Sarah Palin is showing the world that no matter how much people try to keep her down, she’s going to come out swinging every time.

Speaking to reporters in Alaska for the first time after announcing her shocking resignation, to take effect later this month, the Alaska governor told FOX News that her family and state has had to spend far too much money defending her from "bull crap" ethics allegations, and that it’s just too much of a distraction for the people of Alaska. She said President Obama is taking the country in the wrong direction, that "obsessive partisanship" has hurt the Republican Party and that she was treated differently than most political candidates during her vice-presidential run with John McCain — especially when it came to her children.

"Most candidates, most public officials get to look into a camera and say, ‘You better leave your hands off my kids,’" she said. "Well I haven’t been able to say that. And that double standard that’s been applied, that’s been a little bit frustrating."

Palin’s lawyer told CNN that although no big personal scandal contributed to her resignation, controversial jokes by late-night talk-show host David Letterman contributed to her decision to step down. As to what Palin’s future holds, she stayed mum on that — even speculation about a 2012 presidential run — but said she’s "not a quitter. I am a fighter." She didn’t rule anything out.

Palin told the Anchorage Daily News:

It’s a combination of things that has brought me to this place of knowing. I love Alaskans too much to put them through a lame duck session heading into my final year in office; I was going to be honest and tell them I’m not going to run for re-election. I’m not going to let Alaskans go through a year of stymied, paralyzed administration and not getting anything done.

When asked several times by NBC’s Andrea Mitchell how she responds to people who say she’s letting Alaska down by not finishing her term, the governor forcefully said, "You’re not listening to me!"

The Washington Post reports on how Palin’s online "army" isn’t discouraged by her resignation, and how they describe her treatment by the mainstream media as "savage."

Conclusion of this latest Sarah Palin story? We haven’t seen the last of her on the political scene!

Conservative columnist Ann Coulter explains Palin’s exit for wOw here. Our own Margo Howard agrees with Coulter that Palin is now just too big for Alaska.