One of Sully’s readers draws our attention to the Q’s of Time’s Q&A with Sarah Palin…

• I wanted to start out somewhat philosophically: Did you feel that the institution of government was no longer the best way to bring change about?
• Is that because you feel you don’t have a mandate anymore?
• When you resigned from the AOGCC [Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission], that was a huge catapult for you. Do you think this might catapult you as well? Or do you see it as kind of a selfless move, more for the state than for you?

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In case you missed it — heaven knows why — Sarah Palin made the network rounds on Tuesday, explaining again why she quit like a coward self-effacingly passed the ball last Friday. And during one of her sandy standups, out popped this gem:

“I don’t think it will be the day after day after day of ethics violation charges that are frivolous, that are ridiculous. I think on a national level your department of law there in the White House would look at this, the things we have been charged with, and automatically throw them out, not make somebody hire their own personal attorney to get out there and fight.”

Of course, everybody jumped on the “department of law” reference, chortling at the latest example of Palin’s fitness for offices she doesn’t ditch. And Talibunny apologists said there really is an Alaska Department of Law, although it’s the same as justice departments elsewhere, and not part of the Governor’s Office.

But as we were considering amusing angles to play on the story, we stopped short.

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• ABC: Live coverage anchored by Charles Gibson.
• CBS: Live coverage anchored by Katie Couric.
• NBC: Live coverage anchored by Meredith Vieira.

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Selections from the 2,000 comments on the resignation at Team Sarah…

• Put your yard signs back out and tape thru McCain! Let’s get going!
• I’m wondering if Governor Palin is going to team up with Michael Steele and take back the Republican party.
• I’m sure she has a plan, but I don’t understand it at this point.
• I”m tired of reading about how Sarah should run in 2016. Wake up folks. We won’t have a country by then.

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Title: “The Death of Ivan Ilych”

Author: Leo Tolstoy

Rank: 715,269

Blurb: None. But we suspect it doesn’t have a happy ending.

Review: None. Who reads Tolstoy in the summer?

Customers Also Bought: “On Death and Dying,” by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Footnote: Oh, that’s right — it’s time for our monthly Stinque Book Chat! Did everybody finish their assignment?

The Death of Ivan Ilych [Amazon]

Buy or Die [Stinque@Amazon kickback link]

Nice windows you got there, folks.

Sarah Palin’s lawyer celebrates the First Amendment with this Independence Day missive:

To the extent several websites, 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. This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish 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. The Alaska Constitution protects the right of free speech, while simultaneously holding those “responsible for the abuse of that right.” Alaska Constitution Art. I, Sec. 5. These falsehoods abuse the right to free speech; continuing to publish these falsehoods of criminal activity is reckless, done without any regard for the truth, and is actionable.

Falsehoods? What falsehoods?

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