NEW YORK, NY – Ending years of speculation, rumors, and denial, an emotional and contrite Sarah Palin admitted Monday to using steroids during the 2006 Alaska gubernatorial campaign. “I knew this day was going to come. I didn’t know when,” Palin told reporters. “I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake…I just wish I was never in that era.” The admission arrives nearly two years after her testimony to a grand jury on steroid use in the gubernatorial arena, where she famously proclaimed: “I am not here to talk about the past.” Asked about her place in the Alaska history books, Palin defended her political record. “This has nothing to do with the Hall of Fame,” she said. “This has to do with me coming clean, getting it off my chest.” The startling confession overshadowed slugger Mark McGwire’s surprise announcement earlier today that he had signed a deal with Fox News to become a television commentator in the coming year.