Tom Foreman | Bio
AC360° Correspondent

When Sarah Palin took her unexpected swan dive into Lake Nevermore by announcing she was quitting as Governor of Alaska, I was suitably puzzled. I assumed she must have been conked in the head by a rogue moose, or stumbled into a patch of unripe salmonberries, or she had some secret hidden on the Appalachian Trail, if you know what I mean.

Now, however, I am remembering something I understood well before I moved to DC and was enveloped by the mind-numbing fog inside the Beltway: Many people in the rest of the country do not see politics the same way as east coast politicos.

For many Americans, what Governor Palin did was not only reasonable, but even praiseworthy. The latest polls confirm it. Rather than grind through the numbers again, which you’ve probably seen by now, I’ll just tell you they pretty much add up to this: Those who thought she was an utterly unqualified political opportunist of the worst sort still do, and those who thought she was a fresh voice of conservative reason who is in touch with the needs and desires of working folks, still do too.

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Alaska's Sarah Palin is stepping down as governor at the end of the month.

David Gewirtz | BIO
AC360° Contributor
Editor-in-Chief, ZATZ Publishing

For those of us who follow politics like rabid sports fans follow their favorite teams, this weekend’s announcement by Sarah Palin was like a gift from the gods.

As you undoubtedly know, the former Vice Presidential candidate, who’s been in the national eye for all of about ten months or so, has just resigned as governor of Alaska — a full 18 months before her term officially ends.

For those of us in the chattering class, this resignation definitely gets our mouths a-flappin’. Is she nuts? Is she just quitting? Does she want to spend more time with her kids? Is she getting ready for a presidential run? Is scandalous news about to hit? Did someone threaten her with something unless she quits?

Is this political suicide?

The pundits are going crazy. If you’re a crazy conservative, then this is a sure sign she’s thought it all through and gearing up for the 2012 run. If you’re a looney liberal, this is uncontroversial proof that she’s a quitter and not suitable for the job of dog-catcher, let alone President.

But if you’re a political sports fan, this is just good, clean fun.

The fact is, we don’t know. Yet. Clearly more will become apparent. But that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate, and that’s what I’m going to do.

First, let’s eliminate the ‘nuts’ question. Despite the brittle cheerfulness shown in her resignation announcement, Sarah Palin still seems to be the same Sarah Palin we met last year. She’s probably no more nuts than any other obscure politician would be if forced into the limelight overnight. But, like I said, we can’t really know.

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John Feehery says Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's resignation is a good sign for the Republican Party.

John Feehery
Special to CNN

Editor’s note: John Feehery was a staffer for former House Speaker Dennis Hastert and other Republicans in Congress. He is president of Feehery Group, a Washington-based advocacy firm that has represented clients including the News Corp., Ford Motor Co. and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He formerly was a government relations executive vice president for the Motion Picture Association of America.

It shouldn’t have surprised anyone that Gov. Sarah Palin would surprise everyone by announcing that she was quitting her job by the end of July.

Everything about her career has been a surprise.

I remember distinctly when Arizona Sen. John McCain selected Palin to be his vice presidential running mate. It was, to say the least, a surprise.

I had just taken the red-eye from Denver, Colorado (and the Democratic convention), and friends were calling me, concerned that McCain was going to pick Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman.

One friend, in particular, was pushing for a little-known governor from Alaska, of all places, who seemed to hit all the right buttons for conservatives. This governor was pro-life, pro-gun and anti-tax, had high popularity ratings in the state, and best of all, she was a woman. The thought was that she could help with that all-important female voting demographic.

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Paul Begala says Gov. Sarah Palin was an impediment to the hard work Republicans need to do to rebuild the party.

Paul Begala
CNN Contributor

Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist and CNN political contributor, was a political consultant for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992 and was counselor to Clinton in the White House. He is an affiliated professor at Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute.

I’m sure Republican strategists look at their bench and think of what Casey Stengel said of the 1962 Mets: “Can’t anybody here play this game?”

David Vitter is on the D.C. Madam’s call list. John Ensign confesses to an affair with a staffer. Mark Sanford cries for his soul mate in Argentina. And now Sarah Palin calls it quits.

The Republican Party was once a solid, serious, stable group of people. It was the party of Eisenhower, of Ford — and not too long ago, the party of Colin Powell. Now it’s got more flakes than Post Toasties.

For all her whining about the ethics complaints brought against her, Sarah Palin is not the victim of the politics of personal destruction. She’s the victim of the politics of self destruction.

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“The regime likes to defend its religious practices,” says close confidant of Mir Hossein Mousavi (above). The practice of Itikaf allows Muslims to refrain from appearing at work, without facing any consequences

Reza Aslan
The Daily Beast

A massive sandstorm swept into Tehran Monday morning, blanketing the streets in a dark and dreamy haze. The tops of buildings, where, last night, the protest calls of “God is great!” rang out for the 21st consecutive day, are barely visible. Most of Tehran’s bustling downtown appears abandoned. The air quality is so bad that people say it is difficult to breathe. An eerie calm has descended upon the city.

Perfect weather for a strike.

Monday is the start of an unusual three-day Islamic holiday called Itikaf. Sometimes translated as “seclusion” or “retreat,” Itikaf is a time when particularly pious Muslims cloister themselves inside homes or mosques for a period of intense prayer and deep spiritual reflection. It is a practice that the Iranian regime has long encouraged the country’s citizens, particularly the youth, to take part in, usually without much success.

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Comedian, author and radio host Al Franken can now add senator to his resume.

Julian E. Zelizer
Special to CNN

Democrats are elated because Sen. Al Franken, former comedian and radio host, is finally coming to town. The gates of political heaven seemed to open when former Sen. Norm Coleman finally conceded.

During his much awaited victory speech, the senator-elect said that “I am not going to waste this chance.”

With that statement, Franken started his senatorial career with an important message to his colleagues. Without any doubt, 60 votes in the filibuster-happy Senate is a lot better than 59.

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Program Note: Tune in to hear more from Todd Purdum tonight on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

Palin is stepping down.

Todd S. Purdum
Vanity Fair

Despite her disastrous performance in the 2008 election, Sarah Palin is still the sexiest brand in Republican politics, with a lucrative book contract for her story. But what Alaska’s charismatic governor wants the public to know about herself doesn’t always jibe with reality. As John McCain’s top campaign officials talk more candidly than ever before about the meltdown of his vice-presidential pick, the author tracks the signs—political and personal—that Palin was big trouble, and checks the forecast for her future.

The crowds begin streaming into the Evansville Auditorium and Convention Centre a couple of hours before the arrival of the “special guest speaker” at the Vanderburgh County Right to Life dinner on a soft Indiana spring evening—nearly 2,200 people in the banquet hall, 800 more in an adjacent auditorium watching the proceedings on a live video feed. The menu is thick slices of roast pork and red velvet cake, washed down with pitchers of iced tea, and when Sarah Palin finally enters, escorted by a phalanx of sheriff’s deputies and local police, she is mobbed.

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Eliza Browning
AC360° Associate Producer

Governor Sarah Palin’s announcement that she will resign from office at the end of the month shocked many on all sides of the political spectrum.

Even many of her fellow conservatives were surprised by the move. Karl Rove said the resignation left some Republicans “a little perplexed” and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said her announcement was “astounding.”

Some analysts believe that Palin is resigning with 18 months left in office so that she can raise funds  and spend time preparing to seek the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

But Palin said she already knew she would not seek a second term and decided she didn’t want to become a “lame duck governor” for the remainder of her time in office. She also said that too much time and too many taxpayer dollars were going toward fighting ethics investigations and that the mainstream media were continuing with unfair attacks on her and her family.

The most surprising thing about Palin’s announcement is that few people saw it coming. As analysts rush to figure out exactly what prompted her decision, a look at her Twitter feed offers little indication of a planned resignation.

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Sen.-elect Al Franken will be sworn in on Tuesday.

Robert Yoon and Paul Steinhauser
CNN

Next week Al Franken arrives in the nation’s capitol to take his seat as his state’s junior U.S. senator. So where does the Minnesota Democrat stand on some of the major issues the Senate will be grappling with this year?

Here’s a look:

HEALTH CARE REFORM

According to his senate campaign, Franken supports universal health care. He backs requiring states to cover their citizens, with the federal government providing the necessary funding. Franken supports requiring states to cover all children 18 with Medicare-style single payer system health care.

CLEAN ENERGY

Franken supports the “Apollo project” on renewable energy, which calls for a comprehensive economic investment strategy to build a clean energy economy and cut energy bills for American families and businesses. He supports additional research and funding for alternative energy sources such as corn, soy, wind, and solar power. Franken also backs increased CAFE standards for vehicles and calls for additional funding, research for energy efficiency programs and light rail.

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