They never got Sarah Palin

But they sure tried, and still are.

There will be plenty of opportunity to come, as Matthew Continetti’s commentary on CNN speculates.

On July 26, Palin will be a free woman. No longer will she have to juggle official responsibilities, a national political following and her children. She can travel freely to the Lower 48 without worrying about how it may affect her standing back home. She can defend herself and her family against slander without the controversy distracting from the duties of high office. She can make money to pay the bills. She can pick her battles without being hemmed in by the state legislature and bureaucracy.

Palin is impulsive. Her charisma is such that she does not need to hold an office to command attention or wield influence. She resigned from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission all of a sudden in 2004, plunged into a Republican gubernatorial primary in October 2005 and joined McCain’s campaign without hesitation…

Whatever she does will be noticed, that’s for sure. Because the attention lavished on Palin’s decision is further evidence of her unwitting ability to bring out deep-seated feelings of admiration — and loathing — in people. We will be hearing from Palin, and from the Palin-haters, for a long while to come.