Sarah Palin Has Damaged Her Political Future Irreparably

Sarah Palin's announcement today, July 3rd, 2009, came as a shock to most of America. Announcing not only that she was going to forgo a bid for reelection as governor of Alaska, Palin also announced that she would be leaving her position as governor by the end of the month, rather than after the 2010 election. This is significant, as Palin was seen as a possible frontrunner for the Republican party in the 2012 presidential election. However, has she sabotaged her own chances at the Presidency?

In my opinion, Sarah Palin has ruined her chances not only at the Presidency, but at any public office. Even though she made numerous gaffes and was the subject of significant criticism and mockery as John McCain's vice-presidential pick during the 2008 presidential election, Sarah Palin did nothing to make people question her reliability or dedication to office.

However by leaving office early, Palin makes questions of her reliability and dedication to public office inevitable. If she makes a bid for anything - the Presidency, a senate seat, or even a mayorship - people will ask whether or not she is serious about the job.

Regardless of whether Palin's decision to leave her post as governor of Alaska is spun as a way for her to spend more time with her family or a way to prevent government waste and spending in the form of ethics investigations regarding Palin, her credibility will always be marred. People will ask if their state or if the nation would have Palin's full attention were she to be a public servant again. Narrators on campaign commercials will ask in insidious tones whether Sarah Palin can be trusted to finish what she starts. There'll be no end to it.

Was this announcement part of some shrewd political move that would give Sarah Palin a running start in the 2012 presidential election? I highly doubt it. First, Palin has hurt her credibility, as I've detailed above. Second, most abrupt political resignations have something to do with a scandal. Granted, nothing has come out yet, but there's still time. If I were a betting man, I would consider the likelihood of a scandal to be a sure thing.

Sarah Palin's abrupt and unexpected announcement of her early resignation shocked many today. In my opinion, we're going to hear more in the coming days and weeks. Regardless, I feel that Sarah Palin has irreparably hurt her chances at any future public office, and there's nothing she can do to come back from that.