While I think Sarah will make a fine president one day, many people do not (2/3 find her unqualified). That is data we need to deal with no matter how much we like her. And, I really like her, and hope that she will become the first woman president one day down the road. She's got plenty of time.
However, we would be naive and setting ourselves up for failure if we think she will be elected president without serving as someone's VP first (sure, we'd vote for her -- well, maybe not you -- but the dems and indies won't).
The McCain staffers' handled her rollout incompetently and the MSM tarnished her reputation mercilessly. She will need to rehabilitate herself -- and she can.
If she really wants to be president one day, her best bet is to serve admirably as someone's VP. With McCain possibly serving only one term, this would have been the perfect opportunity for her to use her VP term to win the presidency in 2012. But it wasn't meant to be.... this time. She will be back.
If Palin truly wants to be president then she's in the best role for it - state governor. She should run for and win re-election in 2010. Then compete in the primaries in 2012. That will be the true test, and her chance to show what she didn't show in 2008.