By Dan Sullivan
PoHo Contributor

I confess: I’ve been having an affair with Sarah Palin. That’s why she’s stepping down as governor of Alaska.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not the kind of affair that ends a political career. Unlike certain other political affairs of late (Read: Mark Sanford, John Ensign) this affair is not one of the scandalous variety. Quite the contrary. My affair with Alaska’s sweetheart could be just the thing that propels her into the White House in 2012.

See, it isn’t just me who’s having an affair with Sexy Sarah. She’s the darling of many conservative Americans. She stole our hearts from the moment she first stepped onto the national stage back in August as John McCain’s running mate. And now, she’s dissolving her marriage to Alaska to become better acquainted with us — her secret lover — the rest of America.

For me, the affair has lasted long after I met her backstage at a campaign rally shortly before the ‘08 election (see photo above). Of course, I’m not naïve enough to fail to recognize that much of Sarah Palin’s popularity has to do with the fact that she’s an 11 on the hotness scale. If she were an old, fat, white guy, I doubt anyone would care.

Naturally though, as an unabashed Palin fan, my initial reaction to her announcement that she was resigning as governor was one of enthusiasm.

“That’s our maverick! Always doing what’s unexpected and throwing conventional wisdom to the wind.”

After the initial effects of Sarahmania wore off on me, I recognized the possibility of this being perhaps a bonehead move. But you never know. Sarahmania is not unlike Beatlemania. And I think most people would agree that The Fab Four produced their most groundbreaking work after they decided to stop doing live concerts.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I did not acknowledge that there are many of my fellow Republicans who do, in fact, dislike Sarah Palin. Some of these are the staunch libertarian types who don’t care for her perceived religion-based social conservatism. Others are still highly skeptical of her viability as a presidential candidate due to memories of her embarrassing performance in interviews with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric. Valid points, certainly. But not enough to frighten me away from this hottie.

In Republican circles, only one other person receives as much, if not more praise than Sarah Palin in regard to a potential 2012 candidacy. And that is Mitt Romney.

Where other potential candidates like Mike Huckabee and Bobby Jindal seem to only appeal to distinct portions of the Republican party, Romney seems to be consistently viewed favorably by a broad range of Republicans, from social conservatives to fiscal conservatives to national security conservatives.

No other potential candidates can boast Romney’s expert knowledge of the economy. This is a major advantage considering the economy is likely to still be the main issue in the run up to 2012, pending a terrorist attack thrusting national security back to the forefront or some other unforeseen event.

Still, even Romney has his share of flaws. My biggest beef with him has always been the fact that he comes from money. He can’t tell any heartwarming stories about having to struggle to work his way up and succeed in life. It seems to me that regular working people would have a hard time relating to a candidate born into a life of wealth and privilege. There’s also the Mormon factor, which is a big deal for some. Though, as I’m a Utah native — albeit a non-Mormon — Romney’s religion doesn’t bother me.

And of course, there’s the flip-flop on the abortion issue. But hey, do you really believe that Mitt Romney was once truly a pro-choice guy? Any pro-lifer would have to claim a pro-choice stance to have a prayer of getting elected in the People’s Republic of Massachusetts, especially to the U.S. Senate as Romney tried to do in 1994. It was a move he had to take in a race against Ted Kennedy. A shrewd move, if you ask me. Perhaps as shrewd as Sarah Palin’s leaving the governor’s office.

Well … maybe. We shall see. I admit, her gamble is troubling. My love of Sarah aside, I think the most logical thing for someone like her to do is to forget about 2012. Consider that she won’t even be considered too old to run for president for another 20 or 30 years. That’s more than enough time for her to build herself up in a national role. Perhaps she could campaign for and win one of Alaska’s U.S. Senate seats. That way she can learn the national ropes and wean herself off the all-Alaska all-the-time mentality.

Don’t count on that happening, though. Sarah has but one office at one time in her sights. And that is the presidency in 2012. The route she takes in courting us, America’s voters — particularly America’s conservative voters — will be interesting to see. As a Republican, while I’m certainly not dead-set on a Palin candidacy, she does maintain a special place in my heart.

The breathless recitation of right-wing talking points and multiple excuses for skipping out on her job, recited as if her inner tape-recorder were stuck on high speed, could be viewed as a slightly unhinged monologue in the Mark Sanford vein.

Then again, a breathless recitation of right-wing talking points could be just the thing her base wants to hear, and you can already imagine the scenario that’s being shaped for future campaigns: “She couldn’t stand to take part anymore in big-government Obamanomics because she’s a maverick! She’s declaring her independence!”

Never mind that Alaska has been lapping up government welfare for years; suddenly when her erstwhile Democratic opponent was doing the doling out, the money was tainted. And no matter that she’s declaring her independence from a job the voters expected her to complete; she doesn’t play by those conventional rules, people!

See video of the conference after the break. Be sure to hang on for the basketball metaphors.