AKMuckraker, one of my favorite Alaska bloggers, has a pretty thorough and definitive post on the reactions and thought processes behind Sarah Palin’s bizarre resignation yesterday. The post got so much traffic it temporarily brought down her site and now is only posted on Huffington Post in full, so I’m linking to it there. This paragraph stands out as a potential explanation for Palin’s sudden decision to quit being Governor only two and a half years into her first term:

Then there is the other matter. In Alaska it’s become known as “the iceberg.” The iceburg is rumored to be a piece of news that’s so damaging, and so big, it will sink the S.S. Palin. The rumors also exist that it’s coming soon. Speculation about IRS problems, issues with other three-letter organizations, more ethics complaints, and embezzlement abound. Questions have been raised about the construction of Palin’s house by a bunch of Todd’s buddies, at the same time that a giant sports complex was being built in Wasilla, and right after building codes had been abolished by the then mayor of Wasilla, one Sarah Palin. Do we know anything for sure? No. But the recent claim that the breaking of this scandal is imminent seems coincidental to say the least. Alaskans hesitate to get too excited about rumored indictments, though. Despite the indictment and conviction of several state legislators, and the indictment-conviction and now un-conviction of former Senator Ted Stevens, the slow process has taught us patience. We still await rumored indictments of Congressman Don Young, and former State Senate President Ben Stevens (son of Ted Stevens.) Did I say, you can’t make this stuff up?

I spoke to a few political friends in Alaska yesterday and all mentioned that there’s a chance that this is scandal related and some time soon there may be an indictment or something similar. As AKMuckraker notes, though, this sort of rumor is quite common in Alaska. I can’t recount how many times it seemed certain that Ben Stevens, Don Young, or other state officials would be indicted and never were. Even the rumors of Ted Stevens indictment were frequent and never manifest until a time late last July when no rumors immediately proceeded the real indictment. All of which is to say, while this may well be true, Alaska politics in recent years has been riddled with these sorts of rumors…and these sorts of indictments.