The people who were so enthusiastic about Palin were your religious whack job types who have their heads so far up their asses they still can't see just what a terrible pick she was.
The problem with McCain was, aside from the economy, he was trying to appeal to two completely different bases - the fiscal convservatives, and the religious right. These bases, of course, want completely different things - forcing religion on the government is the exact opposite of what a more traditional conservative might want. And you could see it throughout the campaign - every move he made to appeal to one of the bases ended up pissing the other base off. He accepts Hagee's endorsement - the fiscal conservatives freak. He then rejects it, and the religious conservatives freak.
Anyway, what's done is done - I just hope the Republicans might finally start to get their shit together, quit pandering to the damn religious right, and get back to true conservatism.