Sarah Palin

In a surprising, perplexing move from a national politician, Republican Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's decision to resign at the end of this month is one of the most stunning. No one is quite sure what she has on her mind, but most believe she is positioning herself for a run at the 2012 Presidential nomination.

Some have criticized her for making this move now and have said she is bailing out when to going is getting tough. Not sure if this is so but there may be other reasons also.

Logistically being located in Alaska is a hindrance for Palin's national ambitions. Alaska can take the better part of a day to travel to or from. They are 4 hours back from East Coast time and she can not just pop form Alaska to another State quickly to make an appearance. Governors also are not doing so great on the political landscape. With budget short falls and the economy to deal with, they have been taking a hard rap lately.

Sarah Palin had indicated on a social networking site that she would take on a larger, national role, citing a "higher calling" to unite the country along conservative lines. She has laid the groundwork for a possible presidential run over the past few months as evidenced by her establishing a political action committee. In order for Sarah Palin to build a political machine that will be needed to run for President, she needs to put a face and voice on the national scene. She needs to put in time in Washington and pick up some bright prospects for her political action committee. She will need to rebuild her image to gain more support from the moderates as she has done with many conservatives. She needs to brush up on world politics and her history and would benefit more from a voice on Radio, where more people would need to listen to her in contrast to looking at her.

Vanity Fair magazine published a highly critical piece on Palin last week, with John McCain campaign aides (who were afraid to be named) questioning if Palin was ever really prepared for the presidency. John McCain has come out since then in praise of her and has said he was honored to have her as his running mate.

Like it or not, I believe Sarah Palin will be around for sometime to come. She is a little rough around the edges, a little corny sometimes, but she is well liked and received among the conservative base. Despite those, namely a night time comedian who has since apologized, who have tried to tear down her family, she has persevered. She is a strong woman and the Republican Party needs to bring more like her into the party to strengthen their base. I see her moving up the chain in the party as the time nears for the 2012 election. Again just my opinion – My explosion of thought!