WASILLA, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin abruptly announced Friday she is resigning from office at the end of the month, a shocking move that rattled the Republican party but left open the possibility she would seek a run for the White House in 2012.
Palin, 45, and her staff kept her future plans shrouded in mystery, and it was unclear if the controversial hockey mom would quietly return to private life or begin laying the foundation for a presidential bid.
Palin’s spokesman, David Murrow, said the governor didn’t say anything to him about this being her “political finale.” He said he interpreted Palin’s comment about working outside government as reflecting her current job only.
“She’s looking forward to serving the public outside the governor’s chair,” he said.
And Pam Pryor, a spokeswoman for Palin’s political action committee SarahPAC, said the group continues to accept donations on its Web site, with an uptick in funds after Palin’s announcement.
The announcement caught even current and former Palin advisers by surprise. Former members of the John McCain campaign team, now dispersed across the country, traded perplexed e-mails and phone calls.
But personal pressures have been mounting — scrutiny on her family, legal bills, ethics investigations and a running, public feud with McCain’s camp that has flared up again.
In a hastily arranged news conference at her home in suburban Wasilla, Palin said she will formally step down July 26, and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated at the governor’s picnic in Fairbanks. She said she had decided against running for re-election as Alaska’s governor, and believed it was best to leave office even though she had two years left to her term.
“Many just accept that lame duck status, and they hit that road. They draw a paycheck. They kind of milk it. And I’m not going to put Alaskans through that,” she said.
The 2008 vice presidential nominee was seen as a likely presidential contender in 2012 and had proved formidable among the party’s base. But the last week brought a highly critical piece in Vanity Fair magazine, with unnamed campaign aides questioning if Palin was ever really prepared for the presidency.
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ELH July 4, 2009 at 2:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)My guess is she is resigning in order to avoid the spectacle of an impeachment. There is very likely a Federal indictment coming down in connection with Sarah and Todd Palin's dealings with Spenard Building Supplies (SBS) and other contractors. These contractors were involved in the sports complex that has been a financial nightmare for Wasilla since Palin pushed the project through. "Coincidentally" these same companies were providing supplies for building the Palins' home at the same time that they were bidding on the project. Seems like the Palins may have gotten their home as quid pro quo in exchange for awarding the multi-million dollar sports complex contract.
ELH...you're just a little behind the times, pal. All of the "corruption" accusations have been debunked, and the courts have found Gov. Palin did nothing wrong. The ONLY thing that stuck was the $10k that she paid back over the transportation of her family during the campaign. Personally, I didn't see anything wrong with them going with her on the campaign trail....ANY of her detractors would have done the same thing....without a doubt....to keep their families close, too.
The Washington Post online has a much more informative article on her decision, which should remove speculation in anyones mind after reading both pages.
Rather than risk overdoing the cut & paste rules here, here's the link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/03/AR2009070301738.html
MichaelH, I ticked your post for removal, & sincerely hope they do. Anything posted that could be construed as racially offensive is reprehensible & vile. Please keep those kinds of references to yourself on your end of the keyboard.
She'll have my vote just as she did last time!!
And she'll lose!! Just like she made them lose last time!
A link affirming Pops' fine post above: http://www.conservatives4palin.com/2009/07/statement-from-gov-palins-legal-counsel.html
Those who have filed frivolous "ethics" complaints against Palin are a perfect zero for 15. A few speeches across the nation and she'll easily be able to take care of her legal bills. I look forward to her going full speed ahead in her efforts to rescue America from the tyranny and socialism of our current federal government.
Americans voted Obama into the White House and he already had a position that he was voted into.
I see her as a weak woman who could not handle all the heat coming down on her and her immoral daughter and she had to run with her tail in between her legs...How embarassing to strong women everywhere...As a woman, I would of never voted for her, she doesnt not seem smart to me at all, always beat around the bush on important issues, and obviously by looking at her family did not practice what she preached..no thanks to me wanting her to represent me..
So Appol, are you saying that republican governors are a good purchase? I thought it was democrats who were for sale i.e. Blago. . .
It wouldn't surprise me if Palin has cooked her goose on the national level...
I think she has shown the public that she is a loose cannon! I imagine the RNC is scampering to figure out what they are going to do with her.
Who in their right mind would consider voting for someone who quit as governor because she didn't want to finish out the term as a lame duck... Could someone feel comfortable voting her into a national office, knowing that when the going gets tough, she quits?
Appol, I just thought you had troubles with the English language so I wanted to make things simple so you could understand. DUH.
Oh you righties you are so amusing I mean really you crack me up. You are willing to overlook her ineptness and the obvious lack of knowledge to tow the party line. It must be tough to be a republican right now, I can't believe you don't have enough sense to be embarrased for yourselves. But it is entertaining to see that people who think like you can actually log in. No wonder you guys lost soooooo badly, I mean really what a spanking, beat so bad, rejected by the nation. ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Apple, See, I can spell apple correctly! Thank you for writing in English. All the typos were pretty painful to read. Now, we can address content. I DID concentrate on the subject I was writing about. The subject I was writing about was what seemed like your inability to spell when you post your comments.