Posted by
Bill Crawford on Saturday, July 04, 2009 11:03:18 PM
I'm stumped. It's one thing to not run for re-election. It's another to dump the second half of your remaining term on your Lieutenant Governor. What on earth is she up to?
It's good media management to lay this all out on Independence Day weekend, when most active journalists are either not in Alaska, watching fireworks or holing up at the Staples Center in LA trying to fork up tickets to the Michael Jackson show.
They will awaken next week and make all sorts of speculation about something in her private life that brought this decision on, or espouse anew about the numerous ethical investigations that Democrats have been trying for months there with her- even though none have led to anything to date.
She will have to come up with some reason eventually to avoid the 'I'm a quitter' scenario. If she is doing this because she is tired of the negative press coverage, it will be at once rational and daunting to any hopes for higher office. If she can't take an openly hostile Katie Couric, how can she be expected to handle the White House Press Corps?
I feel for her- this is a world where Joe the plumber was investigated more thoroughly than the Dem Presidential candidate on the campaign trail. But real is real. You have to have a thick skin to survive this game, especially if you are a conservative and the Washington press corps vote Democrat by a margin of nine to one.
I'm one of those out there waiting for the other shoe to drop on this one.