Palin resigns. Pundits ask, what did she mean by that?

Sarah Palin’s decision to quit as governor of Alaska is perplexing. It is hard to see how she can be a credible presidential candidate when she failed to serve out even one term as governor.

There has been little normal or orthodox about Palin’s political career and trying to assess why she is walking away now isn’t easy. One can make a credible case that she is doing so because she has had her fill of politics, certainly that what NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell has heard. (And whatever one thinks of Palin, some of the attacks on her family have been disgusting Or, you can argue, as Bill Kristol does, that by leaving Alaska she gives herself the time to build up a national campaign.

John McCain’s selection of Palin as his VP came out of the blue; it was a recognition of the fact that his campaign needed to shake things up to have a chance.