We need to start working on Aaron Schock. John Thune would be another decent candidate. Get them ready for the national stage. Palin would have been good, but she was thrust on the national stage so quickly, and didn't have time to adjust, which resulted in awful interviews making her look like an idiot. I mean, before those interviews, her approval ratings were higher than Obama or McCain's. I think she can still be a good candidate, if she puts herself around the right people and works on her interviewing skills.
Palin didn't just come off as an idiot by being unprepared, she proved herself to be an idiot by making idiotic statements. And not just throughout the campaign, throughout her career.