[Pox]

I would have to respectfully disagree with that assertion from several different aspects. To simply claim “moral authority” on any given subject is absurd. That type (or line) of thinking is what has gotten this country into this position of decadence and “weakness in the eyes of our adversaries” in the first place, and that line of reasoning spawns from a position of temerity and cowardice from my point of view.

Standing up for what you believe in is not the same as taking a stance on a topic to achieve “moral authority”, although both goals are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and aggressive attempts to display “moral authority” only serve to expose an entities ultimate agenda and typically leads to exposure as a hypocrite or an outright charlatan. There are plenty of demagogues that come to mind when I think of that line of reasoning.

[Siena Dreaming]

and aggressive attempts to display “moral authority”

I don't see Palin acting aggressively to display moral authority.

True moral authority is earned. Through taking principled stances and working to better improve conditions Palin seems to be doing so as more and more people tune into and trust what she has to say.