Sarah Palin officially steps down as Alaska governor

Sarah Palin has officially stepped down as Alaska's Governor but has left her long-term political plans unclear and refused to address speculation she will seek a 2012 presidential bid. In a fiery farewell speech at a crowded picnic in Fairbanks, Palin said she was stepping down to take her political battles to a larger if unspecified stage. Free speech was a theme, and she also took aim at the media, saying "how about, in honour of the American soldier, you quit making things up?" Palin's first order of business as a private citizen is to speak on August 8 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. Former Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell was officially sworn in as new governor during the outdoor event in Fairbanks.

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ITN | July 27, 2009

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