Palin's move fuels speculation

WASILLA, Alaska -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's announcement Sunday that she would resign this month shocked Republicans nationwide and fueled new speculation about her presidential ambitions and criticism of her political competence.

Palin, 45, was supposed to serve as governor through the end of 2010. But on Friday, surrounded by her family at her home in Wasilla, she said she would cede control of the state to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell on July 25.

Palin announced the decision at a press conference in which she invoked the words of Gen. Douglas MacArthur and the rules of basketball, but offered few clues about her intentions. Instead, she said she had decided not to seek re-election, and that she thought it would be unfair to her constituents to remain in office as a lame duck.

“As I thought about this announcement that I would not seek re-election, I thought about how much fun other governors have as lame ducks: They maybe travel around their state, travel to other states, maybe take their overseas international trade missions,” she said.

“I'm not going to put Alaskans through that,” she continued. “I promised efficiencies and effectiveness. That's not how I'm wired. I'm not wired to operate under the same old politics as usual.”

Palin is one of a number of Republican governors who are considering seeking the presidential nomination in 2012 and whose terms expire in 2010. Many Republican strategists have argued that it would be very difficult for someone to run for governor in 2010 and turn around immediately, while running a state, to run for president in 2012. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced last month that when his term expires in 2010 he would not seek re-election, as he considers a presidential bid.

However, leaving office in the middle of a term is highly unusual. Palin's decision set off a round of speculation among her critics and bloggers that another embarrassing scandal may be about to unfold. It also led critics in both parties to say Friday's announcement would only serve to reinforce doubts among many Americans about her stability, political competence and fortitude.

“Good point guards don't quit and walk off the floor if the going gets tough,” said John Weaver, a former senior strategist for McCain. “Today's move falls further into the weirdness category; people don't like a quitter.”

But some of her supporters argued that the announcement could actually provide her an opportunity to recover from what has been a damaging year for her. The State of Alaska has spent almost $300,000 investigating ethics complaints against Palin and her staff, including her firing of a public safety commissioner who believed he was terminated over his refusal to dismiss a state trooper involved in a messy divorce with the governor's sister.

In addition, the governor has remained in the news lately, and rarely for political reasons. Recent months have included a spat with David Letterman over jokes she considered inappropriate, a critical profile in Vanity Fair this week that fueled a public squabble among McCain's former campaign aides about Palin, questions about her appearance at a Republican fundraiser and near-constant coverage of her daughter's breakup with her ex-fiance, Levi Johnston.

Fred Malek, a Republican strategist who has advised Palin over the past year, said Palin was “really unhappy with the way her life was going.”

“She felt that the pressures of the job combined with her family obligations and the demands and desires to help other Republican candidates led her to decide not to run again,” Malek said. “Once that decision was made, she realized, why not do it now and let the lieutenant governor take over and get a head start on his election.”

The sheer size and distance of Alaska complicated Palin's ability to take care of the most basic kind of presidential preparation work: going to Republican Party state dinners, developing a network of fundraisers and supporters, and getting educated about the issues she might face as a presidential candidate. And Palin had also taken on another responsibility, having recently signed a lucrative contract to write a book.

But the fact that Palin, 45, will vacate the Alaska governor's office without finishing her first four-year term or bolstering her thin political resume -- which was a detriment during her 2008 vice presidential bid -- led some analysts to suggest the move would badly damage any future political aspirations.

“I always thought after the race what she needed to do was go back to Alaska and be substantive, show she's got a grasp of government and work for the good of the folks back home,” said Stuart Rothenberg, an independent campaign analyst in Washington, D.C. “This seems to be the exact opposite.”

However, William Kristol, the editor of the Weekly Standard and a supporter of Palin's, said that in the end, this could turn out to be a very smart move on her part.

“Everybody I've talked to thinks it's a little crazy,” he said. “But maybe not. What is she going to accomplish in the next year as governor? Every time she left the state she got criticized for neglecting her duties.

“She'll take a little hit for leaving the job early, no question about it,” he said. “But if she writes this book and gives speeches and travels the country and educates herself on some issues, that's good.”

This report includes material from the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press.