Now, fittingly, one of the country's most unpredictable political figures is preparing to prove them wrong.
CNN has learned that Palin has quietly laid the groundwork for a nationwide tour, beginning this weekend in the nation's capital, that will once again thrust her into the national spotlight as she decides whether to seek the GOP nomination.
Billed as a "One Nation Tour," the multi-city journey will take the former Alaska governor to a series of historical sites along the East Coast "that were key to the formation, survival and growth of the United States of America," a Palin source told CNN.