Mitchell: Palin told allies she's "out of politics, period"

Andrea Mitchell offers a different read on today's events than most have thus fair, saying sources close to Palin are claiming that she has told them that she is "out of politics, period" and that they are free to throw their support behind other 2012 candidates.

Who knows if Mitchell is right, but if she is, it would make a heckuva lot more sense than this being the opening of the 2012 campaign, as Bill Kristol suggested to Fox.

Update (2:53PM): The plot thickens -- Palin's spokeswoman seems to suggest Mitchell's sources are wrong, saying "this is a fighting move."