I have an even simpler explanation as to why the MSM is easing up on Palin - they figure she’s not going to run and want to turn their spite and bile on the actual GOP nominee.
FWIW, I think they think she can’t win against obama, so they want he as the nominee. Of course they better be careful what they wish for.
I think that is probably be best answer to this puzzle. Also, they may not want to get too far into bed with creepy Levi and the sheet-sniffer Joe.
What non-regular readers of the NY Times might not know is that a weekday review (often bad) is followed up by a superlative review in the Sunday Book Magazine section. I’ve seen this happen more than once.
I think she will run but you are absolutely right. When Reagan died, the media was aglow with accolades about him. While he was alive and president, not so much.