In my interview with Governor Palin yesterday evening, we touched briefly on some current events, including President Obama's trip to Asia and the place of the tea-party movement in the Republican party. Some highlights:

1) I asked Palin about the anti-tax-and-spending tea parties. "I love the tea party movement," she said. "It's beautiful, it's healthy. It's part of that good healthy competition that's needed in a political party." She contrasted the somewhat tumultuous state of the GOP to what's going on in the Democratic party today. "It seems like the Democratic party is filled with more sheep-like individuals, who go along and get along," she said.

I brought up the Senate primary fight in Florida between Governor Charlie Crist and former state house speaker Marco Rubio. Palin isn't ready to make an endorsement. She told me she's just starting to look at the candidates "and see what their positions are." Palin added that she is eager to meet Rubio. She worked with Crist at the Republican Governors Association and thought highly of him. "I hear good things about Rubio, too, though," she added. No question, if Palin decides to endorse a candidate in this race, her influence will be powerful.

2) Would Palin bow or curtsy to the emperor of Japan? "No," she said. She went on to say that Obama's recent bow to the emperor was "symbolic" of the new administration's "apologetic mode of operation." "I'm not comfortable with it, and I don't think most Americans are as well," Palin said.

In other Asia news, Palin expressed a willingness to meet with the Dalai Lama, and said that she was happy to hear that Obama brought up the "abuse of human rights in China" during his visit. But she also said that Obama needs to focus on "getting our house in order." "There are so many things that need to be taken care of domestically," Palin said. The president, in her opinion, ought to "buckle down on the huge challenges facing our country."

3) I was surprised to learn that Palin, who is using social media to speak directly to her supporters, is the only member of the Palin family on Facebook. "Ironically, I banned the kids from using it," she said.

Associate editor Matthew Continetti is the author of The Persecution of Sarah Palin.

I spoke to Governor Palin by phone this afternoon. Lots of interesting material, but to me the most interesting takeaways were the following:

1) I asked about Palin's upcoming visit to Ft. Hood. "We had planned on that before the tragedy struck," she said. She commented on the trail of evidence linking the alleged Ft. Hood shooter, Maj. Nidal Hasan, to militant Islam. "There were such clear, obvious, massive warning signs that were missed," she said. "This terrorist, even having business cards" that identified him as an "SoA" or soldier of Allah. Palin blamed a culture of political correctness and other decisions that "prevented -- I'm going to say it -- profiling" of someone with Hasan's extremist ideology. "I say, profile away," Palin said. Such political correctness, she continued, "could be our downfall." If the upcoming investigations into the attack reveal bad decision-making on the part of senior officials, Palin continued, those officials ought to be fired.

Palin visits Ft. Hood on December 4. She plans to donate all the royalties from her book-signing there to the families of the victims.

2) I also asked Governor Palin about Attorney General Holder's decision to try September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohamed in federal court in New York City.

"Does KSM deserve constitutional rights?" I asked.

Palin's response: "Not no, but hell no."

And she went on: "That was an atrocious decision," she said. "And it makes a mockery of our judicial system." She focused in particular on the fear that "war criminals" like KSM and his accomplices will use the trial as a "platform" to denigrate America.

More Palin to come, including her thoughts on President Obama's trip to Asia and the role of the tea-party movement in the GOP ...

Associate editor Matthew Continetti is the author of The Persecution of Sarah Palin.

No one really knows what's inside Sarah Palin's Going Rogue, which hits stores Tuesday. The AP has obtained a copy, and published this story, which suggests that the book is a gauzy, campaign-heavy memoir that "follows Palin from childhood to her departure last summer as Alaska governor" -- and not much else. Palin, we are told, has a lot of folksy gossip to share in her book, but little to say of substance.

John Ziegler, the director of Media Malpractice who has also read the book, was the first to say that the AP report is inaccurate:

[T]he book that the AP supposedly read sounds like it is full of self-serving whining and almost totally lacking in substance. That is not a remotely accurate evaluation of Going Rogue.

First of all, there are far more interesting and important revelations in the book (I have noticed in my own experience with my film “Media Malpractice” that one of the most insidious forms of media bias against conservative projects is to paint them as boring) that the AP has for some reason chosen to totally ignore.

Second of all, Palin’s analysis of what really happened with the now infamous (and totally misunderstood) Couric and Gibson interviews could not be LESS whiny — it is instead full of fact-filled writing that finally provides the full story of what really happened in the way that only a book can do (my documentary, which I am told Palin handed to her collaborator and said “here, this is what happened” could only provide a foundation of understanding that is magnified in much greater detail in Going Rogue).

Today, Palin herself weighed in with this message: "The AP and a number of subsequent media outlets are erroneously reporting the contents of the book. Keep your powder dry, read the book, and enjoy it!"

So, who are we to believe? Palin and her defenders, or the AP? Well, a report out tonight says that Palin's book includes criticism of bailouts, the Obama economic program, the Obama climate-change agenda, and the stimulus. Sounds pretty substantive to me.

Which Palin defender published these snippets in order to combat the media portrayal of Going Rogue as shallow? Why, it was the AP -- in the course of a ridiculous "Fact Check" of Palin's book. (Among the "facts" in this piece: "Few politicians own up to wanting a high office for the power and prestige of it, and in this respect, Palin fits the conventional mold.")

We'll have to wait until Tuesday to see the actual contents of the book. But, by the AP's own biased reporting, it seems that it will be filled with policy indeed.

(SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION ALERT: While waiting for Going Rogue, check out The Persecution of Sarah Palin!)

Sarah Palin will begin her book tour with an appearance on the O-Lady's show.

A book about the collision between Palin and the media that I happen to like will be out by then, incidentally.

Hat Tip: The Page.

I spoke to a few friends in Alaskan Republican politics yesterday. None of them had a clue that Palin was going to resign her office, and none has any idea what her motivation might be in doing so. It was widely assumed in Alaska that Palin wouldn't run for a second term. But this?

One friend pointed out that the biggest loser is Hollis French, the chairman of the State Senate Judiciary Committee and a longtime Palin adversary. French announced he was running for governor this week, on an explicitly anti-Palin platform. There was the possibility, however small, that French could have defeated Palin by running against her personality and not her policies. Now he won't have that chance. He'll face (one assumes) incumbent Sean Parnell, who shares Palin's ideas but not her baggage.

Palin's surprise announcement was another reminder of how impulsive a politician she is. She zig-zags from office to office, from Republican Revolutionary to bipartisan champion of clean government, with nary a second thought. She resigned from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission suddenly to make a point about self-dealing. She entered the race to unseat Frank Murkowski in October 2005, months before the primary. She accepted John McCain's offer to be his vice presidential nominee without hesitation.

Indeed, Palin's surprise move yesterday was another reminder of how she and McCain are so similar (remember McCain's decision to suspend his campaign?). They are both spontaneous and unpredictable. They are both known for their attitudes rather than their policies. They are both political gamblers, and they both have been extremely lucky. But sometimes luck runs out.

And sometimes it doesn't. "She is a lot of things," another Alaska Republican wrote me in an email. "But NOT stupid ..."

If Palin wants to run in 2012, why not do exactly what she announced today? It's an enormous gamble - but it could be a shrewd one.

After all, she's freeing herself from the duties of the governorship. Now she can do her book, give speeches, travel the country and the world, campaign for others, meet people, get more educated on the issues - and without being criticized for neglecting her duties in Alaska. I suppose she'll take a hit for leaving the governorship early - but how much of one? She's probably accomplished most of what she was going to get done as governor, and is leaving a sympatico lieutenant governor in charge.

And haven't conservatives been lamenting the lack of a national leader? Well, now she'll try to be that. She may not succeed. Everything rests on her talents, and on her performance. She'll be under intense and hostile scrutiny, and she'll have to perform well.

All in all, it's going to be a high-wire act. The odds are against her pulling it off. But I wouldn't bet against it.

We live in strange times.

How strange? Well, the politician whom Republicans like the most is resigning her office, while the embarrassing Mark Sanford is clutching to his.

You can find the governor's complete statement here.

For what it's worth, on MSNBC, Andrea Mitchell is reporting that Palin is done with elective office.

One takeaway from Palin's speech today is how tired she's become of the frivolous ethics complaints launched against her since she returned to Alaska in November 2008. Even Palin critics will admit that these complaints don't hold water and distract from state business. The complaints also bring with them a heavy financial burden that Palin has struggled with.

From Palin's point of view, then, leaving the governor's office would free her from these burdens. No one can file a state ethics complaint against a private citizen. Departing now also allows Palin to travel the country freely, building networks of financial and popular support. She doesn't have to worry that visits to the Lower 48 may weaken her political standing back home. And retiring from the office in late July gives Palin more time to spend with her large family, too.

Palin's statement made clear that, while she'll be leaving the governor's office, she is not leaving the national stage. Her book is scheduled for release sometime next year. She pledged to support candidates in the upcoming elections without regard to partisan affiliation. She took aim at the Obama administration's budget-busting spending policies. Palin's enemies have already taken today's news to suggest that her political career is over. It isn't. But Palin may also be thinking that her retirement from office will cause her critics to stop attacking her. She would be wrong to think so. Neither Palin nor the Palin-haters are going away.

Sarah Palin will resign her office effective July 25. Here is the statement from her press team.

One thing you learn about Sarah Palin when you study her career is that she never, ever does things by the book. I think it's safe to say today's events are a further example of this tendency.

Jonathan Martin has the story here. For semi-professional Palin watchers like myself, this doesn't come as much of a surprise. On a recent trip to Alaska for my forthcoming book on the governor, I picked up a lot of chatter to the effect that Palin wouldn't run for a second term.

Palin's term ends in December 2010 -- right around the time when the next presidential cycle begins. She'll have plenty of time to spend in the Lower 48, in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina in particular.

UPDATE: Time's Mark Helprin reports that Palin will be stepping down in a few weeks. More is sure to come.

Sarah Palin mentions a (perhaps apocryphal) quote from Plato in her fascinating interview with Runner's World.

The talk show host has apologized for his egregious joke directed at Palin's family.

In his Washington Post column on Sarah Palin's post-election media blitz, Howard Kurtz perpetuates the myth that Palin "never held a news conference" as a vice-presidential nominee. According to CBS News, she held a full-scale press conference on October 17:

"For the first time since becoming a candidate for the vice presidency in late August, Sarah Palin held an on-camera press conference with her full travelling press corps on the short flight from Ohio to Indiana this afternoon."

Today, Palin held a short press conference in Miami where she is attending the Republican Governors Association meeting. The first reporter to pose a question asked: "During the campaign, you never held a news conference, which I believe was unprecedented. What's changed?"

Palin replied that she doesn't want to talk about campaign strategy. Perhaps she didn't want to embarrass the reporter by pointing out that his question was based on a faulty premise.

Via Hot Air, Piper Palin tells Alaska radio that she'd like to be president someday.

Fox News's Shushannah Walshe reports:

GREEN, OHIO –- After some subdued crowds for the top of the ticket at his solo campaign events, John McCain and Sarah Palin joined back up today and were greeted by a boisterous crowd of thousands on a high school football field here.

Sarah Palin took the stage to introduce her running mate and she acknowledged country star Gretchen Wilson who had serenaded the crowd with her song, “Redneck Woman” before the ticket took the stage.

The GOP Vice-Presidential nominee seemed star struck, but told the singer they have something in common, “I see Gretchen Wilson over there and I need to get your autograph before we leave! Hello! Yes! Someone called me a redneck woman once and you know what I said back? I said, ‘Why thank you.’”

You can watch Wilson's "Redneck Woman" music video here.

Christopher Hitchens has a piece up at Slate titled: "Speak Up! Stop covering Palin until she gives a press conference."

Hitchens writes that he would like to query the Alaska governor about her views on teaching creationism in school. "There are several other questions I would like to ask her, as, no doubt, would you," he writes. "Lots of luck with that, because it seems that the Grand Old Party intends to go all the way to Election Day without exposing the No. 2 person on its ticket—the person who would become chief executive if President John McCain succumbed to illness—to a press conference."

Tiny problem: Contrary to the impression one might get from watching Palin's SNL skit, the Republican VP nominee held her first full-scale on-camera press conference on October 17. Per CBS News:

"For the first time since becoming a candidate for the vice presidency in late August, Sarah Palin held an on-camera press conference with her full travelling press corps on the short flight from Ohio to Indiana this afternoon."

Now, according to CBS, Palin fielded only 13 questions in this press conference that lasted all of 7 minutes, so one might say this doesn't count as a true press conference. To which I'd respond: "Guys, I mean come on. I just answered like eight questions."

Oh, and I'd also add this CBS News report from today:

In the past two days alone, Palin has answered questions from her national press corps on three separate occasions. On Saturday, she held another plane availability, and on Sunday, she offered an impromptu press conference on the tarmac upon landing in Colorado Springs. A few minutes later, she answered even more questions from reporters during an off-the-record stop at a local ice cream shop.

By contrast, Biden hasn’t held a press conference in more than a month, and Obama hasn’t taken questions from his full traveling press corps since the end of September. John McCain—who spent most of the primary season holding what seemed like one, never-ending media availability—hasn’t done one since Sept. 23.

Though she often turns the “mainstream media” into a punching bag on the stump, Palin clearly enjoys interacting with reporters. She seems to relish the opportunity to demonstrate that her breadth of knowledge far exceeds what she offered to CBS News’ Katie Couric in a series of interviews that were marked by vague, often convoluted answers to straightforward questions.

After her plane [landed] in Colorado Springs, Palin answered no less than 14 questions from the media. It took traveling press secretary Tracey Schmitt three attempts finally to get the governor to move along.

And the New York Times has even more on Palin's latest attempts "to wriggle free of her handlers."

On Sunday night, she twice took questions from reporters, the first time on an airport tarmac without her press staff’s knowledge.

After landing in Colorado Springs late Sunday, Ms. Palin marched over to a local television crew and began answering questions on camera, sending the traveling press corps sprinting in pursuit, and her press staff scrambling. ...

A reporter who transcribed her comments for a pool report later Sunday evening sounded his approval. “In her continuing evolution from the least accessible to the most accessible of the four candidates, Palin took questions from your pooler at the Coldstone Creamery in Colorado Springs.”

(Hat tip: Tom Maguire)