Sarah Palin is too cool and too rogue to participate in GOP debates. That’s for the little people. Palin is waiting for the lead candidates to implode, then she steps in to save the day. I doubt her scenario will take place plus this is what vultures do.
First of all, Palin isn't above debating any serious contender about the state of the country, and which solutions are best for fixing it.
Where you err, is in attaching any value to the current dog and pony shows that some are calling 'debates'. Mitt Romney and Rick Perry have (or had) enough name recognition and standing in the polls, that they could have delayed their entry into the race, and skipped most of these 'debates', just as Palin is doing.
They would have avoided being damaged by their opponents, and would have kept the chances of their losing any points to a minimum, as well. In addition, they could have continued to get their messages out to supporters and potential supporters without being a part of that demolition derby - and saved a whole lot of campaign cash and energy to boot.
But, for whatever reason, they felt they had to jump in with both feet and battle it out with the second tier. Now that they have, what have they gained? More support? No.... Better standing in the polls? No.... A strengthened message? No.... Better positioning as front runners? Not exactly...
So, tell me again why Sarah Palin is making a mistake by delaying her entry into the race?
Riiight, like it wasn’t fair for the colonials to shoot from behind every rock, tree, and bush at those out in the open redcoats. Sometimes war isn’t fair. And if you think this isn’t war, you are not paying attention.