[Bill,
July 4, 2009]
News instincts
OK, before any more news comes out, let me say my news instincts kicked in immediately when Sarah Palin resigned. These instincts said there are only two likely reasons:
1. Gov. Palin has simply "had enough" of the shit slinging her way and decided to return to private life, or has some other personal-related reason. People quit. It's not always a bad idea.
2. She's resigning either in advance of a scandal or to avoid one. That is, "they've" either got her on something and she's decided to quit in order to take some of the sting off a future scandal. (And her resignation would inoculate the news value of a sudden scandal of a GOP presidential hopeful. If she gets indicted in three weeks or so, it'll be news, but not as big as it would have been.) Or there's a back room deal where she was offered a deal -- "either resign or all this comes out." She simply exits quietly.
After she gave a rambling set of reasons for leaving, I have to say my news instincts say it's probably for the latter scenario. For one thing, if there are two versions of a story, usually the more disreputable one is true.
However, as a Christian, I'm required to give the benefit of the doubt and assume the more charitable explanation. Some see this as a contradiction, but for some reason, it makes perfect sense to me. I have no problem saying, I will assume (1) in absence of proof, but (2) is probably the case.
If you're resigning because you've had enough, you keep it simple. You say that's it ... You say you won't have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore, and then are never heard from again. (Unless you're Nixon, of course. But no one else is.)
Anyway, we'll soon see where this leads.
1. Gov. Palin has simply "had enough" of the shit slinging her way and decided to return to private life, or has some other personal-related reason. People quit. It's not always a bad idea.
2. She's resigning either in advance of a scandal or to avoid one. That is, "they've" either got her on something and she's decided to quit in order to take some of the sting off a future scandal. (And her resignation would inoculate the news value of a sudden scandal of a GOP presidential hopeful. If she gets indicted in three weeks or so, it'll be news, but not as big as it would have been.) Or there's a back room deal where she was offered a deal -- "either resign or all this comes out." She simply exits quietly.
After she gave a rambling set of reasons for leaving, I have to say my news instincts say it's probably for the latter scenario. For one thing, if there are two versions of a story, usually the more disreputable one is true.
However, as a Christian, I'm required to give the benefit of the doubt and assume the more charitable explanation. Some see this as a contradiction, but for some reason, it makes perfect sense to me. I have no problem saying, I will assume (1) in absence of proof, but (2) is probably the case.
If you're resigning because you've had enough, you keep it simple. You say that's it ... You say you won't have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore, and then are never heard from again. (Unless you're Nixon, of course. But no one else is.)
Anyway, we'll soon see where this leads.