The Real Story Behind Palin's Bombshell

Anyone who is in any way surprised by Sarah Palin's announcement today that she will not be seeking re-election, and, even more significantly, is stepping down as Governor of Alaska, has not been paying close attention. The signs have been everywhere.

Palin has absolutely zero interest in running the State of Alaska. She steadfastly refused to live in Juneau after her first year there, had the gall to charge the state for residing at her home in Wasilla 600 miles away, and she basically mailed in her performance as the state's top administrator during Alaska's most recent legislative session. She has alienated virtually all the key legislators in her own party -- that's right, Republicans -- and had failed to move any key legislation forward since her return to Alaska from the national campaign trail last November.

In fact, her bizarre appointment for Attorney General, Wayne Anthony Ross, was rejected nearly unanimously by the state legislature -- a first in Alaskan history. Even in respect to energy policy, her supposed bailiwick, she has been categorically ineffective. When I asked those in-the-know what role Palin had played in putting together the recent pipeline deal between TransCanada and Exxon, their response was simple: "None."

None. That about sums up Palin's accomplishments as Governor of the Last Frontier.

The evangelical right can wallow in denial all they want about Palin being victimized by liberals or Democrats or even George Soros (some illiterate wingnut recently tried to link me to him), but the fact is that most of the people with really bad things to say about Palin -- from John McCain's staff to conservatives in Alaska -- come from the Republican Party. The charges of a left-wing conspiracy are so ridiculous as to be absolutely absurd.

But then what coming from the Palin camp isn't?

Moreover, Palin was facing what would have been a hugely embarrassing veto override by the Alaska legislature at the beginning of the next session in January over her politically postured refusal to accept Federal stimulus funds. If this past legislative session was a setback for Palin, the upcoming session would have been an absolute public relations disaster -- hardly the proper entree for her presidential campaign.

My sources in Wasilla tell me that Palin's father, Chuck Heath, has spoken repeatedly about the "liberal press" and dreaded "bloggers" taking their toll on his daughter. I recently discovered an early, telling email by Palin complaining to her pal Meg Stapleton about something a blogger had written in the Anchorage Daily News and how significantly it bothered her -- "kind of makes my stomach turn over," she wrote. Palin can dish, but she can't take it. She's got a terribly thin skin. When I reported here less than a month ago that Palin had clearly lifted passages from an article by Newt Gingrich and Craig Shirley (whose name she didn't even bother to mention) she and her entourage went apoplectic. What she had done was blatantly obvious and she would have been tossed from any reputable college or university for such slipshod citation. Palin, and the sycophants with whom she surrounds herself, simply have no moral compass.

Some pundits have said that Palin's resignation is out of character. Hardly. Don't forget that she resigned from her last statewide office -- that as chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. Sarah Palin is a quitter. She fancies herself something else. But, in the end, she quit her position at AOGCC and she has now quit her governorship. That's two-for-two at the statewide level. In Wasilla, there was nearly a recall launched against her as mayor. Trouble and turbulence have followed her everywhere.

More importantly, there are rumors in Alaska that more Ethics Act charges are in the works and that there is also a more serious Federal investigation focusing on Palin during her tenure as mayor in Wasilla and the building of her home and a sports complex in Wasilla, long speculated to have been linked. It's the one very touchy subject whenever you bring it up in the MatSu Valley. As someone who is writing a book on Palin, I can attest to the fact that there are always rumors flying about her, not all of them true, but this seems like a real possibility, especially given the timing of her announcement today.

Palin also has a multi-million dollar book project for Rupert Murdoch that she needs to complete in time for a spring release. That's some serious cabbage, and there were grumblings in Alaska about the book deal as well. There will be other lucrative, high-visibility media options for her shortly down the road. Don't be surprised to hear of one of those popping up soon. This frees her up to reach for the gold ring without her minions being able to register any complaints. In that respect, it's a logical move.

A longtime Republican in Alaska who has known Palin since she ran for lieutenant governor in 2002 told me that Palin "enthusiastically embraced" her trip to Georgia last year in which she campaigned for Senator Saxby Chambliss. She sees herself doing that around the country in 2010, raising money for conservative Republicans and, by so doing, building support for a presidential candidacy in 2012. "She was absolutely adored in Georgia," said the GOP operative, "and she loved her role there --preaching her particular brand of conservatism to the already converted." And make no mistake about it: Sarah Palin is by far the biggest ticket item that GOP has in its dwindling catalog of candidates.

All of the recent public donnybrooks have taken their toll: First the article by Todd Purdum in Vanity Fair and then the even nastier revelations of emails leaked by the McCain campaign which showed her to be an utter liar regarding her husband Todd's membership in the Alaska Independent Party. Even the seemingly innocuous interview in Runner's World, with its bizarre, braggadocio boast of her having more endurance than Obama, revealed her penchant for duplicity at every turn: the assertion that an injury she had sustained while jogging in Arizona had been kept top-secret, a contention thoroughly disputed by the inimitable Mudflats.

One of my favorite lies spewed by Palin today in yet another poorly scripted speech was that she campaigned for governor "four years ago...," when she, in fact, ran for governor three years ago and held her position for little more than two-and-half years. It's the little lies she always tells, the twists of truth, the distortions. Four years sounds like nearly a full term; three feels incomplete. So why not just call it four?

For all her projected toughness, Palin loves to play the victim. "Political operatives descended on Alaska last August, digging for dirt," she whined, implying that her problems are from out-of-state (yet another big lie). "Over the past nine months I've been accused of all sorts of frivolous ethics violations..." It wasn't quite Richard Nixon's "Checker's Speech," but it was close. In her own awkward vernacular, the Governor was essentially saying to Alaska, "You won't have Sarah Palin to kick around any more."

Here's a little bit of Alaska inside talk for you. Those close to the governor have consistently indicated to me that they privately blame Mitt Romney & Co. as the source of a lot of the media hits on Palin. It may even be true. But with today's announcement, Palin will soon be on equal footing with Romney -- no longer saddled by statewide office and free to travel and maneuver however and wherever she damn well pleases. Today's statement was a great equalizer for 2012.

By being a lame duck, Palin would have exposed herself to more negative coverage, more public failure. By stepping down she allows herself to regroup, get out from under the microscope and re-emerge as a national figure without the constant strain of serving as governor.

Some news sources are claiming that Palin is stepping away from politics permanently; perhaps. But I didn't hear that today. What I heard were typical Palin code words that she has her ambitions set for higher office, for a national stage. Her shots at Obama's stimulus package were just one of many signals aimed directly at Washington.

So do not think for a moment that this is the last we will be hearing from Sarah Palin. The Federal Election Commission will soon be reporting how much money Palin's SarahPAC has raised over the past four months. You can bet that Palin has a lot of gas left in her tank. She is the gift that John McCain gave us that will not go away.

Award-winning investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker Geoffrey Dunn is at work on a book about Sarah Palin and her role in American politics, to be published by Macmillan/St. Martin's in 2010.

Comments

[KayCo]

Personally, I hope she does run in 2012.

If for nothing else than the entertainment value. I would love to see her try match wits w/ Obama in a debate. She failed miserably against Biden. You cannot win a debate where you wink and say that you are not going to answer questions presented by the moderator, or give "shouts out" to Joe the Plumber or whoever...that was such a joke!

You prove yourself as a leader by answering the tough questions and being professional. She has made herself a wealth of material for stand up comedians and late night talk show hosts for years to come...Run Sarah Run...We could use a few laughs!

[Jan Krejci]

In the latest Salon.com article by Camille Paglia, she refers to SP's "success with finalizing the massive Alaska pipeline project." Is that the very same pipeline that Mr. Dunn has on good authority that MooseGrrl had nothing to do with? Gah, the lies, d'amned lies, and moose poop; why can Palin just go quietly?

[nikto]

Here at HuffPo,
OUR wingnuts are guaranteed
to be the Wingnuttiest!!!

Or your money back!!

[Cat-Lover]

I have made myself a promise that I fully intend to keep. I will never read anything about "that" woman, I will never listen to anything about "that" woman, I will never mention "that" woman's name. If "that" woman chooses to seek elected office, I will vote for anyone other than "that" woman, and will contribute to the campaigns of those opposed to "that" woman. "That" woman has been, is and will forever be a joke in American history. It begins now!

[Atlgymguy]

No, sweetie, the JOKE is that the mainstream American media have turned into a tool of the left.
"That media" are constantly making fun of Palin. "That media" are constantly telling us she is dumb.
"That media" are constantly ignoring the gaffes of Biden and Obama. "That media" failed to investigate Obama before the election and continue to fail. "That media" are so in love with Obama that they have failed miserably to warn American voters how truly dangerous he is. Palin would have made a fabulous, wise, humble and sane VP. Instead, we get Joe The Gaffer who asks a man in a wheelchair with no use of his legs to "stand up!" We get Joe The Gaffer who does not even know who the governor of Virginia is. We get Joe The Gaffer who gives away the secret bunker in the VP's home! Joe The Gaffer who makes Sarah Palin look like Einstein!

[zenobiadarcy]

I agree with the absurdity of the considered possibility that Sarah Palin could be nominated as a Presidential candidate. The fact that this is a discussion scares me. It is Sarah Palin that was unknown and how eagerly she was embraced for just those qualities that made her dangerous. Intolerance for those who are not like her and hers. President Obama and Vice-President Biden are sincere, knowledgeable, intelligent, and I think they did a great job in tearing Obama to bits to attempt to destroy him but it backfired because there was nothing to discover.

[gifu]

Sweetie? Joe Biden would eat you for lunch, idiot.

[KIVPossum]

Palin would have made a fabulous, wise, humble and sane VP

hahahahaha­hahahahaha­hahahahaha­hahah

catches breath

hahahahaha­hahahahaha­ha

[nikto]

Palin would have made a pitiful, naive, arrogant and deranged VP.

ftfy.

That's the truth.

No more room at the Inn for desperate wingnut fantasies.

[wyldrnwolf]

I agree with you Cat-Lover. "That" woman is a joke.

[Jean55]

Gov. Sarah Palin is going to be ObeTheTeleprompters worse nightmare. Get the popcorn and enjoy the showl.

[idesign]

Her Facebook friends have doubled in the Last 3 days!

[sheikwil4]

it just proves that there are a lot of ignorant people in America

[idesign]

Go Sarah!

[idesign]

Dick Cheney is Obe Wan Kanobe!

[Jean55]

What a bunch of morons.

[TRichards]

'The gift that John McCain gave us that will not go away" is the headline appearing in the last sentence of the article -- an odd placement, but I'm just glad that the headline was buried instead of missed altogether.

[ywcachieve]

'''''One of my favorite lies spewed by Palin today in yet another poorly scripted speech was that she campaigned for governor "four years ago...," when she, in fact, ran for governor three years ago and held her position for little more than two-and-half years. It's the little lies she always tells, the twists of truth, the distortions. Four years sounds like nearly a full term; three feels incomplete. So why not just call it four?''''''

I caught this lie in her speech Friday, too.

[Atlgymguy]

You are seriously worried about a tiny mistake in a Palin speech? Man, you really need perspective!
Try being concerned about rationed antibiotics, rationed MRIs, rationed C-sections, hip replacements and cancer drugs which will happen under if Chairman MaoBama gets his way.
Try worrying about "Cap and Tax" as it burdens coal plants with so much regulation and fines that electricity becomes unaffordable! Try being upset about North Korea aiming nukes at us to test a green, untried, inexperienced and apologetic MaoBama who refuses to stand by Israel, is determined to befriend the mullahs in Iran and compares the Holocaust to the Palestinian people's struggle for a state.

[tm68]

These lies are not "tiny mistakes"- they are calculated untruths designed to manipulate and distort reality for those listening to her.

[woodwakr]

Electricity will go through the roof!
There's gonna be no health care!
Obama will make your children gay!

You guys are so hilarious.

Obama's 1000 times as competent as Bush, and his administration (all 8 years of it) will be seen in retrospect as one of the best ever.

[anarmyofnone]

You really need to read something instead of just letting Rush fill your head with whatever stream-of-­consciousn­ess babble he's peddling as the truth today. Rationed medical procedures and drugs? I suppose you enjoy paying twice as much as the rest of the world for the same prescription drugs and not being anywhere near the top of the list in quality of care. Look at our infant mortality rates; they are deplorable. Cap and Trade has been working in Europe for several years, and while it's not perfect, it's better than what we have here. As for North Korea, if it weren't for gravity their missiles wouldn't even hit the ground. I don't know why you think Obama doesn't support Israel, but it would be fine with me if he cut them off altogether. They act like the kid in school that is always taunting the other kids while hiding behind his big brother. Getting back to Palin, she is nothing but eye candy. Can you imagine her negotiating with Putin? I just hope she makes her book and speech money and once everyone is tired of her she slinks back into the woods from whence she came.

[Muirwoods]

Atlgymguy you clearly know nothing about our current health care system. Quit listening to Rush and talk to ANYONE who has worked in the industry for more than a couple of years. The system as it exists today will completely unravel in the next few years if we don't fix it now. I have worked in health care administration for 20 years and would be happy to discuss it with you if your are truly interested in finding out how it works. The insurance and pharmaceutical companies control most of the money spent (=earned for them) with little or no regard for consumers. The system cannot survive as it is today. The only way to make the system work is to take the profit margins out. Health care should be a right - not a privilege.

[nikto]

Atlgymguy,

You forgot the part about our precious bodily fluids.

[LonghornDem]

Nice points about her toughness. I get so tired of all the "pitbull with lipstick" and "Sarah Barracuda" garbage. She's not tough. She's mean. That people can't seem to tell the difference is just sad. But she's definitely not tough. A tough person wouldn't scream constantly about media conspiracies, liberal bloggers and comedians making rape jokes. She is thin skinned. Hopefully people are finally able to see that.

[jbs902]

Great post and let's not forget that she is also a Bully and a loudmouth. She can dish it out but she can't take it. Good riddance.

[Onealtx]

When I saw her resignation, I was shocked at first...but listening to her I realized why this woman is so scary to me. THere wasn't an ounce of "genuiness" in her diatribe, but it's as if she asked a high schooler to write a speech about why he couldn't get his homework done! The fact that people support a governor that quits for no obvious reason mid-term is the scariest thing to me..What makes her so likeable - it's not her qulaifications, nor even her intellect - she is articulate, but how is that enough? Why is there no standard for our leaders?

[ywcachieve]

'''she is articulate'''

She is not articulate. To be articulate mean, expressing yourself, clear and intelligently, and people get what your are talking about.

Palin rambles on and on, fast and furious, inarticulately. Spewing out many words, but saying nothing.

When Palin gets through talking, people say, WTF was she talking about????

[DivergentMary]

Word Salad. Perfect description. She mangles the English language (and probably doesn't know that "English" needs to be capitalized, either!)

Journalism major ~~~ HAAAAAAA!

Please, Sarah, go away. Far, Far Away . . . . .

[mamala4]

No one, I repeat no one, has ever, before you, described her as articulate. In fact someone called her speech a salad of words...

[tm68]

Someone on Fox News called her "inarticulate and undereducated"- Well-spoken she is not. This woman used her good looks to get by in the world of politics. She's a "breath of fresh air" because of her beauty. She knows NOTHING about how government works and policy is and should be made and for anyone really, truly listening, it is there in plain sight to be realized.

Some may scream that is sexist to say- that she used her beauty to get ahead- but I say, as a woman, she wouldn't be a human of the female persuasion if she didn't. Beautiful women can use their power to manipulate, they are wired to do so.

Face Value- the Politics of Beauty is a good book about the myths/realities of beauty. There is a book review on Google about it with excerpts from the book. Our culture values beauty and along comes Sarah Palin to the scene to make everyone salivate. She experiences a power that goes to her head and creates narcissistic tendencies.

To say that Palin isn't using or capitalizing on her looks is false.

[kf40]

She is "articulat­e..."????!­!!!

[Nova16]

For those commenting here and claiming that Palin should go after Obama because his policies have not taken us out of this recession/­depression have to understand that the republicans after eight years of mismanagement, malfeasance and misfeasance created such an economic calamity that will take decades to rectify , if not generations or perhaps never. Some may work, some may not and the effort is a work in progress and could see many different plans of attack yet to come. Anyone, including Mrs. Palin should forward her suggestions to the White House to ameliorate our current economic misery is certainly welcome to do so.

[Atlgymguy]

Seriously, you need Economics 101 and American Government 101. The Democrat Congress was the body which SPENT us into bankruptcy for the last several years. Bush could not spend without them.

[tm68]

They were only in control the last 2 years of the 8 year presidency of GW. Sorry, not buying it.

[Bellinda Myrick-Barnett]

Bravo, Geoffrey!

Well said. Definitely, soon to be Ex-Governor Sarah Palin clearly does not see herself going into political history with such a brief background. She, obviously, envisions herself as a great leader and has much higher ambitions than she is capable of carrying out. I look for her to emerge, in addition to her very lucrative book deal, quite probably, with her own talk show either radio but, most likely, television, that will get her more out front in the public eye until shortly before the 2012 election when she will be 'persuaded' to jump back into the action for the 'good of the country' so, of course, she'll quite the talk show and go back to 'serve her country.'

Unfortunately, much of America is buying what this woman is selling. I never realized before she came on the scene that I was as qualified for running for President as I must be if Sarah Palin is. Imagine my surprise!

[Appleton]

Sarah Palin's political career proves once again the limitations of physical beauty. If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that if Gov. Palin more closely resembled someone like, oh, Eleanor Roosevelt in appearance, her lack of intellectual curiosity, logical non sequiturs and general inability to be articulate and thought-provoking would have been instantly evident and most likely would have prevented her from pursuing her ambitions beyond the Wasilla mayor's chambers. I'm not suggesting that it is fair or honorable, but the fact is that we demand less of the physically attractive. The office of governer exceeded Ms. Palin's abilities and failed to hold her interest. She will have little or no influence by the 2012 presidential campaign.

[idesign]

Sarah's facebook friends have doubled in the Last 3 days!

[profounddogs]

God help us all.

[pixiepotpie]

"(Palin) can dish, but (she) can't take it. " I nominate this as the new slogan for the GOP.