I believe she owed him for helping bring her to the consciousness of the nation (her rabid fans can deny that all they like, it's true). It would have done her no good to turn her back on him when he asked for an endorsement.
But in a race between McCain and JDH, she certainly didn't owe him much more than an endorsement. What about what McCain owes HER?
I've been back and forth on Palin but seeing her in this interview, she's just another politician. This may be an isolated moment in a campaign, but all that "not the usual politician" stuff is a lie when she's on the air helping McCain, who's hurt this country so much by running a crappy campaign and then offering "bipartisan" cover for Obama until he's now threatened from the right.
Not impressed.
You really can't be yourself when stumping for someone else. We'll have to see what emerges after she's paid her debts and runs on her own platform...that is is she chooses to do so.