The Palin Mega-Scandal That Never Was (Or Is Yet to Be)
The smart money earlier this month—or at least a fair portion of it—was on the prediction that some slam-dunk scandal about to hit the news would explain Sarah Palin's bizarre announcement that she'll be resigning as Governor of Alaska. The prediction made sense, though a lot of its appeal came from pure Palinfreude. Even writers who didn't endorse it still gave it airplay.
Thus far, though, that prediction has fallen flat. A few new ethics complaints have surfaced since she announced her resignation: allegations about per diems taken under inappropriate circumstances and unsubmitted gift disclosure forms. But for someone with Palin's history, this sort of stuff is small cheese. None of it is more damaging than the half-dozen scandals that she weathered during her governorship and vice-presidential candidacy.
As Palin prepares to leave office this weekend, the question remains: Is the other pump yet to drop? Or was the psychic force of the blogosphere not enough to manufacture another good reason to kick around Sarah Palin? (I'll hedge my bets and avoid giving an answer. It's Friday afternoon, prime time for attempts to bury bad news. Knowing my luck, the mega-scandal will hit in the next two hours.)
Two weeks ago, Reason's Peter Suderman gave three plausible (and scandal-free) explanations for Palin's behavior: Her ambition, her incoherence, and her paranoia.
Cathy Young wrote about Palin and the future of American conservatism here.