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Sarah Palin: brilliant or dunce?
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Gov. Sarah Palin (AP Photo)
Alaska governor Sarah Palin's surprise announcement over the long weekend marks her as either the most brilliant politician in the country, or the biggest dunce. It's hard to tell which.
Making the announcement at the beginning of a three day holiday is definitely the brilliant part. With little else going on, her statement dominated the news for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That's a lot of exposure for a five minute press conference.
Not presenting a coherent reason for her decision – maybe not so brilliant. Then again, the lack of a clear motive has led to lots of speculation and increased news coverage, so maybe this too is a smart move. It certainly added to the media coverage.
Palin's statement that she was off the serve a “higher calling” did nothing to alleviate the confusion surrounding her announcement. These are the words that are often uttered by high priced executives who leave the fast paced corporate life to join the Peace Corps in Tanzania.
One assumes that the “higher calling” implies national ambitions towards the presidency, either in 2012 or 2016. This is, of course, speculation, since Sarah Palin herself has not yet been forthcoming with what she means by those two words.
Abandoning the governorship of Alaska a little over half way through her term is most definitely the dunce part. It's hard to see her as anything other than a quitter - the going got tough so she quit going.
It is hard to see how she can overcome the image of being a quitter and make a successful bid for the Republican nomination for president, much less be elected. You can't just walk away when things don't go the way you want them to. You can't go, aw gee it's no fun being a lame duck, when you are sitting in the oval office.
Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty may have national ambitions as well. Remember he was on the short list for the Vice Presidential pick last summer. He at least has the willingness to serve out the remainder of his term of office. What can't Sarah Palin stick it out as well?
Understandably it is difficult to become a player on the national stage when you are stuck in Juneau, Alaska. So this decision frees Palin to be able to spend larger amounts of time in the lower 48 than she might otherwise be able to do as a sitting governor. But it is hard to see how leaving early makes her a more viable candidate for any other political office. She has placed quite a hurdle in her path to national prominence.
Then again, perhaps she does not harbor national ambitions. Maybe there is something else on her mind. We don't know. All we know is that she is off to serve a “higher calling.”
The mystery will resolve itself when Palin reveals what she means by “higher calling.” Or it won't. With her history, we may be even more confused when we find out what she has up her sleeves.
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A sampling of other views on the web:
John McCain's Campaign Staffers Unload on Sarah Palin
Palin resignation fuels White House speculation
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