Sarah Palin Resigns In Rambling Speech

Sarah Palin quit as Alaska’s governor in a rambling speech, with the sound of game birds in the background.

Palin made an appearance in front of a lake in Wasilla, her home town, on Friday to say she was quitting on July 26.

In a surreal scene, the sounds of birds that appeared to be loons frequently interrupted a speech that blamed “political operatives” for investigating Palin’s administration for ethics violations.

Palin said the probes into her administration “haven’t been cheap” and it cost her more than $500,000 in legal bills “to set the record straight.”

“We are dealing with this stuff instead of progressing our state,’ Palin said.

Palin said she would campaign for the rights of people across the country who held similar ideas, but wouldn’t do that as a lame-duck governor.

Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will be inaugurated at the governor's picnic on July 26.

Palin was first elected in 2006 on a populist platform. But her popularity has waned as she waged in partisan politics following her return from the presidential campaign. Her term would have ended in 2010.

Palin said she planned to make a "positive change outside government," without elaborating. She also expressed frustration with her current role as governor.

Palin's family and the ridicule they endure being in the public eye was part of her decision. She complained that her 14-month-old son, Trig, who was diagnosed with Down's syndrome, had been "mocked and ridiculed by some mean-spirited adults recently." She didn't elaborate.

Palin campaigned on ethics reform in the 2006 election, defeating incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary and a former two-term Democratic governor, Tony Knowles, in the general election.

Palin's delivery of two weeks' notice rattles a Republican Party plagued with setbacks in recent weeks, including extramarital affairs disclosed by two other 2012 presidential prospects, Nevada Sen. John Ensign and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.
 

The move will allow Palin to raise funds and grab the role of the Republican party’s best threat to Barack Obama.

It also would allow her to avoid ethics inquiries in Alaska in relation to her on-going job as governor.