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I can see the unemployment line from my house...wink :)

I can imagine 2012 being a replay of 1964, but I have a hard time imagining who the Republicans' modern Goldwater might be, since Obama is already coopting Huntsman and everybody else seems like an opportunist, a phony, or mentally incompetent.

Just listening to her speak is the sound of a dodged bullet. God Bless America!

Excuse me, McCain supporters, but it's ALWAYS been clear to some of us that your candidate's VP pick is batshit crazy. Just go back to her debate with Biden, where she airily announced that she wasn't gonna answer the debate questions, she was just gonna say what she wanted to say, doggone it. This is the person your guy thought would be qualified to be Leader of the Free World if anything happened to him. Christ, you're lucky Obama didn't kick your guy's ass in even more states.

She's so hot, and so smart... and then she opens her mouth.

Smart? When?

Positive change from outside of government sounds like she's gonna focused her efforts on her book and talkshow - more like the latter though.

Always be aware of the news cycle.

Announcing something on a Friday is almost always in the hopes that it will fade away quickly. No chance for the national news media to analyze and get the story in front of viewers until Monday.

Something happened. I doubt we'll know what. But i can't for the life of me figure out how anyone would think resigning from public office would benefit a future presidential candidate.

Er, Anghus: Turn on your TV now. If that was her strategy, I don't think it worked.

Hey! At 7:30 EDT/6:30 CDT -- MSNBC will re-air Gov. Palin's complete syonara speech!

Some people are saying she has a radio/tv hosting deal set up for the fall and needs a certain amount of time away from office so it doesn't appear as if she left public service for a fat paycheck.

Giving a sure-to-be-mocked speech in an area where the audience can hear goats bleating in the background -- BAD IDEA.

She really is almost beyond parody. And is she actually blaming Andrew Sullivan and the crazed "Trig Truthers" for forcing her resignation?

Sorry, but a true pitbull doesn't run from a bear.

I think this will go down as the ultimate exception to the "Taking the trash out on Friday" rule. That is, don't make your announcement/revelation/resignation/whatever on the Friday before a holiday weekend, when NOTHING ELSE IS GOING ON, and all the second-stringers filling in for the vacationing stars want to PLAY A BIG STORY FOR ALL IT IS WORTH.

To her credit (or discredit), when I turned on the tv to CNN, MSNBC, and Headline News, they were still covering Michael Jackson, much to my disappointment.

But I knew the one place that WILL have coverage of her is Fox News. And you betcha, she was the star of the show.

Sharon: I don't know what you've been watching, but I've been watching MSNBC since Palin made the speech. There has been nothing else -- NOTHING else -- on the network since. Well, until now: Now there's Lockup.

Joe: you're probably right. Maybe not MSNBC. I was just flipping thru my column of cable news channels, and after a couple, didn't see anything on Palin until Fox News.

Dear God, please let Palin run for President. Please. I'm convinced she has more skeletons in her closet than Norman Bates.

Douglas MacArthur? Try General Oliver Smith, and it's doubtful even that he said it - just somebody in the media thought re-purposing a quote from an earlier war sounded better than what Smith actually said after the collapse of Marine (and some Army) forces at the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir.

But yeah, people misquote it to MacArthur all the time (hard to be a history nerd).

Meh, it wasn't as WTF-inducing as I thought it would be. Although I have to say I have CO150 flashbacks from watching her include a buncha misc junk in there that had nothing to do w/her theme topic, if you will. I just can't believe she doesn't have a friend who can proof read her stuff and take a red pen to all the items that would be better suited for another time. Not like getting advice from cheerleader friends when running for student council president. "Oh, you know you should include something about sports!" "Oh yeah, and like, mention family" "Don't forget the troops!" "Yeah, the troops."

My gosh, she likes to invoke the troops, doesn't she? I'm not anti-troops at all and really appreciate their sacrifices. I just couldn't figure out how what they had to do w/David Letterman's apology to her because she sure brought them up in that joke matter.

I didn't watch the final 2 mins of it, so I don't know if it gotter better or worse depending on pov. Was anybody else surprised she broke off the basketball analogy? Not that I was so much expecting her relate it to hockey and say, "this is like the neutral ice trap. The left wing lock really clamps down on..." since no one would get that but it didn't seem too organic to her. Not saying she'd have to be relegated to talking about pro rasslin' but for as much time as she spent trying to explain something (that as an analogy we should already know) she didn't really define who or what was offering the double team. Though she could've just as easily said she was the center with a .553 FT shooting percentage that everyone's gonna hack to send her to the line.

There was something ironic to her now ready to embrace the role as social activist, I guess you could call it. Maybe she didn't but plenty of Obama detractors questioned and ridiculed his community service as not being worthy of measure for national public office.

One final thing...refrigerator magnets. Her parents have one that sayz wah..? Out of all the hang in there, watch your diet expressions out there, they came up w/something dealing with enemies and excuses? I guess if you can see Russia from your back porch that makes sense but it seems like there'd be shorter and more cleaver verses one would choose first.

My guess: the Vanity Fair article was the first crack in the dam, and pretty soon it's gonna burst and the full depths of her malfeasance, misfeasance and non-feasance will come crashing down on us. Apparently someone she really listens to (Todd?) sat her down and told her, "Resign now, hope it goes away, then come back in a couple of years, or stay in office and face certain impeachment and possible prison time." Her shark-like instinct for survival chose the latter.

I also suspect she's gotten a very lucrative offer from Fox News to host a show a la Huckabee. A national TV platform with a fat paycheck? No way she'd turn that down.

But she actually did do something good for the country: she got the news channels to stop their wall-to-wall coverage of you-know-who.

So she can't even govern Alaska (or whatever she does)?

Some political commentators and the like, including Howard Fineman, insist that she is running for president in the next election. Anything is possible and I wouldn't rule it out, but is resigning hastily with 16 months to go in your term a wise political tactic? Matthew Cooper said that the last person to leave government service in order to run for president was Eisenhower in 1952. Carter and Romney had already left and Clinton remained governor while running. After the beating Obama took for his lack of experience, how will she respond to attacks that she is merely a half-term governor of Alaska? I have to believe that the alternative theories are more likely. She wants to write books and give speeches and maybe have a talk show and be a major player on the right without being in office.

This woman leaving Alaska scares the hell out of me. It implies movement... like in Aliens when the Queen Monster breaks free of her ovipositer. You just don't know where she'll pop up next.

Is she hiding in the Med Lab? The dropship? The Sean Hannity Show?

And away we go...

"batshit crazy" huh...If she runs for re-election, it's not going to be a local election. It's her versus the MSM, SNL, Stewart, etc...plus whatever national Dem machine. Debates, appearances, whatever she does in-state will get national scrutiny as a way to ridicule Alaskans into not voting for her. If she opts to not run for a second-term, then the Lt. Gov has to run either as Palin Jr or anti-Palin, but with no record to show for it so it becomes her race by proxy.

So what does she gain? Mounting legal bills and a wrecked reputation. When she was slammed for having the audacity to got a Yankees game, she got the message - everything is fair game. If she fights back, she's told she's playing into their game and looking worse. If she lets it slide, it looks as if it was true because it couldn't be defended. So after beating back fourteen legal accusations in six months, what's "batshit crazy" for expecting that not to end, especially with an oncoming election-season? When two-thirds of the nonsense the VF piece listed has been proven wrong, and six months later, it's still written up as factual, how do you fight back? When people with an ax to grind are cited as fair sources, what do you say? She knows the goal.

The only "news" Purdum's VF piece broke was blind quotes from ex-McCainiacs. She or Todd are going to know who said what. What message does that send her? She knows Megan McCain is devoting an entire chapter in her "book" to her. How much print and airtime is that going to suck up this fall? She also got love-tapped by two supporting pundits last week, which confirmed that she couldn't run for the '10 Senate seat currently held by a Repub, without fighting a wing of the GOP.

So she steps out now and lets the Lt. Gov create his own rep to run on. She builds a war chest to fight legal charges, but also libel and slander. Then, she might see if she can develop a network that can fight the current GOP establishment, which is how she came to be Gov in the first place.

So, yeah, I do expect the legal issues to continue, and each one will be labeled the "other shoe" she was waiting to drop. And she beats them back, HuffPo and the MSM won't cover it. I tend to agree with Leydon that she did this to own a news cycle, but you can never tell with her since she doesn't have handlers, mobile teleprompters, a stacked audience and planted questions to control reality.

Triple - her oldest son is currently serving. The social activism point is interesting and could be analogous. It depends on how much of this is tactic and how much is capitulation. She can't be Sarrahcuda and a wannabe Oprah. Palinites aren't looking for a female Huckabee, so she'll lose that support if she doesn't stay politically active.

Stella - We're on a close wavelength. IMO, she's wants to develop a PAC to corner certain quads based on European political trends.

Loved the V/Voice headline:
"Palin to resign governorship of Alaska: Expected to focus on complaining."

Martin: it's not libel or slander if it's true.

Apropos of my 11:35 post: The Daily Beast (hardly a bastion of liberal thought) is reporting that we may soon hear of a major scandal that almost exactly duplicates the one that brought down her good buddy Ted "Tubes" Stevens. I maybe be a pinko, but I know what I'm talking about.

Martin: From now until 2012, she will be referenced as "half-term Alaska governor Sarah Palin." How much do you think that will do to bolster her cred beyond her base? Remember: It was your side last time that made an issue of "executive experience." Well, by the time of the next election, Obama will have four years of being Leader of the Free World on his resume. How does Palin top that?

Also: This is America. In America, we hate quitters. Seriously.

Martin S, you are a smart smart man and you just went through dazzling semantic gymnastics to explain what is clearly a forced, career-ending decision. That rushed conference was indeed WTF-inducing. She's having a breakdown, friend.

If she were going to run for prez, she'd have built up a better moment and speech. No more excuses from the GOP please. Even Jonah Goldberg said she was "blowing it." She's clearly unfit to lead. And the corruption has been following her like a burning trail.

But if you can explain that tortured basketball metaphor and concept of "quitting to win" after she's been elected to serve, maybe I can grasp what you seem to understand. Or hope.

And if Bill Kristol says this is a "shrewd move," you know that Palin is in big fucking trouble.

Martin S - This is why The Republicans are dead for the moment... as The Democrats were before Obama acted like an adult... "she was slammed for having the audacity to go to a Yankees game."

There was a joke... buried in a dozen other jokes... and it wasn't political... and SHE turned it into a week-long media drama because it served her purposes (or so she thought).

Even Fox News was gagging over that rambling wreck of a speech she gave. Yesterday was great, as they tried to rationalize a way in which she can survive this politically.

If The Big Scandal is coming, this makes sense. I put no credence in rumor mongering. But the grand conspiracy against this arrogant, hypocritical lying person who got in way over her head with McCain is as much bullshit as any overhyped attack created by lefties.

Yes, Martin S... batshit crazy. She makes Howard Dean look subtle in much the way that Clinton's in-house blowjob made JFK's hidden affairs seem subtle.

Resigning seems pretty cowardly. She is hardly the first elected official to receive intense media scrutiny. And, as we've discussed before, she hasn't exactly shied away from the media either. To abruptly resign a little over halfway through her first term seems strange and selfish and a little chicken shit, at the least. There's just no way she could win the Republican nod in 2012, not as a half-term gov who quit when the going got tough. Her Republican competitors would have a field day with that before the Dems ever got to her. Pawlenty, Romney and Huckabee would pummel her over it. Like FNC said, she'll write books and give speeches for big bucks. Maybe they'll even give her a show. I just don't see how suddenly quitting is in any way, shape or form not completely cowardly.

"If she lets it slide, it looks as if it was true because it couldn't be defended."

Really? You think people would believe A-Rod knocked up her daughter just because Letterman said so?

she branded herself as a fighter and then she quit
no amount of winking and "you betcha's" will obscure this.
politically, she's done.

But fear not wing-nuts

In 6 months, fox news will feature
Sean Hannity
Bill O'reilly
Glenn Beck
and Sara Palin
nightly

Add Rush in the mornings you'll and you'll never have to be deprived of fresh smoke being blown up your ass.

enjoy the bubble.

"Bottom Line: Mrs. Palin is proving further that she is batshit crazy. "

Of course, the left has said this about every conservative politician in my lifetime.

Ronald Reagan, George Bush, George W. Bush, Bob Dole, Newt Gingrich, Condoleeza Rice...the list is long and that accusation is as tired and accurate as the left-wing 60's ideology that spawned them.

This is no defense of Palin. She is no genius. But neither is the painfully naive neo-Marxist messiah wannabe in the White House now.

I mean, after the fixed Iranian elections and the violence that erupted afterwards, all president Captain Utopia could offer was "We welcome the debate."

Thanks, Captain Utopia...thanks for comin' out.

Of course he has no problem offering serious support when Marxist dictators like Chavez or Castro need it.

Truth is, your president Captain Utopia is a weak, weak man and he is weakening the perception of the US by the minute. Why do you think North Korea had the cajones to launch nukes?

Because Captain Utopia will ask him to not to?

president Captain Utopia reminds me of that old Robin Williams skit about British police not having guns. When they see a criminal they yell stop. And when they do not stop they yell stop again.

When the Russian paper Pravda warns you against going Marxist and Chavez jokes he is to the right of you, you are not long for a powerful country.

Fact is...I suspect Republicans will do very well in the mid-terms.

If not...enjoy looking at those long unemployment lines and business' going bankrupt.

It gives me no pleasure to say that...but it is true.

"the list is long and that accusation is as tired and accurate as the left-wing 60's ideology that spawned them."

And then you call Obama a neo-Marxist messiah wannabe. Brilliant.

But yes, Sarah Palin is crazy. Only a crazy person can't see that. And that is why your party is dust. But hey, Romney Rising!

But how about your own analysis of her quitting instead of playing the victim card that the GOP has become so cozy with the past few years?

Nicol: Sorry, sport, but Palin is indeed nuts. And all the tired old insults about Obama won't change that. Worse, she's a quitter. And as I noted above: In America, we hate quitters. For you to compare this weasel to your beloved Ronald Reagan actually is something of an insult to the Gipper. (Can you imagine Big Ron playing the victim card? Ever?) And don't get me be started about how it's demeaning to a war hero like Bob Dole. Will she get a talk show? Probably. Higher office? No way.

Christian,

I did not play any victim card with her. I said she was no genius. To see a victim card played, see Michelle Obama (AKA. Mrs. Captain Utopia) or Sotomayor.

I call Obama a neo-Marxist because he is. Remember, when the left calls the right nazis and fascists it is hysteria. I know of no mainstream right-wing politicians who actually carry a copy of Mein Kampf around.

When the right calls the left Marxists...well...its because that's all we were taught in your institutions of higher learning.

Obama himself concedes that in Audacity of Hope.

It is not a coincidence that virtually every major Marxist world leader has acknowledged that about him and Russia warned him about going that route.

That he has a Messiah complex goes without saying. Let him take some hard questions as opposed to puffballs from a real press gallery and then we'll see if he's a genius. Even Helen Thomas said the Obama White House was the most controlled she had ever seen.

Why can't you just admit what you elected?

"And that is why your party is dust."

I have a poli-sci degree my friend. And anyone who says that does not know politcs. That is just left-wing wishful thinking. Shut off the flakes like Letterman, Stewart and Maher and read some real poltiical history.

Again, do you think North Korea would launch Nukes if they had any respect for this man?

Don't worry though...I hear Jessica Alba has been to the White House. Just like it shoud be in Obama's United States of Entertainment.

And you cats call Palin dumb.

Joe,

I do not compare Palin to Reagan. I only say - every - conservative politician in my lifetime has been trashed as stupid, dumb, idiotic etc. etc. etc. That is the left comparing them. Not me.

"And don't get me be started about how it's demeaning to a war hero like Bob Dole. "

It was the left that demeaned Bob Dole and John McCain. Remember McCain was the moderate Republican who could make the party mainstream until he went up against Obamessiah and then the same old Nazifascistidiotstupidoldman card was played again.

"Higher office? No way."

Well, that's what was said about GW twice. How did that turn out?

The above several posts, Nicol, are why I don't take you seriously. You come here to stand on a soapbox and pontificate, and not to ask questions or converse.

George Washington?

"I hear Jessica Alba has been to the White House."

That's AWESOME.

In general in his above posts, if Nicol D didn't go SO straight down the line with the tired partisan T-points, he's said quite a few things that are pretty valid and worth exploring... Too bad the "truth," such as it is, always exists in kind of a gray area, which is decidedly NOT where Nicol D *OR* Christian is ever willing to meet.

Put me down as thinking that, whatever supposed scandal might be out there, this might've been done to appeal to the Beck/Tea Party/disillusioned anti-establishment wing of the Republican party, and CAN STILL BE TURNED AROUND for Palin by '12. If anything, it'll bolster her status with that particular sector, as she's the ultimate MAVERICK now, kinda like Lucas or Rodriguez quitting the DGA and how that was perceived as sticking to one's guns.

Her camp will spin it... they've got three years to do so. Even if the workaday conservative voice is as mystified by this as anyone else, I have a suspicion it can still be used to play to the disenfranchised. Might be a bit of a fringe element for now, but the right might come back around and embrace this as a Hail Mary.

You know, LexG, seriously: That could happen. Just as Goldwater managed to exploit his fringe following by appealing to those who felt disenfranchised, who wanted to go up against a POTUS they viewed as too left-wing for the country's good. And we all know how well that turned out for the GOP, right?

It did result in Nixon and Reagan getting elected...

But of course, Palin is no Nixon or Reagan. Neither of them were crazy. Paranoid and addled, sure, but not crazy.

"When the right calls the left Marxists...well...its because that's all we were taught in your institutions of higher learning."

Funny, I went to Berkeley where John Yoo has tenure and Livermore Labs creates WMDS for the military. But yes, all those millions of students coming out of English and Film Courses there are now working quietly in positions of high power, waiting for the neo-Marxist signal...

And can you tell me the last time Michelle Obama played the victim? I mean, you really just make stuff up to bolster weak arguments. The GOP way.

But sure, Palin quitting her elected post halfway through is a stunning, brilliant tactic designed to bolster her maverick image and put her directly in the White House in 2012. That's the ticket!

"Even if the workaday conservative voice is as mystified by this as anyone else, I have a suspicion it can still be used to play to the disenfranchised. Might be a bit of a fringe element for now, but the right might come back around and embrace this as a Hail Mary."

That exactly what Rush and Hannity will preach as gospel next week. But see, America rejected her. She rallies the fringe base and alienates the rest. It's like expecting Dennis Kucinich to rally moderate dems in the future.

Jeff: Hate to pull the age card on you, but I am old enough to recall that in 1968 (a) Nixon most certainly was not considered a maverick, an outsider, or in any way outside the mainstream of traditional GOP thought, and (b) actually was looked upon as a welcome return to normalcy AFTER Goldwater. Seriously: I actually went to a Nixon rally in New Orleans while I was in high school -- don't ask, you won't believe why -- and the guy sounded as rational and middle-of-the-road as most Dems of the era. I even applauded him a couple times. Palin may be many things, but she ain't Nixon.

Well, she is a liar.

Joe, I'm sure you're right. I was referring to the modern perception of the GOP's history, where Goldwater was the misunderstood founder of the revolution that Reagan eventually consummated.

But, again, Goldwater's ideas were coming from a much sounder intellectual basis than anything Palin has ever done or said, by which I mean that Goldwater actually had an intellectual basis and Palin's entire political persona is built around a cult of personality and appealing to popular resentments.

Yeah, I've heard the "Reagan is Goldwater's heir" line very often. And there is, I think, some validity to it. But you know, even Reagan at his flakiest never sounded as mean-spirited as people like Palin, W. and even (in 2008) McCain. Palin is just too extreme and transparently mental, I think, to ever expand her appeal beyond the fringe.

Of course, I'm sure there were a lot of people in Berlin in the early '30s who felt the same way about the National Socialist Party candidate.

Nicol, how about a guest on Glenn Beck's show saying he hopes that Bin Laden attacks America again because that is the only way Americans will pay attention to national security again? Beck agreed wholeheartedly with the guest. These men want thousands of Americans to die in order to "win" a political argument. Do you think that represents mainstream right-wing thought in America? I'm just curious because you claim to know a lot about American politics.

Getting back to Palin, do you believe this was a smart move on her part? Is it in no way cowardly on her part to suddenly quit?

Nicol: why exactly are you a Canadian citizen and not a resident of, say, Alabama? For a Canuck, you sure seem to have a hard-on for any (non-right wing--i.e., Obama/Clinton/et al) U.S. polico. Is it the great Great White North health insurance that keeps you tethered to Canada's godless "socialism"? That's something your brethren is steadfastly opposed to granting ordinary American citizens (like, gulp!, me).
And damn you Sarah Palin for making me despise a longtime guilty pleasure ("Desperate Housewives"). Your pussy-whipped Todd-kins is Mike-the-plumber's even wimpier/faux butch retarded brother.

Joe, I think you are right again (re: 6:03 pm).

And while I hate the general idea of dog-piling on someone like the last several posts have done to Nicol, if it had to happen to anyone, better it happen to someone who shows up to parrot talking points, who demonstrates no actual personal connection or genuine response to the stories, whose obvious intention is to irritate and annoy without adding anything, yadda yadda.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090705/D9988SCG0.html

The abruptness of her announcement and the mystery surrounding her plans have fed widespread speculation. But Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein on Saturday warned legal action may be taken against bloggers and publications that reprint what he calls fraudulent claims.

"To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as 'fact' that Governor Palin resigned because she is 'under federal investigation' for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation," Van Flein said in a statement. "This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law."

He also told the Anchorage Daily News that Palin wasn't in any criminal legal jeopardy.

"I can say definitively I am aware of no criminal investigation whatsoever involving Sarah Palin. Zero," he said.

The FBI reiterated that claim Saturday, telling the Los Angeles Times for a story Sunday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was not investigating Palin's activities as governor, a former mayor or in any other capacity.

"There is absolutely no truth to those rumors that we're investigating her or getting ready to indict her," Special Agent Eric Gonzalez, the bureau's Alaska spokesman, said.

As I said earlier, it's not about running for Prez in '12. She didn't actively seek out the veep slot. McCain's people came to her, not vice versa. Now, some of those same people have been actively working for months to try and end her to save themselves. I don't expect any of you to know inside-GOP baseball, but trust me. This isn't a blind defense. Her goal starts with breaking the GOP structure. Don't be shocked if she starts hanging with Ron Paul.

Dave's right to reference Howard Dean. He lost his shot - but look at how much clout he held afterward. How many people did he sweep out? Where's McCauliffe? Dean didn't try and become a national figure because his credibility was toast. He fortified his base and headlocked the Dems into following his lead. The difference, is the Dems made Dean head of the DNC out of veiled threats of splitting. They didn't actively try and wreck his career and image to cover their asses. Palin has exactly what Dean had - a devoted grassroots with large numbers and a base of deep pockets.

As for "Grand Conspiracies"....Dave, your understanding from the GOP has always been from a remote distance. If you want to deny her history as someone who fights her own party, go ahead. It took one day for her to prove me right about getting litigious and developing a ground game. I can wait out for the results.

So we're all clear, I'm not championing her as the answer to all that ails. I'm truly trying to give some insight that you're not getting from HuffPo, NYT, MSNBC and the rest of the leftist hit parade. I found the announcement, like a number of things she's done, as something John Waters would have designed. But instead of letting her end herself with stunts like throat-cut turkeys, the ridicule and poison daggers have only solidified and grown her base.

Big problem with the comparison being Dean isn't a halfwit, or a quitter.

I just can't see her winning the Republican nomination in the next election. Huckabee is already criticizing her resignation, and you can be sure Pawlenty and Romney will as well if they haven't already. Forget the Dems. These guys will tear her a new one. "She's a quitter." "She's a half-term governor of Alaska." And they will be right. Martin, even if one believes that the media is overly critical of her, can this move really be defended? Is suddenly quitting in any way admirable? Did she really do it because all she thinks and cares about is what's best for the people of Alaska? As one GOP strategist put it, this only provides more ammo for her critics.

"She didn't actively seek out the veep slot. McCain's people came to her, not vice versa."

Um, no. McCain wanted a moderate like Ridge or Lieberman to woo independents. The far-right wing of the party came to him and forced her down his throat. Instead of saying, "Fuck all y'all, I'm going with Ridge," he meekly acquiesced. And that was the ball game--how could he face down Ahmedenejad when he couldn't even stand up to William "Wrong All The Time" Kristol?

Martin: Let me make sure I understand you. What you're theorizing, in essence, is that Palin figured she could never be elected president -- but very easily COULD become a power broker/kingmaker? If that's what you are saying -- well, no, that doesn't sound far-fetched at all. Now, whether she actually can achieve her goal is another matter. But, yeah, if she keeps her base stoked, and really does become a radio/TV talk show commentator...

"Her goal starts with breaking the GOP structure. Don't be shocked if she starts hanging with Ron Paul."

I love this Kristol-lite massive hopeful projection of a foresight and intelligence that Palin has yet to actually demonstrate. And doing so in a way that only gives ammo to her critics -- and defenders -- and proves she's a pathological lying narcissist.

And Martin, enough with the "MSM-Huffpo-Kos Kool-Aid" -- I don't get my opines from Kos (who is a fucking idiot) nor Stewart (whose snark I find tiresome) or the tabloid Huffpo. If you go back to this blog, the second Palin was announced as McCain's VP choice, I called the move "brilliant." Then I heard Palin speak and realized McCain picked a divisive fundamentalist fool and knew he was going to lose.

Did you think anybody needed the MSM to tell them this woman winking repeatedly during a VP debate showed that she was off her rocker and coasting on her beauty queen ways? America REJECTED her. The GOP fundy base LOVES her. Tell me who wins.

And Martin, I voted for Ron Paul in 1988. He would have nothing to do with Palin. He's too smart to want her baggage of arrogant ignorant petulance. And Paul is severly anti-Iraq war, so how does that work?

For her Twitter letter... "We have accomplished more during this one term than most governors do in two"

She even lies when she is lying. (As in 5/8 of a term)

Well, I was one who definitely questioned if Palin was indeed McCain’s choice or someone forced upon him. My one question if this is the powers behind the thrown getting rid of her, isn’t it a little messy? I guess this makes her appear too ineffective to be able to strike out on her own, thereby ending her career and eliminating her as a threat to the hidden powers in the future but unless they feel she was doing more damage to the party being in office now, wouldn’t it make more sense to have her to quietly serve out her term, announce she won’t seek re-election or a move for nalt office when the time comes? It’s news for a few weeks later on, maybe some distraction at the start of the primaries, but no risk of the gen pub seeing the puppetmaster’s strings.

As far as conspiracy theories go, it wouldn’t necessarily be something the press or DoJ discovered that would force her out but something the secret powers would already had over her head when they approached her for the assignment in the first place. You couldn’t put someone in that sort of position if you didn’t already have him or her under control in the first place. From that stand point it would make sense for her to step down now when absolutely nothing’s on the horizon rather than allowing speculation to grow over some developing triviality.

While there were some in the GOP who felt Palin needed to have been dropped from the ticket because she made them unwinnable but others felt the consequence of such a move would’ve proven even more damaging, I wonder if her not finishing out the term isn’t the same admission? If it were true I think it would be quit admirable if a politician resigned because that person felt celebrity was impeding on actual job performance but there seemed to be a lot of opportunities and doors opened for Palin and her governorship that wouldn’t have otherwise been available to her and that will likely go away upon her vacancy. I guess that’s why it’s easy for me to speculate something more might be at play.

Leydon wins the kewpie doll!

That's exactly it, Joe, seriously. She wanted a Senator gig, but McCain is the one building that firewall. If she ran for a second term, her state numbers will be a few points over 50 by election time, making it a squeaker and even harder to win because of how many in the Murkowski wing of the GOP, (where McCain is at), will be working against her. If she finishes out the term, the race is still going to be about her in so many different ways that the Lt. Gov will probably lose. Even if her national credibility wasn't shot, she knows the issues facing the country are too big for her and are only getting worse. The $100k question is precisely what you asked - if she can do it.

Cadavra - Um, no. McCain wanted a moderate like Ridge or Lieberman to woo independents. The far-right wing...

Lieberman, yes. Ridge was never a serious consideration. Pawlenty was 2nd choice, but tanked two national interviews. He went with her because...drumroll...she can bring in big dollars. A ton of GOP money was on the sideline until her took her. And the depiction of McCain and Kristol makes little sense since Kristol was a McCain guy since 2K. In fact, Kristol helped sell McCain's nomination over Romney so he didn't have to jam anything down McCain's throat. Hell, Kristol openly wanted Lieberman but knew the backlash it would launch. So McCain could have taken whatever GOP'er, but he chose Palin because that's where the money and ground workers were at. He used her, she went along with it. He blames her for the loss but won't openly admit it. Yet, he blew any chance because he came across as economically incompetent.

Christian - I wasn't targeting anything directly at you. Don't take it personal. Just like Drudge is part of the daily right intake, so is HuffPo for the left.

As for Ron Paul - you realize you voted for the most pro-life politician around? An ex-ob/gyn who's delivered thousands of babies and lambasted Obama for his Illinois abortion record. And I'm sure you know Palin's hubby was/is part of the independent/secessionist Alaskan wing. Then you have the fact both have serious problems with the current GOP. So the attraction is that she can draw attention and money, and he has vast experience and credibility with the Libertarian wing. If the goal is to wreck the current structure so the party can move more Libertarian, he'll do it.

In 1988, Ron Paul was Libertarian. I voted Libertarian. But I was also a teen and in love with Ayn Rand. Then I lived in the real world. I still love Rand but know her politics are wacked. Like Paul. He's not going to tear up foreign intervention while his VP brags about her son in Iraq. Not Going To Happen. But it's fun to watch the right project Palin's master plan.

Trip - that's well thought out. Lot to consider.

I think you're onto something because the timing of the latest oncoming scandal-bomb had zero mention in the VF piece, yet it's been around since last fall. IMO, she's found out whose behind the deluge and it's GOP'ers.

Christian - once again. She ain't running. It wouldn't be a ticket. At most, a PAC, like a Reese's Piece's.

More like Nutter Butters.

Something Righties and Lefties might want to chew on: A reader e-mailed this to Andrew Sullivan today:

"Conservatism is two things -- it's a political philosophy, and a cultural movement that's being mined for commercial purposes. Every wingnut's behavior seems crazy and unhinged if you look at it from a political context. But if you look at it from a commercial context, they're all being completely rational -- they all make lots and lots of money.

"The problem with the movement is that the people at the top always go for the money. If Ann Coulter will bolster your ratings, you'll put her on, even if she diminishes your side's chances of winning elections."

The rest is here:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/07/palin-the-right-and-money.html

Yay capitalism!

Joe - I agree with the overall point, but the writer, probably Sullivan, is referring to exploitation but addressing it as a conservative-only problem. I could run a laundry list of progressive exploitation attempts, the only difference is success rates.

On a separate note, here's a poll coinciding with my earlier comment about Palin watching European trends and seeing a similar swing stateside.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/121403/Special-Report-Ideologically-Moving.aspx

To bring the conversation full circle, this parallels the move Dean saw in '04 and how he exploited that before anyone else.

And Joe - what the hell are your Rockets doing? They're going to look like the Warriors under Baron Davis.

Martin, you're still operating under the (in my opinion) faulty assumption that Sarah Palin is as smart and competent as Howard Dean.

And that poll seems rather vague to me.

Wait, hold on...Nicol is a CANADAIAN?

Too early for me to worry about the possibly Yao-less Rockets. I'm too busy rooting for the Astros to get to .500.

Jeff - well, IMO, you're working from the assumption Dean would have gotten anywhere without Trippi. That, to me, is the difference. She had a disaster of a team around her and Dean had one of the few visionary campaign directors of the last two decades. As for how smart he is...he lost that distinction with me the morning I heard him on Diane Rehm(sp) entertain the idea of investigating Truther 9/11 claims.

Here's one more for the file.

Palin also offered criticism of the Washington, D.C., political establishment, and even the Republican Party, which nominated her to be vice president last year.

“Obsessive partisanship” has hurt the party, she said, striking a more independent beat than the partisan tune she sang on the campaign trail.

“We have so many people who offer advice, but I’m going to continue to be, whether some of them like it or not, pretty darn independent, and not get wrapped up into a strong political machine that hasn’t been extremely successful in some ways.”

"I want to work, right now, for people who are going to work either in office or out of office for the right things. Those principles that build up America, those who are inspired by the values of America, and will not deride or apologize for the values we hold as Americans."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/07/palin-blasts-critics-resignation-announcement/

Obama peeps should be happy about this. Guys like Rove and Hannity are going to be in deep shit. You could hear it in Rove's tone all weekend. He won't acknowledge any hypothetical except a political campaign, because he knows if she's not opting to run, she's aiming for the party.

Would Palin have been put up for VP if not for obsessive partisanship? I'd have to think anyone who had some perspective would have seen her as a loser. I think if McCain had chosen someone more moderate as a running mate, as he seemed to prefer...he might have won.

It's very simple kids. If McCain picked anybody else, he might have taken the presidency.

All Palin's decision shows is that once again, it's all about her. She told Hillary to toughen up for Gawd's sake. But instead of taking Obama on in Alaska and Washington and showing her political prowess, she bailed on her "cubs" for the cash and...?

Like Joe said, America does not like quitters.

McCain was going to lose no matter who he picked.

Martin, I don't take Palin seriously in any way, shape, or form as someone trying to be a post-partisan reformist. Her record in Wasilla and Juneau doesn't bear that out.

I don't know Jeff...the election wasn't THAT far apart, and had McCain chosen a young, smart slightly more liberal guy?

Perm: After eight years of Bush, and with the economy in free fall, I think I could have run against McCain and won. And I inhaled.

Well, who WOULDN'T vote for you, Joe?

Perm - like who? Anybody 'slightly more liberal' would have caused the GOP to fracture. I suppose that maybe if Bobby Jindal had run he could have caused a bigger dent in Obama's numbers, but I also think he wouldn't have elevated conservative turnout to the degree that Palin achieved.

Well, that's the problem...the GOP would never have allowed it. But I'm not thinking about them bringing in more conservative voters, whose votes are preordained anyway...I mean reaching out to the many undecideds. I think them seeing an actual non-partisan ticket would sway a lot of people. Like last election, how it was rumored that The Dems were looking at McCain to pair up with Kerry? I think if they had done that, they might have pulled it off, especially since people liked McCain back then.

Perm: Not Kevin Smith. I understand he's still pissed at me for my Jersey Girl review.

McCain's shot was dead when he suspended the campaign and then voted for TARP. Until that point the numbers in the swings states were close. He looked befuddled and seriously old while Obama seemed rock-sure. If he voted against it, railed against it, he could have argued it was the same instinctual reasoning that made him right to oppose W's approach to Iraq. The success of the surge was the only reason he won the nomination and he needed to build on that distinction. The argument could have simply been If Obama doesn't trust W with our sons and daughters, why is he trusting him with the rest of our future. Instead, he showed he's a Senator first, thinker second.

I can't speak for Dems, but the GOP nominates in reflection. McCain wins the primary because at that moment, the surge, his pet cause for years, was proven to work, Pakistan was flaring and the thought for years was "If I knew 9/11 was coming, I would have voted for him in 2k". But they voted for W because "voting for Perot gave us Clinton and 41 wasn't such a bad guy" was prevalent. You can actually trace it all the way back to Ike. Dems, IMO, seem to nominate either out of reaction, (Gore and Kerry), or by bottling and selling the future, (Kennedy, Clinton, Obama). This, to me, is how conservatism became a reflexive mess that cedes to corporatism and classical liberalism was slowly overtaken by the progressive movement.

Jeff - I'm not sure what your definition of "post-partisan reformist" is, but the problems she's going to cause for people like Rove and Hannity are pretty clear. Hannity tries to merge conservatives and the GOP by calling it "Regan conservatism", yet, Regan's record has some glaring conservative holes in it due to the GOP. This allows Hannity to shape and bend the situation as it needs to fit whatever GOP member. Palin is going to make him shit-or-get-off-the-pot when she starts coming out against GOP'ers that he backs. It will show, to the same base, that he's party first, ideology second. And Sean is not enough of a deep thinker to move quickly before it hits. Rove will simply lose capital because he won't be controlling the primary issues.

So my hope with Palin is that she'll untangle the knot on the right. If she does, it will eventually work its way to the Dems and the left. This way it's not fear-based voting. If a Repub candidate can win in the northeast without conservative support, good for them. If a Dem can win in the midwest without the left machine, so be it. The population then knows what they're getting and it's no longer about party lock-stepping. That will eventually open it up to third party candidates on a state level. Just my .02.

Donald Regan?

My take on the 2008 nominations were that McCain won by default when none of the Huckabee/Romney/Giuliani crowd were able to build critical mass because of a lack of experience/trustworthiness/basic campaign competence.

And I do agree that McCain really lost the day he went back to Washington in a snit. But I know a few Democrats who said they were thinking about voting for him. I don't know why. Anyway.

Donald Regan...yeah. That fits.

Re: second-tier GOP'ers. When it Rudy and Mitt turned on each other over who was more illegal immigrant happy, at the FLA debate, the GOP was done. The animous left both camps not willing to back the other giving Huck and McCain the clear path. Dobson and his wonderful crew had a lot to do with it by threatening mutually assured destruction if it was either Mitt or Rudy. The only good thing to come from the last election was the powers-that-be on the right told Dobson he was done, hence his "retirement".

After the "Stop the campaign, I need to vote for this bill", I was going to vote Libertarian, but Bob Barr looks like he's poured a few gallons of lye to dissolve all the skeletons in his closet.

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