What the Sarah Palin resignation tells us about the 2008 Presidential campaign

It's funny: When Sarah Palin announced her planned resignation last week, I immediately thought of two probable explanations: either she was just really and truly sick of it all and was walking away from her elected position, or she was setting in motion a years-long strategy aimed at a Presidential run in 2012. The third explanation, the one that is getting a lot of traction in the blogosphere and beyond - that this was a strategic resignation intended to sidestep the full impact of a scandal that's just about to break - honestly never occurred to me.

If Sarah Palin actually did what she did for the reasons she seemed to be stating in her announcement on Friday - essentially, that she could not take the heat, and was getting out of the kitchen - what does this tell us about her viability as Vice-President? Does she really think she was exposed to more pressure, criticism, ridicule, and abuse as Governor of Alaska than she would have been as Vice-President of the United States? If she could not handle that sort of treatment, hell, she wouldn't even be cut out for the job as First Lady - just ask Hillary Clinton. Heck, ask Chelsea Clinton - as a teen going through her awkward years, she was referred to as the "First Dog" by Repugs. Even the kids aren't off limits. If the pressure Sarah Palin felt as Governor of Alaska was so great, she wouldn't have lasted three months as Vice-President of the United States.

If Palin's resignation was intended to clear the path to her run for the Presidency in 2012 - well, OK, I can understand that. Especially if the situation resembles the one described by John Webster on his blog. Yet her explanation for her decision does not really allow for this possibility, and seems to specifically reject it. And her stated reasons seem to essentially disqualify her in terms of temperament - see the previous paragraph. If she can't hack the pressure as Governor of Alaska, then she really, really wouldn't be able to handle it as President.

And then there's the scandal theory. The rumors I'm hearing point to an event or events while she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska - well before she became John McCain's Vice-Presidential pick. If this is true - if even the shadow of the truth dwells here - then it tells volumes about the effectiveness of the process McCain used for vetting Vice-Presidential candidates. Because if a scandal lurks that is big enough for the highest elected official in the state of Alaska to suddenly resign from her position, it damned well should have been big enough for the McCain camp to spot when they went over her record and personal history with a fine-toothed comb. If they ever did.

Either John McCain's selected running mate was a huge wimp who could never have lasted as Vice-President, or John McCain's team failed to do the research required to ferret out some scandal in his chosen running mate's recent past. Either way, we can see how we dodged a bullet both in terms of Sarah Palin's suitability for office and John McCain's ability to exercise discretion and discernment.

So, for those of you who voted for McCain-Palin last November: You're welcome. Please vote more wisely next time.