We likely haven't seen the last of Palin, but what's next?

That didn't happen. Now she's resigning from the governor's office midterm, effective July 26.

Political pundits say things weren't going well for Palin as a governor. She had faced multiple ethics complaints from the state personnel board, although all have been dismissed; oil prices have been down, which has depressed the economy and made budgeting more difficult; and Senate Democrats rejected, for the first time ever, a Palin appointee.

Yes, quitting does enable Palin to cut her losses on the short term. But is it smart for her political career?

As author and public speaker Norman Vincent Peale put it, "It's always too early to quit."

Palin may come to wish she had heeded that pearl of wisdom.

Marjorie Cortez, who will attempt another column next week, hoping to succeed, is a Deseret News editorial writer. E-mail her at marjorie@desnews.com.

CORRECTION: In last week's column, my statement of the facts in the Supreme Court decision on the strip search of a 13-year-old girl at an Arizona middle school in 2003 was incorrect. Prior to the search, the vice principal showed Savana Redding a planner that contained knives and contraband pain relief pills. Redding admitted owning the planner but said she had lent it to a friend and that the contraband was not hers.