The time remaining to their terms is not the comparison... it’s their status in life. Dole was a long time leader in the Senate. Palin is a half-term governor. Dole was the nominated Republican candidate for President of the United States. Palin has a lot of time to kill until the 2012 election, for which she is neither nominated nor declared. And after quitting as governor, no longer even a serious contender.
So it’s ok to quit if you’ve been on the job a long time?
You’ve been in the Senate for 30 years, if you quit, you’re not a quitter?
You might have the “experience” issue confused with some other issue surrounding the word “quitter”.
It is true that the time that Palin would have spent as Governor would be executive experience. By resigning, she would not get the full 4 years of executive experience.
But it’s still “quitting” whether you’re a Senator from Kansas for 30 years or a Governor of Alaska for 4.
Basically, what you’re saying is that it’s ok to quit if you have the nomination.