By stepping down as governor of Alaska, CQ Politics notes Sarah Palin avoids what could have been a very tough final 18 months of her term.
"She was facing a rocky road to the end of her term with falling approval numbers, criticism that she was paying too much attention to national matters and not the state, continuing ethics inquiries, efforts by news organizations to obtain emails written during the 2008 campaign and stories about her family that were grist for tabloids and even late-night comedian David Letterman."