The Alaska governor will leave her job later this month
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin unexpectedly announced on Friday that she would step down from the job effective July 26. Though the former vice-presidential candidate said she was returning to private life, her decision to relinquish the governorship will further stoke speculation Palin is preparing a bid for the 2012 presidential race. However, the adviser who recruited her to run alongside John McCain wasn’t convinced by the timing of Palin’s announcement. “We’ve seen a lot of nutty behavior from governors and Republican leaders in the last three months,” says John Weaver, a longtime friend of McCain’s, “but this one is at the top of that.”