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Not the least of Romney’s many defects as a candidate was that he had done little to develop, present, and advocate his views before running for President.

He spoke loudly before, during and after the election. You and others just didn't pay attention.

Get to know what Sarah has done before you say she hasn't delivered any speeches, etc. It makes you an uninformed voter.

Romney's and Palin's respective records of public commentary and advocacy outside of office as governor are thin compared to that of Reagan before he ran for President.

After Reagan's two terms as Governor were over, he authored a nationally syndicated opinion column and radio commentary program that ran for years. Reagan wrote and delivered over a thousand such radio commentaries from 1975 to 1979. In addition, Reagan delivered numerous speeches and wrote extended opinion pieces.

Reagan thus developed both a firm grasp of the issues and a political identity as a solid and reliable conservative with a strong political following. By the time of his 1980 campaign for President, Reagan had polished his speaking skills, with a sunny disposition and a repertoire of jokes and crowd-pleasing lines that made him a superb stump speaker.

Similarly, with an extraordinary work ethic, Margaret Thatcher made herself into a tremendously effective speaker, from the brutal give and take of Parliamentary debate to extemporaneous campaign speeches. She conveyed a sense of sincerity, knowledge of the issues, and determination to bring Britain back from the mire of socialism and a destiny of decline.

Unfortunately, Palin is not doing the equivalent hard work to prove her liberal critics wrong and small-minded. I would love for her to be writing and delivering speeches like Reagan and Thatcher did for years. If Palin started doing that now, she could become a potent conservative advocate and a potential President.