Sarah Palin resigns as Alaska governor, keeps media guessing

Sarah Palin has announced that she will resign as governor of Alaska on July 26.

The former Republican vice-presidential candidate made the announcement today (July 3) from her home in Wasilla.

Palin has so far kept the media guessing about her plans after leaving office, and confused everyone about her reasons for stepping down, which she gave in a statement:

Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional ”˜Lame Duck’ status in this particular climate would just be another dose of ”˜politics as usual,’ something I campaigned against and will always oppose. It is my duty to always protect our great state. With that in mind, my family and I determined that it is best to make a difference this summer, and I am willing to change things, so that this administration, with its positive agenda, its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future, can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success. I look forward to helping others – to fight for our state and our country, and campaign for those who believe in smaller government, free enterprise, strong national security, support for our troops, and energy independence.

The New York Times noted today that the move has heightened speculation that Palin will run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Shannyn Moore, writing from Anchorage for the Huffington Post, reported that “Rumors of an ”˜iceberg scandal’ have been circulating,” and called the resignation “out of character for Sarah Palin”.

The announcement comes just days after Palin was awarded the National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ Sitting Duck Award, which is “bestowed each year on the crí¨me de la crí¨me of the most ridiculed newsmakers in America”.

As governor, Palin “Broke ground” on a new prison, encouraged oil drilling, and “initiated and implemented the largest energy project in the world through the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act”.

Better known for her failed run for the vice-presidency than for her track record as a governor, Palin made waves through a series of gaffes, including a claim that because she could “see” Russia from Alaska, it enhanced her knowledge of foreign policy. When questioned by a journalist, she famously claimed to read a “vast variety” of newspapers and magazines, but was unable to name a single one.

Palin will be succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell. Parnell was a partner in a law firm that defended Exxon Mobil in litigation relating to the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.