Here's a video clip of Sarah Palin's statement today. The original reports that the governor didn't say why she's stepping down early are wrong. She does give a reason; it just doesn't make any sense. In the speech she says that she isn't running for re-election, so Alaskans would be stuck with a lame duck governor. And unlike other lame duck governors who "milk it" by traveling to Europe and the other fifty states on trade commissions, she refuses to do politics as usual because she's just not made that way.
Her voice is quavering and weak and she is clearly extremely nervous. It's an incredibly bizarre performance for a female politician whose biggest strength was her toughness. She's bailing out early instead of using millions of taxpayers' dollars to take expensive trips? Since when did that become the only option for a governor with over a year left to govern? How about finishing the job she was elected to do? Take a look:
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin held a news conference at her home in Alaska this afternoon and announced that she is resigning as Governor in a few weeks. Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated at the Governor's Picnic at the end of the month. We have no details yet as to why she is resigning early. Governor Palin was expected to finish her term through the end of next year and not seek reelection in order to pursue another presidential run. Her resignation before the end of her term is shocking. The only reason to have a press conference on the Friday afternoon before the July 4th weekend is to try to bury the fact that she's not finishing out her term. But we don't think that's going to work. Of course, there will be lots of Independence Day and Michael Jackson coverage this weekend, so maybe it will work for awhile. But come Monday, there will be many questions for the Governor.
Sarah Palin's national political career just ended. You can't bail out before the end of your term as governor and then expect to run for higher office later. In fact, we've never heard of any governor abruptly resigning without giving some kind of reason for the resignation: she owes the Alaskan people an explanation. Instead, she just read a short statement in front of her home in Wasilla, Alaska, then refused to take any questions. It's all most odd.
Update: You can watch Sarah Palin's resignation speech here.
