From www.talkingpointsmemo.com
Sarah Palin, says David Frum, "quit to cash in. Her admirers can excuse anything, but to the much larger audience of non-admirers, Palin will look a lot like those CEOs who wrecked their banks and the national economy while accepting huge bonuses for themselves personally. John McCain's slogan in 2008 was "Country First." Palin's in 2012? "I seen my opportunities, and I took 'em."
There is an old song called "How Yer Gonna Keep Down On The Farm After They've Seen Paree?" It was written shortly after World War I and it was about the new world view that the returning doughboys had when they came home to America. All those bright lights, shiny women, and endless possibilities.
Sarah Palin has seen the big world outside of Buttphuck, Alaska and, to paraphrase Thomas Wolfe, she can't go home again. Just imagine yourself if you had been scooped up from the depths of political obscurity and suddenly became the most talked about person in America, literally overnight. And along with that came the security details that surrounded you, the fleet of cars and drivers, the personal assistants, the press aides, the make-up artists, the hair dressers, the fabulous new wardrobe. It was stardom writ large.
And just as suddenly, it was all taken away. She had become Cinderella but without the happy ending. There was no Prince Charming waiting to whisk her away from her once again humdrum life and moil and toil as governor of Alaska. So Sarah decided to write her own happy ending and she wasn't about to wait another year and a half to realize it. So true to form, Sarah decided to do what was best for Sarah. Screw Alaska. And never forget that she has an ego to match the size of that state.
I can imagine her getting up every morning and counting the days left until she can return to the "real America" where she is worshiped and adored by millions. And she has found the perfect gimmick to sustain her celebrity. It's a kind of political striptease act where she slowly reveals if she will run for president in 2012. But she knows that even the presidency is immaterial to her know. She can still have all the attention and press that she wants without having to break a sweat by having to run for office.
Nice work if you can get it. And I think she just did.