Palin Emails Reveal Thoughts of Divorce, Political Frustration

The last batch of e-mails released from Sarah Palin’s time as governor of Alaska reveal a politician under siege from critics, frustrated by the constant lawsuit and ethics charges and even contemplating divorce.

The Associated Press, along with other news organization and individuals, originally requested access to Palin’s e-mails shortly after she was selected to be Sen. John McCain’s vice presidential nominee.

The first batch, consisting of 24,199 pages, were released last year and ended in September 2008. The last batch of 34,820 pages mostly spans October 2008 to July 2009 when Palin resigned as governor.

Prior to her resignation, Palin was beset by critics who had brought a variety of legal challenges against her claiming various ethics violations. The cost to Palin was both emotional and monetary.

"I can't afford this job," she wrote in an email. In one 2009, email she noted that more than 150 freedom of information requests had cost the state more than $1 million, adding: "and who knows what all the bogus ethics charges have cost the state."

Under state law, Palin had to pay for her own legal defense and was facing bills of more than a half a million dollars, forcing her husband, Todd, to return to work on the North Slope.

"We've all had to pay for our OWN legal defense in this political bloodsport — it's horrendous — why do you think Todd is on the slope today?" Palin wrote according to the AP. "I am paying to defend in my capacity as GOVERNOR — actions taken in my official position. This is unheard of anywhere else."

The seemingly never ending ethics complaints contributed to her decision to resign before her term as governor was up. In an April 2009 e-mail, she noted a report that another ethics complaint was to be filed. "Unflippinbelievable... I'm sending this because you can relate to the bullcrap continuation of the hell these people put the family through."

Later that same day, she wrote to her husband and two top aides, "I can't take it anymore."

However, the job frustrations and the ethics assaults began before being selected as a vice presidential nominee.

According to AP, Palin wrote a Sept. 26, 2007 email to an aide and her husband titled “Marital Problems.”

"So speaking of ... If we, er, when we get a divorce, does that quell conflict of interest" accusations about BP?", the AP reported. Palin’s husband was then a former BP employee.