Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting

JUNEAU, Alaska — Departing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Saturday laid the groundwork to take on a larger, national role after leaving state government, citing a "higher calling" with the aim of uniting the country along conservative lines.

A day after surprising even her closest friends by saying she would step down as Alaska governor more than a year before her term was up, the hockey mom was keeping details of her plans under wrap. But in a statement posted on Palin's Facebook account, she suggested she had bigger plans and a national agenda she planned to push after she resigns at the end of the month.

"I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values of less government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger national security, and much-needed fiscal restraint," she said.

Palin, 45, also cast herself as a victim and blasted the media, calling the response to her announcement "predictable" and out of touch.

"How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it's about country," the statement said. "And though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make."

Palin's spokeswoman, Meghan Stapleton, confirmed the Facebook posting was written by the governor.

The abruptness of her announcement and the mystery surrounding her plans has fed widespread speculation. But Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein on Saturday warned that legal action may be taken against bloggers and publications that reprint what he calls fraudulent claims.

"To the extent several Web sites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as 'fact' that Governor Palin resigned because she is 'under federal investigation' for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation," Van Flein said. "This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who republish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, The New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law."

All of Palin's public communication since her Friday announcement has been on the social-networking sites Facebook and Twitter, or through statements released by her office.

Palin informed her spokesman David Murrow early Saturday that someone using the name "exgovsarahpalin" on Twitter was spreading a false rumor that there was to be a party at her suburban home in Wasilla, outside Anchorage. Palin was afraid her home would be mobbed, and security was dispatched, Murrow said.

With only a few weeks before she steps down July 26 and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell takes her place, the governor spent the Fourth of July weekend in the state capital of Juneau but was seen only briefly on the sidelines of the city's parade.

She had been invited to ride in a convertible, as she did last year, but never told organizers whether she would attend.

Juneau parade director Jean Sztuk said officials drew up banners in case Palin showed and was willing to take part.

As the last of the parade's clowns and marching bands headed past her, Sztuk gave up on Palin. "What governor wants to be at the end of the parade?" she asked.

Palin's low-profile and vague Internet messages left mounting questions about her plans. Will she lay the groundwork for a 2012 presidential bid? Will she find a high-profile place in the private sector, maybe on the speech circuit? Will she drop out of the limelight and focus on her five children?

Her constituents wanted to know, especially in Juneau, where she has struggled to win over residents.

"I think she owes it to Alaskans to tell us why," said state Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau, the son of Alaska's first governor, Bill Egan.

Egan, hosting a 50th-anniversary statehood ceremony, said he was disappointed Palin decided not to finish her term, which was scheduled to end in 2010.

"It's sad she abandoned us at this critical time," said Egan, who was appointed by Palin to an open seat on the last day of the legislative session in April, after a battle with Senate Democrats.

Palin's departure can't come soon enough for Laurel Carlton, a waitress at the Capital Cafe in the Baranof Hotel, where the city's political movers and shakers meet every morning before walking a few blocks to the Capitol.

"I think she has a game plan that's not Alaska and hasn't been for a while," Carlton said.

She noted Palin has a lucrative book deal and seems headed for the national stage.

"If you're really not going to stay and do your job every day, you should leave anyway, and so the sooner the better so somebody can step in and actually do the job," Carlton said.

But at the Fourth of July celebration in Wasilla, the crowd was largely filled with Palin supporters who said they were reeling over the news.

They were angry, they said, because they think media scrutiny and attacks by political rivals became too difficult for Palin and her family to bear.

"We are just sick about it. They have smeared her so," Sue Ann Roesing said. Her husband, Hank Roesing, added: "The attacks were mind-boggling. For people who live in Wasilla, it feels personal."

About 15 ethics complaints were filed against Palin or her office, costing the state nearly $300,000 and her family about $500,000 in legal expenses. Some allies in Juneau turned against her.

"The way she decided to exit from state politics was surprising, but everybody knew she had essentially checked out a year ago," said Les Gara, a Democratic state representative who partnered with Palin on issues of tax reform and energy before the campaign but is now a political opponent.

"Everything became about her instead of state issues."

Palin, whose popularity in Alaska has waned amid the ethics probes, gave many reasons for stepping down: She didn't want to be a lame-duck governor; she was tired of the tasteless jokes aimed at her five children, including son Trig, who has Down syndrome; she thought she could do more in another, still-to-be-defined role.

Sen. John McCain didn't rule out a return to politics for his former running mate, saying Saturday he thinks "she will continue to play an important leadership role in the Republican Party and our nation." He gave no other details.

Parnell, who plans to run for re-election after finishing out Palin's term, said he was shocked when he learned of his boss's decision.

"But then as she began to articulate her reasons, I began to understand better," he said. "And nobody — unless they've been in her position and understood what she has gone through and dealt with and who she is as a person — really understands."

Associated Press writer Rachel D'Oro in Anchorage contributed to this report. Material from The Washington Post is included.