[cozyk]

Palin stepping down this month

* Story Highlights
* NEW: "Everyone is going assume there's another story," CNN's Ed Rollins says
* Gov. Sarah Palin to step down as governor by the end of the month
* Palin made announcement at home in Wasilla, Alaska

"People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska," Palin said in an announcement from her home in Wasilla. "Serving her people is the greatest honor I could imagine."

Palin was elected governor in 2006. She was chosen as Arizona Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate last year.

Palin said she was transferring authority to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, who will be sworn in at the Governor's Picnic on July 26. Video Watch Palin's announcement »

Palin added in a statement that she was "determined to take the right path for Alaska even though it is not the easiest path. ... 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."

A Republican source close to her political team told CNN's John King that it was a "calculation" she made that "it was time to move on." The governor's "book deal and other issues" were "causing a lot of friction" in her home state, the source said, adding that he believes that she is "mapping out a path to 2012."

Another source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Palin "thinks she has accomplished goals she has set forward. ... She sees what a positive influence she has had on people's lives from traveling the country in the last year."
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* Commentary: Palin, Gingrich, Romney and 2012
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* iReport.com: What's your take on Palin's decision?
* Governor's site: Palin's Executive Column

Randy Ruedrich, chairman of Alaska's Republican Party, said he "was not even contemplating her stepping down."

Ruedrich said he recently met with members of Palin's staff to discuss her re-election plans.
After Palin's announcement, the Democratic National Committee blasted her "bizarre behavior."

"Either Sarah Palin is leaving the people of Alaska high and dry to pursue her long-shot national political ambitions, or she simply can't handle the job now that her popularity has dimmed and oil revenues are down," DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse said.

"Either way, her decision to abandon her post and the people of Alaska who elected her continues a pattern of bizarre behavior that more than anything else may explain the decision she made today."

Republican strategist and CNN contributor Ed Rollins said that, to a certain extent, Palin's announcement makes her look "terribly inept."

"I think everyone is shocked by this, and I think to a certain extent everyone is going to assume there's another story. You don't just quit with a year and a half to go. You certainly don't do this as a stepping stone to run for president. You finish the job that you're in, and obviously she's not doing that," he said.

"I think people are going to be very suspicious because of the timing. You don't quit on the Friday of a three-day holiday. If you are going to do this, you think it through; you give a good speech," Rollins said.

However, CNN Republican strategist Mary Matalin said she thought the move was "really brilliant" on Palin's part, though she admitted she was surprised when she heard the news.

"Her delivery was incredible. If you're a less charismatic person, you probably couldn't pull it off," Matalin said. "[Now] she will be freed up and liberated the way Mitt Romney is to raise money and get political chips by spending it and getting political capital. And she is still raising the kinds of crowds and money she always did."

Now, Matalin says, Palin must focus on "putting up with the conventional wisdom" that this was a bad move and travel the country to drum up support for a presidential run.

"She takes that target off her back with a good record to launch from," Matalin said.

When asked whether it's possible Palin stepped down because of negative news that has not emerged, Matalin referenced Palin's own words that investigators have dug through research in the ethics investigation.

"We presume if there was anything else, we would know it by now," Matalin said.

In an interview last month with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Palin said she was unsure about her re-election bid because she needed to focus on her state and her family.

"So, no decision yet on either 2010 or let alone 2012?" Blitzer asked.
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"No decision that I'd want to announce today," Palin responded.

All About Sarah Palin • Alaska

So what do you think Palin is up to?

[Wondergirl]

Years ago a gypsy at a county fair told me, "Don't make excuses. Make good."

If Palin is thinking of the WH, she's got a lot of studying up to do.

[smearcase]

There are articles about the "Palin Iceberg Scandal" circulating. You can judge the likelihood of veracity (or lack thereof) for yourself.

[NeedKarma]

Think Progress Did an embezzlement scandal force Sarah Palin to resign?

[thewiseoldwoman]

I'd rather have her give up and throw in the towel as gov of Alaska than walk off the job as vice pres of the USA...

[NeedKarma]

Perhaps she needs to resign before she starts posing for magazines:


But all bets are on a scandal breaking out soon.

[NeedKarma]

It gets weirder, much weirder: Wonkette : Insane Sarah Palin, Late At Night On July 4, Threatens To Sue Entire Internet, Via Twitter

[amdeist]

So what do you think Palin is up to?

Want to know why Palin is stepping down now?

Do a web search on Five Year Oil Price Chart and you will bring up

Light Crude Oil (CL, NYMEX): Monthly Price Chart

Select that and all will become clear

It is sort of like a family where one of the spouses gets a hefty raise or a promotion. What happens? They increase their budget spending. Then, what happens when one of them lose their job or get a cut in pay because of economic problems with the company? They find themselves in severe financial stress. This causes divorces, domestic violence, and many other bad things. It would be unlikely that while oil rose to $150 a barrel over the period that Palin was governor that she didn't take that oil revenue and increase the Alaska State budget. Now that the revenue is half of what it was, she would quickly find herself in the same situation as Governor Schwarzenegger.