The American Spectator

L. Ross| 7.8.09 @ 12:44PM

I'll vote for Sarah for anything at anytime.

Sarah. Yum!

God Bless Red States| 7.8.09 @ 1:08PM

Palin/JTP 2012 FTW

james23| 7.8.09 @ 1:37PM

"with nearly the entire GOP establishment lined up against her,"

That will hamper organization but will help her with voters. Is there a more reviled bunch in political life today than the GOP "establishment?"

Tim| 7.8.09 @ 1:41PM

I'll say this for her: the same bunch that are always spouting about "big tents" have absolutely no intention of admitting Palin or her followers to the circus.

daboss| 7.8.09 @ 1:49PM

Palin/Petraeus 2012

Daddy| 7.8.09 @ 2:02PM

Sarah/Newt 2012- She's got the balls to get things done, he's got the brains.

Martha| 7.8.09 @ 2:16PM

Palin/Fred Thompson 2012 or beyond

C4P| 7.8.09 @ 2:17PM

I have to find out where to sign up to help Sarah. I'll work my heart out for her. God bless you, Sarah.

Palin for President 2012!!

Craig| 7.8.09 @ 2:26PM

Would you like to see the Media and Government Left become totally unhinged and have public meltdowns the likes of which you cannot possibly imagine?

Would you like to see the feminists go absolutely incoherent and spontaneously combust in anger, fear, and loathing?

Would you like to see the RINO wing of the GOP stammer, choke, and spittle on their way out the door?

Would you like to see David Frum, Kathleen Parker and the rest of the conservative "intelligentsia" faces melt like the Nazi's at the end of Raiders of the lost ark?

How about watching Bill Maher, Chris Matthews, and most deliciously Keith Olbermann literally burst into tears and weep like babies on air?

You will see all of that and more with......

Palin-Bachmann 2012

Let the spasms begin!!

Liberal Reader| 7.8.09 @ 3:08PM

Would you people grow up.

EVERY governor in EVERY state is barraged by constant ethics complaints.

You think Palin is alone?

Usually governors simply write letters or give press conferences responding to the complaints, and that is that.

Palin, either because she is nervous about complaints following her to higher office, or because she does not consider herself competent to answer charges for herself, has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars hiring lawyers to do it for her.

Palin CHOSE to respond to these complaints in the way that she did.

Palin had what should have been the easiest governor's office in the country.

Alaska FLOATS on federal hand-outs and oil money. Alaskan governors do not constantly have to make the tough choices made by governors in the lower 48.

Alaska is a sparsely populated state that hands out checks for thousands of dollars each year to its citizens as a way of redistributing oil wealth and largesse from American taxpayers.

What was so tough about this job for Palin?

And now ... you want her to be leader of the free world?

Are you people -- really, I'm being serious, and I'd like a serious answer -- are you people nuts?

Tootsie| 7.8.09 @ 3:31PM

Liberal Reader, Palin is your worst nightmare. I hope we can throw your garbage fascist liberal buns into the ash heap of history.

Liberal Reader| 7.8.09 @ 3:35PM

Tootsie --

Instead of calling names, why don't you respond to any of my points?

Marko| 7.8.09 @ 3:44PM

Liberal Reader - too bad you are not much of a thinker - like most progressives. So in your world when an ethics complaint is legally launched you simply ignore it? Nice, but understandable after watching the current marxist in the Whitehouse ignore the rule of law (screw over secure creditors in favor of union thugs in theft of GM)

Please show me how Alaska drains the oil wealth from American taxpayers? Do you think its your oil and gas? Are you going to spew BS about corporate tax breaks? You probably protest against drilling and exploration don't you?

We hear the same anti 'Big Oil' nonsense here in Alberta from the whiny liberals in Quebec at the same time as Canada has drained Alberta of over 1/4 Trillion dollars over the last 50 years - about the same amount that has poured into Quebec over that period. Progressives/Liberals are thieves, stealing money from those who do in Alberta to buy votes in the rest of Canada.

Liberals and progressives love Obama taking over the banks, autos, insurance, health care. You love the logic of borrowing trillions of dollars to 'stimulate' the economy which has led to a massive jump in unemployment and no stimulus. Lastly,you fervently push the fraudulent global warming scare at a time when the earth is cooling.

Who's nuts? Anyone who voted for the big marxist tyrant thug surely makes the list.

Interested Conservative| 7.8.09 @ 3:48PM

LR - that's quite a sweeping statement and list. Ever been to Alaska? For that matter, how familiar are you with smaller state government operations?

Would you deny that there is something unique about the nature of her governorship, particularly since her selection by McCain? The article mentions this, and my knowledge of other small state bureaucracies fits with this description.

Wholly aside from the personal animus, what is inaccurate about a statement that the State of Alaska has seen a dramatic increase in expenses due to such inquiries?

I contrast it with Chicago, where I presently live, and the costs here of maintaining essentially a permanent special investigation branch of government at various levels. Just one example is that the FBI has apparently kept an open file and active investigation of one of our larger suburbs since the late 1920's.

Again, you can dislike her personally, professionally, emotionally, irrationally or any other way you please, but there seems to be little reason to doubt this particular facet of the events.

Liberal Reader| 7.8.09 @ 3:54PM

Marko --

Your response, while intellectually superior to Tootsie's (in that you actually respond), still falls short.

First of all, I pointed out that Alaska floats on the proceeds of oil AND from endless outlays of tax dollars from the lower 48. Alaska is the state that receives the most federal spending per capita, contributing far less than it receives.

Second, Palin is under no legal obligation to respond to ethics challenges. That's why they're called "ethics complaints" and not legal charges.

As I said above, governors are routinely challenged with ethics complaints. It's just a part of being a governor.

The fact that 15 out of 16 of these complaints has been summarily dismissed -- if anything -- weakens Palin's entire case. These were not very substantial complaints, and responding to them could not have been the terrible burden she claims.

(By the way, all but one of these complaints were brought against her by Alaskans, and of those, most were brought by Republicans.)

The rest of your response is rather inarticulate and reads like a confused catalogue of things repeated endlessly on right wing talk radio programs. It's best to choose a single topic and stick with it -- if only to keep from confusing yourself.

Yes, government spending stimulates the economy in times of recession. Both parties do it; every one knows it; among economists it's a widely accepted practice. So what's your point?

danielvito| 7.8.09 @ 4:00PM

Sarah Palin is the new Ronald Reagan. She is untainted by those Washington insiders. I love when she is with her kids, interviewed while fishing, having turkeys killed while she is being interviewed. She doesn't care how polls judge her or what handlers have to say.
I also bet if her and Obama had a fight, she kick his butt in 10 seconds.

Liberal Reader| 7.8.09 @ 4:02PM

Interested Conservative --

What about my post leads you to believe I don't "like" Palin or that I have some "animus" against her.

Either read my post and respond to what I say, or don't. I don't care, and it's a free country.

But I'm sick and tired of every negative thing written or spoken about Sarah Palin being construed as an "attack" or some form of "hatred."

I think Sarah Palin is a fine person. If she's leaving public life to spend time with her family, or to make a million dollars on her book, or whatever, I say more power to her. I have no ill-will against her.

That does not mean I can't disagree with her or question her claims.

In America, Interested Conservative, we once had something called "public discourse."

We used to debate things, talk about politics, compare notes, discuss history -- and so on.

You didn't have to prove you didn't hate someone to criticize them, and when you listened to politicians speak, you were allowed to expect they produce a speech that didn't sound like it was written by a thirteen year old girl.

The world clearly has passed me by, and I wish you all good luck to the demented Fox Newsopia that will prevent you from ever again having to experience the discomfort of thinking.

Liberal Reader| 7.8.09 @ 4:06PM

Oh yes, to be sure. Sarah Palin is the new Ronald Reagan.

Brilliant. Perfect. What an astute observation.

The new Ronald Reagan!

Imagine Reagan, half way through his first term as governor of California, standing in front of a lake somewhere and giving a speech that sounded anything like the speech Palin gave last Friday.

Imagine Reagan turning the word "progress" into a transitive verb: "I'm going to progress the state from outside government."

Reagan would have chosen to go up in flames before he'd say something like that.

The new Reagan. Good God, man. Get a hold of yourself.

Dan| 7.8.09 @ 4:12PM

Hey Liberal, you didn't vote for Reagan you voted for Carter. You happy Obama in 6 months has spent more than all other Presidents combined. That our deficit is in the Trillions. That unemployment is close to 10% and if you factor in people who gave up 17%. Now he wants to spend additional trillions on a second stimlus, Cap and Tax and Health care. You happy you voted for this guy. I'll take Palin any day over your guy.

Interested Conservative| 7.8.09 @ 4:12PM

As Sen. Moynihan famously observed, your entitled to your opinion, but not your facts. It's a small state, her role changed, her opponents found a perfectly legal and perfectly abusive way to run up the bills, both personally and publically. Spam ethics complaints are not much different from spam emails, aside from the waste of the commons.

And if you don't have animus for her, you have an interesting way of expressing compassion and empathy.

Si se Pueda!

Mary| 7.8.09 @ 4:19PM

You have to watch this; it’s pathological. Maybe even "anti-nomian" because it seems like she enjoys feeding the beast.

There is something at the bottom of her hate that’s a lot richer than probably even she can figure out. I can’t name it, but it seems primordial. Like a shark tearing and feeding.

Remember Morrison’s lyrics: “the girls walk by, dressed up for each other?”

I don’t think what men and women want has changed that much over time. That doesn’t mean that I think more recent history reached an apex, and now there’s nothing ahead but decline. The women of the pioneer families had no choice but to take to the oxen and the field if their husbands became incapacitated. There was a physical parity there –you see that w/Palin too- that was not only capable of keeping the family afloat, it inevitably garnered a special respect from both husband and children that women outside of this kind situation didn’t have the opportunity to attain.

In case link doesn’t work: http://tinyurl.com/nlhosg

ds80| 7.8.09 @ 4:27PM

Liberal Reader: "Are you people -- really, I'm being serious, and I'd like a serious answer -- are you people nuts?"

No.

Liberal Reader: "why don't you respond to any of my points?"

Just did.

Quit reading from your Kos/HuffPo teleprompter.

Duke of Yashima| 7.8.09 @ 4:38PM

"with nearly the entire GOP establishment lined up against her,"

It's not a bug, it's a feature!

Liberal Reader| 7.8.09 @ 4:56PM

Interested Conservative --

Why do I constantly have to gush sympathy and well-meaning towards this woman to prevent people from thinking I hate her?

Since when is this how political debate is conducted?

Spam email you can delete.

Spam ethics complaints can be answered pretty easily. Like I said, all governors deal with this sort of thing.

Remember Occam's razor?

The simplest explanations are generally the best, and governors don't resign because of ethics complaints.

Palin was shot into the big leagues unprepared; it took its toll on her personally and politically; she grew weary of governing; she quit.

Scottie| 7.8.09 @ 5:01PM

Liberal Reader, the State of Alaska owns all mineral rights; it’s written in our constitution. One of the major sticking points before granting statehood, was could Alaska take care of itself? Due to our location and the extreme costs of transporting goods, it was obvious Alaska would never be able to establish a manufacturing base of any import and due to the climate, it was obvious we’d never be a farming region, but Alaska did have massive mineral wealth, which meant, indeed, Alaska could provide for itself financially. But of course, that was all before extreme environmentalism. Unfortunately for Alaska, most notably beginning with Jimmy Carter’s D-2 lands bill, Alaska’s lands have been continually locked up and unavailable for mineral extraction. One by one, most of the promises made by the federal government to Alaska at statehood have been broken and we are not the better for it financially.

No doubt, as a leftist, you are enthralled with the notion of Alaska becoming one great big beautiful park that most Americans will never see, by the way, and that’s fine, but as our government continues to lock up access to our mineral wealth, don’t be surprised when we look to Washington with our hand out.

Liberal Reader| 7.8.09 @ 6:16PM

No, no, no.

I don't begrudge Palin supporters their affection for her, and their willingness to defend her is endearing.

However, we're talking now about a woman who is abdicating elective office.

This does not qualify her for HIGHER office.

If she doesn't like attacks in Juno, how will she take them in Washington?

Alaska is a sparsely populated state with few of the major challenges facing states like Texas, New York, or California.

It is awash in money from oil concerns and from federal outlays. Scottie -- that's fine with me, and I accept your reasons for these outlays.

My point is that being governor of this state -- compared to governing almost any of the lower 48 -- is by comparison simple.

(I'm not saying I could do it, God knows.)

For WHATEVER reason this woman is abdicating office and leaving her term incomplete, and I refuse to accept this as some magical symbol of her qualification to be leader of the free world.

somnolence| 7.8.09 @ 6:28PM

Dear Liberal Reader: It is spelled JUNEAU, not Juno. Her resignation was not about attacks, it was about the stupendous amount of time and money it takes to fight off even unsubstantiated attacks. She stated that was unfair to the citizens of Alaska. She is more than qualified to be POTUS on national security and energy issues and stances which she has espoused alone. A suggestion would be either Palin/Pence or Palin/Santorum for 2012. All the rest of the field are neocons or Establishment types who only cause one big yawn.

Liberal Reader| 7.8.09 @ 7:08PM

Somnolence --

Thanks for the correction on Juneau.

But Somnolence, let me ask you this: last week, or the week before, when you read about ethics complaints in Alaska, did you think to yourself: "A real leader would resign. Why put herself and her state through these complaints?"

I doubt it.

Now, I'm not criticizing her as a person, as a human being, for resigning. I'm almost certain that if she hadn't been nominated for VP, she'd still be the basically competent, well-liked governor of Alaska. And if all of the attention took its toll on her family, good for her for getting out.

I'm talking about her qualities as a leader, and I'm baffled that many of you seem incapable of even considering how this move may suggest she isn't a good choice for president.

And as I've said above, I don't think these ethics complaints were all that substantial. As she herself is quick to point out, 15 out of 16 have been summarily dismissed: well, how serious could they have been?

In short, I don't buy the altruistic explanation that she's doing this for Alaska.

I think she's doing this for herself. Which, as I say, is fine, if she intends on returning to public life. But making a decision like this for oneself is hardly a credibility booster for someone seeking higher office.

Think about it, man: she's abdicating lower office to seek higher office?

I quit playing baseball in high school.

Am I qualified to start as pitcher for the Red Sox next week?

In a better world, maybe so.

But all these explanations of Palin's resignation (coming in place of a sound, coherent explanation from her) just don't add up and don't seem all that realistic to me.

There. Another wicked "vicious attack" on the Palin family.

Gary Ogletree| 7.8.09 @ 7:10PM

Change the channel when Barack comes on, turn up the volume when Sarah appears. American viewing habits, developing story.

Basil Plumley| 7.8.09 @ 7:15PM

@ Liberal Reader

Abdication?
Is that the word of the day from you freaks.
Tell me, Liberal Reader et al., when Napolitano resigned for the governorship, did you and your ilk call her a quitter or her act an abdication?
How about Sibelius? How about Huntsman?

Oh no, these are Americans worthy of praise; they fell on their sword for the Obama.

I guess we will see some serious gymnastics from you when we hold those 3 to your standard:

For WHATEVER reason this woman is abdicating office and leaving her term incomplete, and I refuse to accept this as some magical symbol of her qualification to be leader of the free world.

I think it would safe to say you would vote for the corpse of Vladimir Lenin before you would vote for Palin. Please do not try to convince us otherwise.
I think you underestimate the number of folk who will crawl over broken glass to vote for her.
I do not underestimate the number of elitists who will crawl over the same broken glass to vote against her.

Greg Marquez| 7.8.09 @ 7:24PM

Liberal Reader:
You've repeated several times that governors of most states do not respond to ethics complaints, could you please identify how you determined this to be the case.

Secondly, you seem to find it unusual that she is, as you put it, "abdicating" lower office to run for higher. But isn't that what most politicians do? Didn't Obama abdicate his state office to run for the United States Senate? Didn't Obama "abdicate" his office of United States Senator to run for President? Did you find that as offensive as you find Palin's "abdication"?

Basil Plumley| 7.8.09 @ 7:25PM

BTW, Liberal Reader

I want to thank you libs for giving us some ideas to take out some of your prominent Democrat Governors.
The folks at Free Republic have a lot of time on their hands; you know, after being laid off because of Obama economics (just kidding folks). This would be a perfect project for them. Can you imagine some of the real dirt they would find?

Yes, Liberal Reader, you will dance today but you will eventually pay the piper. Sweet dreams.

Lyle Johnson| 7.8.09 @ 7:29PM

Liberal reader I guess you never went to school. There are 49 states besides Alaska. I see nothing wrong with a lady president. Maybe she has the guts to clean house and expose the liberal liars and conservative liars too. There is bad on both sides. I guess a lady who thinks for herself and not a puppet scares both parties.

Pete| 7.8.09 @ 7:50PM

I've been out of town for a bit but it looks like we have a new troll on the site, Liberal Reader? A bit less directly insulting than the old ones (DM, e.g.) but every bit as intent on spreading misinformation and derailing the discussion. I wonder where they find these "community organizer" types or do you think it is one guy who has the job and reinvents himself every few weeks? Regardless, as annoying as it is, it is always somewhat amusing/informative to learn the D talking points of the day.

Dan Matchik| 7.8.09 @ 8:08PM

If Sara palin does run for pres in 2012 i hope the NRA and all related organizations back her! I think she scares the pants off the politicians that have gotten away with all they're under the table and underhanded deals. Her personal life should not even be open for discussion. To me she appears to be an open minded, common sense person that may be on a mission. In addition, if you think being governor of alaska is so easy remember: all alaskan citizens are not in cities and compare snow control costs with any other state you want. She also appears to believe in our constitution and peoples rights to bear arms instead of letting government being the only armed contingency allowed.

Liberal Reader| 7.8.09 @ 8:09PM

Pete --

I assure you, I have no "talking points." But thanks for the kind words about my sense of decorum.

Lyle,

I understand that there are 50 states; I was referring to the "lower 48."

Plumley,

Your response is just weird.

Greg,

I said that most governors have to respond to ethics complaints. It's just daily business in any governor's office. Palin may have had more than her fair share, but it's not at all unusual. Most importantly, it's not necessary to hire a team of lawyers to study the complaints. Again: 15 of 16 were dismissed. How serious could they have been?

On abdication:

Yes. She is abdicating. She is not completing the term she promised to complete, the term her constituents voted for her to complete. It's abdication, and it's not for the good of the state, it's for the good of herself.

Now, when the president calls a governor or senator and invites them to join the administration, it is a totally different situation. Republican and Democratic presidents regularly do this and it keeps talented people in important positions.

Palin has not been asked by anyone to do anything except be the governor of Alaska. That she is failing to do.

Ignant_dude| 7.8.09 @ 9:19PM

Abdication generally refers to monarch or rulers. Elected officials resign. It is easy to be confused these days when many refer to themselves as elected officials when they have actually established themselves as rulers. Castro, for example, would actually abdicate. But that's just semantics.
Yes, she did resign from a position the people of Alaska elected her to. She had completed the agenda she had campaigned on and felt Alaska would be best served passing on the governorship to those Alaska had elected as lieutenant governor. Thus, they still have an elected official. You can have the opinion that it was for her good rather than theirs, I and many more can disagree.
You must have missed it, Plumley was suggesting that conservatives start using the same tactics that were used against her. Pick, freeze, personalize, polarize... I hope you understand now.
I, and many more, are asking that she be something other than governor. At one point it was VP, now we are asking her to run for president. I was sold the first time I heard her say "Government get out of the way."

Also, if you want to claim the ethics charges were nothing unusual, you might research and show us how much other states spend on investigations, how much other governors spend on legal fees, and how many FOIA requests they deal with and how much that costs. It might be best to do it as a percentage of that states GDP, one could really skew results otherwise.

Fionnnagh| 7.8.09 @ 9:42PM

"Instead of calling names, why don't you respond to any of my points?"

LR, your points are not points, but rather opinions, and you have set forth no facts in support of any of your opinions. You merely spout one-liners and then childishly act as if each point were backed up by forty footnotes. I, for one, don't care about your opinion, unless you can support that opinion with cites.

Alan Brooks| 7.8.09 @ 9:50PM

no she wont win in '12, Sarah is no Reagan or Thatcher.

thinking she will win in '12 has a name: self deception. thinking you can wish her into the White House. If wish-dreams were only money!

Alan Brooks| 7.8.09 @ 9:54PM

you people who think Palin can or will win in '12 are conning yourselves but no one else.

Perhaps some of you thought Dole would win in '96?

Alan Brooks| 7.8.09 @ 9:56PM

but maybe she can be president in a decade or so; you'll just have to be patient, wont you.

Ignant_dude| 7.8.09 @ 10:13PM

We can be patient. Nixon was patient in 1960, Reagan was patient in 1976. I hear Cincinnatus was pretty patient as well.

Basil Plumley| 7.8.09 @ 10:35PM

@ Ignant_dude

Thank you!
I still don't think he/she/it gets it but that's their loss.

@ Fionnnagh

You have to admit Liberal Reader is pretty darn good at saying nothing. He/she/it reminds me of the Mexican bandits from Blazing Saddles:

Facts? We don't need no stinkin' facts.

Ignant_dude| 7.8.09 @ 11:14PM

Basil-
Blazing Saddles stole that from Treasures of the Sierra Madre with Humphrey Bogart, still pretty accurate. Anyway, hope I didn't scare LR off, I thought we were debating...

Basil Plumley| 7.8.09 @ 11:49PM

@ Ignant_dude

Have no fear, Liberal Reader will be back. He/she/it may have a different handle, but he/she/it will return.

You are correct on your movies. I figured this younger crowd would identify with Blazing Saddles. Some of us remember Randolph Scott.

Captain Showbiz| 7.9.09 @ 5:29AM

Sarah used "progress" as a transitive verb? I think she meant to say "Cinco de Quatro," which is how that translates into Austrian in almost all of the 57 states. It should have been on the Teleprompter.

Michael Sall| 7.9.09 @ 6:43AM

Palin may or may not run and may or may not win in '12..but she will advocate for conservative values and force all other candidates to the right, which is exactly what we need. It's the philosophy, stupid. Anyone doubting that can look at the nightmare unfolding in Washington. Think Wright, Ayers and Olinsky. "You knew I was a snake before you got onto my back."

brian72| 7.9.09 @ 6:45AM

The ethics complaints, however frivolous, must be investigated by statute. The Personnel Board, from "tasergate" fame, MUST BY LAW investigate each and every one of the ethics complaints that can be filed by any yahoo or partisan operative.
The loophole that was found in the Executive Branch Ethics Act, which I'm starting to believe was intentionally written in by the legislature, is that although confidentiality is required, there is no penalty for violating it.
If you file a complaint against a sitting legislator in Alaska and go to the media with a headline, or talk publicly about it, it's summarily thrown out because you violated confidentiality. That is in the law. The Executive Branch version does have the requirement for confidentiality until it's resolved, but NO PENALTY for running to a newspaper, TV or radio station to talk about it, or to blog about it.
That enables the quick headline strategy. By the time that one is dismissed, at great cost to the state and the target, be it the Governor or key staff members, the next two are lined up and in the papers. The victory on one gets buried by questions about the new one, yet to be resolved.

This is really simple to understand Sarah Palin's reasoning for her resignation being good for the state, her family, and her immediate financial and political future, if you are not just trying to knock her down with anything you can grasp.

"If you strike me down in anger, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

brian72| 7.9.09 @ 7:02AM

Another element to the resignation is that the legislature's attitude had changed drastically since August of last year.
The Alaska Democrats, with some nudging from the DC Democrats, had resolved to not let Sarah Palin have anymore victorious legislative sessions. The bipartisan cooperation was over and they made that clear last session. No more credit for Sarah for anything. This was meant for her national aspirations, and nothing but political.
The Dems in AK had some recalcitrant Republicans to help them, because Sarah Palin had the temerity to upset the establishment of the AKGOP, and some of them were determined to undermine her for whatever personal interests they had. One Republican House Member had a bet against the pipeline deal with TransCanada in the form of about $175,000, or 3,000 shares in BP. There are others that worked to get even for perceived grievances, some going back years.

Sarah eliminated the political target that had been placed on the Governor's Office by leaving and taking the target with her. Now, the same administration can get back to work for the state instead of spending all their time and resources defending her.
It really was for the good of the state, and her family, and her ability to help the national party in 2010.
This is an unusual, unique situation.
Try to understand it that way, and it makes perfect sense. There is some risk to her political viability, but that is not the most important thing to this woman. Such things will work themselves out, and she has the freedom and time to do what she feels is right for all concerned, starting July 26.

Liberal Reader| 7.9.09 @ 9:03AM

At last, the Obi-Wan Kenobi defense of Sarah Palin has been made.

But never her mind on where she was. What she was doing.

There is no try. Do, or do not.

Basil Plumley| 7.9.09 @ 9:47AM

@ Liberal Reader

You really can't help yourself, can you?
I guess it is true; you can lead a jackass to water but you can't make them drink.

brian72| 7.9.09 @ 10:30AM

@Liberal Reader
The only comment you have is about a cute pop culture reference thrown in for some levity?

No comment on the rest of my analysis of what Sarah Palin has faced, and the chosen remedy for her state, her family, and herself?

You asked for a specific response to your incredulity at her announcement.

Now you have it, and all you have to say is about Obi Wan?

How disappointing.

Liberal Reader| 7.9.09 @ 10:48AM

Ease up, Skywalker.

Your analysis is fine, to a point. You offer reasons why these ethics complaints require response. (By the way, they've mostly been levied by Republicans, not Democrats.)

And perhaps Alaska makes that response more time consuming than some other states.

However, I do NOT accept that the rationale that they've made the state impossible to govern. They've just made the state inconvenient to govern for Sarah Palin.

I simply will not accept the notion that resigning office is a heroic act, particularly when it seems pretty likely she's doing it to suit her own personal interests -- whether they be familial or political.

Again, her resignation does NOT make her a bad person. I would think even more highly of Palin than I already do if I knew she were resigning to seek some more normal life of work and family. But the idea that somehow her resignation is a mark of her leadership abilities is just odd.

Don't give in to anger, or the dark side will forever control your destiny.

Basil Plumley| 7.9.09 @ 11:04AM

@ Liberal Reader

Funny how you start this pissing matches by proffering a bunch of horse manure. When brian72 eloquently calls you out on your lies and obfuscations, you plod on with more lies and obfuscations. You are not concerned with truth in this or any other matter.

It is one thing to be able to read, obviously the comprehension part is still difficult for you.

brian72| 7.9.09 @ 11:53AM

You can refuse to accept what is fact all you want, JarJar Binks.
That does not change the reality that the remainder of this term would be consumed with responding to this orchestrated nonsense, and it would not have stopped for anything.
She said that � of the executive staff's time was spent dealing with these ridiculous attacks, and they were not all against her.
Some were aimed at the people who work in the Governor's Office.
That means they had to hire lawyers too.
So this was costing her people time and money, costing the state time and money, and she saw no way to remain in office and be effective as she promised the voters she would be.

It's plain as the three suns of Tattooine, if you accept the facts for what they are.

You however, are not interested in that.

brian72| 7.9.09 @ 11:56AM

That thing above should read
"eighty percent of the staff's time.."
Don't know why it doesn't like the percent symbol.

brian72| 7.9.09 @ 12:11PM

"I simply will not accept the notion that resigning office is a heroic act, particularly when it seems pretty likely she's doing it to suit her own personal interests -- whether they be familial or political. "

What you refuse to entertain the possibility of is that her personal, political and familial interests can be best served with a resignation that also is the best thing for the state government, which is supposed to serve the people, not just the Governor's legal position or political ambitions.
Another smart political angle of this move is that Sarah's Lt.Gov. is a loyal person who will carry the same agenda forward this term, then he can run for election as an incumbent, sealing the Repub nomination away from the Old Boys of the AKGOP, who are just as eager to hurt Palin as the libs are, for reasons I've stated above.
He can finish Sarah's term, run as incumbent, then run again for re-election.
He will probably win those.

Raoul Ortega| 7.9.09 @ 12:37PM

I see David Mathews is now posting as "Liberal Reader". Or else some other troll has his schtick down pat.

Liberal Reader| 7.9.09 @ 2:10PM

brian72 --

Let me ask you this.

There have been reports of on-going ethics complaints in Alaska since last September, when Palin was both (impressively) acting as governor and running for Vice President.

Have you at any time during the last ten months thought to yourself, "You know, what with all these complaints, what the governor really should do is resign"?

It's hard to dislike people for being loyal, and as I say, I can't really blame you for defending your candidate.

But there comes a time when I wonder what the cost is to our public discourse to go about pretending that resigning office midterm is a form of leadership.

And this leads to my larger concern, Skywalker.

Dissent is a necessary component of democracy, and what I've witnessed in recent years is a debasement of dissent.

Disc jockeys and "rodeo-clowns" (as Beck calls himself), whether we're talking about Limbaugh or Jon Stewart, now more or less control and create the language of dissent -- particularly on the right.

Dissent needs to be ideas-oriented, literate, intellectually-curious, analytically rigorous, and much more humane and generous than it has become.

Conservatives certainly have traditionally offered powerful dissent in this country. I think you could argue that even Emerson and Thoreau were, in some ways, ancestors of some aspects of modern conservatism. But I don't see much hope, frankly, in Joe the Plumber, Joe Sixpack, or Sarah Palin, and I heard nothing in that speech last week to suggest to me she's a fountain of challenging, dynamic conservative ideas or a potential leader of an opposition party.

As a liberal, I have a sort of double loyalty. One is to my party and the its values, but the other is to the idea of dissent and a vigorous marketplace of ideas.

Angel| 7.9.09 @ 3:57PM

Raoul, Liberal Reader has a modicum of sanity and erudition--most likely this troll is our Jeremiah of yore.

Hi, Jeremiah/Marcell/Tom Paine/Murphy/ Sybil (I know there're more, but I've lost count). What's shakin'? You been takin' a little break with your Axelrod Astroturf buddies? Learning new obnoxious troll strategies?

You're such a friggin' bore.

Angel| 7.9.09 @ 5:52PM

Liberal Reader/Jeremiah, you know you throw like a girl (an uncoordinated one); you couldn't pitch for my women's softball team.

I wouldn't mind pitching a few fastballs past your ear, though. lol