*PING*
Very fine post. And a very comprehensive list of ther attributes. Permit me to add two of my own:
1)Extraordinary good judgment and timing, especially where public affairs are involved-
(example:Her resignation last summer, which was criticized by many, but which Palin knew was essential if she was to have an impact on crucial national issues, notably health care. It came as Obamacare was rounding the curve and was supposed to be on the President’s desk for signature before Labor Day. Less than 2 weeks after her resignation came the Facebook posting on “death panels” and the freight train that was Obamacare jumped the tracks. She waited until the opportune time, stepped in and killed it.) And there are other examples, including her now vindicated decision to avoid the Fiasco that was CPAC and her choice of the Tea Party instead. Her decision to become a FOX news contributor, bit not to get her own chow.
2)Her vote getting ability-
Part of her voter appeal can be measured in the huge crowds she draws and FACEBOOK postings. But she has won several elections both at the municipal level and at the state level, by large margins and often against steep odds. She beat an incumbent governor, Frank Murkowski (who had been elected statewide to the U.S. Senate three times) in the GOP primary by over 30 points. She then easliy dispatched a popular former two term Democrat governor, Tony Knowles, in the general election by 8 points, all in 2006, which was a huge year for the Democrats nationwide. (Pawlenty barely retained his seat; Romney and Huckabee, facing likely defeat, abandoned theirs.) Between them, Murkowski and Knowles had won statewide SIX times and Sarah Palin beat the stuffing out of both of them. She is a proven vote winner and against long odds. She CAN win.