This article, like many others I've seen, assumes that Sarah Palin is resigning as governor in order to better run for president, not because she caved to the pressure or is making a pre-emptive move because of some scandal we don't know about yet. Guess we'll have to watch the "surprising, perplexing and just plain fascinating" story unfold to find out for sure. The article also lists the advantages would have running for president without the burden of being governor, such as:
Geography is destiny. From a logistical point of view, being from Alaska is a huge hurdle for Palin's national ambitions. The state is four hours behind East Coast time and takes the better part of a day to travel to or from. That means that Palin, if she is committed to running for reelection, can't simply pop into Iowa or New Hampshire for the day.
All the reasons sound valid, but they would also apply if she just had chosen not to run for re-election in a year and a half. They don't require her to quit in the middle of her first term. Politicians shortchange their constituents all the time to seek higher office -- President Obama had served only two years of his Senate term when he became a full-time presidential candidate, after all -- so her move shouldn't be all that shocking. But nothing I can think of -- if she really is preparing for a national run -- explains not finishing out her term; she still would have had more than enough time to mount a campaign. Running against her would just be too easy: You trust the presidency to someone who couldn't even cut it as governor?
And if what she's really interested in is having a talk show and using it as a platform to "rebuild the conservative movement," as I've heard suggested, fine. But I won't be watching if she just keeps repeating platitudes about small government and low taxes. We already know that, and we all keep saying it. Have some guests who can throw in a little Burke and some Hayek, and she might have something.
