Palin's Way

Phillip Rucker writes that Sarah Palin resigned to regain control of her own narrative, which has been assailed by ethics violations and partisan snickering over the past year (So a real leader, in the face of that, quits!). So now we'll see how Palin herself can present her message, unencumbered by the pressures of a day job of governing. Here's how that looks:

The response in the main stream media has been most predictable, ironic, and as always, detached from the lives of ordinary Americans who are sick of the "politics of personal destruction". How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it's about country. And though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make. But every American understands what it takes to make a decision because it's right for all, including your family.

I shared with you yesterday my heartfelt and candid reasons for this change; I've never thought I needed a title before one's name to forge progress in America. I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values of less government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger national security, and much-needed fiscal restraint. I hope you will join me. Now is the time to rebuild and help our nation achieve greatness!

She followed up that statesmanlike rhetoric with a threat to the entire media to stop reporting on the potential of a criminal investigation into the building of the Wasilla Sports Complex, which pretty much nobody was doing until the appearance of a bizarre four-page letter from her lawyer, leading every news outlet to... report about it. For the record, the LA Times has an FBI agent claiming there's no imminent indictment. If she would have shut her trap about it, that statement would have run and vindicated her. Instead she has her lawyer write an open threat to journalists, which usually doesn't elicit favorable journalism as a response. It's going to be beautiful to watch:

Last year, she had the best help and the best strategists the GOP could buy, and other than her recitation of a speech written for someone else at the RNC (before we learned that using teleprompters is bad!), she was an absolute train wreck. Now she has gone rogue, and it is going to get even better and more entertaining, because Meg Stapleton blackberrying from upstate New York is not going to get it done. If you want an idea how bad awesome this is going to get, watch this Anderson Cooper interview of Meg Stapleton:



To fully appreciate the fail parade that is the current Palin insane clown posse, you have to realize that was THE PROFESSIONAL MEDIA HANDLER dealing with Anderson. In fairness to Stapleton, she has been forced to go all in before the flop, and she’s holding 27 offsuit.

Also, this.