What Exactly Was / Is Sarah Palin Thinking?

I am still shaking my head over soon-to-be-former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's resignation from the governorship of Alaska this past weekend.  What, if anything, was she thinking?  Maybe we will come to know this in the near future, and maybe it will even make some modicum of sense.  Maybe.

Coming at a time when the GOP is beaten down, disorganized, and increasingly politically marginalized in the face of the Democratic juggernaut in Washington, but yet also at a time when there is significant opportunity for an opposition party to make hay, the recent performances of GOP "leaders" leave much to be desired.  Mark Sanford sacrificed his political career to a Latin lover.  Nevada Senator John Ensign has likewise fallen to the wayside in the aftermath of a public admission of an affair.

Newt Gingrich, who in his wildest dreams will not be a viable candidate, is nonetheless seen by many as the political leader of the GOP.  When, of course, they are not listening to Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck.  Newt was effective during his stint in Congress until the very end, but his time is well past.  The GOP needs to do better, and soon.

And now, Palin is simply quitting as Alaska governor.  At first, I thought maybe she was going to admit that it was actually she who had been with Sanford in Buenos Aires, but her reasons were not even that clear, nor that interesting.  She thinks she can do more for the country if she is not bogged down with being a lame-duck Governor?  What about all those Alaskans who voted her into office?  Don't they deserve that she fulfill her commitment made when she was asking for their votes in the first place?

Palin was attacked last go-round for lack of experience.  Now, she has jettisoned her opportunity to gain more experience in governing.  Regardless of her course over the next few years, this is an opportunity lost to demonstrate the ability to be a political leader.  I cannot imagine anything she could do privately over the next few years that would better suit her for the Oval Office.  Not to mention that the label of "quitter" will be affixed by such as Dem attack dog James Carville.

If, of course, there is some pending investigation or some charges that wll be made, which Palin's lawyer denies, is this some sort of informal "plea bargain" under which Palin resigns in exchange for the charges going away quietly?  Possibly.  But the likelihood of ever keeping anything totally quiet in this media age is, in my opinion, slim and illusory.  Plus, if she gets caught in a cover-up, it is always worse than the original offense - just ask Nixon, Clinton, Sanford, et al.

While I hope we have not seen the last of Sarah Palin on the political stage, today her stock is not looking too good from this perspective.  Somewhere, Mitt Romney is smiling.

Comments

[Rev. Dr. James L. White]

My impression is that all the litigation and false charges were occupying much of the time and that she was not accomplishing what she wanted to accomplish and saw herself as a block to progress in AK, and that by her bowing out, that AK could make more progress without her than with her. I believe that she felt that she could actually do more and make more of a difference out of office that in it as a lame duck. Time will tell.

[BillB]

To add to the above, I understand that she had to pay out of her own pocket for defense against all of the ethics charges against her. She has not be found guilty of any. The legal bill for this defense thus far is around $500,000. With the constant barrage against her by the moon bats this is about all she could do to keep from personal bankruptcy. This would be even a bigger lever for the far left to wield against her.

[Zif]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124700261179807839.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

In Alaska anyone can file a FOIA request, each of which must be responded to on a strict timetable. Over 150 of such requests were filed. Palin follows the rules, and is successful and happy. Progressives do whatever they feel like, and wind up miserable. I think they want all of us to be miserable too.
So, be happy. It ticks them off.

[Carlos Navarro]

The idolatry of airheads like Sarah Palin is yet another display of the mass madness that has degraded and led human society astray since time immemorial. As Nietzsche noted: "Insanity in individuals is something rare, but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs it is the rule."-- Beyond Good and Evil