Sarah Palin is resigning? What? And what a way to slip it in, between the Friday/4th of July/Endless MJ news cycle.
The more I think about it, the more this portends that she’s running for president rather than going away. If she’s planning on dropping out of politics for a while, there’s no reason to announce that she’s not running again this early. Granted, it helps clear the way for any of her underlings to start campaigning for governor, but she could tell them privately now and let them start organizing quietly. Also, the symbolism of announcing on July 4th weekend suggests grander plans. Or is she just trying to take advantage of the slow news cycle?
K-Lo at The Corner
Josh Marshall “WTF?”
UPDATE: Atrios
Mark Helperin at The Page
Josh Painter at Redstate
UPDATE #2: Shannyn Moore at Huffington Post
Jim Geraghty at NRO:
David Schuster is offering a typical sneering tone, but it doesn’t make it any less accurate: “If it’s true that she’s leaving the governorship before her first term is complete, her national political career is done.”
A broken clock can be right twice a day, and Schuster is right here. If Sarah Palin wishes to someday be President of the United States, then she had to serve at least one full term in statewide office. (Yes, Obama had been in the Senate for about two years before running for president, but he had a lot of stars align for him at the right moment. Beyond that, at some point, “but Obama did it that way” isn’t a persuasive argument.)
Departing with little or no warning, after about 30 months in office, is beyond surprising. I’m sure the Lieutenant Governor will do fine, but there’s definately a sense of leaving with work unfinished and as her career was just beginning to take off.
I know we’ve heard a lot of chanting “Governor, it’s time to resign,” but we meant Mark Sanford.
Jonah Goldberg at The Corner
UPDATE #3: Andrew Sullivan
I have no idea what this could mean, if it’s true. But my bet is that she will blame it on the Eastern elite media. She may figure withdrawing as a victim from the arena is the only way back to the center of the arena. But, as Bubble once said, “Who Can Saay?” All we know is she’s back in the news again folks. Strange as ever.
More K-Lo:
Who knows all the reasons — Todd and Sarah Palin, presumably fully understand.
Listening to her, it seems like this is a combination of stepping back and moving forward. Stepping back, because it’s way too overwhelming to be Sarah Palin, political phenom, Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, and Sarah Palin, wife and mother. I don’t know that anyone can fulfill all those roles well, simultaneously. And we’re unrealistic, I think, when we assume people can or should.
Palin had an opportunity to prove her critics wrong. She could have returned to Alaska after last year’s campaign, studied up on public policy, and built up some kind of record in office, preferably with some achievements. Instead, Palin has become an even more rigid ideologue. Given a chance to prove herself as leader, Palin has decided she’d prefer to walk away, blinded by a combination of ambition and misplaced arrogance.
UPDATE #4: James Joyner
UPDATE #5: Sullivan again
Bill Kristol at TWS
Michael Scherer at Swampland
UPDATE #6:
John Hinderaker at Powerline
UPDATE #7:
Mickey Kaus has compiled theories:
I can see 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Palin theories … and counting: 1) She’s running for president; 2) She’s undergoing fame withdrawal and plans to get more attention in the lower 48; 3) She wants to cash in ($); 4) There’s another shoe about to drop; 5) She’ll now run against Murkowski for Senate. 6) She needs to tend to her family. 7) She’s bonkers.
She’s preggers. 9) She wants to “effect positive change outside government at this point in time on another scale and actually make a difference for our priorities.” 10) Actually being a governor in a recession is no fun. Gives you ulcers. 11) She worried she wasn’t giving “Alaska’s issues” the attention they deserve, and was being criticized for that; 12) She’s “fed up with politics … the personal garbage” etc.. 13) She wants to fight back without one hand tied behind her back. 14) The Alaska legislature now hates her; … These theories are not necessarily mutually exclusive. … I have no fish in this hunt. … Update: Mediaite has an intravenous drip. … see also HuffPo … and NRO … Murphy is morphing! … The Daily Beast has a mere 11 theories. …
Conor Friedersdorf and Reihan Salam at American Scene.
Paul Begala at Huffington Post
Erick Erickson at Redstate
3 Comments
July 3, 2009 at 4:44 pm
[...] A Governor Is Resigning (No, Not That One) « Around The Sphere [...]
July 4, 2009 at 9:08 am
[...] A Governor Is Resigning (No, Not That One) « Around The Sphere [...]
July 4, 2009 at 2:46 pm
[...] A Governor Is Resigning (No, Not That One) Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Sarah Palin to resign Alaska governor’s [...]