Quayle was made to look like a fool while he was in a position that had very little authority.
It's hard to dig yourself out of such a mess when you're an easy whipping boy and no one needs anything from you because the only thing you do is break ties in the Senate.
Palin is still extremely popular, as could bee seen by the crowds she drew when she spoke in public.
However, if she goes back to being governor of Alaska, she will likely be ignored by the media outside of Alaska and won't have the ability to build upon what has been started.
The media has tried to discredit her, but the media is about the only group people trust less than politicians.
However four years is still a relatively short time in which to build up her resume more for 2012, and since the entire population of Alaska is somewhere under 700,000 people, being popular there doesn't carry a lot of weight nationally.
stevens upon his conviction will create a need for a vacancy election in the alaska senate seat.