RE: An old rule of thumb when evaluating research: the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Remember the other rule of thumb : Absence of Evidence does NOT necessarily imply EXISTENCE of evidence.
RE: If one wants to understand Sarah Palin, conventional wisdom doesn’t help much. I suspect she is comfortable with where she is, and with what the future holds.
Based on what I see, individually, she’s in a good place at this time — being a pundit, a gadfly and a money maker. If she had the presidency on her sights, she would not have quit the governorship at all.
Can't say I blame her one bit.