“Aren’t the primaries all about giving all the candidates a decent shot to make their case?”
Emphasis on CANDIDATES — those who declared and ARE “making their case”. Palin is not doing that.
And she could string you along for months. If she doesn’t say yes or no by end of September, will you wake up and realize she is not running, or just extend her “deadline” to October, November, December....November 2012?
Your detachment from reality is NOT harmless. The few percent of the people who are “waiting for Palin” may be what will help Romney beat Perry and then be beaten by Obama.
That’s how McCain got the nomination in 2008. And some never learn. Palin may be much better looking than Fred, but she is playing the same game.
But how can that be? The first votes in the primary season aren't until February? So how exactly does the "waiting for Palin" crowd help Romney beat Perry when nobody can vote for either candidate for nearly four more months? By which time, we'll know for sure whether Palin is in or out.