Thanks, JT, excellent post.

A few of those scumbags were in the McCain-Palin campaign. They did not want them to win, so they did everything to torpedo that campaign. McCain did not help the cause any either. He could have fired those idiots and promoted people that were more capable of running a winning campaign.

Palin 2012!

I do admire her fortitude. She stood up where some men would have folded. Also, the left has lowered the behavior of elections to an all time low. So vile and unrelenting. Just wait a few seconds here and they'll be out. You cannot mention Palin without the trolls going nuclear. Good post. ww

"What gets Palin's critics so bent out of shape over her "quitting" is that she is doing something virtually unheard of in major political figures, and utterly incomprehensible to most hard-core political junkies: she simply doesn't feel the need to hold the reins of power. She is more interested in results than personal glory, and if achieving her ends means giving up power or prestige, then fine."

And that's why she's attractive in a way they don't understand. That's (supposedly) the way the Founding Fathers imagined our political class would operate - that results were more important than the power.

You read her book, (and I have, BTW) and you see clearly that results are more important to her than political power. You also get the feeling that the folks in the campaign were working to lose while giving an impression of trying to win it. If you have a VP candidate that's consistently drawing crowds, who is getting people fired up in ways that they haven't been in DECADES, you don't hide her form the press. You don't block her from reporters in her own state. You don't force her to conform to the 'standard model' of a political candidate - one of her attractions was that she WASN'T from the inbred east coast political aristocracy, and she HAD a hell of a lot more real-world experience than the Dem candidate for either VP or Pres had.

(And the press savaged her because SHE supposedly had no experience? You'll note just how fast the McCain handlers went to her defense on that... in fact, I'm still waiting.)

It made no sense how they handled her if they were trying to actually WIN. It did if they were trying to LOSE, while giving the appearance of trying to win.

The 2008 campaign was just plain bizarre. It'll be one for the history books, to be sure!

JT, I sure hope you aren't calling me a troll because I don't want Palin to run for office. I've always had respect for this site, so please reassure me that I can continue to do so. There is no sarcasm in my writing here, I'm genuinely upset that people would be angry that I don't want Palin for President, and yet still like the woman.
I'm glad she's out there telling the truth and I know she totally unnerves the left. I support her message, but as I said in the comment to your prior post, I would rather see her as chair of the RNC. Why are you trying to make ME the enemy here??

Feel free to email me.

Lisa

Lisa, it wasn't all about you. I used your comments (along with a lot of others) as a springboard to answer the "Palin's a quitter" BS.

I try to avoid taking discussions that start in public private.

I don't think much of Palin as RNC Chair. That's a party apparatchik job, a wonk job, a loyalist job, and she's so not that.

So, any thoughts on the actual substance of my rebuttal to "Palin's a quitter?"

J.

The 'mishandling' of Palin by the McCain campaign staff was due to the fact that she was more appealing to the conservative base than the man at the top of the ticket. The staff addressed this awkwardness by treating her as an opponent.

Lisa, Palin as RNC chairman would be like Secretariat working the fields.

davidt: "Palin as RNC chairman would be like Secretariat working the fields."

More like Secretariat being turned into glue! But I get your point! :)

Palin in 2010 WILL be a major factor in focusing and rallying the energy of those fed up with our non-Representative government! This will benefit the Republicans more than the Dems, of course...but the Republicans who don't wake up will wish they had!

Lisa, I still want to know what living Republicans, if any, you support. You don't have to be a liberal troll for me to consider you not credible as a critic. If you don't support any Republicans then why should I care about your opinion?

I agree she was relentlessly attacked, JT. I still think she shouldn't have resigned, but I agree to disagree on this point. My main problem with all this is the "Palin 2012" contingency. I don't think she is a viable candidate. That doesn't diminish the respect I have for her. I don't know what her plans are, but it seems to me that she has been very effective championing America as a private citizen.

klrtz1, I am a registered Republican and not that it's any of your damn business, but I am working to get Scott Brown elected in MA. Are there any more personal attacks you wish me to defend against before you deem me credible? Does irony and hypocrisy mean ANYTHING to you (re: this post)?

Lisa you said, "My main problem with all this is the "Palin 2012" contingency. I don't think she is a viable candidate."

Meaning she would do a poor job or she couldn't get elected? If your main concern is her electability, my view is that I'd rather lose with a candidate who gives every appearance of being a real, live, truly pro-American leader than some namby-pamby, lily-livered GOP candidate who can get elected, but who won't do squat once they're in office.

Oh, and this is a GREAT post, Jay Tea:)

If Palin is smart (and she is) she will see that she can have far more influence on American politics by supporting conservative issues and carrying the conservative vision than she can by actually running for office. By running for office she will attract all the same BS that informed her decision to leave office as Governor. By remaining an independent voice she will avoid all the partisan dirty tricks and she can have a huge impact on the national discussion.

Thank you for answering my question, Lisa. It just bothers me when people pound the table about something but won't address the facts. Maybe you're just not very good at explaining yourself.

I'm not clear on what irony is involved here. Call me a hypocrite all you want, that's such a usual liberal troll tactic that I'm used to it. Hell, call me a racist, I don't care.

The more I hear from Palin, the more I respect her. She can be the voice of literally millions of conservatives and independents who feel that our own government needs to be bluntly reminded who they really represent.

She can be the catalyst behind a major housecleaning in November, and if she does, the yellow brick road leads to the White House in 2012, if I read it right.

And I'm just fine with that.

Her support of the John Birch society and other fringe elements is going to paint her with the "out of the mainstream America" brush that she used so ineffectually against Obama in the 2008 elections -- only in this instance the charges are real and will stick.

If Palin were smart (and she isn't) she'd realize that dividing the GOP between the hard core teabgging social conservatives and the entrenched neoconservative power structure just isn't the way to win elections.

...but (fortunately for democrats) she's not that smart.

"By remaining an independent voice she will avoid all the partisan dirty tricks "

jim m, I think you are being naive. Maybe you should ask Rush Limbaugh if he's avoided partisan dirty tricks. I think Palin will remain under attack until they shut her up.

"If Palin were smart (and she isn't)"

Then Stevie, why is the left so OBSESSED with her?

Her support of the John Birch society and other fringe elements is going to paint her with the "out of the mainstream America" brush that she used so ineffectually against Obama in the 2008 elections -- only in this instance the charges are real and will stick.

Care to cite your evidence of her "support for the John Birch Society," Steve? All I've seen is a single photo from almost 20 years ago where she has a single page from their newsletter in front of her.

Please, Steve, enlighten us.

J.

I am assuming Ms Palin got a pretty good taste of national politics when she was on the McCain ticket and although she fought corruption in Alaska, the national election was a real eye opener for her. I think she came into the VP candidate role a little naive but I also think her principles are strong and not as malleable those of the typical DC pol (both Democrat and Republican). And I think she is a very quick study. I think Palin did not get meaningful support from the Republican establishement while she was on the McCain ticket and this is not lost on her. She knows the Republican elites aren't all that warm to her and CPAC is their big show. I don't think Palin wants to bring any significant attention to the "establishment" and wants to remain as an independent with conservative principles. Right now with the large pool of self-described independents not really happy with either of the major parties but tending to lean to conservative ideologically, I think she is playing it right.

Lisa- "My main problem with all this is the "Palin 2012" contingency."
Your have your opinion and I have mine. Don't think your's is worth more than it is. Sarah did more to get Conservatives involved in '08 than anything your ilk could have imagined. The silent majority is indeed awake and 'we' are going to take back our country from the Obama, Romney, Hucklebee and the other establishment.

You´re trying to spin QUITTING.
The Queen of Quit, QUIT. She did not finish, explain that to your kids.

Thanks, DEO. You are precisely the kind of dipshit I wrote this piece for.

Keep on ignoring what Palin accomplished by quitting in both cases.

J.

"explain that to your kids"

Why? Do they vote? If they're old enough to vote, don't you think they can understand the rather straightforward explanation by Jay Tea? Are you dissing my children, DEO?

If Palin were smart (and she isn't) she'd realize that dividing the GOP between the hard core teabgging social conservatives and the entrenched neoconservative power structure just isn't the way to win elections.

...but (fortunately for democrats) she's not that smart.

If Palin is not that smart, tell me why she has been running circles around the people that are the most vocal critics of her? If going to Harvard or any other Ivy League School is required to hold an elected office, that leaves out a lot of Dems that are in the current Congress. Most of them are not smart enough to pour piss out of a boot with the instructions written on the heel. Oh that's right most of them can't read anyway.

I didn't think John McCain was a viable candidate, but I was stuck with him anyway. Turns out I was right. It is way too early to tell about Palin. As far as I can tell, she is growing immensely and will continue to do so. I would put her experience up against Obama's (virtually zero at the time of his candidacy) any day.

I love the vitriol spewed by some on this site. Kind of shows how dangerous she is to libs.

Governor Palin is not a quitter in a strategic sense. She is adapting her tactics to deny her adversaries an advantage. By leaving office, she appears to have weakened herself when, in fact, she has given herself greater freedom of mobility.

The tactical strategy of "find, fix, flank and finish" was being used by the Democrats against her. If she had remained fixed in her office, they would have continued to flank her by the groundless ethics charges which would have been used by the MSM against her ... "amid a growing number of charges of malfeasance and abuse of office, Sarah Palin, the failed Vice Presidential candidate famous for never having read a newspaper not published in Alaska, today said..." It would be something that the noted intellectual Chris Matthews would endlessly repeat.

Governor Palin was smart. She saw that she was being flanked and decided that her message was more important than her office. She chose not to defend the fixed fortification of the office and chose maneuver as her tactic. She is forcing her critics to give up their "by the numbers" attack pattern and now have to find a new way to flank her.

Their new gambit - "she's a quitter, she has no stomach for the fight, she is to be ignored..." fails upon her next Facebook entry or Twitter update. They fear her message. Her critics cling to the belief that killing the messenger will stop the message. I have news for them - the message lives regardless of the messenger.

Governor Sarah Palin is not going to let herself get pinned down defending an job title at the expense of an important message. She is not going to be predictable in her responses and initiatives. While her strategy is clear, her tactics will confound and confuse her critics.

A World War II German officer was once asked his opinion of the various armies he had fought. Of them all, he hated to fight the Americans because, unlike the British and Russians whose tactics he could predict, he never knew what the Americans would do until it was too late to stop them. Because Governor Palin does not follow a predicable path, she keeps the other side guessing and on constant guard. She is the General Patton who is keeping her critics tied to defending the Pas de Calais.

Should she ever be placed into being the nominee for President, she will have her "Operation Cobra" opportunity to encircle her critics.

Just for grins, I would like to have a bumper sticker that reads "Palin Cheney 2012 ... and beyond" just to see whose heads would explode.

If Palin had remained chained to the governor's desk, she would have been a sitting duck for every leftist assault imaginable. Now she's free, and a moving target is far harder to hit. Since her resignation, she's been doing everything right. Book, book tour, op/eds, Facebook posts, interviews, speeches. Palin's got a large number of events she's scheduled to attend over the next few months. There will be no shortage of Palin news, that's for sure. As proven by polls during her book tour, the more she is out and about, and in the public eye, the more people like her. 2010 is going to be a big year for Palin, and her supporters. OTOH it will drive the left even loonier than they already are.

The personal attacks on me here leave me truly incredulous. I do not want to see Palin run for President, therefore I am a liberal, America-hating troll, who's opinions are crap. Absolutely incredible. I'm truly stunned, and if you had any idea who I am, I have no doubt you would apologize. Wow, people, just wow. Ideas and intelligent debate are already quickly turning into ad hominen attacks and vitriol. Please, stop it.

You´re trying to spin QUITTING.
The Queen of Quit, QUIT. She did not finish, explain that to your kids.

DEO:
Your definition of "not quitting" appears to be "kamikaze".
Wouldn't you then see that as stupid, and therefore still be unsatisfied?
-

s green -

"If Palin were smart (and she isn't)"

"...but (fortunately for democrats) she's not that smart."

Just keep drinking kool-aid and telling yourself that tool.

If Palin would just come forward with THE TRUTH the greater American public would embrace her.

Lisa, I would apologize if I had made any personal remarks about you. You have not helped your credibility with me by your claim you should not be questioned because of "who you are". If Newt Gingrich himself were to come here and refuse to back up his opinion with any reasoning or logic, I would question him too.

Maybe you are too thin skinned for the rough give and take of blogging.

Jay Tea, one thing that puzzles me about the ethics complaints avalanche created by the Left: Why hasn't the Alaska Attorney General indicted those who filed the complaints and then contacted the press about those same complaints, which was in direct violation of Alaskan law? After all, these complainants cost Alaska taxpayers millions of dollars, as did the endless FOIA requests. (One complainant in particular, the so-called falafel lady - Andree McLeod - a disgruntled ex-state employee with an ax to grind, filed complaint after complaint, far more than anyone else in the state. She also told the press after she filed each complaint, violating the law. Doesn't the law apply to her equally?)

Lisa, You try to make it sound like everyone is attacking you here when, as far as I can tell, the primary culprit is one person (klrtz1). The rest is fair game. You are really beginning to come off as a bit of a whiner. There is no reason to take it that personally, especially from people you do not know, and whose own credibility could be questioned just as easily. You are clearly in the minority here. Just roll with it.

DCE, I'm not certain, but I don't think there's any punishment written into the law for complainants who break it. Basically, they can get scolded, and it can be used in arguing for dismissing the complaint, but that's it.

J.

Lisa, the only problem I have with you is your lack of understanding of why she resigned. If you were placed in a position that would bankrupt you and your family, what would you do? If you were placed in a position that would cost your subordinates thousands of dollars, what would you do? If you were placed in a situation that would cost your state millions of dollars and thousands of man hours, what would you do?

Whenever I see someone such as you say that she shouldn't have resigned, I think, "boy, that person is either ill-informed or an idiot". Which are you?

Sarah was left with no recourse- massive legal bills with no end in sight and insufficient means to pay them. What would you do?

DCE:

I was under the distinct impression that Jay Tea had already answered your question, right in the middle of his post...

Under Alaska's flawed ethics laws, any allegation has to be treated as serious and investigated thoroughly. This means that the accused has to defend against it, and the law also says that the accused has to pay the costs of that defense out of their own pocket.

But there is no penalty for filing bullshit complaints. Indeed, accusers are given extensive protections -- guaranteed anonymity, no liability for false accusations, no expenses for filing, nothing.

So, what did I miss?
-

Drama much, Lisa? If your mild treatment here is so stunning, perhaps you should re-think the wisdom of you debating other people.

When you say: " .. I'm genuinely upset that people would be angry that I don't want Palin for President, and yet still like the woman. "
you are being a little too slippery.

People got upset when you brought out the 'quitter' trope, not just because you don't want Palin for Prez. JT ably dissected that meme with this post, but really; most people who are not political partisans have seen through this 'quitter' slur.

So far, your only retort to the point of Jay's post is "I still think she shouldn't have resigned.." Not a very convincing retort.

All I know is if I want to resign My job its My business and My choice. Nobody else pays My bills and I dont need them ordaining My life choice's and either does Sarah.

31. Posted by Greg | January 10, 2010 2:34 PM

Well said.

I still am not convinced that she should be Prez. I think she needs more experience, especially foreign exp.
I also think the negative press she gets may make her unelectable.
But hey, I'm going to keep an open mind. If she can convince me that she can do it, then she'll get my vote. Assuming she even wants to run thru the Presidential meat grinder.

I am not thin-skinned, nor dramatic. And it's not just one person who has made comments. I believed that most at this site were above simply bashing opposing views.
The whole "you hate Palin, you hate America" theme is simply ridiculous. You want a fact? Here: Palin was elected to serve as the governor of Alaska. Regardless of circumstances, she resigned. She abdicated her responsibility to the people who elected her. Would I want her bankrupted? Of course not, but that does nothing to change the fact that she cut and run.
Palin does not have the strength to be in public office. She can be a wonderful woman, mother and American, and still not be suited for office. I realize many of you disagree, and I won't debate that anymore.
Whiner? Please, get real.
And unlike many on this site, I find no need to hide behind pseudonyms. My name is Lisa Doby and I own my opinions.

If Palin runs for President as a Republican in 2012 I will supporter her if she wins the nomination. Until then I think there are other Republican candidates that have a better chance of unseating Obama. If Palin even hints at going the 3rd party route, then I will actively oppose her as all such a 3rd party does is guarantee Obama's reelection.

Liberals would like nothing more than to see Ron Paul loonatarians hijack the Tea Party movement and get Palin to run as their candidate in 2012. I hope she's too smart to take the bait.

"In some ways, she reminds me of someone else who liberals found dangerous to misunderestimate..."-j

comparing bush and palin!
cruel and clueless yet apt.
beware of snow machines.

to lisa from communist marine,
continued good mental health!

to palinos,
the ex-gov is sensitive to pressure and its effect on her complexion or something.
a ghost-written book requires scant executive-time compromise.
conservative book club orders negated need for intensive personal touring immediately, so enough of the $$$ dialectics.

beyond all the excuses though, palin's lazy thinking as revealed in that fateful couric interview can only be expunged by intensive battling interviews with media pantloads just aching to be de-pantsed.
yet palin loves the easy route of quitting, posing, sunning, and striking that pose werein she appears to be smelling her own upper lip.

2010 will be shit or get up time for palin.
i'm no fan of long campaigns and normally wouldn't recommend it, but now is the time for remediation of whatever prospects her fans imagine.

i think palin would prefer a public appointment sinecure as the less taxing mode of maintaining a fitting profile free from what she dreads to do with arms full of political baggage.
it's obvious.

I have to say I admire Lisa Doby for coming back and telling us off. I hope you don't quit this blog, Lisa.

It's really none of your business why I use a pseudonym though. That's personal.

lisa "And unlike many on this site, I find no need to hide behind pseudonyms. My name is Lisa Doby and I own my opinions.

Yeah you sure do own them, but lets test one.

If you were in the exact position Palin found herself in what would you have done?

As far as you not hiding "behind pseudonyms" good for you, but lets all hope your honesty doesn't lead to such things as pervert stalkers after a minor female child you may have or some type of identity theft that costs you thousands of dollars and a piss poor credit rating.

Know what I mean little miss honesty?

holy cow!

tea party convention charging $349 for the cheapseats and palin is demanding her cut.
whether $35,000 or the top report of $100,000 to speak, whatever happened to "travel and accommodations courtesy of..."?

DCE and Paul_In_Houston - it seems to me that the Alaska ethics laws were written specifically to provide ample protection for whistle blowers.

While the effort was noble, Palin's case is a perfect example of how whistle blower protection can make the system a prime target for abuse.

This is similar to what happened in states that built a high degree of protection for abused women into their legal systems. Soon thereafter, bitter women figured out that they could ruin the lives of the men they hated by falsely accusing them of sexual abuse and rape, with little consequence for the female accuser when the charges turned out to be false.

Steve Green - I thoroughly debunked the "Sarah Palin is a member (or ally) of the John Birch Society" smear here.

Are you threatening me, Marc? I'm also a 2nd Amendment supporter. I don't scare.

Marc:
"lisa "And unlike many on this site, I find no need to hide behind pseudonyms. My name is Lisa Doby and I own my opinions."

If had a common name like Joe Johnson I would probably use it. Seeing as My name is likely one of a kind, I dont care to exspose Myself to loonies and scammers as Marc suggests.

Before I say anything else, Lisa, I need to know: How many men have you shot?

klrtz1, you've got to be kidding me. I suppose now I can't be a 2nd Amendment support because I don't go around shooting people. Sarah Palin had the temerity to become a public figure, even knowing there would be those who would wish her harm. For that, I give her credit. Kind of hard to represent this country if no one knows who you are.

I do thank many of you for your comments, as they have been an eye-opener, and will assist me in future endeavors. Good night :)

Lisa, why won't you answer my questions?

Lisa you ability to understand Palin's situation prior to her resigning is perplexing to me. If you refuse to see why, then that is on you. For whatever reason, I do not think any family should be put in the poor house to "make a stand" to please any party or apparatus. I am starting to think you are more then a little whiner. You are claiming victimhood for stating your opinion while other do not agree. I do not know if Plain would be a good president and I have voted in a lot of presidential elections and wasn't sure any time. I did know this for sure, Palin had much more experience then Obama did, so comparing resume's Palin far outweighed Obama's.

I am starting to think you are an Obama supporter trying to disguise yourself as "one of us". ww

lisa "Are you threatening me, Marc? I'm also a 2nd Amendment supporter. I don't scare."

Ya know, 'til now I was more than willing to give you the benefit of doubt given some charges leveled against you here.

But now, in light of my pointing out simple facts about internet security measures and use of personal info, you sadly assert it was some type of threat there's no longer any doubt.

Your a paranoid nutcake.

The schizophrenic part I'm not sure about.

Yet.

lol!!!

klutz1, colonel sanders, and wildwillie are behaving as if lisa haplessly interrupted their private brokeback mountain homage in a pup tent.

"no, we don't want no stinkin' cookies and milk, ma! go back in the house!"

there! she's gone. carry on.

bryanD "there! she's gone. carry on."

You should follow.

Lisa,

Sorry you got off to a bad start on this thread. Wizbang is a unique blog that offers a lot to readers and contributors. Some choose to use monikers and some user their real names, but on the web in general and particularly on this blog, it's all about ideas rather than identities.

I assume you are the author of "Running Out Of Time", and if so, you are definitely someone who has ideas I want to read about.

Yes, Mac, I am the author of that article. Thank you for your kind words.

Lisa, please, stick around. Your not grasping Palin's reasoning in her resignations led me to this piece, and I appreciate that.

But I would greatly like to hear how you would have resolved her dilemma as governor -- an endless stream of frivolous ethics complaints that were threatening to bankrupt her and her family, her top aides, and costing the state hefty amounts of money and distracting everyone concerned from the jobs they were elected to do. Resigning was the only solution she had.

If you see another way she could have ended it, then I'd love to hear it.

J.

Jay,

I'm going to step in and say that Palin was premature in resigning. I haven't done the research, but I doubt complaint # 18 would be sustained, and thus, a legal defense fund would have been a big part of the answer. In addition, Palin should have worked to get the goofy ethics law changed as it can be used against any future governor, in fact, her supporters could have made the point that if democrats didn't cooperate in changing the law they would guarantee the same treatment of any future democrat governor.

If Palin would have stayed and fought she would have been in a stronger position to move her agenda forward than she is in now and could have still made a lot of money from books and speaking fees.

Palin has explained repeatedly, consistently, and in plain English, why she resigned the governorship of Alaska. A job which she has stated repeatedly she loved and would rather have kept than give up.

Her stated reasons for resigning are backed up by the facts.

To claim Palin didn't resign because of the reasons she has given is to accuse her of being a liar. And to deny the facts.

The burden of proof falls upon the accuser. Anyone who claims Palin resigned for reasons other than those she has given needs to either show some actual proof to back up their claims or to stop accusing her of being a liar.

Every single word the woman has ever uttered in public and every single public action of hers is a matter of public record, and the sources for this information are virtually endless via the internet. Yet none of the people who say Palin resigned for the reasons she has given can offer any facts to to back up their claims.

Echos of, "Bush lied!" Every word the man ever said is a matter of public record and available via the internet, but nobody can quote Bush's lie.

"Yet none of the people who say Palin resigned for the reasons she has given can offer any facts to to back up their claims."

Sorry, should be, "...for reasons other than she has given..."

Jay, it's not that I don't grasp Palin's reasons for resigning. It's that I do not accept them. One does not resign from such a position, but stays and fights, to the bitter end if need be. Our founders pledged their lives and fortunes to create and defend this republic. She did what she felt she needed to do, and I have the right to disagree with her reasons. What would I have done differently? Hunkered down and given the bastards the fight of their lives. I wish she had, too.

To claim Palin didn't resign because of the reasons she has given is to accuse her of being a liar. And to deny the facts.

Of course saying she was premature in resigning doesn't call into question any of the facts, only her judgment. When we get to the point where Palin's judgment can't be questioned we have left the realm of politics and entered the realm of cultism.

"If Palin would have stayed and fought she would have been in a stronger position to move her agenda forward than she is in now and could have still made a lot of money from books and speaking fees"

If Her agenda was making money She's doing alright. However, maybe Her agenda is not all about Her? Maybe She has core value's of right and wrong that extend beyond Her and do not allow Her to play the game like Harry Reid or any other number of losers up for re-election/resignment play.

One does not resign from such a position, but stays and fights, to the bitter end if need be. Our founders pledged their lives and fortunes to create and defend this republic.

Lisa, why? What does she gain by spending even more money and time in the fight? She'd already incurred legal bills equal to double her family's net income and 40% of their net worth. She should keep going until her family's broke?

And changing the law? A very slow process, and every single move she made towards changing it would have been accompanied with even more ethics charges, about how she was working to change the law for her personal benefit.

Keep fighting until when? It. Would. Never. Have. Ended.

In "Star Trek" terms, it was a Kobayashi Maru situation -- a no-win scenario. The only way to win was to change the rules -- to do the unthinkable and give up office. So that's what she did.

And by that standard, wasn't George Washington a quitter? He only spent eight years as president before saying he wouldn't stand for a third term.

J.

However, maybe Her agenda is not all about Her? Maybe She has core value's of right and wrong that extend beyond Her and do not allow Her to play the game like Harry Reid or any other number of losers up for re-election/resignment play.

If true, why run for governor in the first place? If you believe you bring nothing unique to the table and your core values are antithetical to the feeding frenzy you know goes on there, then the right thing to do is not run for governor in the first place.

And changing the law? A very slow process, and every single move she made towards changing it would have been accompanied with even more ethics charges, about how she was working to change the law for her personal benefit.

Assuming #18 would be dismissed, then Palin would have been able to mount a legal defense and perhaps an offense at no monetary cost to her. If you think about it, the law that was being abused really is a poor law and the more the opposition used it the more obvious it would become that it was a poor law. For the benefit of future governors Palin would have done Alaska a great service in fighting to change that law, assuming #18 would be dismissed.

If #18 were sustained, then yes, resign and suggest that no future person need apply for governor unless they are wealthy enough to defend themselves from endless baseless ethics charges. A point Republicans would do well to drive home by example as soon as a Democrat wins the Alaskan governorship.

And by that standard, wasn't George Washington a quitter? He only spent eight years as president before saying he wouldn't stand for a third term.

The operative term here is "term". Not running for reelection doesn't involve a resignation, and thus, there's no quitter stigma involved.

Don't get me wrong, I think McCain's move to select Palin as VP was the best move he made in his campaign. Apart from the uphill battle McCain/Palin faced given the mood of the nation and the MSM's open support for Obama, it was mistakes by McCain that cost his ticket the election.

Unlike the liberal view of Obama, I see Palin as a politician who's subject to both emotions and errors in judgment just as any other human is. She did have other choices as long as #18 was in question and changing a bad law was worth of a hard fight. That's my reasons for saying her resignation was premature.

Lisa, you cannot "put up a good fight" if you are out of money. The left wanted to run her out of office and bankrupt her. She chose to beat them at their own game, amass a deep war chest and go after the liars. Simple to understand. It is her fight but not here your childrens. Do you not get that? I do not think you would do the same thing with the same circumstances presented. ww

WildWillie, if you look at complaint #18 you'll see that Palin's supporters were solving the money issue by establishing a legal defense fund. Such a fund would destroy the ability of liberals to punish Palin monetarily with frivolous ethics complains, so of course, liberals attacked Palin's use of the fund. However, it's unlikely #18 could be sustained as such third party legal funds and interventions are common practice and go to the heart of organizations like the ACLU. With such a fund in place Palin could have gone on the offensive to get a bad law changed for the sake of all future Alaskan politicians.

Yes, Palin also had the issue of her children to consider, but in resigning for that reason she creates an extra burden for the next mom who wants to be governor as the only example demonstrates a weakness that dads somehow escape. If you want to be a pioneer you need to leave a good trail for others to follow, not one that goes off a cliff.

Retreat from the battle to win the war. She's supposedly an idiot and a quitter yet, aside from the President, is the most talked about political figure in the news and blogs.

Brilliant.

To those that support her potential as a Presidential candidate and to those that oppose her I can only say this:

Both sides are assuming the Presidency is her goal. What if it isn't?

Winning such an office locks her down much as the Governorship did--if not more. As a free citizen I dare say she wields more potential political over.

She has those on the left and the right reacting to her moves. She's taken the initiative. It's an impressive feat. Whether it's an Obama-worshipping thug or a disgruntled McCainite as a private citizen that can't touch her or shut her up.

It's going to be an interesting next few years...

Mac @68, I was careful to avoid the question of Palin's judgment and whether she was premature in resigning, though in my opinion and at the risk of sounding like a cultist I believe she has made the best moves she could.

I was one of he few who got what Sarah Palin did when she resigned as Governor. It was on the eve of Independence Day ... Get it Independence Day .... Also the basketball analogy & Quoting General MacArthur ... We are not retreating but going in a different direction ... Just for what Sarah Palin has accomplished at this point proves she is brilliant. If Sarah decides to run for President in 2012 & wins, IMHO I would rate her as one of the top political leaders, strategist of all times.

I was one of he few who got what Sarah Palin did when she resigned as Governor. It was on the eve of Independence Day ... Get it Independence Day ....
77. Posted by Max

The original Declaration of Independence was also a Declaration of War. :-)
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