Governor Sarah Palin announced this afternoon that she is stepping down from her position as Alaskan Governor later this month. I truly am shocked for a number of reasons and cannot comprehend what could be behind this move and what it bodes for the future. She did claim that she was not going to seek re-election and felt it would be best to hand everything over to the Lt. Governor. She could be possibly seeking election to the Senate, but this would be early to resign. And she would be unseating a fellow Republican. She does plan to go on a book tour and has a seven million dollar book deal so perhaps she wants to build up some capital for a presidential run. But is there something behind the scenes that we do not know about? Governor Mark Sanford has me jaded after the last week of scandalous revelations.
I am also concerned about the timing of the announcement. Palin announced her resignation on a Friday afternoon right before a holiday weekend – an Obama adminstration move when they want to hide something from the news cycle. There are many allegations surrounding money and I find myself wondering if some of the allegations may be true. I voted for Palin in 2008 and want to see her on a ballot in 2012, but I find myself stunned and wondering what is going on behind the scenes. I pray that there is no scandal here because the Republican Party cannot take another blow like this. Conservatives were looking to the Republican Governors as our hopes for leadership in 2012. With Mark Sanford’s fall and then this bizarre move from Palin, I find myself stepping back.
I have claimed for a while that we do not need a leader in the Republican Party and this is one of the reasons why because I do not want to put my eggs in any basket right now. We are the leader right now. And that is just fine with me.
Freedom's Wings 
I’ve heard several pundits on the right claim that Sarah is doing this because she is tired of the target on her back and her children’s backs, but I find that preposterous when considering that she plans to stay in the public eye with a book tour and GOP fundraising. The attacks will continue to come until Sarah takes her ball and goes home. Perhaps the legal attacks have sent her over the edge.
It is not that she has been driven over the edge as she and her family have been driven into near bankruptcy. For some reason it is extra easy to file ethics complaints in alaska and there is no penaty for filing groundless complaints. and each complaint must be defended against.
The State does not defend these, the Palin family must. Funny, even her legal defense fund was used as a reason for an ethics complaint.
With a legal bill of nearly half a million dollars and no end in sight, the Palin familiy did what they had to do.
I would not count her out quite yet, there are few places beside Alaska that such nonsense can happen. Governor Palin can hit the lecture circiut, make that half million in a couple of months and then start making some money, supporting other candidates and building her own machine.
Peter, I agree with you. Despair not, Diane. We have not heard the last of Governor Palin. Even if she is not or does not become a viable candidate for next year’s congressional race, I feel that she will certainly be a part of it and will facilitate taking our country back from the feckless stooges and reckless no-gooders and constitutional usurpers who are attempting to ruin us.
I hope you are right John. Honestly, I would love to hear Sarah say that the GOP can shove it too and get her involved with a third party (or what I would like to call “a first party”.) I just truly wish she could have knuckled out the full first term to give the left less to attack her with because we all know that the attacks will continue to come since the left is so threatened by her.