With the nation still reeling over last week’s celebrity demises, leave it to Sarah Palin to close out the pre-holiday period by dropping her own bombshell: Announcing her resignation as governor of Alaska, effective by end of July.

Where to start? For one, I’ll peg the over/under on the number of monologue jokes for David Letterman on Monday at 6. Plus one more mock-video piece after he gets behind his desk. And what the hell: A whole Top Ten List dedicated to the newly lame-ducked governor, as well.

As for Palin’s motives, I believe her when she cites the harsh media glare, as she never seemed comfortable navigating that treacherous terrain (nor having her family used as a punching bag).

Do I believe that she’s out of politics for good? No. For one, her Political Action Committee (linked above) is still chugging along, so if nothing else, she’ll get to influence issues and voters via that outlet. Shedding political office helps her be more of the “maverick” she’s claimed to be. It also helps her distance herself from direct association with the other GOP govs who’ve lately disgraced themselves (you know who you are, Nevada and South Carolina). More logistically, she can wave bye-bye to Alaska and its fringe-iness, allowing her to move to California or wherever the conservative action is.

I can’t say how this impacts her future aspirations. Frankly, I always foresaw more of a Dan Quayle fate for her: Regular visits to the rotary club meetings, timely sniping from the outskirts, and generally a low-level presence on the political scene. As opposed to, say, Richard Nixon’s deft resurrection after his Presidential loss to JFK in 1960. If I had to bet, I’d still go with the former outcome for Caribou Barbie.

And, if all else fails, she can always embark upon the ultimate hockey-mom dream: Becoming NHL commissioner.