Palin to resign as governor

ALASKA governor Sarah Palin said yesterday that she is resigning from office at the end of the month, raising speculation that she would focus on a run for the White House in 2012.

The former Republican vice-presidential candidate made the surprise announcement from her home in suburban Wasilla. She said she would step down on July 26 but didn’t announce her plans.

“Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional lame duck status in this particular climate would just be another dose of politics as usual, something I campaigned against and will always oppose,” Palin said in a statement.