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I read the report on the Troopergate issue. Okay, I didn't read the entire thing, but I did read the transcript of the family court and the findings section (43 pages, I believe?).

I understand the governor's desire to protect her sister from an ex husband who by all accounts is not someone most of us want to be related to. And also, by most accounts, he is not fit to wear the badge of a law enforcement officer. However, he seems to be protected by a powerful union.

I believe that the governor overstepped her bounds. I don't think she did anything illegal, but the problem is that her office allowed her access that other citizens don't have. She apparently used this access to try and resolve an issue that did not directly involve her office in an official capacity.

I also don't think this disqualifies her the vice presidency. Once again, it is the choice of voting for the best available. McCain does not inspire more than a small percentage of the electorate. Palin probably does not deserve the level of fervor she has inspired. But she appears to be a better candidate on the issues and conservative ideology than any of the other three on the top tickets.

I don't think Palin’s bad decision making related to the trooper issue makes her an unfit choice. Roger should be free to support her, even if she has a history of actions that are directly contradictory to Roger's beliefs on the topic he values the most. In the end she has more pluses than minuses. An Obama presidency would be far worse for families than a McCain presidency.

To quote Ronald Reagen “Going over the cliff, flags flying, is still going over the cliff.”

She apparently used this access to try and resolve an issue that did not directly involve her office in an official capacity.

I understand that's an accusation but I haven't seen sufficient evidence to support it.

Besides that - my point about Palin is in the public response. What is it that excited people? You don't and in fact shouldn't go too deeply looking for the truth about Palin to answer this question. (And I honestly doubt we're going to learn much about her anyway before the election.) People responded on raw initial image as amplified by their hopes and dreams. So - what did the Palin bounce mean? What desire were people expressing in their emotional response? Noting that this is "Palin essence" more than Palin herself:

The secret formula for a McCain victory is to bring the Palin essence into the campaign as more than just a highly successful convention speech. Fight the culture war. Give us a democratic choice. The bounce will return as a solid lead. Find the lost Americans with a promise to return to constitutionally based civil law, something the conservative base, the middle, and even many on the left actually favor, and they will surely vote overwhelmingly in his favor. Simply put, take the idea, the image, the feeling that produced the Sarah Palin bounce, take the Palin essence and turn it into real political promise. source

BTW: I also analyzed the Obama campaign in such articles as: Reinvigorating the Obama Campaign and Obama / Biden: Four More Years of Bush.