opposition. It ain't even going to be close.
On the other hand, if the GOP nominates a "safe" candidate, all bets are off. Nothing changes in DC. Just more taxing and spending and economic doom. Choose wisely.
She will let them shoot each other for a while...