In a surprise move on Friday, Sarah Palin announced that she would not run for reelection for governor of Alaska, and that she would resign as governor in "a few weeks." Governor Palin, who ran for vice-president on the Republican ticket in 2008, cited the ineffectiveness of lame ducks as her reason for quitting, saying she would "effect positive change" outside of office.
Palin said "some will question the timing of this." Indeed. Though some in the media feel she's stepping down to pursue the nomination for president in 2012, one has to wonder why she'd resign on the Friday before a major U.S. holiday? With many Americans off of work for a long weekend, and many Americans thinking about nothing but barbeque, her announcement seems ill-timed for someone who is planning to stay in the limelight.
Governor Palin also complained that, "Over the past nine months I've been accused of all sorts of frivolous ethics violations - such as holding a fish in a photograph, wearing a jacket with a logo on it, and answering reporters' questions. Every one - all 15 of the ethics complaints have been dismissed. We've won!" Who wins and quits? (In her defense, she has piled up a lot of legal fees, and some of those accusations did look pretty thin.)
She also complained that her son Trig, who has Down Syndrome, was "mocked and ridiculed by some pretty mean spirited adults."
One also wonders about a former VP candidate worrying about the ineffectiveness of her position as governor. But whatever her reasons, and we may never know all the facts, Palin will remain a walking joke to some - a feisty hero to others. Either way, I doubt we've heard the last of her.
Palin ended her announcement with a quote from General Douglas MacArthur "We are not retreating, we are advancing in another direction." She would do well to read up on the man.
You can read the full text of her announcement here.
Photo by J.delanoy, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License.
