UPDATED 1:25 PM PST: Video of Palin's Speech below.
From the Huffington Post:
After Sarah Palin's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week she has announced she will be stepping down in a few weeks. In a press conference called minutes ago, Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin has announced she will not run for re-election and is stepping down as governor.
She had a brief statement. She took no questions.
Lt. Governor Sean Parnell will step in to the roll as governor at the end of the month.
That no-good week included news of an email Palin sent to friends and relatives in which she described the belated news of her pregnancy with Trig and detailing the baby's condition. She ended that email not with her own name, but rather by signing it “Trig’s Creator, Your Heavenly Father.”
Dear Sarah,
You did the right thing!
Signed,
God.
By stepping down, she's free from the constraints of the governorship. Now she can travel around the country unimpeded to build a base of support and potential (or actual) funding for a serious run at the presidency.
I don't think this is necessarily good news...
Posted by: Elizabeth | July 03, 2009 at 01:37 PM
I just don't think that's going to happen. She can say that's what she's going to do (but as far as I know she hasn't said that yet), but I won't be convinced that it's anything more than lip service until we see her in action.
Whatever happens, she has to repair her image first. Can that be done at this point or is she too damaged?
Posted by: Kim | July 03, 2009 at 01:50 PM
Good lord, Elizabeth. Surely not. I mean, surely she will not run for president. Surely she will not be able to raise funds. Surely she will not acquire the support of sane people. Surely not. My mind is still boggling from the incredible fact that the RNC actually put her on the ticket.
Posted by: EditorCarol | July 03, 2009 at 02:10 PM
Apparently she's out of politics for good: http://www.pimpmywry.com/2009/07/palin-is-out-of-politics-period.html
Posted by: Kim | July 03, 2009 at 02:44 PM