“If she left because she and her family were understandably sick of being smeared by the media -....”
It wasn’t just the media smears (which set new world records for vileness, scope and persistence) — her whole family was being driven into bankruptcy by a tsunami of nuisance law suits related to her job as Governor. Even though none of those suits had merit, they were a huge distraction from the job of Governor. She said she was forced to resign, in the interests of Alaska, and to protect her family from ruin. The laws have been changed, and all future Governors will be protected from such harassment.
Interesting that Dem office-holders, many of whom probably deserve it, never seem to face this kind of persecution.
Only the Newts, Delays and Palins, it seems.