The following is the complete text, directly transcribed, of the portion of Sarah Palin's resignation speech available on video. The text is accurate and unaltered; a portion of the speech is missing from the beginning because the video does not start until then.
The lines have been transcribed, however, in the form of vers libre poetry, which seemed appropriate under the circumstances.
Any corrections are appreciated in the comments.
and im not gonna put alaskans through that
i promised efficiency
and effectiveness
thats not how im wired
im not wired to operate
under the same old politics as usual
i promised that four years ago
and i meant it
it thats not what is best for alaska at this time
im determined to take the right path for alaska
even though it is unconventional
and its not so comfortable
with this announcement
that im not seeking reelection
ive determined its best to
transfer the authority of governor
to lieutenant governor parnell
and i am willing to do this
so that this administration
with its positive agenda
and its accomplishments
and its successful road to
an incredible future for alaska
so that it can continue without interruption
and with great administrative and legislative success
my choice is to take a stand and effect change
and not just hit our head against the wall
and watch valuable state time and money
millions of your dollars go down the drain
in this new political environment
rather we know we can effect positive change
outside government at this moment in time
on another scale
and actually make a difference for our priorities
and so we will for alaskans
and for americans
lemme go back quickly to a comfortable analogy for me
and thats sports
basketball
and i use it because you are naive
if you dont see a full court press from the national level
picking away right now
a good point guard heres what she does
she drives through a full court press
protecting the ball
keeping her head
up because she needs to keep her eye on the basket
and she knows exactly when to pass the ball
so that the team can win
and that is what im doing
keeping our eye on the ball
that represents sound priorities
remember they include energy independence and smaller government
and national security and freedom
and i know when its time to pass the ball
for victory
and ive given my reasons now
very candidly
truthfully
and my last day wont be for another few weeks so
the transition will be very smooth
in fact we look forward to swearing in sean parnell
up there in fairbanks at the conclusion
of our governors picnic at the end of the month
and i really dont want to disappoint anyone with this announcement
not with the decision that i have made
all that i can ask is that you trust me with this decision
and know that it is no more politics as usual
and some alaskans it seemed today
maybe they dont mind wasting public dollars and state time
but i do
and i cannot stand here as your governor
and allow the millions of dollars and all that time go to waste
just so i can hold the title of governor
and i dont know if my children are gonna allow it anyway
some are gonna question the timing of this
and let me just say
this decision has been in the works for a while
in fact this decision comes after much consideration
prayer and consideration
and finally i polled the most important people in my life
my kids
where the count was unanimous
well in response to asking hey do you want
make a positive difference and
fight for all our childrens future
from outside the governors office
it was four yesses
and one hell yeah
and the hell yeah sealed it
and some day ill talk about the details of that
i think though much of it for the kids
had to do with
recently seeing
their baby brother trigg
mocked and ridiculed by some pretty mean spirited adults
recently
and by the way i sure wish folks could ever understand
all that we can learn all of us from someone like trigg
i know he needs me
but i know that i need him even more
and what a child can offer to set priorities right
know that time is precious
the world needs more triggs not fewer
my decision was also fortified
during this most recent trip to kosovo and landstuhl
to visit our wounded soldiers overseas
those who truly sacrifice themselves
in war for our freedom and our security
and we can all learn from our selfless selfless troops
theyre bold and they dont give up and they
take a stand and they
know that life is short
so they choose not to waste time
they choose to be productive and serve something greater than self
and to build up their families and their states and our great country
these troops and their important missions now
there is where truly the worthy causes are in this world
and thats where our public resources should be
our public priority
with time and resources spent on that
not on this superficial
wasteful
political bloodsport
so may we all learn from them
really weve just gotta put first things first
and first things first as governor
i love my job
and i love alaska
and it hurts to make this choice
but im doing whats best for alaska
and i have explained why
though i think of the saying on my parents refrigerator
a little magnet that says
dont explain
your friends dont need it
and your enemies wont believe you anyway
but ive given my reasons
its no more politics as usual
and im taking my fight for whats right
for alaska
in a new direction
now despite this i dont want any one
any alaskan
dissuaded from entering politics
after seeing this real climate change
that began in august
no we need hardworking average americans
fighting for whats right
and i will support you
because we need you
and you can effect change
and i can too
on the outside
we need those who will respect our constitution
where government is supposed to serve from the bottom up
and not move toward this top down big government takeover
but rather
will be protectors of individual rights
who also have enough common sense to acknowledge
when conditions have drastically changed
and theyre willing to call an audible
and pass the ball when its time
so the team can win
and thats what im doing
remember alaska
america is now more than ever
looking north to the future
and itll be good
so god bless you
and from me and from my family
to all alaska
you have my heart
and were gonna be in really great hands
the capable hands
of our lieutenant governor sean parnell
and lieutenant general craig campbell
then will assume the role of lieutenant governor
and its my promise to you that
i will always be standing by ready to assist
we have a good positive agenda for alaska
take the words of general macarthur
he said
we are not retreating
we are advancing
in another direction
so with that imonna hand this over
to our good lieutenant governor
and again i say thank you
and god bless you alaska