Saturday, July 25, 2009

Sarah Palin adventure ends today!


Goodbye, Juneau. Hello, who knows?

Sarah Palin's Alaskan adventure ends Sunday, when the mooseburger-chomping hockey mom abandons the governor's mansion for life as a private citizen - with a possible eye on national office.
Palin, 45, steps down after 11 tumultuous months in the spotlight, started by her surprising selection as
GOP running mate for Sen. John McCain.
The exposure wasn't necessarily all good for Palin, who went from political maverick to punch line on her failed trip from
Wasilla to Washington.
The bespectacled brunette, with her penchant for winking into the camera, was memorably parodied by
Tina Fey in a series of "Saturday Night Live" appearances.
She also became the butt of jokes after reports that the GOP spent more than $150,000 on a makeover.
And her unmarried teen daughter's pregnancy became public during the campaign.
On the eve of her gubernatorial departure, Palin's national popularity numbers are plunging - and her legal bills soaring - in the face of an ethics probe.
Palin raised eyebrows and questions by bolting office with more than a year left in her term. And she's deflected questions about her political future - although she plans to write a book, campaign for other Republican candidates and speak Aug. 8 at the
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
The question for Palin: Who's listening? The answer, according to a new poll, is not good.
The Washington Post-ABC News survey shows 53 percent of Americans rated her unfavorably, with 57 percent convinced she doesn't understand complex issues.
And 54 percent do not see the the former mayor of Wasilla as a strong leader.
Palin, the mother of five and grandmother of an infant boy, boasts a following of 100,000 on
Twitter - a loyal but not extraordinarily large national number.
Despite the negatives, Palin is still considered a contender for the GOP presidential nod in three years. Palin officially hands over the job to
Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell at a Fairbanks picnic Sunday, her final event as the state's chief executive.



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