Alaska is her tedious, petty, hectoring husband. The world is her glamorous, adoring suitor. Which would you choose? Today, Palin announces she needs to “effect change” on “another scale.” Translation: get the hell out of Alaska. And who can blame her? Back in what used to be home, she’s got Troopergate, piles of ethics complaint, enemies behind every snowdrift, and a growing entourage of petty thieves and OxyContin addicts. (Not to mention the car seat complaint. How small-fry can you get!) The minute she leaves that frozen wasteland she has cheering crowds, photo shoots, free clothes, and foreign ministers winking from every stateroom.

By that calculus, her choice is easy. Time to set her sights on the larger stage. But there’s one problem. To be a plausible presidential candidate, you need a convincing personal narrative. Palin used to have a great one: small town mayor of Wasilla battles the big meanies and saves her beloved state. With today’s announcement, the story has taken a turn. Now it’s: small town mayor of Wasilla gets tired of all the losers in Wasilla and dumps them so she can live her life on “another scale.” Not quite as endearing.

Tags: sarah palin resigns

An independence weekend shocker: Sarah Palin resigns her post as Governor of Alaska and appears to be leaving politics entirely. In her remarks today, Palin said that not only will she not seek re-election, but also that she knows "we can effect positive change outside of government at this point in time on another scale and actually make a difference for our priorities."

Palin explained that she was resigning her post because she didn't want to be a "lame duck" for the next year and half. This reasoning makes no sense. Wouldn't she be able to devote more time to actually governing if she weren't concerned with campaigning for the next election? MSNBC is currently speculating that she wants to put her energy behind promoting her forthcoming autobiography. Video of her presser is below.

Still of Sarah Palin from CNN

Tags: alaska, Sarah Palin, sarah palin resigns as governor of alaska

Responding to Jess about the value of marriage in a moment when so many women writers are wondering why they bothered, to be sure it is far less complicated to run your life alone than with a partner.  I’ve been single and self-sufficient and I’ve been married and co-dependent. For me, at least, married is better. Marriage is the place I can completely unpack: where I use my most personal of inside voices and reveal emotion inappropriate anywhere else.

Under the matrimonial contract, a joint venture that often results in a family, marriage dresses up a bit when it goes out in public and leaves unbecoming marital bickering at home. Who we each become in the service of the partnership is inevitably a different individual than we would be alone. As time goes by, we don’t just complete each other, we complete each other’s sentences. My mother, a paragon of triumph of hope over experience, has been married four times and for her, each marriage was a very different package. Now both in their 80’s, she and my current step-father are still enjoying their affiliation. I tease my husband of 25 years that we will one day inevitably be having our own version of their typical conversation:

Her: Honey, what is this number?

Him: Which one?

Her: That one.

Him: I can’t see it.

Her: Yes you can, look.

Him: Oh ok 4-2-0....

Her: That’s not a 2 it’s an 8

Him: It is?

Her: Yes, what’s the rest?

Tags: marriage; Caitlin Flanagan; aging