Sarah Palin's Surprise

23:45

July 06, 2009

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announces that she is stepping down from her position as Governor in Wasilla, Alaska on Friday July 3, 2009. The former Republican vice presidential candidate made the surprise announcement, saying she would step down July 26 but didn't announce her plans. (AP Photo/The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, Robert DeBerry) — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announces that she is stepping down, in a speech in Wasilla, Alaska, on Friday, July 3, 2009. The former Republican vice presidential candidate said she would step down on July 26, but didn't announce her subsequent plans. (AP)

There she was. Sarah Palin, in her backyard in Wasilla, on the shores of Lake Lucille, bailing out of the governorship of Alaska.
By the end of this month, she’s gone — eighteen months shy of the end of her first term.
It was a shocker. It’s being interpreted every possible way. Erratic. Ingenious. The end of a flash career. The beginning of a serious Palin drive for the White House. She has been, by her own lights, a candidate like no other.
This hour, On Point: Citizen Palin, and what’s next for the outgoing Alaska governor and the GOP.
You can join the conversation. Tell us what you think — here on this page, on Twitter, and on Facebook.Guests:

Joining us from Anchorage, Alaska, is Michael Carey, columnist for the Anchorage Daily News and host of Anchorage Edition on Alaska Public Broadcasting.
Joining us from New York is Mark Halperin, editor-at-large and senior political analyst at Time magazine. He writes The Page at Time.com.
Joining us from Washington is David Winston. A Republican pollster and strategist, he's president and founder of The Winston Group. He served as director of planning for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and was chief information officer for the Republican National Committee from 1989-1993.

This program aired on July 6, 2009.