Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announces she's stepping down this month.

CNN

Sarah Palin's earlier announcement that she will step down as Governor of Alaska came as a surprise in the political sphere. 'State of the Union' host, John King and CNN senior political contributor, Ed Rollins shared their opinions. Continue on for their comments during an interview with Suzanne Malveaux on 'The Situation Room.'

Suzanne Malveaux : John King, host of “state of the union” has more information. John, what do you know?

John King: I talked to someone who is very close to her political team who called this a calculation. That is the word he used. Because of the friction, again the word he used, that Governor Palin has received over her book deal, ethics controversies, that she says are caused by her political opponents, she made the calculation it was best to not only say she was not going to run for re-election but take the more dramatic step saying she is going to leave in the middle of her term. This source said those close to her politically say she is working to put herself on the path to run in 2012.

JK: There will be a great number of questions, why  would she leave in the middle of her term.  It’s a very unusual step for a governor to take, it is her national platform if you will but she has high recognition. She is well liked among republicans, particularly the republican base, in Washington, Candy knows this as well as anybody, the political professionals play down her chances. They say that her performance in the last campaign was not so great. She has star appeal with the base of the party and the question now is we’ll have to watch what she does with that base.

SM: John, do you know who is advising Sarah Palin now? She had a group of people in the race before. There was a falling out, is it a different group of people telling her we think this is the direction you should go? Do you know who those people are?

JK: it’s a mix of people she keeps in close touch with Bill Kristol. He’s a republican commentator and he also was Dan Quayle’s chief of staff. Some of the McCain aides most loyal to her, like Randy Scheunemann are in touch with her. There is sometimes tension between her Alaska circle of advisors and “the Washington people” or “the political people.” There is a small group loyal to her. We have seen even more reports recently. We have seen reports about splits in the McCain campaign and so much dissatisfaction with her among top McCain advisors but there is a small group very loyal to her and some of them in the Washington, D.C. area, in national republican politics, still involved in, again the cadre that went back to Alaska with her and you do detect tensions from time to time between them. Among those who are the true believers, they believe she has a very good base to enter the 2012 republican presidential race should she so choose. I will leave that question mark because we can’t answer it today.

SM: how do you explain the difference between the groundswell of support that she has when she travels, a real rock star and those in Washington why that split? Why that difference?

JK: Some is based on personality conflicts. Remember some McCain advisers called her a rouge diva. She did not follow the playbook they settled on in the campaign staff meetings that they said this is what we have to do and she would do other things.

SM: John you followed this closely, what did you take away from her statement?

JK: She says she is unorthodox. I think after that statement there is no arguing. It is a bold risk for her. If there are internal Alaska reasons, she noted the ethics investigations, for her to do this. When you look at her as a potential national candidate, the question will be is he helping or hurting herself? She frees herself up from the day-to-day responsibilities of governor if she wants to now build a national base and run a national campaign.

JK: Remember the criticism of her in the campaign where she hurt McCain in the end was in the suburbs among more affluent suburban women who questioned her experience and readiness to be vice president and god forbid something happened to the president of United States. Now she is stepping down without completing her one term as governor. So if she decides to run for president now, she will be a less than one term governor seeking the presidency of the United States at that moment against an incumbent president. If you are looking at this from a national political perspective and what is her future, this is a very very risky and unorthodox decision.

SM: is there is possibility she is thinking of running for the Alaska senate in 2010?

JK: that's a great question. The senate is not, and of course Barack Obama is the most recent notable exception, the senate is not known as a place that launches people to the presidency. That is a potential route. If she is stepping down as governor because people are challenging her in the state of Alaska, would she do a statewide race? It is a fascinating question. All indications is from people around is that she is not interested she has no interest having been a chief executive, as mayor and than as governor, to come into the field of 100 in the united states senate. That is a question before us. She announced a major change today. When politicians make big changes they recalculate everything before them. That is a fascinating question we will need to answer. In the weeks ahead without a doubt.

SM: Thank you so much john king. I want to bring in a republican strategist, Ed Rollins. Ed,  she is a popular figure at the base of the Republican Party. There are folks in Washington she is not in favor with. What is the response from the party for her stepping down at this time?

Ed Rollins: First of all, I think everyone is shocked by this and to a certain extent everyone is going to assume there is another story. You just don't quit with a year and a half to go as governor. You certainly don't do this as a steppingstone to run for president. You finish the job that you are in. She is not doing that. I think people are going to be suspicious because of the timing. You don't quit on Friday on a three-day holiday, if you’re going to do this you think it through. You give a good speech. You basically have an audience and I think to a certain extent this made her look terribly inept.

ER: That is one of the questions people have about her, is she substantive enough to be a more serious candidate for president? My sense is she is a young woman so it is never the end. I have been around politics too long to ever think anybody's finished. But at this point in time a lot of people are looking hard at this, a lot of republicans shaking their head after the last week or ten days with Senator Enson and Governor Sanford. just is this one more blow to the body of the republican party I don't think there is any happiness anywhere by this decision except maybe the lieutenant governor of Alaska who gets to finish her job.

SM: she does this in a way, it is the beginning of a July 4th weekend, people taking time off, in traffic, do you think she was trying to bury this news or why do you think she did it this way?

ER: If she did it by thinking she was going to bury the news, this is a tactic that you news when you want to bury something but this is not a story you want to bury and you can’t bury it I mean she was the running mate she was viewed as a serious candidate in the future. My sense is that this story is not going to go away.

You may be stuck finding people to come on and talk like you were with me, by Sunday, Monday, Tuesday this week. This story has long legs and everyone will look hard again. She will have a review of what is going on in Alaska almost the scrutiny she had when she first announced. This just it doesn't make sense. It goes against anybody’s common sense it certainly doesn’t it doesn't enhance her in any way, shape or form.

SM: It is hard to predict, but at one point you called her a brilliant but risky choice for vice president. Are you reassessing what you think now?

ER: It was a brilliant, bold move at the time. She had two great weeks at the beginning of that campaign. She energized the base. I still think she is popular among the base but everybody around the country for her are shaking their heads saying why quit now? You have a year and a half to go. You want to finish out your term and use your family as an excuse, fine but you don't quit in the middle of your term. We’re not a party of quitters. Basically to walk away without scandal, because the job is tough or somebody else can do it better and the idiotic story about I don't want to be lame duck. I mean everybody is lame duck. I think the reality is - all she has done today is raise serious questions.