[Riparian]

Palin's bizarre, rambling "explanation" of why she was cutting and running was, uhm, "entertaining" to be sure. She was weaseling out of fulfilling her obligations to the people of Alaska for the people of Alaska! She mentioned the $2 million that the various ethics allegations against her had cost the state... despite an article in the Anchorage Daily News that put the figure at $296,000. She babbled on about all the things her brief administration had done for Alaskans, while sniveling about how she had been "victimized" by the mean ol' libs. Is this the stuff of a national politician? Nope.

Many have suggested that she resigned so she could spend more time boosting her national visibility, laying the groundwork for a presidential run in 2012. I say no way. By resigning mid-term, she has positioned herself as a whimpering quitter, not a presidential candidate. Nope, I think she's opting out of public service to join the ranks of FauxNews blatherers. She wants to be a national figure without the hard work of governing.

Billy Kristol, the neocon asswipe who helped bring her to the national stage has called her resignation a "shrewd gamble". But here's one thing we know for sure: Kristol (Dan Quayle's former chief of staff) has been consistently wrong about everything he has ever prognosticated. "Shrewd"? Rubbish. But I'll go along with part of that word: shrew.