Palin promises to keep on tweeting

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin plans to stay in touch using Twitter even after leaving office on July 26.

In a tweet posted Friday, Palin indicates that when she’s out of office, she’ll use a personal account on the social networking site to stay in touch.

Palin’s tweet said, “elected is replaceable; Ak WILL progress! + side benefits10 dys til less politically correct twitters fly frm my fingertps outside State site.”

The governor says in another message that in the meantime, “it’s a pleasure to update interested folks on State biz!”

Palin, who is believed to be eyeing a 2012 run for the presidency, spoke about the tweets Friday during a visit to the western Alaska community of Unalakleet.

“Obviously I have to restrain myself and be politically correct. Once I am ‘Sarah Palin Alaskan,’ I can really call it like I see it,” she said in an interview.

She routinely posts messages on Twitter, a social-networking site where posts are limited to 140 characters. Her postings on Friday included news about planning for the inauguration for Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, who Palin wrote would have the same cabinet with the “same positive pro-AK agenda it’s all good.”

Parnell, whose style is much more low-profile than Palin, isn’t expected to Tweet much, if at all, to communicate with the public.

Palin was thrust onto the national political stage last year when Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain selected her to be his presidential running mate. She announced this month that she would resign without finishing her first term as governor, but hasn’t given details of her future plans.

Palin has said she intends to remain politically involved but wants to work outside the constraints of the governor’s office. In her resignation speech July 3 at her home in Wasilla, Palin also said the many ethics complaints filed against her were hampering her ability to govern.

The 18th complaint was filed this week. It alleges Palin abused her office by accepting a salary and using state staff while campaigning outside Alaska for the vice presidency. Most of the complaints against her have been dismissed.

“A lot of it really has to do with the stupid ethics process and let people know what I think about a process that is well-intentioned and that should hold elected officials accountable but should not be abused,” Palin said.

She said it would be a “travesty” if lawmaker don’t reform the process.

“I don’t care what they do to me personally, but the victories come at such great cost,” Palin said.

Associated Press reporter Matthew Daly in Unalakleet contributed to this report.