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>>> ALASKA GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN
DROPPING A BOMBSHELL FRIDAY
AFTERNOON, ANNOUNCING SHE'LL
STEP DOWN FROM HER ROLE AS
GOVERNOR IN THREE WEEKS.
JOINING US THIS MORNING, ED
ROLLINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST
WHO RAN GOVERNOR MIKE HUCK
ABBE'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.
GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
>> MY PLEASURE, THANK YOU.
>> THIS IS AN UNCONVENTIONAL,
HASTILY ASSEMBLED PRESS
CONFERENCE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON.
SOME OF THE PRESS COULDN'T MAKE
IT THERE IN TIME.
WHAT WAS SHE TRYING TO ACHIEVE?
A LOT OF PEOPLE AREN'T SURE?
>> I THINK SHE RAISED A LOT MORE
QUESTIONS THAN SHE ANSWERED.
I THINK THE BOTTOM LINE IS YOU
SAW A SHOOTING STAR COME
CRASHING TO EARTH.
I THINK THE PREMISE THAT SHE --
DON'T WANT TO BE A LAME DUCK
GOVERNOR, WELL, YOU KNOW THERE
IS PEOPLE LIKE MITCH DANIELS,
GOVERNOR OF INDIANA, HALEY
BARBOUR, THEY'RE ALL GOING TO
RUN FOR PRESIDENT AND THEY'RE
FINISHING THE JOB.
THE JOB IS TOUGH NOW AND FOR HER
TO BAIL OUT AT THIS POINT IN
TIME I DON'T THINK IT IS FAIR TO
ALASKANS AND DAMAGES HER
LONG-TERM CAREER.
>> SHE MADE SEVERAL DIFFERENT
ANALOGIES, BUT SHE SAID IN HER
VIEW, SHE CAN REALLY LEAD BETTER
AND DO MORE FOR HER STATE IF SHE
STEPS DOWN FROM THAT ROLE.
THERE IS A LOT OF CRITICISM TO
THAT.
SOME PEOPLE SAYING HER VIEW OF
LEADERSHIP IS NOT TO LEAD, BUT
TO QUIT.
WOULD YOU AGREE WITH THAT?
>> SHE IS RELEVANT TO ALASKA,
NEW GOVERNOR, THE LEGISLATURE
WILL MOVE BEYOND HER AND I THINK
TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, SHE
CERTAINLY WILL HAVE A VOICE
AMONG CONSERVATIVES, AS A VIABLE
POLITICAL PERSON IS GOING TO
HELP THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, I
DON'T THINK SHE CAN DO IT AS
EFFECTIVELY IF YOU'RE NOT A
GOVERNOR.
>> AS A REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST,
SHE CAME TO YOU FOR ADVICE TODAY
AND SAID I STEPPED DOWN BUT I
DID IT BECAUSE I THINK I CAN
REALLY MAKE THIS WORK FOR MANE
GET A POLITICAL FUTURE OUT OF
THIS.
WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE?
>> SHE HAS TO LAY OUT EVERY STEP
FROM HERE ON OUT HAS TO BE ONE
THAT HAS A STRATEGY TO IT.
THIS IS TACTICAL.
SHE GOT UP YESTERDAY, WENT OUT,
SURPRISED THE POLITICAL WORLD,
WHICH YOU SHOULDN'T DO,
SURPRISED THE MEDIA WORLD, WHICH
YOU SHOULDN'T DO AND AT THE END
OF THE DAY, NO ONE KNOWS WHY.
SHE HAS TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS
AND NOT RUN AWAY FROM THEM.
HERE'S WHY I DID IT, FOR MY
FAMILY.
BUT THE IDEA IT IS SPECULATION,
I CAN RUN FOR PRESIDENT, I CAN
DO IT MORE EFFECTIVELY FROM
OUTSIDE IS NOT TRUE.
>> IS THERE ANYTHING THAT
PARTICULARLY STUCK OUT TO YOU
YESTERDAY IN THAT PRESS
CONFERENCE?
>> I THINK SHE DIMINISHED THE
JOB OF GOVERNOR.
I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY,
I'VE NEVER -- I'VE BEEN HERE
FOUR DECADE, I'VE NEVER SEEN A
GOVERNOR WALK AWAY FROM THE JOB
AT MIDTERM AND I THINK AT THE
END OF THE DAY, THAT'S WHAT I
GOING TO AFFECT HER.
>> DOES IT HURT HER CHANCES?
>> SURE.
HOW DO YOU GO AS A CANDIDATE
BEFORE THE ALAMO IN TEXAS, WHICH
EVERYBODY DOES, MOST IMPORTANT
STATE FOR A REPUBLICAN, AND SAY
I JUST QUIT.
MEN IN ALAMO DON'T QUIT, THEY
FIGHT.
MOST POLITICAL PEOPLE FIGHT TO
THE END.
>> A LOST PEOPLE SAY, HEY, YOU
UNDERESTIMATED SARAH PALIN, THE
FACT SHE CAN COME BACK.
>> YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, SHE GOT
PUT ON TOP BY A HELICOPTER BY
JOHN McCAIN.
WE WOULD NOT BE TALKING ABOUT
SARAH PALIN IF JOHN McCAIN
HADN'T PICKED HER AS VP.