Sarah Palin put the perfect final touch on her multiyear long-grift last night, by telling supporters, at basically the last possible moment, that she wouldn't run for president after all. Should've sent her more money, everyone!

But surely her terrifying superfans didn't actually expect her to jump in, did they?

...Did they, ABC News?

Peter Singleton and Michelle McCormick left their jobs, homes, and families to move to Iowa to campaign for Sarah Palin. Wednesday evening they found out they didn't have a candidate.

The former Alaska governor's supporters founded a group called Organize4Palin to build a grassroots network and essentially campaign for her: go to county meetings, stump for Palin with politically connected Iowans, and form a loose campaign structure for what they saw as an inevitable Palin campaign. It turned out not to be.

Meanwhile, a writer at Conservatives4Palin has come up with the real explanation for Palin to take everyone's money and attention and lives for several years and then decide not to run for president:

The Palin's relocated to Arizona. Many speculated this was for a Presidential run. But could it be for a Senate run in 2012? To boost her credentials and fight back against the meme that she is a "quitter"? Should she become a Senator, she could easily use this new era to fix deeply rooted misconceptions, which would be easier to show with actions than with words. Should she choose to run for president in a later election, she will have countered widespread misconceptions thanks to Senatorial experience. It's easier to change faulty misconceptions in an entire term than in a single election cycle.

Duh. She doesn't need a "title" to be important, except for "Senator," maybe.

But for those like commenter wft2969, the cold reality is sinking in:

"Fire In the belly"
"Fight like a girl"
"Game on"
Undefeated movie released
Sarah Palin's Alaska
Three separate Iowa trips
A New Hampshire trip
encouraging O4P on September 3
"keep powder dry"- just a couple weeks ago

We were sold a bunch of nonsense becuase we believed in her. Now we know she is a quitter. All of my friends that laughed at me for being a part of O4P and saying I was crazy for supporting her- they are right and I was dead wrong! The liberals were right and my RINO friends are right. I am so embarassed and so mad! She is no better than Huckabee, Christie, or Donald Trump. The only difference is they did not tease their followers like she did. Her cedibility is gone, along with the "so-called" fire in her belly...

It's just sad. We wish them the best in their recovery process, as they learn to love Mitt Romney.

[Image via AP]