When one thinks about what Sarah Palin has just done, decided to quit public office, but with the likelihood that she will seek the Presidency in 2012, it gets one to thinking about what seems to be the growing strategy in running for President: Be out of office so you have complete freedom to seek the office without the burden of having to please constituents.
Since World War II, three Presidents ran for the office while not in public service at the time: Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan.Â
If one looks at the likely Republican field, and add Senator John Thune of South Dakota to the list that was given earlier today in another entry, one can see that the majority of possible candidates are not or will not be in elective office when they run for the Presidency. This includes Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Jeb Bush, Tom Ridge, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, and Sarah Palin.  Those who will likely be in office are Bobby Jindal, Haley Barbour, Rick Perry, Charlie Crist, and John Thune. This is subject to change, of course, such as Perry losing his party’s nomination to Kay Bailey Hutchison in Texas, or Haley Barbour or Bobby Jindal choosing not to run for reelection in Louisiana or Mississippi, or Charlie Crist losing his run for a Senate seat in Florida.
In any case, the seeking of the Presidency is such an all consuming passion, that being out of public office seems to be a smart, shrewd move by those who wish to pursue the office!