Ignorant about the world, and proudly so; hypocritical; thieving; uses power to carry out personal vendettas; lies freely in pursuit of her goals; subordinates her children's needs to her own desires...

I'm going with "yes". Who cares why she quit? Just be glad she has.

A politician may say that they are leaving office(or not seeking office) to "spend more time with their family" but in reality that either means there is a scandal coming or political maneuvering going on. It never means that they are going to stay home and play patty-cake with the kids and take long walks on the beach with their spouse. No difference here with Palin.

a scary thought to come out of this latest fiasco was the assumption that she may be quitting because she's pregnant again.

WHAT? a pregnant woman can't do her job? do people really still think that?

You are making an agreement with your voters that you will serve them throughout the duration of your term. Quitting when your term is nearly up, if there isn't in fact a good reason (and quitting to spend more time with your kids, when your term is just about up, isn't a good enough reason in my opinion), is setting a bad example to all kids, not just Palin's. I'd think the same thing if Palin was a man. If she does have ambitions towards the presidency she's certainly shown that she can't cut it when things get hard. If there were some sort of terrible family emergency I'd think differently but right now it just looks like a flighty decision typical of the inexperienced moron Palin has proven to be.

And anyway, I think Palin's a crappy mom (and a crappy person) for many more reasons than her premature exit from the Alaska Governor's office.

I don't believe that Palin quit because she wants to spend time with her family.

It's been said that Caribou Barbie is ambitious. In fact, she's so ambitious that I bet her family takes a back seat to her career.

Therefore, I would guess that Palin quit so she could make money through speaking tours and whatnot and then organize a 2012 presidential campaign. I can't wait to see how she fairs as a presidential candidate this time around, it should be funny.

This is the chief executive of the state of Alaska. She swore an oath to fulfill the duties of that office when the voters of that state elected her.

My first thought on hearing her resignation speech was, "Oh great, just another example for those inclined to say women can't/shouldn't hold public office." Seriously, she asked her KIDS if she should resign, and they were the deciding factor? If my mom pulled that stunt, I'd have questioned her sanity, even as a self-absorbed teenager.

I'm not saying family should come second. But she had that family when she ran for office and she presumably had their blessing (or didn't care to ask.) She has a responsibility to her state. She has a responsibility to herself as well, but the "quitting for the family" line rings very hollow.

Second thought was how shattered she seemed - not the barracuda we all got to see on the trail last year. Curious what scandal is about to blow.

Yes, yes he is. How come no one is writing a story about that?

because she's simply an idiot.

I think the many ad hominem attacks not only upon Sarah Palin but also her family would provide an understandable (although disappointing) justification for her actions. Jimmy Carter once wrote that he discovered in his dealings with Congress that he was dealing with “ravening wolves.” It appears the same may be said of many in journalism today. Being thrust with little preparation directly into the limelight would difficult for almost any of us. Mrs. Palin’s resignation was admittedly not well handled, but under the circumstances understandable. Ms. Hardings sports analogy is incomplete. Imagine a scenario in which the kids (and parents) in a particular sports club are all continually verbally abusive. There may be a point at which to pull out, irrespective of character development.

For real, we're picking apart this woman's decisions from a child's point of view and overlooking the effect on Sanford's kids? What, because he's a man? He has FOUR BOYS who will have to grapple with their father's dumbassery. What kind of example is THAT?

Let me just step back and say I do not give a shit about either Sanford or Palin; I just think it's ridiculous for Broadsheet to cover this, angling page hits under the guise of 'paying attention to women's issues'. The whole idea of Broadsheet is stuck in 1994, struggling to free itself from stories about the glass ceiling and 'bad mommies'. News is news, already! Ugh.

I guess I agree that not finishing the job to agreed to do is setting bad example. I don't think we can really judge, though, until the reasons for her resignation finally come to light.

I am no fan of this woman, but there's seems to be a rush to pillory her over this that I am not especially comfortable with.

The problem with your logic, Kate, is that you generalize about what "the pundits" are saying. "Pundits galore" criticized Palin as a "bad mommy" for running for national office, now "the pundits" are criticizing her as a "bad mommy" for quitting her job. But it's not necessarily the same pundits! You're a pundit. So is Ann Coulter. Are you saying the same things? Of course not. There are so many "pundits" now that you can find "pundits galore" that say anything you want, so when you say "pundits galore," it's just a lazy generalization.

Did anyone else think Ms. Palin's farewell speech echoed Nixon's after his own defeat and pledge to leave politics?

One can imagine it is awfully had to be seen as more character than person, and one can imagine that at a time like that it's just best to leave and find your center.

Ms. Palin likely found herself in a situation where she had become largely ineffectual in her position, and decided it would be better for all concerned if she simply faded away.

This would likely mark the first time a politician has been run out of office largely on the force of comedians rather than reporters.

I don't know if that makes it a sad day for politics or a happy one. I wonder if, once the right figures out a method for harnessing humor they way they harnessed early alternative media if this is seen as triumph or a tragedy.