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It was one year ago today, when our ex-half-governor Sarah Palin stood in Fairbanks, Alaska and stepped down from the governorship. After first declaring herself a “lame duck,” and then decrying the ineffectual nature of lame ducks in general, there was simply nothing else she could do. But she did take the opportunity on that day to explain to all of us what she’d be doing with all of her newly found and self-inflicted free time.

John Bolton, the man who makes your garden variety neo-conservative look like Dennis Kucinich, is attempting a political comeback. As you’ll recall, Bolton is the guy who said it wouldn’t be a big deal if we lopped off ten stories of the U.N. Secretariat building in New York City. So, of course, President Bush nominated him to be U.N. Ambassador. His confirmation hearings didn’t go so well: In 2005 Time Magazine took a stab out of explaining who Bolton is and why Bush nominated him to represent our country in the UN.

From my fourth-floor room at the Rio, I can see beautiful people frolicking in the glorious pool area in sparkling sunshine (albeit sunshine that is generating 109 degree heat). Me? I am ensconced in an easy chair. Typing a bunch of political news on a laptop. Never let it be said that I don’t love you people. With that bit of gratuitous whining out of the way, please enjoy the Wednesday edition of the Wrap, live from Las Vegas! THE U.S.

The fracas over General McChrystal departing Afghanistan is a reminder that impressive fireworks exist year round in our nation’s capital. I’m hoping everyone got a good refresher on civil-military relations out of this experience because we, as a nation, really need it. And despite what you think of the situation, McChrystal has exited gracefully. A manner of departure which, in itself, is another credit to his public service. Something we Americans often forget is that our country is widely admired for the civilian dominance in our governing DNA.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Nikki Haley’s victory in South Carolina’s bruising GOP primary for governor moves the state lawmaker closer to becoming her state’s first woman chief executive and America’s first Sikh-born governor, while assuring her a place on the national political scene. Like Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who immediately touched off presidential talk when he won his state’s governorship, Haley’s primary victory sets off talk of a possible vice presidential campaign in 2012.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When he takes to the campaign trail, Jerry Brown is fond of reminding voters that he shunned the governor’s mansion in Sacramento in favor of a rented apartment during his first tour in the executive office and lived in a downtown loft in Oakland while he was mayor of the crime-ridden city. The stories are part of a campaign narrative of frugality.

Risking her reputation as a true conservative who will only endorse candidates who share her core principles, Sarah Palin endorsed the moderate Terry Branstad yesterday for Iowa’s governor over the more conservative candidates who actually do share those core principles. Her Facebook fans are none too happy. “Bad endorsement,” they say. “Branstad and his ilk are about as opposite of Tea Party/conservative types as anyone,” and “What are you thinking?” The comments go on. Here’s what she’s thinking: Branstad is going to win.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina lawmaker on Thursday called a Republican gubernatorial candidate of Indian descent a “raghead,” saying we have one in the White House, we don’t need one in the governor’s mansion. Republican state Sen. Jake Knotts later apologized for the slur, saying the remarks about President Barack Obama and state Rep. Nikki Haley were meant as a joke. They came on Internet political talk show, Pub Politics.

PHOENIX — As calls spread for an economic boycott of Arizona, the state’s governor enlisted the help of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Saturday to defend a new law cracking down on illegal immigration. Jan Brewer and Palin blamed President Barack Obama for the state law, saying the measure is Arizona’s attempt to enforce immigration laws because the federal government won’t do it. “It’s time for Americans across this great country to stand up and say, ‘We’re all Arizonans now,’” Palin said.

Layne Gray isn’t your typical investigative journalist. Philanthropist and founder of Vivanista , her mission is to empower women to be better fundraisers, organizers and volunteers. Yet when she poked around, she discovered that billionaire Meg Whitman may not be walking her talk with her foundation. While Whitman’s campaign for Governor of California is rolling in the dough, spending reportedly $59 Million, her foundation, by comparison, has been largely dormant, with only a couple of questionable contributions.