Friday, July 3, 2009

Palin resigns; Presidential contender?

Gov. Sarah Palin, the former vice presidential nominee to John McCain in the 2008 presidential election, will not seek reelection to her Alaskan post when her term expires in 2010. She also announced that she plans on resigning from office at the end of the month rather than face a "lame duck" session within the Alaskan government.

Announcing that you won't seek reelection is usually a strong indication of higher aspirations, such as a potential run for President in 2012 against Barack Obama. Resigning from office completely, however, is a move that isn't common for anyone to do unless they have been caught up in a scandal. It's possible that Palin is seeking to avoid fallout from the recent controversies she's been a part of during her tenure as governor since the election.

It's a move that she probably hopes will allow her to avoid being called a "do-nothing" governor since she won't be seeking reelection. It also gives her a chance to say she hasn't been TOO corrupted by being in government too long -- making her appear as an "outsider" with experience.

But does Palin actually believe she can beat Obama? Current polls show that she his highly popular among Republicans, which means she could feasibly win the nomination. But among Americans overall, she remains a controversial figure.

Her resignation could either change that or be her political suicide. In my opinion, it's the latter.

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