One thing Palin may have understood more clearly than many of her critics was that being a governor - normally considered an excellent stepping stone to the presidency as you can demonstrate your “ability” without having to take a stand on national and international issues unless it’s to your political advantage - is likely to be a kiss of death for the 2010 election cycle, it’s going to be very difficult for any governor to remain politically viable while dealing with a massive state budget crisis.
In that sense - watching her nosediving approval ratings from home state voters - getting out before the really tough budgetary choices had to be made:
http://www.adn.com/news/government/legislature/story/678110.html
may been a very astute decision.
Anyone who has been paying attention can see that it’s very likely that she resigned because it’s the only way she can run in 2012.
Remember all those stories about Palin ‘snubbing’ Republican bigwigs and backing out of appearances? Remember the CPAC cancellation?
Her political enemies, both Dem and RINO in AK have been making her life miserable about leaving the state for political functions.
If, as a lame duck, she had gone on those trips, I have no doubt that they would have started impeachment proceedings, which REALLY would have killed her chances of wining the primary.
If she wants to run in 2012 and run against Zero’s laundered money network, she needs to start raising money about a week ago.
If she were to finish out her governorship, she would be tied to Alaska until January, 2011. That is FAR too late to start running for President in 2012 these days. Especially with Zero’s aforementioned illegal fund-raising games.
I suspect that this is the reasoning behind her resignation, which I predict will be old news that people are tired of hearing in say about a week. The ‘inside the beltway’ crowd and the policy wonks and RINOs have their panties in a bunch over this, but in the end, it doesn’t really make much of a difference. She was an extremely effective governor for the state and accomplished things that had been ‘in the works’ forever in just two years.