Sarah Palin Is Hiding Something

Image Credit: SiteMe via Flickr and Creative Commons.

Sarah Palin’s surprise resignation announcement is the top story in the political media this 4th of July and while the media is giving the story a fairly straight treatment the question on every experienced political reporter’s mind is this: “What is she hiding?”

There are exactly four plausible reasons for a popular and sitting governor to resign her seat while still eligible for re-election. Of them, only one makes the slightest bit of sense for Palin.

Changing The World

The reason Palin gave for her surprise resignation is that she can do more good outside of government than within it. While the statement is certainly in keeping with the “government that governs best is that which governs least” philosophy of the Republican Party, Palin’s obvious lack of a plan for what comes next suggests that this is little more than a space-filler for the press conference.

Indeed what was not said in the resignation press conference is far more telling than what was. Palin made no mention of what her upcoming plans are and given that her resignation has placed her in a media spotlight, such an omission can not be plausibly explained as an oversight. If Palin had plan for some private sector undertaking she would have certainly mentioned it on Friday.

Running For Higher Office

On the other hand, perhaps Palin’s next big step is not in the private sector at all. It is altogether possible that she is resigning in anticipation of a run at some higher office. Sarah Palin is among the presumptive presidential nominees for her party in 2012 and, as Hillary Clinton discovered during her Presidential run, many politicians encounter push-back when they hold one office while running for another.

That said, Palin clearly had little reservation running for the Vice Presidency while still serving as Alaska’s governor. Moreover, if she intends to embark upon another political campaign she kicked it off with a blunder by squandering the two days (and counting) of wall-to-wall media coverage of her resignation by announcing on the Friday before a holiday weekend. While such a blunder would be almost typical of the train-wreck of media faux pas that have characterized Palin’s previous political adventures the timing of her resignation makes little sense for a Presidential run. Alaska has a Senate race coming up in 2010 but a Republican presently occupies the seat. Given that Alaska’s senatorial delegation went from Red to Purple in 2008 one presumes that the Republican party as a whole might not appreciate a contested primary in what should be a fairly safe race.

Making A Lot Of Money

Palin certainly need not be resigning for the greater good. The lecture circuit is a profitable undertaking for any well-known politician and Palin could doubtless command high fees for her folksy speaking engagements.

That said, she remains a bit of a one-trick pony. Palin lacks any sort of substantial policy credentials and thus is likely to find her options somewhat limited in the long run. Unless she faces significant financial pressure in the short term, Palin’s long term economic aspirations would be much better served by seeking higher office and more national experience. While ridiculed by the left, Palin’s political star is nonetheless still on the rise and bailing from politics now is a poor choice in the long run.

Resignation Under Pressure

All of which leaves one final option. Something in Palin’s past has finally caught up with her. Of all the explanations of Palin’s actions, this is the one that makes the most sense. Politics is a narcissistic profession and Palin’s decision to announce her resignation on Friday – a day politicians and journalists regard as the best day upon which to bury a story – makes little sense unless she hopes to vanish quietly from the public eye.

Palin’s comments at the conference seemed unplanned as if preparation had been rushed or skipped altogether. Her delivery had more in common with her scattered off-the-cuff performances during the 2008 campaign season than it did her well-honed speech delivery at the Republican National Convention. Indeed almost every aspect of the press conference from its setting to its timing suggests a hurried event thrown together at the last minute so as to ensure that the story would be buried amidst the coverage of Michael Jackson’s death and the July 4 festivities.

For someone whose bread and butter is entirely dependent upon the rapt attention of the electorate, that is a very strange indeed.