Palin out

Palin has decided not to be governor any more. She's not only not going to run for re-election, she's resigning ASAP.

Does this finish her political career?

It might. This turn of events is being described as all but abandoning her post, or at least as close as you can get without disappearing for a few days to hike one of the nation's trails.

I can recall one former governor who left office, then spent years writing and speaking. He even had a radio commentary, in which he discussed matters of political import. He wound up being elected President.

However, he didn't leave office the way Palin has chosen to, turning in a resignation before the term is completely over. This may be a handicap, or if it can be played right, maybe not.

Here's a piece from American Thinker explaining why we may not have seen the last, or even the least, of Sarah Palin:

There is a point in tournament poker where one player doesn't have the chips to play out the next raise, but they have great cards, so they call "all in." At that point, nobody can raise them and the hand gets played out -- either to a game changing win or a total loss for the person who made the call.

It appears Sarah Palin decided she and her family could no longer deal with the thousand cuts, so she is "all in."

Palin may well decide to stay home and make macaroni and cheese for the kids, but history may not let her. She has already established herself as a major player -- candidate or not. More importantly, the wildly critical left has put her in a financial position where she has no choice but to speak out, perhaps do a book, and make the money she needs to pay legal bills for 15 unwarranted "ethics" investigations, all of which she handily won. The legal bills remain.

One doubts that when she speaks out, it will be about how to field dress a moose. Rather, she will take positions in speaking and writing about her core beliefs. That is a problem for the radical left of their own creation.

Yes, maybe a string of ethics investigations has been enough to drive her out of office, but now that weapon's useless. The only hope her opponents have now is that she will turn out to have nothing to say.

The fight is between an out of control government led by media and government elites and common sense Americans, of both parties, who have had enough. Sarah Palin is in the enviable, although personally painful position, of being the "anti elite" voice of common sense and shared American values.

The vicious left put her there and now they may live to regret it.

When informed of the invention of "poison gas" by Admiral Cochrane, the Duke of Wellington cautioned that "that is a game two can play." He wisely chose not to go there because it would certainly be used by both sides.

It had occurred to me that one of Palin's reasons for leaving office is that she "doesn't want to be a traditional lame duck". Well, gee. Where does that leave her Lieutenant Governor?" Answer: the incumbent.

Wizbang points to a post at Big Hollywood making a very similar point:

Remember when Darth Vader faced off with Obi-Wan Kenobi? "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine?" She's now immune from bogus legal claims and her book will not only raise her profile but set up her family financially for life. Now Sarah is unbound, freed from the need to be up in Juneau and able to network, fundraise and even (maybe) campaign without limitation. And the modern media environment will let her do these things without even a nod to the mainstream media (Do you think Katie Couric will ever get to ask Sarah another question? Ha!)

Lefties, if you were responsible for her doing this, you just unleashed your strongest opponent and made her immune from your strongest attacks all at once. Ouch. It must hurt to know a woman you pride yourself on seeing as a drooling Neanderthal nitwit so thoroughly out-maneuvered you. You do see it, right?

Kim Priestap doesn't know if this was part of a brilliantly conceived and flawlessly executed plan. She doesn't think so. Frankly, I don't either. I think Palin got sick of being a target for leftist venom and took herself and her family out of the line of fire. However, a big change like this creates ripples in the fabric of politics, and these ripples can be ridden, if you're quick to seize the opportunity.