Palin candidacy promises good things for state

Politics is a strange game. The efforts that some individuals will expend to attain and hold on to political power are curious both for their intensity and, all too often, their dubious integrity. When political parties are factored into the mix, this can be magnified when public policy takes a back seat to party concerns.

Sarah Palin knows a thing or two about this. Beginning with her run for lieutenant governor in 2002, the former Wasilla mayor has made standing up for what is right her political priority. That doing so ran afoul of the state's Republican party machinery is a discredit to those who operate the levers.

Subsequent to her stunning showing in the 2002 primary, Palin blew the whistle on ethical lapses by party chair Randy Ruedrich and took on the governor's attorney general, Gregg Renkes, in some questionable ethical dealings of his own. Instead of embracing her and the integrity she was trying to uphold, party operatives circled the wagons - with Palin on the outside - and made it clear that unquestioning party loyalty was a higher priority than personal integrity.

To be clear, unethical behavior is not exclusively a Republican failing. Democrats have shown themselves equally capable of violating the public trust in pursuit of power.

Rather, it is a failing that generally manifests itself in the party that holds power. And the longer that power is held, the more likely that party's leaders are to become emboldened and out of touch with those who put them in power.

In announcing her candidacy for statewide office in 2006 earlier this week, Palin made it clear that she thinks the state's present leadership is increasingly out of touch with the people of Alaska. Fed up with growing legislative arrogance and contempt for basic democratic principles of accountability and open government, Palin has struck a populist tone as she kicks off her campaign journey.

Where that journey ends remains to be seen. But we are, at once, encouraged and refreshed by her presence in the race and the message she is bringing to it.

Palin, a strong Republican philosophically, is keeping her affiliation options open. Depending on the political climate and the interest her party takes in her, she may run as an independent. It is a situation well worth watching unfold, as it has the potential to reshape the state's political landscape for years to come.

She joins three other 40-somethings in the race who seem to represent the forefront of a rising tide of bright, articulate and visionary new-generation leaders. Palin, along with Anchorage Democrats Ethan Berkowitz and Eric Croft and Anchorage Republican Andrew Halcro, who will likely mount an independent bid for governor, all talk of restoring public trust and clamping down on special interests and the financial hold they have on elected officials.

Of equal importance, they all profess a belief in the counterproductiveness of business as usual. They acknowledge that policies that reflect a nostalgia for the past do not recognize the reality of the present or the growing need to take an earnest look at the future we will all share.

The tone of mutual admiration and respect among the current candidates bodes well for what Alaskans can expect as the 2006 election draws nearer. It is sure to foster increased awareness among voters, and perhaps even heighten interest in the race.

We wish Palin well and look forward to the campaign that lies ahead. The debate that has already begun, and the issues her candidacy shines a light on, should make Valley residents proud to have her as a neighbor.