"All we ask for is for our side to be heard," said one. "We won. Why don't they understand? If they had a rally, we'd never do what they're doing."

Despite some tense exchanges, though, Capitol Police reported just one arrest for disorderly conduct. Police estimated the crowd at 6,500, adding that the lines between the tea party rally and the counter-protest were so unclear that there "was no way to accurately determine how many people were attending any specific event."

Palin's visit to Madison comes at a time when some say her star is falling. Plucked from near political obscurity when U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona tapped her in 2008 as his GOP vice presidential running mate, she is often mentioned as a presidential candidate for 2012, though she has not yet declared her candidacy. Meanwhile, other potential contenders, including real estate mogul Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, are increasingly grabbing the limelight.

But 2012 was clearly on Palin's mind.

"What you have accomplished here in Wisconsin will not be forgotten," she said. "The 2012 election starts here."

"These are the frontlines of the battle for the future of our country," she added. "This is where the battle lines have been drawn in the sand."