The Governor Steps Down

It has been a strange summer for Republicans. First, Senator Ensign from Nevada goes public with his blackmail story and scandal. Then Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina completely loses it over his mistress from Argentina. Two bright political careers flame out rather quickly. Sanford should be stepping down fairly soon.

But what the heck happened up in Alaska today? Gov. Sarah Palin announced she was stepping down at the end of July. Not that she wasn't going to run for re-election in 2010; she simply was walking away. Now. The national press has been characterizing Palin's press conference (in which she took no questions) as disjointed. Pundits from coast to coast are surprised by the announcement.

It doesn't seem to make much sense, nor does it inspire much confidence in the ability of Sarah Palin to serve in national political office. Some of her allies were saying she was done with political life. Others are claiming she's merely laying the groundwork for a presidential run in 2012. But why resign from office? Who resigns from office these days? Why can't she finish out her term for another 18 months and THEN run? Does she know about something looming on the horizon that we don't? Are there more scandals brewing in Juneau that we're not aware of? There's talk of Palin joining a conservative think tank of getting her own radio talk show.

Very bizarre. Should she run for office in 2012, I suspect this decision will come back to haunt her. It seems to undercut her credibility as a leader.

Meanwhile, the luck of Obama continues. He struggles and fights, but when you look at the opposition, well, he still seems pretty strong.