Please make this a frindely debate.

Someone mentioned Meghan McCain, who is an adult and who stepped into the ring under her own power both before and after the election. I think there may have been a half dozen meaningful MSM pieces done on her, and the worst attack was that she’s a poor little rich girl dinking around in politics. Palin, on the other hand, still gets to have Letterman joke about her underage daughter getting knocked up – even months after the campaign, when we all supposedly have weightier matters to attend. As baleful as the precedent would be (I’d compare it to the Danish Cartoon War – just think about it for a minute) I couldn’t blame the woman for steering toward protected waters at this point.

That said, if I were a betting man I’d put some money on her running for Senate, a la Hillary, with any presidential run taking place not before 2016.

1. Frankly anybody who speculates on an impending scandal without any supporting facts is an utter retard.

2. It’s clear that Palin + family = target and that being Gov of Alaska constrained her. Now she can go on national tv and tell people to go f**k themselves right to their faces.

3. She may or may not have lost the ability to be President. But with her status, support and ability to draw crowds and donations she certainly can determine who will win in primaries and elections =all across the country=.

Support from her could make or break almost any election at almost any level from the most mundane to the national level.

4. Steve Schmidt, Nicole Wallace and Wallace’s husband, former McCain/Palin staffers, are now experiencing a certain amount of “pucker factor”. And if they are not, they should. Palin could easily let it be known that if any campaign employs these twits then she not only will not support that candidate but will actively oppose.

Any retaliation by the ‘right’ will be denounced by the entire media establishment while that same establishment continues to do exactly the same thing.

She is taking a break and has set up the Alaska administration and leaving it in hands she trusts. She got the tasks she wanted done as Governor in record time and now can concentrate on other things.

For a normal politician this would be a career killer. But Palin is not a normal politician, She breaks the mold. She is an celebrity and she did not seek that. The interest in her is extreme. Since when would a Governor resigning not from a scandal get this much attention.

She hinted that she wanted more freedom to travel and to do fundraisers and help GOP candidates get elected. If she really wants to do that in time for 2010 she had to get out now to allow time to help the GOp for 2010.

I expect she will wait until September and then get out in the fundraisers circuit. If she plans to get Congress realigned in 2010 she will need to work more closely to the GOP headquarters. I expect that coordination with Steele will come soon and with the NRC Senate and Represenative committees. Also she will help governors and other candidates directly. She was extremely helpful for Chambliss in the fall. She was the strongest draw and ourtwieighs any other GOP presendential hopeful.

In retrospect I do not think this move hurts her at all. She certainly does not think like a normal politician but I belive that she puts her duty first and her new duty id too improving chances for a GOP realignmnet in Congress and Senate.

I expect that Spectre will regret this move of her and the GOP candidate for his seat will win with her help.

The left wing tested the waters with some attacks against W’s kids, but that was mild stuff compared to what they have done to Palin’s family.

I agree with J T Bolt. Now the gloves come off and there are no limits. It would be stupid to continue to let the left wing attack without suffering any retaliation.