Having your family bankrupted is no joke and raising a family under constant attack isn’t cupcakes and ice-cream. Sarah may be a governor and a rising GOP star, but first and foremost she’s a parent. Taking a few years off to raise the family and letting the kids grow up somewhat normally sounds like the decision a good person makes.

I think she should have finished out her first term, lame duck or no. It does however, give Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell a time to be Governor and have a better shot at retaining the office in 2010. 

This does not mean that she’s out of politics, but I think it does mean no 2012 and no 2016 either. I wouldn’t want to have to defend her in those years if she ran for president. She’s young, only 45, if she plans at some point to run for president then she has time to finish raising her children before getting to it. There’s 2020, 2024, and 2028. Some are suggesting she’s just done with elected politics. And thats fine too. 

Regardless Sarah Palin will still be around being Sarah Palin. She’ll continue to be a leader and that’s good enough.