When it comes to Governor Palin’s resignation people like to throw the term “quitter” around as if it were a bad thing. Very often quitting is the brave and only option especially when what you are doing hurts you or someone else.

When someone quits smoking, are they quitters? When a person is over weight and quits fast foods, are they quitters? When a mom decides to end her career to look after her children, is she a quitter?

Contrary to popular belief, Governor Palin’s resignation not only won’t hurt her, it will help her. As John Nolte points out, Governor Palin cut her own throat to save her state.

Prior to the 2008 presidential campaign, Governor Palin had an 88% approval rating, she worked across the aisle, and accomplished more in 18 months than what most governors accomplish in two full terms. When she came back from the campaign, it all changed. The reasons for this change are irrelevant. The fact is it that it changed.

Democrats no longer wanted to work with her, and Republicans never wanted to work with her in the first place because she challenged the Republican establishment status quo in Alsaka. An onslaught of frivolous ethic complaints were filed against her. These bogus ethics complaints hurt her and the state financially and responding to the false charges consumed more than 70% of her administration’s time. As a result, her administration was compromised and she could no longer do her job or govern effectively.

She did not want to waste state resources and money any longer. She had to make a choice.

A) Stick around to simply save her political future, let the charade continue, waste the state’s time, resources, and money and effectively allow the people filing these false ethics complaints to take the state down in their attempt to destroy her. She could have hoped that eventually those things would go away, but they wouldn’t. In Alaska, anyone can file an ethics complaint at no cost to themselves and even if it gets thrown out, they lose nothing. The state and the Governor pick up the tab no matter what.

B) She could get out of the way and let her lieutenant governor take over and continue with her agenda without the distractions. It’s a safe bet that the majority of Americans cannot name the current Governor of Alaska, and Alaska is better off for it.

Given those two choices, she opted to get out of the way and allow her state to progress. I wounder what other politicians would do given the circumstances and the choice. Would they put their political careers or their states first?

Governor Palin took an oath to protect and defend her state. By stepping down, she kept that oath. Americans are sick and tired of politicians who base every decision and vote on how it will advance their personal political career.

Americans would embrace someone who will truly put the best interests of the nation ahead of their political future and has a record of doing so.

If the term for what Governor Palin did is “quitter” then she can join the millions of ex-smokers and wear that label as a badge of honor.