Sarah Palin to Alaska: And This Bird You Cannot Change

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Yesterday was Sarah Palin’s last day as governor of Alaska, and she marked the event with a farewell address to a crowd gathered in Fairbanks. Below is a transcript of the speech, as filtered through my brain.

Gosh, thank you so much for all your claps and your welcoming yells. It’s so great to be with you all on such a great, good day here in Alaska, with that bright, strong Alaska sun up there in the sky, warming our faces and necks and the tops of our heads and serving as a beacon, not only to Fairbanks but to the whole solar system, for freedom and prosperity. It’s a real treat to be here among such common people as yourselves. People, who you are, those very same, loving this fine, big land of ours. You know, on such a rich, clean day, it’s hard to believe that there are some who would tear down our country, who would say that our best days were yester. But how can that be, when, all around the world, so much blood is spilt in our name? If that doesn’t make you proud, then I don’t know what.

Oh So Fitting To See Sarah Palin Quitting: Now What?

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin gives her resignation speech during a ceremony in Fairbanks.

Sarah Palin quit on her stool as governor of Alaska Sunday night, talking about leadership as she did. She clearly imagines herself to someday be the next President of the United States, getting to tell guys like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad where to get off, yet leaves whining about a bad joke from David Letterman. You rarely get political farewells this funny outside the state of New Jersey.

Palin doesn’t actually leave the stage now, just goes off at intermission to write a book and get herself some kind of television gig on Fox. Once there, the most famous hockey mom in America — another of the cute catch phrases that replace actual ideas with her — will try to find a way to drive Newt Gingrich, another presidential pretender, right through the boards.

Sarah Palin hadn’t even served two full years as governor when a desperate candidate, John McCain, picked her out of the chorus. She effectively stopped being Alaska’s governor that day. When she finally walked away from the job this weekend, it was just bookkeeping.

The governor as quitter, sharing these deep thoughts with us on Twitter: “Wrapped up Anch (Anchorage) Gov’s Picnic, awesome. Now road trip to Fairbanks for farewell speech/changing of the guard. Camper full of kids and coffee.”

Compared to most of her other public utterances, this came out sounding like Churchill telling us England was going to fight them on the beaches.

Sarah Palin Steps Down As Alaska Governor (VIDEO)

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — Sarah Palin stepped down Sunday as Alaska governor to write a book and build a right-of-center coalition, but she left her long-term political plans unclear and refused to address speculation she would seek a 2012 presidential bid.

Her first order of business as a private citizen is to speak Aug. 8 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. She also wants to campaign for political candidates from coast to coast, and continue to speak her mind on the social networking site Twitter.

Free speech was a theme of her farewell speech at a crowded picnic in Fairbanks, as the outgoing governor scolded “some seemingly hell bent on tearing down our nation” and warned Americans to “be wary of accepting government largess. It doesn’t come free.”

She also took aim at the media, saying her replacement, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, “has a very nice family too, so leave his kids alone!”

And she told television cameras: “How about, in honor of the American soldier, you quit makin’ things up?”

She also took aim at the media, saying her replacement, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, “has a very nice family too, so leave his kids alone!”

And she told television cameras: “How about, in honor of the American soldier, you quit makin’ things up?”

She didn’t elaborate, but Palin said when she announced her resignation July 3 that she was tired of the media focus on her family and felt she had been unfairly treated by reporters.

Friend and foe alike have speculated that Palin may host a radio or TV show, launch a lucrative speaking career or seek higher office in Washington.

Palin hasn’t ruled out any of those options, and her political action committee, SarahPAC, has raised more than $1 million, said Meghan Stapleton, a spokeswoman for the committee and the Palin family.

The Real Story Behind Palin’s Bombshell

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin campaigned for Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss last year.

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.

Poll: Most Say Palin Resigned To Help Her Career

CBS News poll on the resignation of former Gov. Sarah Palin taken between July 9-12.

A majority of Americans believe that Sarah Palin is resigning as governor of Alaska not because it’s in the best interest of her state but because it will benefit her political career, a new CBS News poll finds.

Just 24 percent of those accept Palin’s explanation that she resigned because it was the right thing to do for Alaska. More than twice that percentage – 52 percent – cited her political ambition as the reason for her resignation. An additional 14 percent said they don’t know the reason.

Even Republicans are skeptical of the explanation, with a higher percentage saying Palin resigned for her political career (36 percent) than saying she did so for Alaska (31 percent).

Thirty-nine percent of those surveyed expect Palin to run for president in 2012, while 43 percent say she will not. If she runs, she’ll likely face widespread skepticism: As CBS News revealed Monday morning, just 22 percent say Palin has the ability to be an effective president. Sixty-five percent say she does not.

Less than one in four Americans – 23 percent – hold a favorable view of Palin. Thirty-seven percent hold an unfavorable view of the former Republican vice presidential nominee. Another 39 percent are undecided.

Bombshell Announcement: Sarah Palin is Stepping Down as Governor of Alaska!!!

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Friday she is resigning from office at the end of the month, raising speculation that she would focus on a run for the White House in the 2012 race.

The former Republican vice presidential candidate made the surprise announcement from her home in suburban Wasilla on Friday morning. She said she would step down July 26 but didn’t announce her plans.

Sarah Palin to Resign as Governor of Alaska!!

Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska announced Friday that she would step down by the end of the month and not seek a second term as governor, which would allow her to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2012.

Ms. Palin, who was Senator John McCain’s vice presidential running mate last year and solidified the support of the party’s conservative base, explained her decision at a news conference at her home in Wasilla, Alaska, accompanied by her husband, Todd, and other family members.

“We know we can affect positive change outside of government,” she said in making the announcement.
Known as Sarah Barricuda when she played basketball in high school, Ms. Palin used point guard analogy in explaining her decision, saying she knows “exactly when to pass the ball so the team can win.”