Sarah Palin to step down citing a desire to affect change outside of government, reports the NY Times.

What does that mean? She’s going to be some kind of renegade activist type with some non-profit. (I assure you, it’s not PETA).

Or maybe she just felt tired of being the butt of comedians’ jokes the last year.

It was clear from last year’s campaign that Palin was both too unpolished for the GOP, but also too real.  She chafed under the limitations of handlers, talking points, and all the protocol. But who needs a loose cannon as your standard bearer? Palin isn’t the GOP’s answer. Unless she were  to enroll in the “Dick Cheney Charm School for Politicians,”  I doubt she would be viable for any higher office  in the Lower 48 anytime in the future.

Politics did,however, give her celebrity, so she’s perfectly positioned not for the White House, but for some kind of reality TV or a talk show.

What does Rachel Ray have over Sarah Palin?  Or “The View” girls?

Jay Leno called politics showbusiness for ugly people. Palin might have been too cute for the room. Ah, but showbiz. More fun. More money. Less explaining.

Power? Do you think Palin misses her chance to sit through sessions of Congress? Not unless she were able to shoot off a few shotgun rounds to wake up all the CSPAN viewers.

On the other hand, showbiz gives SP all the fame she wants , without any of the headache.

For sure, she won’t have to know how to say “Ahmadinejad” anymore.

And now she can market her  Tina Fey impersonation.

UPDATE: July 4

As Alaskans celebrate their independence from Sarah Palin, the rest of us in the lower 48 are wondering what that spectacle was called a “Palin News Conference.” Was that her audition for some cable show?

Wow. If she wasn’t a “political leader” it would be OK. I’d love to see her a hearbeat away from Kelly Ripa’s seat next to Regis.

But what has she done by quitting? I think she’s said goodbye to serious politics … for now. The people who were stupid enough to put her up for VP may be stupid enough to put her in play again.  But the country’s politcos  would have to sink to new low to do that.

What’s tragic is hearing SP’s tortured logic in thinking  she is doing some good for Alaska by quitting as a leader before her term is up. Now that takes some ballsy spin.

Either she’s running from something about to hit her hard. Or she’s running to something that is so lucrative and apolitical.

One thing, when the curtain rises on the next act, we will probably be watching.