sarah palin is a prime example. any person who is going to look like a player as far as the republicans are concerned, they strike them out from the get go. host: here is the article by jonathan martin. insults among high public profile republicans tearing open fresh was about leaks surrounding sarah palin and brief during -- rival factions close to the mccain campaign have been feuding since last fall over sarah palin usually waging the battle in the shadows. host: we will tell you what steve schmidt said in just a moment. caller: it is sad to see a gray station like cnn -- great station like cnn getting so hung up on sarah palin she is one of the most intelligent people will run for office. she was not born in kenya like the one you all elected. you went to her background and her garbage and everything else. you never ask a question about this so-called friends that we have, where his half brother lives. host: back to politico. here's what steve schmidt said. he fired back in an e-mail -- host: michigan, you are o

reportedly todd palin met and insisted the firing. a report from the legislature is due before election day. >> there we go. [ laughter ] >> he is in charge of troopers. he loves you and he is down here to make sure that you are given the equipment that you need. >> greta: die andiane keller ie current mayor of wasilla and believes the governor is the -- sarah palin is the right person for the governor's job. >> she will stand firm on her conviction no matter what the issue is. we are the united states of america and it seems like lately we are the divided states of america. >> greta: the governor and her family step into the political spotlight and nasty rumors emerge about the birth of the governor's son trig. how does the governor fight back? gecko vo: geico's the third-largest car insurance company in the nation. but, it's not like we're kicking back, now, havin' a cuppa tea. gecko vo: takes lots of sweat to become that big. gecko vo: 'course, geckos don't literally sweat... it's just not our thing... gecko vo: ...but i do work ha

what will sarah palin say? is she saying good-bye or setting stage for a bigger political future. >>> a whirlwind weekend of picnics, good-bye speeches, you would almost think she's on the campaign trail again. she's been shaking hands, kizing babies and of course criticizing the media and her critics. her model throughout all of this -- you ain't seen nothing yet. her farewell, her future. sarah palin live within the hour right here on cnn. i'm don lemon live at cnn world headquarters in atlanta. politics taking the lead in the news this sunday. our senior political correspondent candy crowley is in washington tracking the palin resignation and all the day's big political stories. chris welsh is in fairbanks, alaska covering sarah palin's speech. there kate bolduan at the white house in washington, d.c. with administration reaction to the events in alaska and the latest on the battle over health care. >>> first there is some political fallout today from outside the box comments from vice president joe biden, o

i would take palin over obama any day. i would take lower taxes and tough national security -- >> would you feel comfortable with sarah palin in moscow right now negotiating the strategic arms talk? sean: i would. >> oh, no. you did not say that. sean: scr you -- have you ever met senators? how many do you think are smarter than sarah palin? >> sarah palin is not the dumbest person in washington. that's for sure. i live there. >> i live there too and have been there 30 years and been on capitol hill a loot of times. do you think sarah palin is qualified to be president of the united states. >> yes, i do. sean: here's my exit point i'm going to make. he's going to go to moscow at a time when we are deploying missile defense to protect hawaii and he's going to give away missile defense at a time north korea is firing miss aisles over japan. >> he's not going to give it away. having been in on negotiating a strategic arms defense agreement myself, i know he's not giving anything away. sean: more great, great american panel st

we will definitely be on the palin bandwagon. john agrees saying, right on, sarah palin.e has decided to spend more time with her family which really counts these days. but a palin critic makes this point, if palin's actions are an attempt for publicity in a bid for 2012, voters must ask themselves jacqueline says -- >> we always want to hear your views. e-mail us at cnn.com/hln and click on your views. >>> the doctor who tried to revive michael jackson is not commenting on what, if any medications he gave the singer. the lawyer says that's part of the agreement with investigators. he was on diprivan. a nurse who worked as jackson's nutritionist said he pleaded to her to provide the drug. she says she always refused. >> he asked me, he said can you find me a doctor? i don't care how much money they want. i don't care what it is they want. i want this drug. i want this medication. he didn't say drugs, he said medication. he wanted it to sleep. >> this is south africa shows incredible talent. several hundred people gathered in mandela square to honor the superstar, black, w

palin v. biden.t. >> i may not answer the questions the way you want to hear. barack obama and senator biden, green, green, natural gas, maverick, maverick, maverick.

palin v. biden.t a supreme court verdict. >> i may not answer the questions the way you want to hear. ck

palin v. biden.t verdict. >> i may not answer the questions the way you e modetor want to hear. say it ain'to, joe. >> drill, baby, ill. nuclear, nucle, nuclear. >> natural gas. >> maverick. verick, maverick. >> what do you expect a team o mavericks. that's what john mccmeant. i'm going to push him on aar today. my dad was in the audience today. hockey moms across theation, how long have i been at this? ve weeks? one of back obama's earliest supporters is bill ayers. a domestic terrorist. domestic terrorist. meic terrorist. domestic terrorist. >> in the namef jesus and witchcraft. >> i love the docume made of your lif >> you know, i love you, palin. thank you. >> conventiona wiom rerding vice psidential picks, first, do no harm. governor palin eight weeks after her selectn seemto be continuingo do harm. >> tho clothes are not my property. myavorite shop is a consignmt shop in anchorage, alaska, called out of the closet. >> sarah palin is roe gop elephant. >> i'm glad now that elizabh brought it up be

and there is theinal irony of palin and tina fey.fey was marvelous and the rest of us were insightful and entertaining to various and obviously lesser degrees but ultimatelye were all utterly unnecessary. governor sarah pan was self-caraturing out of office. wi she still be relevan enough tbe just funny? that's "countdown" for this, the 2,258th day sincehe previous esidenteclared mission accomplished in iraq. and now to scuss the sarah

sarah palin had one problem. since we've known her publicly on the public stage, she's had one problem in particular, and she didn't have substantive policy base. she didn't have that in the campaign. she hasn't had it in the seven or eight months since then, and i think that is and has been and will be her big concern going forward. what i think she did since the election is really a missed opportunity. she could have gone out and made herself thehief republican spokesman on smart energy policy. this is something she knows well. she lives in alaska. has consequences for her state, national ramifications. we're in the middle of a cap and trade debate. she could have positioned herself as somebody who knew something about that and taken over the role as a national spokesperson. she didn't do that. now the pressure will be on her to do that, but she won't have the stature or she won't have the office from which to make those arguments. >> well, you know what? she can't even say she was the one-term governor of alas

good move for palin.y way she would battle the biassed news media that continues to attack her unfairly. tania in california e-mailed. this move by her continues to prove that she has no business even considering being in any type of political public office, especially as a president or vice president of the united states. she does not know what commitment means. when the going gets tough, you can't pick up your marbles and go home! text your comments. you have a different pb? we welcome all of your opinions. text it to hlntv. you have to start your message with my name, robin. if you're like, i don't text. you can do the e-mail thing too. hit that little contact us button. >>> there has been another tragedy in the sports world. a boxing champion was gunned down with his 11-year-old god son nearby. what a sad story, raefer? >> good morning, robin. vernon forrest is not a name that many people will remember. this is one of the sport's good guys who did so much charity work and the sad irony is, his generos

. >>> and palin's plan. the alaskan governor suddenly steps down, but why? as rumors of scandal swirl we're on the trail in alaska with insider details about sarah palin's resignation. from some of those who know her best. >>> plus, foul play. football star steve mcnair is gunned down in what may have been a murder/suicide involving a young mistress. a shocking crime that may threaten his family man reputaon. ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ captions paid for by abc, inc. >>> good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. reporting tonight from the staples center this los angeles where fans an media from around the world are already gathering. it's inside this building that michael jackson took the stage for a final time. flanked by dancers and in an empty arena, practicing those unmistakable dance moves, but tomorrow, this place will be packed as they celebrate the king of pop's music and mourn his passing. today, even on the eve of his good-bye, the same controversy that followed michael jackson in life continued to follow him in death. with a new battle over the future of his fortune.

with sarah palin you never know. she's been coy other than saying she'll work for other republicans and out there giving speeches and she's got a book she'll be coming out with and an august date planned at the reagan presidential library in simi valley and we don't know beyond that. af talked to people close to her and they say you know what, she doesn't have the plan etched out in stone beyond that. see herself doesn't know if there will be a run for president in 2012. >> julie: all right. dan springer live in fairbanks, alaska. and we'll come back to you as soon as sarah palin steps up to the podium. thank you very much, we'll see you in a few. well, president obama setting the deadline back in early june to the most ambitious political undertaking of his first term. at that time, the president, confident of democratic majority in the house and the senate could deliver health care reform legislation by congress's august recess. but, by last thursday, senators from the president's own party killed any hope for that

governor palin shocks the political world. ron reagan accuses limbaugh of domestic violence. >> and you wonder why this guy can't stay married. >> this guy is -- was a pervert, a child moll evidenter, a pedophile. sean: is the white house finally admitting the stimulus failed? >> we misread how bad the economy was. sean: hannity starts live right now. the biggest news of the holiday weekend came from wasilla, alaska, where governor sarah palin will be stepping down from office. television pundits and columnists went into a lather predicting her political career is all -- death is all but imminent. but others say wait a minute. ann coulter, welcome back. >> thank you. good to be here, 15e7b89 sean: i think we could officially say there is palin derangement syndrome. what was your reaction? >> i loved her speech. but it's been more fun watching the chattering heads on tv, people who really hate her guts are keeply disappointed in her decision. sean: why do you think that? >> they're talking about her like an ex-girlfriend, they'

>> i'm chris wallace, the latest on sarah palin's future, next on on sarah palin's future, next on "fox news sunday." captioning made possible by fox news >> the governor of alaska drops a political bombshell. >> i'm not seeking re-election. >> is her life in politics over or getting a jump-start? we'll ask her soon-to-be successor lieutenant governor sean parnell. u.s. interests are at stake around the world. we'll hear from admiral mike mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. then unemployment goes up again. is another governor stimulus needed? we'll ask steny hoyer and john boehner, plus our sunday panel looks at what the palin announcement means for her and the republican party and one more look at a spectacular fourth, all right now on "fox news sunday." hello again and happy fourth of july weekend from fox news in washington. and what a weekend it's been. with sarah palin's stunner of an announcement that she's leaving office later this month. saturday palin posted a statement on facebook that cited a higher calling to advance the country along conservative principles. to h

i've seen this special, it's palin machine an american woman. it will include the successor, mike huckabee and also karl rove on the fox news channel. don't miss it. 9:00 p.m. eastern time. >> eric: serious questions in washington this morning after senate democrats announced they cut cost and expanded coverage in their revised plan to nationalize healthcare. how did they manage that tricky bit of accounting? critics suggest that the so-called new plan only looks cheaper because it leaves the cost of having medicaid covered billions of uninsured americans out of it. what does it mean for debate and our healthcare coverage? john goodman is the head of the national center for policy analysis, based in dallas. but this morning dr. goodman joins us from miami. good to see you. welcome. >> glad to be with you. >> eric: i don't understand the numbers. i think i'm like most americans, i can't figure this out. one day it's a trillion dollars for healthcare under the new plan. now it's been cut almost in half. is this hocus-pocus magic focus? what are th

if you're sarah palin,hais , hell. well, the don quije of the klonke figures out her higr calling, david letterman figured out is is better than the 50i7z 0. indianapoli500. well tonight, must have been the shoes. a briepreview of this evening's joke theme. rst, the second of what is three consecutive nigh. quipping after t nonsensical ch about his parent's refrigerator magnet palin we out on h porch and waved good-bye to russia. d before giving a sly nod to last month's manufactured brouhaha over a joke he told abouone of the govern's daughters, letterman suggesting the almost-ex-vernay want a futu athe next octomom. to which paul schaefer cracked, watch it, they're demonstrating ouide. all the dozen of them. and then the top ten list, managingo mock george w. bush, john mccain and himself, a stl maintain palin as punchline. >> the category tonight, t ten messages on sah palin's answering machine. i can't tell you how we did it, but weot ahold of her swering machine and herere the top ten ssages. friday, she announced

palin fan. i like her personally. i like her points of view. i think she is right on the issues. the challenge that she is going to have is that there will be people who say well, look, if they chase you out of this, it won't get any easier nor you at other levels of the stage. >> let's talk about the other levels. karl, let's talk about sarah palin's future. does her decision to step down in the middle of her term and not serve out her full four years, does that help her or hurt her if she has any hopes of becoming president? >> i think it hurts. as a sitting buff you have the tactical advantage of turning down a lot of things with an excuse that people accept, i have got a job to do as governor. she now removed that so now the expectations are going to be she will be fully available and be able to come to the lower 48 and be able to do whatever people ask her to do and that raises the expectations. it is also unclear what her strategy is. she said she wanted to lead effective change outside of

palin calls it quit. did the media press too hard. >> thank god i didn't say anything. >> a-- critics claim the efforts to fix our economy is failing. is the press failing to push for answers. the world says goodbye to king of pop, can the media say goodbye, too? and preparing for a press hearing, is the press prepared? jane hall of american university. andr andrea san tears, jim pinkerton, and columnist and fox news analyst kirsten howard. i'm jon scott. fox news watch is on right now >> i do not know what the future holds. i want to work right now for people who are in ofls or out of office for the right things for principles that built of america who are inspired for the values of america who will not deride or apologize for the values for america and i want to work for those people. >> sarah palin, after her decision to resign as governor. her resume' sparked a new criticism, an infamous analysis from new york times columnist maureen dowd. wrote in the column, with her announcement palin proved she's

sarah palin begins her day as a private citizen. palin has stepped down as the governor of alaska.till remain a mystery. >>> french president, nicolas sarkozy, spent the night in a hospital after collapsing during a jog in hot weather. sarkozy never lost consciousness. >>> and today, hillary clinton and treasury secretary, timothy geithner, hold high-level talks with chinese government leaders in washington. >>> harvard professor henry louis gates and james crowley, the police officer who arrested him, could soon be sharing a beer at the white house. >> both men have accepted the president's invitation. june yi de nies has more on the call that set it all in motion. >> reporter: this is sergeant james crowley on friday, taking an unexpected phone call. >> all these guys are looking at each other going, is this a hoax? >> reporter: david runs tommy doyle's bar, a cambridge police favorite. crowley was here when the president called out of the blue, to verify comments about crowley's arrest of professor gates. the two spoke for five minutes. when he hung up, the bar went wild. >> the

where is the substance to sarah palin? where is the idea that drives sarah palin?ahead, mary katharine. >> i certain live don't think she is a twit from. my perspective i can understand the battering which she has taken which has been extremely unfair. just look at the speculation last couple of days on blogs in the mainstream media it's been bitter for her. bill: huffington post say she was pregnant or some crazy thing. >> some say she was pregnant. another righter wrote she was going to run in 2012 on the platform of mental retardation. bill: the huffington post took that counsel but it was a staff member who did it. we have our internet cop on it. >> good. bill: bottom line on this thing is that sarah palin has a right as an american to live her life exactly how she wants to live it. >> those voters did vote her in, too. bill: they did. they can make a determination whether she is doing the best thing for the state. she may be. she may be unable to govern the way she wants to. i don't have any beef with this at all. none. i believe if i were managing sarah palin

before p payynynn after palin.can play stump the candidate if you wanant . . >> what other r prpremcourt decisionons y y disagree with? >> welell t thereat history of erica, there's decisions t tha there's never r gog g be absolute consensus by y evy y american. >> governor palin, arereouou a feminist? >> i'm not goioingo o lal myself ananhihingbrian? >> do you consider youoursf f a feminist? >>>> io.o. >> our next t do n neibors are foign countries. th're in the state i'm the exexututivof. pupun comes into the air s spa of the united states o of ereric where do t ty y go it's alaska. it just right over the bordeder. >> w whanenewspers and magazines you regularly read beforere y were tappeped r r is to stay informed and to understandnd - >> i read most of thth a aga with a great apprereciioiofor the press,s,oror t media. >> whahat ececically, i'm curious. >> all of them. >>'m'm gng to ask you one morere time, not belabor the e pot.t. 26ears of pushing for more relation. >> i'm'm tininto find you some and bring them

governor palin answered those who she says, still don't believe her.job early. >> and it should be so obvious to you. i felt it is my duty to avoid the unproductive, typical, politics as usual, lame duck session in one's last year in office. how does that benefit you? with this decision now, i will be able to fight even harder for you fors what right and for truth. and i have never felt that you need a title to do that. so as we all move forward together, let's vow to keep championing alaska, to advocate responsible development. and smaller government and freedom. >> reporter: former governor palin insisted she had no hidden agenda for leaving her job a year and a half early. >> i promised to steadfastly and doggedly guard the interest of this great state like that grisly guards her cubs. as a mother naturally guards her own. and i will keep that vow wherever the road may lead. >> reporter: her 20-minute farewell address focused on what she called accomplishments. >> i resisted the stimulus package and we have championed earmark reform, slashing earmar

pulling a palin.he going getsts tough, abandoning rereononsility trtrusd to you by neighbors,s, book a aananceand to make money onheheecture circuit. twbizarre moves that will l damn ambitions for highgherffffic remiss t to thk k . palin is the only republican to c ctrtribe to the cultlture cacalary. sasalu to the gop, finding itself and alter its t timwiwit embaasasng political catch phrasese >> serious -- sin.n. >> louisiana senatoror aitittein his involvement to thehe mamam matter was a s serusus s. which is n nowefefin as -- having sex witith hoererwhile weing a diaper. why sex? and larry craig'g's plplanion to the popocece aer being arrested for wdwdonduct. >> i'm a fairly wise g g.. i ndnd tspread my legs when i i lower mymy pan. . w widstance, now defined asas the popose sucucduring the solicitation o of xuxualavors in the toililetf f a jor trtropitan airport. >> i am m not y.y. >>>> falngnghort of the stdards. >> i asked you if rurursrs we true that you wewe i in affair. >> the admission o ofo

governor palin's op-ed of course includes a swipe at the chattering class.d be me and there is for the record exactly one unnecessary exclamation point in the op-ed. but aside from those signature sarah palin flourishes it appears to be boilerplate republican argument on a boilerplate republican policy issue and in putting it out there governor palin seems to be trying to position herself as a republican party ideas person. a new conservative policy wonk maybe in the mold of newt gingrich or an eric cantor. it's a logical, totally understandable strategic move for somebody trying to set themselves up for their political future. it's also not working out very well so far. because governor palin appears to have forgotten to consult her own record on the subject before writing the op-ed. remember the op-ed is against cap and trade, against capping emissions. here's governor palin at the vice presidential debate last october. >> do you support capping carbon emissions? >> i do. i do. >> here's her elaborating on what appears to have been sort of downright enthus

. >>> sarah palin wakes up this morning as the ex-governor of alaska. palin officially stepped down yesterday vowing to fight fors what right and for the truth. but as bill whitaker reports, the truth about why she left the state house in juneau is unclear and so is her next move. >> people who know me and they know how much i love this state, some still are choosing not to hear why i made the decision to chart a new course to advance the state. and it should be so obvious to you. it is because i love alaska this much, sir. >> reporter: sarah palin handed the reigns of power to lieutenant governor. >> with this decision i'll be able to fight harder for you. >> reporter: but walking out the door, one more defiant jab at the press. >> some straight talk for some, just some, in the media. because another right protected for all of us is freedom of the press. and you have such important jobs that reporting facts. and informing the electorate and exerting power to influence. you represent what could and should be a respected honest profession that could and

palin has kept a low profile on friday.ut she did pop up at the sidelines of a july 4th parade in juneau, alaska, yesterday. and she reaffirmed her plans on her facebook page last night. on her facebook page, the governor writes, it's about country. and although it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course, we know by now, a different standard applies for the decisions i make. all weekend on the blogs, accusations that a scandal is coming. another shoe will drop. but no real evidence of anything more than rehashed rumors. palin's lawyer responded by threatening legal action against bloggers and news organizations. we will be exploring legal options this weeaddr the lieutenant governor of alaska, who will take palin's place in a few weeks, had to admit, he was caught offguard. >> anytime a governor leaves in their final year of being in office, it's something i did not expect. the governor said she was stepping down to put alaska first. and i really

bush and sarah palin. bere we getinto thehe ququesons, i want to let you he one more thing that sah h palin had to sayn fridaday. she gaveaaskball anal si ogy exexpln her decision.. let's liststeno o that. >> let me back ickly to a comforort kb analogy for me and that's sports.. baetetba. and i ususitit bause you are naive if youonon't see a full-court pressssroro the national level picking awaw right now a g goo point gguard here isiswhat she does. she drivess tough a fufullouourt press protottiting the ball, keepepg g hehead up becae e e neededs kp her eyen the basket, and she knows exactly when toass the ball so that the team can win, and that is at i'm doing. keepining r r ey onhe bl.l. mark, you k kno sarah h pali whwhy eses a goodoint guard after making g n nic play like that onhat pass then quit at lftime and go home? >>lawrence, first offall,l, i'm glad to satatishardball" is trinin up on i its talent. yoararsomebody who has written some fiction abouout - -- for tevivion about plitics and itit'sard

palin prides herself on someone who breaks the mold. that spirit is one of the reasons she was elected. but in anchorage today, a lot of people we talked to said she is letting the state down. >> i think my personal opinion that there will be some consequences to pay for that because people in general they don't like quitters. >> she has a commitment to the people of alaska. she made a contract with. i was kind of surprised that she took that avenue. >> reporter: the governor is keeping a low profile. one quick public appearance at a july 4th parade in juneau and then it was fishing with her family in bristol bay, getting her side out the way so many of us do nowadays, via twitter and facebook. saying how sad that washington and the media will never understand it is about country. though it is honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course, we know by now a different standard applies to decisions i make. the man who largely put palin on the national map, john mccain o

johnny carsohad dan quayle, w letterman has palin. i he jimallon put dibs on idahrepresentative, walt minick, which seems like a bit of a reach. >> it's creative, at least. letterman pounded john mccain for week upon week upon we aftethe senator blew him off in october of last year,nd each night it was new and it was frh. it was not outlaish. he didn't stray far om the original basline of the first joke about suspendinthe campaign and n showing up. do we have any estimate w long this could gon, because therno finish line to this the way there was wi the election last year >> no, i think we can all put on some sweat pants and get comfortable, because what's great about sarapalin is that she'already done half the work for him. she's condioned us to laugh at her. me, saying the word sarah palin to a late-nit talk show audience is like me saying the word cheese in front of my wife's chihuahua. the ears pick up, it lik wh, what, sarah palin, oh, this is going to be good. >> it remarkable tyou, as it feels to me, that she ha remained silent

as the palin family moves out of the governor's mansion, sarah palin's long good-bye looks more likecampaign hello. daily picnics starting today and another tomorrow in anchorage then the handoff to her lieutenant-governor sunday in fairbanks. that should leave a lot more time for fishing. >> how is the fishing? >> it's good. >> reporter: if palin is fishing for votes, a future run for president, she has got some serious work to do. a new "washington post"\abc poll today says a majority views her negatively. her lowest approval rating since she burst on to the national stage a year ago. palin is still popular with republicans. 70% of them like her. ow.r down and go with the she we're fishermen, we know that only dead fish go with the flow. >> reporter: many say she hurt herself by quitting. >> you haven't finished the job some would say? e final year in office without it costing the state millions. >> reporter: arnold schwarzenegger on palin today? >> would you ever see me resigning in the middle of my term? even if it is the 100th term i would never give up. >> reporter: palin is pl

palin addressed it on her facebook page saying -- >> even some of palin's republican supports say this is a risky move, that won't stop the media attention and woan give her the protection of a day job while she decides about a presidential run. >> she had the excuse of being able to say i'm a governor. i have things i have to do. now people will be clamoring for her. and the expectations will be out of sight. >> and shannon, palin tweeted this morning to her supporters and said, "critics are spinning, so hang in there, as they feed false info on the right decision made as i enter the last year in office to not run again." she says her critics are spinning and it's her critics and her supporters are spinning trying to figure out what is going on here. >> so many unanswered questions. thank you. >> thank you. >> shannon: well, you can catch all of chris wallace's interview with lieutenant governor parnel, karl rove and mike huckabee after our show, 2:00, and 6:00 eastern time on the fox news channel. a fox news alert for you. third person died for injuries in a fireworks explosion in no

with some of the palin family at the lake house in wasilla, sarah palin went on twitter to say she and husband todd had gone fishing. at a commercial fishing site in western alaska, on bristol pay. she wrote, "grateful todd left fishing grounds to join me this weekend, but now he's back slaying salmon and working the kids at the site. anxious to join him." as she has in the past, palin was picking fish. but the political word is still picking over that resignation speech. >> it would be apathetic to just kind of hunker down and go with the flow. we're fishermen. we know that only dead fish go with the flow. >> watching sarah palin is sort of like watching a moose on roller skates. it's never particularly graceful but it's always riveting. certainly, we can put into that category. >> reporter: today her advisers rallied. a friend of 40 years, from grade school, crystal cole, now overseeing palin's defense fund. >> i think she feels at peace about it. she feels good. she feels it was the right decision for the right reason 346 palin's lawyer, who denies any scandal yet to come and got th

can sarah palin make it as a rel on the radio? now rush limbaugh is the leading voice of conservatives on the airwaves. but the former alaska governor could give him new competition. does rush have reason to worry? palin wouldn't be the first politician to turn to radio. joining us is jane norris of federal news radio. she doesn't exactly have a face for radio in a strange way. does that take away what myself and a lot of people think has been a great appeal, the first woman in power with great physical and sexual appeal? does she lose that on radio. >> i don't think so. you asked whether she could be a good television talk show host. she has that option, as well. i don't think her looks have as much to do with her success as her message. >> we're going to go at it on that one. >> i'm certainly not a conservative radio personality, but i think it is diminishing of her to think her power is in her beauty. >> about what the american public, we've never seen anything like this. >> are you going to let me tell you? >> thank goodness.

bret: palin, however, has not taken herself out of the running for 2012. there are indications she will have plenty of options, as dan springer talked about. let's bring in carl cameron. what about michael steele's comment there? what is the reaction here in washington? >> hi, bret. n.c. says that essentially what the chairman was saying is discussion of her viability or lack of viability in 2012 ought to be off the table because her decision was based on her local political situation in alaska and it's up to sarah palin to determine her own future. steele went on to say that in as many words, but there is an awful lot of republicans in washington who simply cannot understand how this is in any way, shape or form a launch of an additional political career, that they effectively believe this ends it. bret: a lot of panelists, a lot of analysts in washington say this was the wong move, but is there something about sarah palin tapping into this atmosphere of tea parties an facebook and twitter, and is there something that people inside washington is missing?

the premise or sarah palin? bristols palin -- bristols palin -- bristol balin's ewx. -- ex.tatement while hosting a party for dark rum. greta: we are closing down shop, greta: we are closing down shop, and go figure why anybody would

i also feel that some of sarah palin's attacks on -- >> -- mike, i feel that some of sarah palin's attacksn the media and on barack obama have also been incredibly unfair and ridiculous. i think many of the things that she says are ridiculous. i think she is also an incredibly dishonest politician, perhaps the most dishonest politician on the national stage since nixon. mike: that's pretty -- amanda, i will let you take that one on. >> come on, amanda. >> matthew thinks this will help him politically. all it does is expose the kind of dirty tactics and mean spirited attacks that always come to sarah palin and broadly to women who are strong conservatives. i mean, this is common par for the course kind of stuff. and i am happy to. >> who else aside from sarah palin do people talk about like this? >> there are several -- i mean, look at all the attacks on people like ann culture, michelle malkin. this stuff is par for the course. >> ann culture? that's your example in ann coulter, you think ann coulter gets attacked unfairly? >> yeah, i do. >> that's your example? well then i think we disagr

there's governor palin is crificing her office for the state. she was adistraction, now she can get of the wa and alaska can bon the move, aska politics. and then there's the sarah palin bailed on us camp. wherdoou stand? >> i don't think youan find a single historical precedent there's a sacrice involved. and quting your job halfway through it, she signed a contct with the peoe of the state of action oolaska. she pred to serve a four-year rm. unless somethi prevents grow doing that, some kind of accident or perhaps getting appointed unit states ambassador to cha. unless something lik that happ happens, think you have to tough it out, finish the job you signed up for. >> did somethingi this once before. she resigned in protest from t alaskail and gas coission because e thought there w a brch of ethics t by anothepanel member and she gaed a lot of political momentum after that. do you think she's dng this again? and could it work? >> well, you know wat missing from this episode compared to last one is a strong rson. e last episode, she saw our re

sarah palin stepped down as alaska's leader. she has her sights on the white house once again but this time as a president chal contender. nbc's leanne gregg reports. >> reporter: after a weekend of good-byes from sarah palin came the official moment, the swearing in of a new governor of alaska. the former lieutenant governor will take over the remaining year and a half of palin's term. >> it is my honor to speak to all alaskans, to our alaskan families this time as your governor. >> reporter: in palin's final address as governor, a tribute to her state. >> in alaska, it is not easy living but it is a good living. and here it is impossible to lose your way. >> reporter: with palin's path still undetermined, many speculate. >> i would like for her to run for president. >> reporter: whether that's in palin's plan is still uncertain. the sendoff started friday in her hometown of wasilla where they served food at one of three picnics she attended across the state. instead, words of gratitude. >> i do want to tell you sincerely that

is sarah palin the most talented polician in alaska? >> say tat again. >> is sarah palin the most taleed and able politician in alaska? >> i think she' certainly one of them, obviously. >> so you think it's a good idea for that most talented and abl politician in alask to walk ay fromoverning alaska, wh it is in this economic crisis along with the res of the 49 states? you think that's a good ea? what i saidwas, a, she was e of the most talentenos the most talented. >> who imore talented than sarah palin inalaska? o would be a better governor? >> i'm not going go down the list. >> when she qui the job, someone else becomes governor. do you think t lt. governor will be etter? >> i think he's ing to be far more equipped to deal with e ecic shies withouthe distraction of the medi coming into the state, trying to muck rake agains the country veor. so much this fascinaon, so mu of this frankly i think obsession with sarah palin obscures t fact tha alaska is best represented by someone who can dress the needs of that particular stat and gover