Colberg, 50, had been in private practice in the governor's hometown of Wasilla when Palin appointed him attorney general in December 2006.
"He went from running a one-man shop on worker's compensation to being responsible for 500 attorneys. And he was doing OK in a really tough job," Ramras said. "But I think the rough-and-tumble of politics in an isolated capital in a small state just wore him out. He's a very nice, thoughtful, really academic fellow . . . who got caught up in a swirl that was much larger than him."
Palin said she had accepted the resignation of Colberg, whom she praised as "a highly intelligent, thoughtful and reserved scholar."
In an interview with the Anchorage Daily News, Palin blamed the resignation on the "harsh political environment" in Alaska.
"You saw what he went through these last couple of weeks with speculation that a couple of the lawmakers wanted to continue to grill him, a couple of the lawmakers not believing, it seems, what he had to say," Palin said. "I just hope this political environment doesn't deter others who want to make a positive difference."
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kim.murphy@latimes.com
