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Opinion: Critics of soon-to-be-ex-Gov. Sarah Palin react, well, critically

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After her sudden resignation announcement today, one of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s fiercest critics, Avis executive Andrew Halcro, who ran against her in 2006, warns there is a rocky road ahead for Palin. Today on his blog he wrote:

Over the last few weeks there has been growing criticism on both the state and national level about Palin. In addition, local bloggers have raised speculations about damaging information about Palin that was coming down the road.

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A few weeks ago, Dennis Zaki posted on his popular website a cryptic message about a pending bombshell that had to do with an investigation into Palin’s finances.

Last week, local blogger Linda Kellen-Biegal successfully raised roughly $6,000 to pay the cost associated with a freedom of information request of emails between the Palin administration and local talk show host and close friend of Palins, Eddie Burke. The emails were due to be released in a few days.

Democratic Anchorage businessman Bob Poe, who’s also running for governor and had thought it would be against Palin, was reached on the campaign trail on Resurrection Bay in Seward at a Fourth of July celebration. He was serving reindeer sausage, he said, and talking politics.

He said he was not surprised by Palin’s resignation, effective July 26, because he felt when she returned to Alaska after the Republicans’ national defeat in November, she seemed disengaged. But to interpret her resignation as a departure from politics, he said, would be a mistake.

“She did what is rational, which is to free herself up for what she has come to recognize is her real goal, which is to run for president,’ said Poe. ‘To assume her ambition is dying is incorrect. She’s got this lucrative book deal, and a national book tour would be a way to run for president. She wouldn’t be hassled with the tedious business of running state government. She already moved on, and now she’s just made it official.”

Political analyst Michael Carey, former Anchorage Daily News editorial page editor and host of a public TV program, said he was dismayed that Palin quit before her term was up.

“I think it’s irresponsible for her to quit as governor,” said Carey. “It’s not like she’s infirm or in poor health.” Instead, he said, her attitude seems to be that being governor is “too hard, and I want to run on a national scale and get the hell out of Dodge. Neither of those is defensible.”

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Anchorage activist Andree McLeod, who has filed several unsuccessful ethics complaints against Palin, said ‘It’s a great day for Alaska.’

She added: ‘Sarah Palin has been milking the office of governor for her personal benefit and that’s just not right. All the records that I have got for the past year point to Sarah Palin putting her personal financial interest before the state’s. I think she is stepping out of politics. She is not wired to be a public servant; she does not have a servant’s heart.’

McLeod said she’s planning to file another complaint against Palin, this time about what she said is the governor’s failure to disclose gifts, as required by law. ‘She’s still the governor,’ said McLeod.

-- Robin Abcarian

The Ticket goes inside politics several times a day, even obviously on holidays. Click here for Twitter alerts of each new item. Or follow us @latimestot

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