Top 10 Republicans of the Decade | No. 6: Sarah Palin

As the first decade of the 2000s comes to a close, GOPToast offers its list of the top 10 Republicans of the decade. This is not a "best of" list; it's a list of the Republicans whose actions most altered their party's course over the past ten years. They may be famous, they may be infamous, they may fall somewhere in between. Here they are, the top 10 Republicans of the decade.

SARAH PALIN

Well, well, well, look who made GOPToast's Top 10 Republicans of the Decade list after only being on the scene since August of 2008. Amazing how Sarah Palin managed to go from a virtually unknown Alaska governor to one of the most well-known and polarizing figures (politically and culturally) in America in just 16 months.

When it comes to Palin's impact on the 2008 presidential election, her impact went both ways. Her down-to-Earth conservative ways rallied the base and probably kept John McCain in the race much longer than he should have been. On the other hand though, Palin was a lightning rod for liberal, sexist and unfair attacks. Tina Fey became a household name thanks to Palin. In the end, Americans uncertainty over Palin's ability to assume the presidency if necessary may have kept McCain from claiming the White House. Funny how no one seemed to care about inexperience on the other side of the political aisle though.

Even though the 2008 presidential election is now just a memory, Palin definitely isn't. Book tours, speaking engages – she's everywhere. The biggest question now is whether or not she'll run for president in 2012 ... and how far can she go.