Alaska Governor Sarah Palin announces that she is stepping down from office at the end of the month. The news rattles a Republican Party already plagued with setbacks in recent weeks, including extramarital affairs disclosed by two other 2012 presidential prospects, Nevada Senator John Ensign and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. Governor Palin hinted she had a bigger role in mind, saying she wanted to make a "positive change outside government." She said that this is in Alaska's best interest and that her family is happy.
In a hastily arranged news conference at her home Governor Palin said she will formally step down July 26, and Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell will be inaugurated at the governor's picnic in Fairbanks, Alaska. She still has two years left to her term.
The 2008 vice presidential nominee was seen as a likely presidential contender in 2012 and had many supporters among the party's base. But the last week brought a highly critical piece in Vanity Fair magazine, with aides questioning if she was ever really prepared for the presidency. The backbiting continued through the week, with follow-up articles recounting the nasty infighting that plagued her failed bid.
Palin's resignation, timed on the eve of the July 4 holiday when many Americans had already begun a three-day weekend, seemed designed to avoid publicity while openly leaving office. She alluded to how she could help change the country and help military members — code that she didn't think her time on the national stage was over. And a spokeswoman for Palin's political action committee SarahPAC, said the group continues to accept donations on its Web site, with a rise in funds after Palin's announcement.
I would think this eliminates her from serious consideration for the presidency in 2012. In the presidential race, Palin became the butt of talk-show jokes and Democratic criticism after news broke that the Republican Party had spent $150,000 or more on a designer wardrobe, accessories and hair and makeup services for her. The high-end spending spree contrasted with the down-to-earth image she sought to craft for herself and became an unwelcome issue for the McCain campaign. An unnamed advisor said that Governor Palin was "really unhappy with the way her life was going. Palin expressed frustration with her current role as governor. She felt that the pressures of the job combined with her family obligations were becoming too much. Just imagine her running and her opponent saying you quit your last office, maybe you will quit being president when the pressure is on also. This certainly calls into question her commitment to public service. YOU BETCHA!!!
Governor Palin said, “I cannot stand here as your governor and allow the millions of dollars and all that time go to waste just so I can hold the title of governor." I wonder what she has up her sleeve now? This leads me to suspect her to pop up on some national radio or TV show with a lucrative contract.
Sarah Palin's announcement comes after several recent blows to the Republican Party. Senator Ensign, a member of the Christian ministry Promise Keepers, stepped down from the Senate Republican leadership last month after admitting he had an affair for much of last year with a woman on his campaign staff who was married to one of his Senate aides. Ensign later disclosed he had helped the woman's husband get two jobs during the affair. And just days after news of Ensign's affair broke, Governor Sanford admitted an affair with a woman in Argentina. Some lawmakers are now calling for his resignation. Before the admission, Sanford had been missing from the state for five days visiting his lover. He had slipped his security detail, lied to his staff about where he was and failed to transfer power to the lieutenant governor in case of a state emergency.
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