And A Collective Sigh Came From Basements Everywhere

The sound you hear are Rich Lowry's tears:

Washington Whispers reports that Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) will no longer be speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the end of February. Palin told event organizers that the “duties of governing” now prevent her from attending.

It's curious timing. Over the past week, Palin's husband and members of her staff have been cited as in contempt for failing to comply with subpoenas from the legislature. And just yesterday, her handpicked Attorney General, Talis Colberg, resigned.

Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg has resigned in the wake of state legislators blasting his performance during the "troopergate" investigation.

"He just explained that it is a tough environment right now," said Gov. Sarah Palin, who appointed Colberg to the job just over two years ago.

In an interview with the Anchorage Daily News this morning, Palin said Colberg did a great job as attorney general. She talked about his background, coming from the private sector and not government, and said he served the state well.

"It is a harsh political environment right now. You saw what he went through these last couple of weeks with speculation that a couple of the lawmakers wanted to continue to grill him, a couple of the lawmakers not believing, it seems, what he had to say," Palin said. "I just hope this political environment doesn't deter others who want to make a positive difference."

It just seems like there's more to come here, and none of it good. Palin obviously needs to stay in the spotlight, so if she's declining a CPAC invitation, clearly there's trouble in River City.