A Different Standard Applies

Matthew Continetti’s cover story for the Weekly Standard about Gov. Sarah Palin contains two revealing and thought-provoking statements by the outbound Alaskan.

Matthew Continetti’s long cover story for the Weekly Standard about Gov. Sarah Palin mostly covers familiar ground. The governor’s own quoted remarks also mostly reprise things she has said elsewhere. Still, the story contains two revealing and thought-provoking statements by the outbound Alaskan. Continetti quotes this further explanation by Palin of her decision to resign:

For Palin to remain shuttling between Juneau, Anchorage, and Wasilla would waste both her and her constituents' time. "I cannot waste time. I cannot waste resources."

Palin did not have to commute between the three cities. That was her choice, and if she regrets it, she has the alternative of settling in Juneau full-time to do her job. Palin's successor Sean Parnell is a resident of Anchorage. If he decides he wants to spend time at home, he too will have to shuttle. Is the suggestion that the shuttling is not too big a waste of time for him? Perhaps for some reason a different standard applies... Here’s an even more remarkable quote:

"I can't fight for what's right when I'm shackled to the governor's seat."

Why not? Isn’t a governor’s seat actually one of the very best places in America from which to fight for what is right? It’s a place of responsibility and decision, unlike even the best-paid rostrum on the rubber-chicken circuit. Palin’s preference for the latter over the former tells us something about what she really seeks in her future: more glamour, less work; more money, less criticism. Well, who can blame her for making that choice? But understanding the choice better will not lead anyone to admire it more.