I have no idea why so many people had low expectations for Palin's performance. She got a degree in mass communications, and was a news anchor, for crying out loud.

They picked her because she's conservative, she's attractive, and she can read credibly from a TelePrompTer. Oh, and she's ambitious, so she'll do what they tell her if she thinks it will give her more power. At least until she thinks she can buck the machine and make her own rules.