Palin Resignation

I've been struggling to understand the core reason why Gov Palin abruptly resigned her office. It would certainly make sense to resign if she had been appointed to an ambassadorship, was elected to a national office, or was embroiled in an embarrassing scandal.

None of the conventional reasons appears to be in play. Unless the governor has not disclosed the true reason for leaving - such as a brewing scandal, big money deal, or a plan to run for Senate or the White House - we all just sit here and guess.

Palin may actually believe that quitting during the middle of her first term as governor will improve her 2012 prospects. It might actually play well with her ever hardening base of "true believers". But I'm sure anything she does would play well with them - just as it would with the hardcore base of any popular politician.

Let's not forget that Palin has abruptly quit public office before. She was appointed to a state oil & gas commission, but resigned in protest halfway in to her term. Now she has resigned as Governor halfway into her term for what is being explained as fatigue.

Interestingly, Palin has also suggested that her resignation is for Alaska - that it's not fair to the state that so much focus is being put on her and not on the issues at hand. Following that logic, Palin believes that she is actually sacrificing herself for the state as it's the only way to move legislation forward. How messianic of her.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I completely agree with Karl Rove: I am perplexed by this resignation.

It is a bizarre move for a politician at that level. I would dare say it is an amateur move. It is almost as if Palin was playing a game of checkers while everyone else were playing chess.

Her actions must be disappointing to the GOP. They were hoping to revitalize the party at midterms and have a solid option to Obama in 2012. The GOP needed someone who had a good run as a governor and was ready to step it up at the national level. I'm sure they were looking for Palin to step into this role.

Palin should no longer be a credible candidate for an even more rigorous and vicious office at the national level. If she thought being Gov of Alaska was tough, trying working in the Senate or White House. You simply cannot quit in the middle of your term because you're getting picked on or you feel tired. These are serious jobs that require serious and dedicated individuals - and Palin may have just showed herself to be less than serious.

Time will tell what her true game plan her was. We'll see if a scandal pops up, or if she gets a high dollar gig at Fox News, or if she goes on the speaker circuit, or if she really didn't think this through and fades from public view, or if she announces her candidacy for 2012 a few years early just to get dibs.

I certainly do not believe that her 60 days under the campaign microscope compares to the grueling two year primary that Barack & Hillary went through. Palin has nothing on the 8 year ordeal of George W Bush. That guy was parodied from the start by SNL (Will Ferrell) as a bumbling, drunk frat boy. Bush was skewered through the failings of the Iraq war, two close elections, intel lapses, domestic spying, torture, Katrina, etc... yet the guy still kept his chin up and came to work every day. I can respect that.

Politics is a dirty game. For someone who strives to someday be President, Gov Palin needed to meet her challenges with thick skin, brilliant solutions, and hard work. Resigning early is whithering in the face of challenges and not the stuff that our national leaders are made of.