what bad week?

Crackhead.

haha, i was wondering what dirt was getting ready to come out.

McCain: Palin to play leadership role as ex-Governor

Frame grab shows former U.S. Republican Alaska Governor Palin announcing that she will res...
By Steve Holland, Reuters
Sat Jul 4, 4:06 PM EDT

Republican Senator John McCain expressed support for his former presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, on Saturday as Washington speculated about why the Alaska governor abruptly announced her resignation.

McCain made the comment a day after Palin stunned the political world by announcing she is stepping down with 18 months left in her term.

McCain had plucked Palin from obscurity to make her his vice presidential running mate in last year's presidential campaign won by Democrat Barack Obama.

"I have the greatest respect and affection for Sarah, Todd, and their family. I was deeply honored to have her as my running mate and believe she will continue to play an important leadership role in the Republican Party and our nation," McCain said in a statement e-mailed to Reuters.

But Alaska's Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski issued a statement saying, "I am deeply disappointed that the Governor has decided to abandon the State and her constituents before her term has concluded."

Palin defeated Murkowski's father, then-Governor Frank Murkowski, in the 2006 Republican primary for governor.

A polarizing figure who is mainly popular among conservatives, Palin has often been considered a possible contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Her decision, announced in a rambling, disjointed statement in her home town of Wasilla, Alaska, fueled speculation that she might be seeking to position herself for a run.

But some commentators said it was a strange move for one with presidential ambitions, opening her to potential criticism that she quit her post to pursue a personal agenda.

ETHICS INQUIRIES

In her statement, Palin referred to a series of ethics probes into her conduct as governor and previously as mayor of Wasilla, all of which she said lacked merit.

"My staff and I spend most of our day dealing with this instead of progressing our state now," Palin said. "This isn't what anyone had in mind for Alaska."

McCain's statement of support came after some of his political aides from last year's campaign outlined their grievances with her in an article in the current issue of Vanity Fair magazine.

Palin, 45, initially boosted the McCain ticket, especially after delivering a masterly speech at the Republican National Convention introducing herself as a "hockey mom."

But her approval ratings plummeted following a disastrous series of TV interviews and many voters wound up concluding she lacked the qualifications to be vice president.

Public ridicule continued in the eight months since the election. She recently engaged in an angry public dispute with comedian David Letterman over jokes Letterman made about her and Palin's daughter, Bristol, on his CBS show, "The Late Show with David Letterman."

Some prominent Republicans do not blame her for deciding to step down.

"I'm sure she felt that the only way to end the ridicule that was attempting to tear her family apart was for her to get off the stage for now," said Dana Perino, who was press secretary for President George W. Bush.

Palin is said to have a book in the works. In addition, Nick Ayers, executive director of the Republican Governors Association, told Fox News on Friday that Plain wants to expand her role in the national party.

"Part of her decision is she wants to spend more time campaigning for candidates," he said.

That could be a welcome role for her in some parts of the Republican Party, which has suffered devastating losses in elections in 2006 and 2008 and is seeking ways -- and new leaders -- to help it rebuild.

Perino said that while the "2008 election and the aftermath of it would be something very hard to overcome politically" for Palin, she could be a powerful symbol for the party as it tries to encourage more women to run for office.

Palin links resignation to 'higher calling'
By MARK THIESSEN, Associated Press Writer Mark Thiessen, Associated Press Writer 11 mins ago

JUNEAU, Alaska - Outgoing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Saturday laid the groundwork to take on a larger, national role after leaving state government, citing a "higher calling" with the aim of uniting the country along conservative lines.

A day after surprising even her closest friends by announcing she would step down as Alaska governor more than a year before her term was up, the controversial hockey mom was still keeping details of her future plans under wrap. But in a statement posted on Palin's Facebook account, she suggested that she had bigger plans and a national agenda she planned to push after she resigns at the end of the month.

"I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values of less government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger national security, and much-needed fiscal restraint," she said.

Palin also cast herself as a victim and blasted the media, calling the response to her announcement "predictable" and out of touch.

"How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it's about country," the statement said. "And though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make."

Palin's personal spokeswoman, Meghan Stapleton, confirmed to The Associated Press that the Facebook posting was written by the governor.

The abruptness of her announcement and the mystery surrounding her plans has fed widespread speculation. But Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein on Saturday warned legal action may be taken against bloggers and publications that reprint what he calls fraudulent claims.

"To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as 'fact' that Governor Palin resigned because she is 'under federal investigation' for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation," Van Flein said in a statement. "This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law."

He also told the Anchorage Daily News that Palin wasn't in any criminal legal jeopardy.

"I can say definitively I am aware of no criminal investigation whatsoever involving Sarah Palin. Zero," he said.

Palin has kept a low profile since her abrupt announcement Friday at a hastily called news conference at her home in suburban Wasilla, outside Anchorage. All of her public communication since then has been on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, or through statements released by her office.

At the same time, Palin informed her spokesman David Murrow early Saturday that someone using the name "exgovsarahpalin" on Twitter was spreading a false rumor that there was to be a party at her suburban home in Wasilla, outside Anchorage. Palin was afraid her home would be mobbed, and security was dispatched, Murrow said.

With only a few weeks before she steps down on July 26, and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell takes her place, the governor spent the Fourth of July weekend in the state capital, Juneau, but was only spotted briefly on the sidelines of the city's parade.

She had been invited to ride in a convertible, as she did last year, but never told organizers whether she would attend.

Juneau parade director Jean Sztuk said officials drew up banners in case Palin showed and was willing to take part.

As the last of the parade's clowns and marching bands headed past her, Sztuk gave up on Palin. "What governor wants to be at the end of the parade?" she asked.

Her low-profile and vague Internet messages left mounting questions about her plans for the future shrouded in mystery. Will she lay the groundwork for a 2012 presidential bid? Will she find a high-profile place in the private sector, maybe on the speech circuit? Will she drop out of the limelight and focus on her five children?

Her constituents, for one, wanted to know, especially in Juneau, where she has struggled to win over residents.

"I think she owes it to Alaskans to tell us why," said state Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau, the son of Alaska's first governor, Bill Egan.

Egan, hosting a 50th anniversary statehood ceremony, said he was disappointed Palin decided not to finish out her term, which was scheduled to end in 2010.

"It's sad she abandoned us at this critical time," said Egan, who was appointed by Palin to an open seat on the last day of the legislative session in April, after a protracted battle with Senate Democrats.

Palin's departure can't come soon enough for Laurel Carlton, a waitress at the Capital Cafe in the Baranof Hotel, where the city's political movers and shakers meet every morning before walking a few blocks to the Capitol.

"I think she has a game plan that's not Alaska, and hasn't been for awhile," Carlton said.

She noted Palin has a book deal, and seems headed for the national stage.

"If you're really not going to stay and do your job every day, you should leave anyway, and so the sooner the better so somebody can step in and actually do the job," Carlton said.

And as far as Carlton is concerned, Palin doesn't need to explain why she's leaving.

"We don't care. We just want her gone," she said.

Palin, whose popularity in Alaska has waned amid ongoing ethics investigations, gave many reasons for stepping down: She didn't want to be a lame-duck governor; she was tired of the tasteless jokes aimed at her five children, including her son Trig, who has Down syndrome; she felt she could do more in another, still-to-be-defined role.

Sen. John McCain didn't rule out a return to politics for his former running mate, saying Saturday he believes "she will continue to play an important leadership role in the Republican Party and our nation." He gave no other details.

Even Parnell, who plans to run for re-election after finishing out Palin's term, said he was shocked at first when he learned of his boss' decision.

"But then as she began to articulate her reasons, I began to understand better," he said. "And nobody - unless they've been in her position and understood what she has gone through and dealt with and who she is as a person - really understands."

Palin returns to work, defends decision to resign
By DAN JOLING, Associated Press Writer Dan Joling, Associated Press Writer 33 mins ago

KOTZEBUE, Alaska - Gov. Sarah Palin returned to the spotlight Tuesday with an appearance in a remote Arctic village where she stood by her perplexing decision to resign just as she tries to elevate her national profile ahead of a possible 2012 presidential run.

Palin signed a bill in this small town 30 miles north of the Arctic circle that is intended to bolster law enforcement in Alaska villages. She was greeted with cheers by about 300 people and briefly took the floor to dance to the beat of Inupiat Eskimo drummers. Many lingered to get their pictures taken with the popular Republican governor and former vice presidential candidate.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Palin defended her decision to step down after a year in which she has been bombarded with a series of ethics complaints and publics records requests that have cost the state nearly $2 million to investigate, according to a tally provided by the governor's office Tuesday.

"You would be amazed at how much time and resource my staff and I, the Department of Law especially, spend on this every day," she said. "It is a waste. We are spending these millions of dollars not on teachers and troopers and roads or fish research and other things that are needed in Alaska."

Palin stunned the political world when she abruptly announced Friday that she would step down July 26. She spent the long holiday weekend fishing with her husband and kids and briefly attended an Independence Day parade. Her first official appearance was at the bill signing. She also gave several interviews while wearing waders from her family's fishing spot before flying to Kotzebue.

She has not said what she will do next, but a book deal is in the works. When asked if she will run for president, Palin responded, "That's certainly not within my immediate plans."

But Palin was quick to criticize President Barack Obama, a possible sign of what's to come three years from now, ripping him over his economic plans.

There has been speculation that she has some legal issue that is not yet known to the public. But her lawyer said she has no legal problems whatsoever, and simply is tired of the hostile political climate, personal legal bills and other distractions.

According to the cost breakdown from the governor's office, the state Department of Law incurred expenses exceeding $116,000 investigating Palin's firing of her public safety commissioner in a legislative probe that came to be dubbed Troopergate.

Palin says the state will be better off with Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell as she gets consumed by a political climate that she considers vicious.

"Obviously conditions had changed so drastically on August 29, the day I was tapped to be VP," she said. "The opposition research and the games that began there - which I think is the new normal in Alaska politics, until I hand the reins over to Sean Parnell - have been so distracting."

"I had promised no more politics as usual," she said. "I had promised no more ineffectiveness and inefficiencies. We will progress the state better with Sean in the governor's seat and me fighting for Alaska on the outside of government because of the conditions that have changed."

Palin's resignation has set up a free-for-all for her job when her term ends in 2010. Parnell will serve out her final year and a half, but nearly a dozen people have filed letters of intent to run in 2010.

The list of candidates includes Sen. Hollis French, a Democrat from Anchorage who oversaw the so-called Troopergate investigation that looked into the firing of Palin's Public Safety Commissioner. The investigation served as a major distraction last year for Palin.

"I think Alaskans are ready for a change," Patti Higgins, chairwoman of the Alaska Democratic Party, said Tuesday. "They want people that will get in there, work hard and finish the job and do things in a professional manner."

While many political analysts argued that Palin's decision to step down hurt her chances at a presidential run, a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted Monday night found that 53 percent of Americans felt the media coverage of Palin was unfairly negative and that 70 percent said their opinion of Palin hadn't changed since she decided to step down as Alaska governor.

While it remains to be seen whether Palin will seek the presidency in three years, 19 percent of voters said they would be very likely to vote for her in 2012 and another 24 percent said they would be somewhat likely.

The telephone poll was based on interviews with 1,000 adults late Monday. It had a sampling margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.