Just spoke to a consultant plugged in with a non-McCain Republican presidential candidate from 2008. His first words: “Steve Schmidt wins.”
“I don’t think she’s toast (for future office). But this makes it more difficult. I’m trying to think of a candidate who launched a serious national bid after one term or less*… I guess the last one would be Romney, and he had done one full term.”
On the theory that the scrutiny of her children was the straw that broke the camel’s back, the consultant said, “From the interaction I’ve had with her, that would make some sense.” He noted that Palin had been “really down” at one point after the 2008 convention, largely from being separated from Todd and her children for days at a time; the campaign leadership was nudged to have the family traveling with her as much as possible, having a major impact on her morale. “They finally let her be a mom,” the consultant said.
The consultant also noted that Palin is now free to make a lucrative amount of money, and the expensive and frivolous ethics complaints eating into her personal financial reserves will presumably cease once she’s no longer a governor.
*Well, there’s Obama, but I think some readers would contend his national bid still cannot be called “serious.”