Over?

There is only one way that Sarah Palin's resignation as governor of Alaska makes sense: she's had it. She will no longer stand for the vicious attacks she's been subjected to from the left and the media (I know, that's a redundancy) since she became a national political star. So she's getting out now to protect her husband, her children, and herself from any further abuse. She'll retire to a more quiet life out of the public spotlight and call her political career quits.

If this is not the case, if this is a political move in preparation for a Senate run in 2010 or a presidential run in 2012, then it is a disaster and those of us who previously thought highly of her are going to have to start questioning her judgement. Not only does her resignation label her a quitter, a label both her Republican and Democratic challengers will be quick to hang on her, it also is a betrayal. She's betrayed her staff, her supporters, and all those who donated time and money to her cause. She's betrayed the people of Alaska whom she was elected to serve. Who can be confident going forward about this woman's dedication and perserverance? The more I think about it the more it seems to me to be the move of a highly selfish woman, one who thinks, to use the current parlance, it's all about her. She is in politics not, as many of us hoped, because she has a particular vision, philosophy, agenda, that she is passionate about and wants to implement for the greater good. No, she's in it for personal gain, for fame, power, and money. In other words, she's a normal politician, quite a bit more charismatic than most but just as shallow. If this is the case, then good riddance to her.

I've been skeptical since the election last year whether Sarah Palin could ever rehabilitate herself in the eyes of the American public. The left's attack on her has made her, however unjustly, a public joke. That's a hard thing to recover from. But, if she really thought she had a future in politics, yesterday's announcement is a self-inflicted wound, one that will make it nearly impossible for her to be elected to higher office ever again. She can credit herself with throwing the last few shovels full of dirt over the political grave the left has dug for her. Whether she knows it yet or not, Sarah Palin's political career is over.