Newsmax.com
Palin Resigning,
Won't Seek 2nd Term
as Alaska Gov.
From the Web, July 3,
2009
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin made a
surprise announcement Friday that she is resigning from office at the end of the
month without explaining why she plans to step down, raising speculation that
she would focus on a run for the White House in the 2012 race.
The former Republican vice presidential candidate hastily called a news
conference Friday morning at her home in suburban Wasilla, giving such short
notice that only a few reporters actually made it to the announcement.
State troopers blocked late-arriving media outside her home, and her spokesman,
Dave Murrow, finally emerged to confirm that Palin will step down July 26.
He refused to give details about the governor's future plans.
"Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the
conventional Lame Duck status in this particular climate would just be another
dose of politics as usual, something I campaigned against and will always
oppose," Palin said in a statement released by her office.
Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated at the governor's picnic in Fairbanks
at the end of the month, Murrow said.
Palin was first elected in 2006 on a populist platform. But her popularity
has waned as she waged in partisan politics following her return from the
presidential campaign. Her term would have ended in 2010.
Palin said she planned to make a "positive change outside government," without
elaborating. She also expressed frustration with her current role as
governor.
"I cannot stand here as your governor and allow the millions of dollars and all
that time go to waste just so I can hold the title of governor," Palin said.
Later, on Twitter, she promised supporters more details: "We'll soon
attach info on decision to not seek re-election ... this is in Alaska's best
interest, my family's happy ... it is good. Stay tuned"
Palin's decision even took Parnell by surprise. He said he was told on
Wednesday evening, and was not aware that any presidential ambitions were behind
the move.
Palin emerged from relative obscurity nearly a year ago when she was tapped as
then Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate.
She was a controversial figure from the start, with comedian Tina Fey famously
imitating her elaborate hairstyle and folksy "You betcha!" on "Saturday Night
Live."
Most recently, she led a public spat with "Late Show" host David Letterman over
a joke he made about one of her daughters being "knocked up" by New York Yankees
baseball player Alex Rodriguez during the governor's recent visit to New York.
Palin's 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, is an unwed, teenage mother.
Letterman later apologized for the joke.
Palin's family and the ridicule they endure being in the public eye was part of
her decision. She complained that her 14-month-old son, Trig, who was
diagnosed with Down's syndrome, had been "mocked and ridiculed by some
mean-spirited adults recently." She didn't elaborate.
Palin campaigned on ethics reform in the 2006 election, defeating incumbent Gov.
Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary and a former two-term Democratic
governor, Tony Knowles, in the general election.
She enjoyed an extended honeymoon with lawmakers and voters alike. Her
popularity was in the 80 percentile range, even though that fell after the
bruising, partisan presidential campaign.
Palin's delivery of two weeks' notice rattles a Republican Party plagued with
setbacks in recent weeks, including extramarital affairs disclosed by two other
2012 presidential prospects, Nevada Sen. John Ensign and South Carolina Gov.
Mark Sanford.
Ensign, a member of the Christian ministry Promise Keepers, stepped down from
the Senate Republican leadership last month after admitting he had an affair for
much of last year with a woman on his campaign staff who was married to one of
his Senate aides. Ensign later disclosed he had helped the woman's husband
get two jobs during the affair.
A government watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in
Washington, wants the Senate ethics committee and the Federal Election
Commission to investigate.
Just days after news of Ensign's affair broke, Sanford admitted an affair with a
woman in Argentina. Some lawmakers are now calling for his resignation.
Before the admission, Sanford had been missing from the state for five days
visiting his lover. He had slipped his security detail, lied to his staff
about where he was and failed to transfer power to the lieutenant governor in
case of a state emergency.
Sanford admitted he also saw the mistress during a state-funded trip to
Argentina last year. He promised to reimburse the state for part of the
trip's costs. The state Commerce Department said the trip itinerary
originally included only Brazil, but the governor requested economic development
meetings in Argentina.
The GOP troubles seem to have left two prominent 2012 prospects, former House
Speaker Newt Gingrich and 2008 presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, unscathed,
however.
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