Alaska Governor Sarah Palin broke her silence following her announcement she was stepping down. Her spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton offered FOX News along with ABC, NBC and CNN a chance to interview the Governor in Dillingham, Alaska where she was fishing with her husband Todd and daughter Piper. Palin wanted to set the record straight concerning her shocking decision. She told me that she’s been considering the move for months. Palin says the attacks both in her home state and the media coverage she’s endured outside of Alaska led her to conclude she could get more done outside the governor’s office.

At times Palin appeared bitter about her treatment in the press. She called attacks by bloggers “bull crap”. She’s been hit by 15 ethics complaints, most of which have been dismissed. She won’t say if she’s ultimately planning a run for the White House, but did tee off on those in the Republican party establishment who have criticized her move. She says she’s an unconventional politician who doesn’t feel she needs to seek advice leaders of a party that has not had much success recently.

After Palin passes the baton to her Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell, she will finish work on her book. It’s due to be released in the Spring of 2010. Stapleton says Palin will then go on a book tour. She’s also fielding numerous offers to speak around the country.

Palin says she will work to get politicians who share her priorities elected. Todd Palin was all smiles as he captained the fishing boat in Bristol Bay out to nets filled with Sockeye. Todd grew up commercial fishing these waters and Sarah has been making the summer trip to Dillingham for many years. She joked that even though she’s been helping Todd haul in fish for decades he still yells at her for doing it wrong. The governor and another hauler lifted the nets out of the water and pried the salmon out.

It was tough work. She wore rubber gloves, knee-high boots and waders.

This was a portrait of the woman that emerged soon after she was picked by Sen. John McCain to be his running mate. This was Sarah the moose hunter and folksy hockey mom and definitely not the diva some McCain staffers made her out to be after the campaign.

Image makeover? Perhaps. The final word from Sarah Palin? Definitely not.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is finally ready to face the media after her stunning announcement that she’s resigning at the end of July. Palin will do a one on one interview with me Monday night in Dillingham, Alaska. She has been on a commercial fishing boat with her husband Todd and will come to shore to do the interview.

There’s been rampant speculation about Palin’s future after she announced July 4th at her home in Wasilla that she will not seek re-election and will step down at the end of the month. Palin did not take any questions at the announcement, but has been communicating with supporters through facebook and twitter. In one tweet she compared her decision to those who pursue a “higher calling” leading many to speculate that she’s planning a future run for the white house.

I’ll certainly ask her about her plans and the criticism from those inside the beltway that she’s made a big mistake if she does have higher aspirations.

Stay tuned.