Washington: Sarah Palin, the running mate of John McCain in the Republican leader's failed presidential bid in 2008, is Alaska's "greatest gift" to America, says Sean Parnell, who will succeed her as Governor of the state.
"She's accomplished more in these two and a half years than most governors accomplish in one or two terms. Our Governor has been a great governor and she is going to be Alaska's and is Alaska's greatest gift to our country," Parnell said in an interview.
Palin had announced on Saturday that she will step down as Governor of Alaska by the end of this month and would not run for a second gubernatorial term in 2010.
"People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska," Palin said at a news conference at her home in Wasilla.
"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.
Parnell, presently Alaska's Lt Governor, said that Palin is putting "Alaska's interest first", by stepping down.
"I was very surprised at first," he said of Palin's decision to resign, which he said she told him Wednesday. "But then as she began to explain why she was doing it, I began to see it was Sarah Palin, once again, moving to put Alaska's interest first."
Parnell, who will be sworn in on July 26, said he intended to lead the state, to make sure people have jobs and that the state's finances are stable.
"Those are the things I'm going to be dealing with," he said. Asked whether he planned on completing the term, he said "Yes".
"But I am also conscious that we don't control life, so I may be dead tomorrow, and I'm not going to commit beyond that," he said.