The Heat of the Kitchen

There are certainly many opinions and viewpoints about Sarah Palin's abrupt resignation as governor of Alaska. I've lived in Alaska and I can tell you the one thing Alaskan's have little respect for is someone who quits when the going gets tough. Consider also her reasons for quitting: Ethics complaints and the media.

Ethics complaints are the price of doing business in Alaska. Aside from mineral and hunting issues, the governments in Alaska are small ones, perfect breeding ground for partisan politics. In essence, her reason for quitting are not political, but personal.

This begs the question: How important was the role of Governor to Sarah Palin? By all appearances, taking into account her actions after being tapped by McCain for VP, it was not very important at all.

Conservatives everywhere can heave a sigh of relief: Sarah Palin has committed political suicide. By quitting when the going got tough, there is no longer the danger of her splitting the Republican party in 2012.

(Thank goodness we found out how she felt about the First Amendment before she held high government office. As long as she's the one using it everything is fine—including personal attacks on her opponent's family members. But when someone else uses the First Amendment she's all outrage and legal threats.)

She'll certainly still be the poster girl for 6000 year-old cavemen and the neo-cavemen who want to return us to the Stone Age under the guise of patriotism. Photo-ops, interviews, junkets to other states—oh, yes, life is good.

Sadly someone will talk her into forming an ultra-conservative "Cow Moose" party—if someone hasn't already. Teddy Roosevelt she is not.

But now the movers and shakers of the Republicans will hesitate—hesitate—when her name is put into any hat. After all, she quit once. So what's to keep her from doing it again?