He didn’t criticise her; he was praising her and the tea party, and as an aside mentioned that there was a downside to the election, something I think we all agree on, since we don’t in fact have control of the senate.
It seems you haven’t recognized a standard formula for what it is.
By which I mean, one of the most common ways to to publicly criticize someone like Palin is to package the criticism in what appears to be praise.
The oldest trick in the book—talking out of two sides of one’s mouth. Progressives love to use this tactic. RINOs and the ruling class in general have also mastered it.