Rove: Palin resignation part of ‘risky strategy’

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Huckabee: Still a Palin fan
Huckabee, who ran for president in 2008 and could try again, said he remains a Palin fan and insisted she continues to be a viable candidate. But she also should be prepared to explain the curious move.

"Well, it's a risky strategy, and nobody knows whether it's going to pay off or not," Huckabee said. "And even if she did get out, primarily because of a feeling of being chased, that's not going to stop if she continues in politics. The only way that stops is for her to completely exit the stage and the spotlight."

But part of her explanation for resigning — that she was dogged by critics who cost her state millions in legal fees — will be a liability for her if she seeks the White House, Huckabee said.

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"Well, if that had been the case for me, I'd have quit about my first month, because I was a Republican governor in a state where 89 percent of my legislature were Democrats," Huckabee said. "Been there, done that."

If she's looking to be a national political figure, it's not going to get easier, Huckabee said.

Besides, Rove said, Palin will not be able to escape the media's attention.

"If she thinks somehow that she's going to be able to protect her family against the kind of things that she's suffered over the last couple of months, from David Letterman and others, and seek a role of leadership for effective change for our country, as she said in her speech, she's not going to be able to do it," Rove said.

‘Not clear’ what strategy is
Palin recently led a public spat with "Late Show" host Letterman over a joke he made about one of her daughters.

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"It is not clear what her strategy here is by exiting the governorship 2 1/2 years through the term and putting herself on the national stage that she may not yet be prepared to operate in," Rove said.

"She did a great job during 63 days during the fall campaign of 2008 ... but now she's going to have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of days between now and the 2012 election, and she's going to raise expectations about how well and how visible she's going to be early on in that struggle," he said.

Huckabee and Rove appeared on "Fox News Sunday." Biden appeared on ABC's "This Week" while Grassley appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation."