Sarah Palin resign's as Governor of Alaska

[Locke]

I think Sarah is starting her run for President in 2012. Unless there is some scandal about to come out I can't see any other reason to not finish her term. Interesting strategically. Quitting on July 4 weekend could get her a lot of PR. She's already bumped the Michael Jackson coverage.

[Locke]

Watched her resignation speech. It was all about what she has done as governor. Focused on conservative issues and especially how she has saved Alaskan's money. Including that by leaving Alaskan's won't have to pay for all the ethics complaints, which she has won. Definitely the first campaign speech of the 2012 election. She is steping down in 2 weeks.

Palin Quits as Alaska Governor
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Friday that she is stepping down at the end of the month, setting up a potential run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin shocked the political word Friday by announcing that she will step down at the end of the month and transfer power to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell.

Palin made the announcement from her home in Wasilla, flanked by her husband, Todd, and family and state commissioners.

The announcement came on the same week that one of her top public health officials says she was forced out of office because Palin felt she wasn't in step on social issues.

Palin's decision now allows her to avoid the difficult task of running for president while serving as governor.

Todd Palin told FOX News that his wife will concentrate on "doing the things for Alaska and the country" that she is passionate about and can not do as governor with the limitation and constant opposition she deals with within the state.

Palin, who defeated incumbent Gov. Murkowski in a primary in 2006,.gained national prominence when GOP presidential candidate John McCain picked her as his running mate last year. But her approval ratings in the state have skidded in recent months.

Palin has been dogged in recent months by ethics inquiries. Her office last month announced the 15th dismissal of an ethics complaint against her or one of her staff.

On Wednesday, Beverly Wooley, who has worked more than 20 years in public health in Alaska, most of it with the municipality of Anchorage, ended her stint as state public health director.

She's the second top health official to leave within days. The state's chief medical officer, Jay Butler, left in late June after declining to take on Wooley's job along with his own. He now is in Atlanta, overseeing a U.S. Centers for Disease Control task force on a vaccine to protect against the H1N1 flu virus.

[Abraham]

She's been exhaustively excoriated by the liberal press and still keeps going.

Good for her.

They'll be piling on again soon.

I hope she's garnered greater polish.

She's gonna need it.

[Mike1951]

Actually, I just removed "Sarah Palin - 2012" from my sig line for the first time since last September.

You're not a lame duck when you can run again. She should have remained governor and run for reelection in 2010, no matter what else.

If she had hoped to run for President, this was the dumbest thing she could do.

While not substantiated yet, Andrea Mitchell with NBC is reporting than Palin has told those closest to her that she is through with politics.

I won't slight Palin, as this may well have been as simple as placing family before politics.

But it is clear to me that she won't be our salvation in 2012.

[Hos]

Very disappointing. So, she's going to do what the next 2 1/2 years instead of standing up to the critics?

[kirock7]

Bye, bye! Don't let the door hit you in the rear!
I say good riddance... and she better not come back and run for President. That woman just publicly demonstrated the type of politician she could or would be. Quitting??
Scary, dudes. Scary.

I think she could be a good Alaskan senator though. I hear there are nice domestic upgrades for that position.

[Locke]

She commented that every time she left the state her critics filed an ethics complaint against her. All had been dismissed but they were distractions for her, her staff and cost significant money to fight. $2 Million for Alaska and $500k personally. She's not rich. She's a lightning rod for the liberals. I think she scares them. So this will only get worse if she runs for president. Now she can focus on campaigning and they will not have this way to attack her. And it's better for Alaska they'll have someone who can really concentrate on state business.

She might be getting out of politics; if not this is unconventional strategy but hey Regan campaigned for 4 years and wasn't in office if I remember right. Anyway who else do we have?

I still like her for 2012.

[Oldgringo]

Sarah brought a refreshing new presence to an otherwise dull and lackluster Republican effort in the last POTUS contest. I wish her AND her family well.

ATP, my dream team for 2012 is Gingrich and Rice BUT the American electorate will have to recognize that Obama, et al, are false prophets for any Republican team to have a chance.

[papabear]

Unemploment keeps going up they will soon.

[AEA]

I have a bad feeling that she is hiding something that would have brought her down anyway. And, she knew it would.

Best to leave gracefully while she can and leave the business of the State to someone else instead of trying to hang on and run the State at the same time she is running a defense for whatever she was hiding.

[lrb111]

National radio talk show host.

[flintknapper]

She commented that every time she left the state her critics filed an ethics complaint against her. All had been dismissed but they were distractions for her, her staff and cost significant money to fight. $2 Million for Alaska and $500k personally. She's not rich. She's a lightning rod for the liberals. I think she scares them. So this will only get worse if she runs for president. Now she can focus on campaigning and they will not have this way to attack her. And it's better for Alaska they'll have someone who can really concentrate on state business.

She might be getting out of politics; if not this is unconventional strategy but hey Regan campaigned for 4 years and wasn't in office if I remember right. Anyway who else do we have?

I still like her for 2012.

+1

[Locke]

This is from a very Liberal website so this might just be another Palin smear with no real facts. We'll just have to wait and see what she does and what new real news comes out.

[stroo]

That is just another smear. I can't remember any politician being attacked the way Palin and especially her family has been attacked. It is thoroughly disgusting. And every charge so far has proven false!!

I don't know if she is dropping out to protect her family from further unwarranted attacks or is setting herself up for a run in 2016 or 2020. But I don't think she will be running in 2012.

May God bless you and your family Governor Palin.