There wasn't a conservative candidate against a conservative candidate vetting that would have occurred during the primaries had she declared, but when you have major newspapers soliciting the public to help sift through years of your emails at the same time a muckraking author moves next door, one simply can't suggest that Cain has experienced that level of scrutiny.
I do not disagree with you — I think key decisions gave a glimpse to Palin’s priorities — for instance, endorsement of Mccain and silence when he turned on the tea party. These things should have given even the most naive follower a clue. Instead, her supporters rationalized and covered her missteps—seemingly arguing that she could, in fact, do no wrong. It became delusional. Respectfully.