I am watching John McCain on Fox News right now. In response to questions about how Palin's experience matches up to Obama, he answered that she has much more executive experience, and that she's stood up to leaders of her own party, whereas Obama hasn't.

But Obama *has* demonstrated enormous capacity and experience in a very major test.

That's what national primaries are: they are difficult, nation-sized, presidential-sized, tests. Obama passed that national test. In the process, he stood up, for many months in a grueling and difficult campaign, against leaders of his party. He passed with flying colors: by all reports, he managed an extremely efficient and well-run major organization. He won millions of votes-- he won about 30 more votes than there are inhabitants in Alaska. Ultimately, he won the nomination.

Palin has never faced anything remotely like that.
No one, I don't think even Palin herself, believes that if Sarah Palin had run for president she would have gotten anywhere.