Palin's Polarizing Departure

A day has passed since the governor's press conference announcing her resignation and no one but Sarah Palin is exactly sure why she did it. But whatever the intended effect was of stepping down, the mysterious move is drawing harsh criticism even from fellow Republicans. “There is just no good way to say quitting has made her more qualified to run for higher office,” GOP pollster Glen Bolger told Politico. Republican consultant Todd Harris said that Palin "is on the verge of becoming the Miami Vice of American politics: Something a lot of people once thought was cool and then 20 years later look back, shake their heads and just kind of laugh.” While some prominent conservatives, like Bill Kristol, have defended her move, they've also admitted they didn't see it coming at all, highlighting the bizarre nature of Palin's hastily put together press conference.