The Palin Shocker?

Yes, it was a shocker. I figured she wasn't going to run for re-election, but the news of her resignation came as a complete surprise. My gut reaction? She's tired of politics, and is out of the game for good. Even if that's not her intention, I agree with Ed M. that it's the ultimate effect of her speech today.

To be honest, though, if she is leaving for good I can't blame her. After she was named as the vice presidential nominee, the press and the left savaged her and her family. Their behavior was abhorrent, and no doubt left its mark. Recently, Democrats have gone after her daughter and her infant son, and I think that's what broke the proverbial camel's back. I can take a lot of abuse, but if someone started insulting my daughters because they disagreed with me politically, my sense of protectiveness for my kids would lead me to make the same decision. I don't know what Palin is thinking, but it seems to me that she doesn't want to sacrifice her children's chance for a normal life on the altar of her own ambition, and that is ultimately an admirable decision.

Or, to put it in starker terms, David Letterman should be ashamed of himself. If I had to guess, I would say it was his "jokes" about her daughter that helped start Palin down the road to today's decision.

If she did this because she wants to run for president, though, the view gets murkier. As Ace said today, "you can't resign from a governorship and then run for higher office." One cannot jump out of a frying pan to prepare to run for an office that is mostly fire. I personally don't believe that's what Palin is doing, however, and her departure really is a loss for the GOP, which has few truly magnetic personalities.

I went to see Palin when she came to Bangor during the campaign. I've seen a few politicians give speeches and the only person I can compare Palin to was Bill Clinton. She was magnetic. Part of it is the fact that she really is stunning in person, but also extremely charismatic - she had the crowd eating out of her hand by the end. It was something to see, and so far, I have yet to get a similar vibe from anyone else who aspires to the GOP nomination for the presidency.

But if our loss is her family's gain...good for her.

Cross-posted at The Greenroom