Oops. I posted my silly comment about Palin and Sanford before reading someone else's similar post. We Salon members definitely think similarly.

I DO have another, more serious, comment, however. Sarah Palin keeps referring to her job as Governor as a title and how unimportant it is to have a title. It's not a title. It's a job. She's really saying that it's unimportant to have this job, and she's treating it as unimportant, isn't she?

What baffles me is that Palin actively lobbied McCain & Co. to be VP candidate. Yet, Andrea Mitchell says that Palin's close associates claim that she wants to leave politics permanently. What a lovely idea albeit difficult to accept.

I DO believe the Katie Couric interview during Palin's VP campaign was the defining moment in her career.

red_gti2000: You want the United States economy to fail?

And you actually had the gall to post this anti-American message on the Fourth of July.

-- DurianJoe

Amen to that.

The trolls, I mean. I do love the trolls! Joan hates Sarah because she's pretty! Sarah is our rock star! Destroy the economy so Obama looks bad! He's had 6 months to fix 8 years of screw-ups and he's a big fat failure! Sarah is really smart you big, bad, liberal elite!

Really, I love you all. You are the sunshine in my life!

As for Palin, I can't begin to guess what her plan is. The conference was heavy on the weird side, both in timing, content and delivery, but it was typical Palin. I hope for her kids' sakes that there isn't anything seriously wrong. I'd love to see her run in 2012 just for the fun of it, but buzz around is that none of the political handlers (the men and women who actually craft and direct these campaigns) will touch her as her behavior last year was so horrible.

I'm guessing she's getting her own show or something. Maybe, just maybe, she's done with politics all together.

She can't even go on meet the press. The woman is simply not smart or well-informed enough to think on her feet and she knows it. The notion of her debating Obama is beyond ridiculous. Her idiotic comment about lame duck governors spending their last year and a half flying around and picking up paychecks was offensive to all governors, especially those that actually WAVE their paychecks. Why would a presidential hopeful purposely alienate the governors of 49 states? And how could she possibly respond when asked for a guarantee that she won't experience similar burnout after 3 years in the White House? As for her family being picked on by the media, Palin agreed to run for VP even though her 5 month pregnant, unmarried daughter would be exposed to international scrutiny. Despite Letterman's apology, she kept the controversy going and absurdly implied that Letterman, who actually has a longtime relationship with a woman in his age bracket, was some kind of child molester.Palin has her book deal, and she can start lining up the speaking engagements, and next thing we know, she'll be a Fox correspondent. The McCain campaign showed her the money. Now, she's showing her true colors. Bill Kristol hasn't been right about anything, ever. True to form, he's wrong about this one. Sarah Palin isn't running, Thank God.

General MacArthur also said, “Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul.”

DurianJoe, you are my favorite at Salon.

You forgot the last part:

"Revenge is a dish best served cold."

And it will be a very, very, very cold dish.

but that's understandable, given the context of the speech.

I think the vicious, personal and cruel attacks against her and her family (STILL!) have given her emotional problems.

The days of normal, sensitive people running for office are over. From now on, all we'll get are cold Democrat Marxists/Socialists/Totalitarians, because they're the only ones with hides thick enough to take the abuse - witness BO and his thugocracy presently in control, and I DO mean CONTROL!!

I don't know where the Republicans fit into all this - I guess they'll just slowly fade away.

People only vote for old Soviet types if they're weak and dependent - admirable, self-reliant Americans are now in the minority. What a shame!

My point is that you cant defend Rush Limbaugh, and then turn around and complain about the posts of anonymous folk, just because you and Rush are on the same side. "Hate speech" isnt just "speech that I hate". I'm saying that the only difference between some of these posters and Rush is that Rush is spewing vitriol on the radio to an audience of twenty million.

That Rush is more talented than some of these posters is irrelevant. Just as "hate speech" is not just "speech that I hate", it also isnt "nasty things said by people who dont have radio shows who I happen to disagree with".

Consistency, as well as a good burger, is what I'm seeking today.

Of course, of course. I've got it now. Sarah will work for Fox, either as Rush's co-anchor or she'll have her own program. And, of course, this will have happened for the good of Alaska, she'll say.

Indeed.

Joan, you are definitely a fanatic when it comes to conservatives. Seriously, you might need to get some help.

When I saw the news, it barely made an impression and yet for you Joan, it has turned your world upside down. Why is that? I am the conservative and therefore I should be more concerned but I am not.

I am surprised she didn't move on before this. Clearly being governor of the great state of Alaska is not on par with any sort of political job in the lower states. What is the point of staying at that job when it does nothing to add to her resume.

Maybe Joan you aren't familiar with how people with a burning desire to get ahead behave. They use jobs as stepping stones to get to the top. I imagine Joan she has figured out the job of being governor. It is time to move on and learn about the political world in Washington. It is time to learn about the international scene and makes nice with the movers and shakers. I think stepping down is the right decision if she has further political ambition.

I like her spunk, but at this point she is a lightweight and only time will tell if she has the brains, ambition, and energy to go further.

One thing is for certain. She sure has the attention of everybody. She managed to wipe Michael Jackson and all others off the news in a blink of an eye. She is the huge celebrity that clearly the progressives have been entirely responsible for making. So good job Joan.