the Time magazine article made a rather sinister point about how this may be a smart move on his part to influence things and not be accountable for them. He's made a lot of blunders in his time, but because he's resigning and not, you know, dead, he still has influence over who gets chosen next, and that influence may even extend to this next person's ...reign? period?

kind of like whipping the slate clean for the church but continuing to pull strings.

but don't take me seeriously, that's just the conspiracy theorist in me.