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| date=September 3, 2008
| date=September 3, 2008
| accessdate=2008-09-08
| accessdate=2008-09-08
}}</ref> Some Republicans felt that Palin was being subjected to unreasonable media coverage, a sentiment referenced by Palin in her acceptance speech.<ref>{{cite news
}}</ref> Some Republicans felt that Palin was being subjected to unreasonable media coverage, a sentiment referenced by Palin in her acceptance speech.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/09/05/republicans_point_fingers_at_media_over_palin_coverage/ title=Republicans point fingers at media over Palin coverage | work=The Boston Globe | author= Wangsness, Lisa | date=September 5, 2008
| accessdate=2008-09-08}}</ref> Though there was less criticism of the press from Democrats, [[Mark Penn]], a former top advisor to the [[Hillary Clinton]] campaign, questioned the coverage and said the media had "growing credibility problems."<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/09/05/republicans_point_fingers_at_media_over_palin_coverage/ |title=Republicans point fingers at media over Palin coverage
|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/11/politics/politicalplayers/main4442492.shtml |title=Ex-Clinton Aide: Media Tougher On Palin
| work=The Boston Globe
| work=CBSnews.com
| author= Wangsness, Lisa
| author= CBSnews.com
| date=September 5, 2008
| date=September 12, 2008
| accessdate=2008-09-08}}</ref> A poll taken immediately after the Republican convention found that slightly more than half of Americans believed that the media was "trying to hurt" Palin with negative coverage.<ref>
| accessdate=2008-09-12}}</ref> A poll taken immediately after the Republican convention found that slightly more than half of Americans believed that the media was "trying to hurt" Palin with negative coverage.<ref>
{{cite web
{{cite web
|url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/palin_power_fresh_face_now_more_popular_than_obama_mccain | title=Palin Power: Fresh Face Now More Popular Than Obama, McCain
|url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/palin_power_fresh_face_now_more_popular_than_obama_mccain | title=Palin Power: Fresh Face Now More Popular Than Obama, McCain

Revision as of 19:25, 24 September 2008

Sarah Palin
Palin in Carson City, Nevada on September 13, 2008
11th Governor of Alaska
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 4, 2006
LieutenantSean Parnell
Preceded byFrank Murkowski
Chairperson, Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
In office
2003–2004
Preceded byCamille Oechsli Taylor[1]
Succeeded byJohn K. Norman[2]
Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska
In office
1996–2002
Preceded byJohn Stein
Succeeded byDianne M. Keller
Member of the
Wasilla City Council
In office
1992–1996
Personal details
Born (1964-02-11) February 11, 1964 (age 60)[3]
Sandpoint, Idaho, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (1982 - Present)
SpouseTodd Palin (since 1988)
ChildrenTrack, Bristol, Willow, Piper, Trig
Residence(s)Wasilla, Alaska
ProfessionSportscaster
Homemaker
Politician
Signature
WebsiteAlaska Governor Sarah Palin

More detailed articles about Sarah Palin:

McCain–Palin campaign, 2008
Governorship of Alaska, 2006–present
Mayoralty of Wasilla, 1996–2002

Political positions  · Electoral history
Public image and reception

Sarah Louise Heath Palin (Template:Pron-en; born February 11 1964) is the governor of Alaska and the Republican vice-presidential nominee in the 2008 United States presidential election.

She was on the Wasilla, Alaska, city council from 1992 to 1996 and mayor from 1996 to 2002. After an unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor of Alaska in 2002, she chaired the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission from 2003 to 2004. She was elected governor of Alaska in November 2006, becoming the first woman and the youngest person to hold that position in Alaska.

On August 29, 2008, Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain announced that he had chosen Sarah Palin as his running mate. She was nominated at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Palin is the first woman and the first Alaskan to run on the Republican party's presidential ticket.

Early life and education

Palin was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, the third of four children of Sarah Heath (née Sheeran), a school secretary, and Charles R. Heath, a science teacher and track coach.[6] Palin has English, German, and Irish ancestry.[7] Her family moved to Alaska when she was an infant. As a child, she would sometimes go moose hunting with her father before school, and the family regularly ran 5 km and 10 km races.[8]

Palin attended Wasilla High School in Wasilla, then a small town,[9] located 29 miles (47 km) north of the city of Anchorage. She was the head of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at the school and the point guard and captain of the school's girls' basketball team. She helped the team win the Alaska small-school basketball championship in 1982, hitting a critical free throw in the last seconds of the game, despite having an ankle stress fracture. She earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" because of her intense play; she was the leader of the team prayer before games.[10]

In 1982, Palin enrolled at Hawaii Pacific College but left after her first semester. From there she transferred to North Idaho College, where she spent two semesters as a general studies major. From the community college she then transferred to the much larger University of Idaho for two semesters.[11][12] During this time Palin won the Miss Wasilla Pageant beauty contest,[13][14] then finished third (second runner-up) in the Miss Alaska pageant,[15][16] at which she won a college scholarship and the "Miss Congeniality" award.[17] She then left the University of Idaho and attended Matanuska-Susitna College in Alaska for one term. The next year she returned to the University of Idaho where she spent three semesters completing her Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism, graduating in 1987.[11][12]

In 1988, she worked as a sports reporter for KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska,[18] and for the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman as a sports reporter.[19] She also helped in her husband’s commercial fishing family business.[20]

City council of Wasilla

See also: Electoral history of Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin was elected twice to the city council of Wasilla, in 1992 and 1995. Palin says she entered politics because she was concerned that revenue from a new Wasilla sales tax would not be spent wisely.[21]

She ran for Wasilla city council in 1992, at age 28, against John Hartrick, a local telephone company worker, on a promise to bring "my progressive, competitive attitude" to the government.[22][23] She won 530 votes to John Hartrick’s 310.[22] On the council, she successfully opposed a measure to curtail the hours at Wasilla's bars by two hours, which surprised Hartrick because she was then a member of a church that advocated abstinence from alcohol.[22] After serving on the city council for three years, she ran for reelection against R’nita Rogers in 1995, winning 413 votes to Rogers' 185.[24] According to Laura Chase of Wasilla, Palin as city councilwoman mentioned to her colleagues in 1995 that she saw the book Daddy's Roommate in the library and did not think it belonged there.[25] According to the City of Wasilla Library records, there was never a request for the library to remove the book.[26]

Palin did not complete her second term on the city council because she ran for mayor in 1996. Throughout her tenure on the city council and the rest of her career, Palin has been a registered Republican.[27]

Mayor of Wasilla

Main article: Mayoralty of Sarah Palin

Palin served two terms (1996–2002) as mayor of Wasilla. At the conclusion of Palin's tenure as mayor in 2002, the town had about 6,300 residents,[28] and it is now the fifth-largest population center in the state.[29]

In 1996, Palin defeated three-term incumbent mayor John Stein,[30] on a platform targeting wasteful spending and high taxes[31] and introducing abortion, gun rights, and term limits as campaign issues.[32] Although the election was a nonpartisan blanket primary, the state Republican Party ran advertisements on her behalf.[32]

First term

Shortly after taking office in October 1996, Palin eliminated the position of museum director and asked for updated resumes and resignation letters from top officials, including the police chief, public works director, finance director and librarian.[33] Palin stated this request was to find out their intentions and whether they supported her.[33] She temporarily required department heads to get her approval before talking to reporters, saying that they first needed to become acquainted with her administration's policies.[33] She created the position of city administrator,[32] and reduced her own $68,000 salary by 10%, although by mid-1998 this was reversed by the city council.[34][35]

According to city librarian Mary Ellen Emmons, Palin inquired in October 1996 as to whether Emmons would object to library censorship.[36] Palin later spoke publicly about the issue, saying she had no particular books or other material in mind for removal.[36] No books were removed from the library.[37][38][39]

Four months later, in January 1997, Palin fired Emmons and Police Chief Irl Stambaugh, stating that she did not feel they fully supported her efforts to govern the city.[40] Following expressions of public support for Emmons and a personal meeting, Palin rescinded the firing of Emmons the next day,[37] stating that her concerns had been alleviated, and also stating that Emmons agreed to support Palin's plan to merge the town's library and museum operations.[40] Stambaugh, who along with Emmons had supported Palin's opponent in the election, filed a wrongful termination lawsuit alleging that his termination violated his contract, reflected gender discrimination, and was for political reasons;[41] he said, for example, that he had opposed a bill in the state legislature that would lift some restrictions on carrying concealed weapons, a bill supported by Palin.[42] The court dismissed his case, ruling that the mayor had the right to fire city employees for any reason, including a political one, or for no reason at all.[43]

Despite a turbulent first year, Palin gained broad favor with Wasilla voters. She kept a jar with the names of Wasilla residents on her desk, and once a week she pulled a name from it and picked up the phone; she would ask: "How's the city doing?"[38] Using income generated by a 2% sales tax that was enacted before she was on the city council,[44] Palin cut property taxes by 75% and eliminated personal property and business inventory taxes.[45][46] Tapping municipal bonds, she made improvements to the roads and sewers[47] and increased funding to the Police Department.[32] She also oversaw new bike paths and procured funding for storm-water treatment to protect freshwater resources.[46] At the same time, she reduced spending on the town museum and blocked construction of a new library and city hall.[46] Palin ran for re-election against Stein in 1999 and won,[48][49] with a majority of 74%.[50] Palin was also elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.[47]

Second term

During her second term as mayor, Palin introduced a ballot measure proposing the construction of a municipal sports center to be financed by a 0.5% sales tax increase.[51] The $14.7 million Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex was built on time and under budget, but the city spent an additional $1.3 million because of an eminent domain lawsuit caused by the failure to obtain clear title to the property before beginning construction.[51] The city's long-term debt grew from approximately $1 million to $25 million through voter-approved indebtedness of $15 million for the sports complex, $5.5 million for street projects, and $3 million for water improvement projects. A city council member defended the spending increases as being caused by the city's growth during that time.[52]

She also hired the Anchorage-based lobbying firm of Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh to lobby for earmarks for Wasilla, securing nearly $27 million in funds. The earmarks included $500,000 for a youth shelter, $1.9 million for a transportation hub, $900,000 for sewer repairs, and $15 million for a rail project linking Wasilla and the ski resort community of Girdwood.[53] Earmark requests that Palin requested were criticized by Senator John McCain on three occasions, when she was mayor of Wasilla.[54]

Term limits prevented Palin from running for a third term as mayor in 2002.[55]

Post-mayoral years

In 2002, Palin ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, coming in second to Loren Leman in a five-way Republican primary.[56] The Republican ticket of U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski and Leman won the November 2002 election. When Murkowski resigned from his long-held U.S. Senate seat in December 2002 to become governor, he considered appointing Palin to replace him in the Senate, but instead chose his daughter, Lisa Murkowski, who was then an Alaska state representative.[57]

Governor Murkowski appointed Palin to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. She chaired the Commission beginning in 2003, and served as Ethics Supervisor.[58] Palin resigned in January 2004, protesting what she called the "lack of ethics" of fellow Republican members.[59][60][61]

After resigning, Palin filed a formal complaint against Oil and Gas Conservation Commissioner Randy Ruedrich, also the chair of the state Republican Party,[62] accusing him of doing work for the party on public time and of working closely with a company he was supposed to be regulating. She also filed a complaint against Gregg Renkes, a former Alaska Attorney General,[63] accusing him of having a financial conflict of interest in negotiating a coal exporting trade agreement,[64] while Renkes was the subject of investigation and after records suggesting a possible conflict of interest had been released to the public.[65] Ruedrich and Renkes both resigned and Ruedrich paid a record $12,000 fine.[58][66]

From 2003 to June 2005, Palin served as one of three directors of "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.," a 527 group designed to provide political training for Republican women in Alaska.[67] In 2004, Palin told the Anchorage Daily News that she had decided not to run for the U.S. Senate that year, against the Republican incumbent, Lisa Murkowski, because her teenage son opposed it. Palin said "How could I be the team mom if I was a U.S. Senator?"[68]

Governor of Alaska

Main article: Governorship of Sarah Palin
Palin visiting soldiers of the Alaska National Guard, July 24, 2007.

In 2006, running on a clean-government platform, Palin defeated incumbent Governor Frank Murkowski in the Republican gubernatorial primary.[69] Her running mate was State Senator Sean Parnell.

Despite spending less than her Democratic opponent, she won the gubernatorial election in November, defeating former governor Tony Knowles 48.3% to 40.9%.[70] Palin became Alaska's first female governor and at age 42, the youngest governor in Alaskan history.[71] She is the state's first governor to have been born after Alaska achieved U.S. statehood, and the first not to be inaugurated in Juneau; she chose to have the ceremony held in Fairbanks instead. She took office on December 4, 2006 and has been very popular with Alaska voters. Polls taken in 2007 early in her term showed her with a 93% and 89% popularity among all voters.[72] A poll taken in September 2008 shows her popularity at 68%.[73] Palin declared that top priorities of her administration would be resource development, education and workforce development, public health and safety, and transportation and infrastructure development.[74]

Palin had championed ethics reform throughout her election campaign. Her first legislative action after taking office was to push for a bipartisan ethics reform bill. She signed the resulting legislation in July 2007, calling it a "first step" declaring that she remains determined to clean up Alaska politics.[75]

Lt. Col. David Cogdall helps Palin try out the Engagement Skills Trainer, July 24, 2007.

Palin has sometimes broken with the state Republican establishment. For example, she endorsed Sean Parnell's bid to unseat the state's longtime at-large U.S. Representative, Don Young.[76] Palin has publicly challenged Senator Ted Stevens to come clean about the ongoing federal investigation into his financial dealings. Shortly before his July 2008 indictment, she held a joint news conference with Stevens, described by The Washington Post as being "to make clear she had not abandoned him politically."[67]

Palin promoted oil and natural gas resource development in Alaska, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), where such development has been the subject of a national debate.[77] In March 2007, Palin put forward an Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA) to encourage building a natural gas pipeline from the state's North Slope.[78] In January 2008, Palin announced that TransCanada Corporation was the sole AGIA-compliant applicant.[79][80] In August 2008, Palin signed a bill awarding TransCanada Pipelines $500 million in seed money and a license to build and operate the $26 billion pipeline to transport gas from the North Slope to the Lower 48 through Canada.[81]

In 2006, Palin obtained a passport[82] and in 2007 traveled for the first time outside of North America on a trip to Kuwait. There she visited the Khabari Alawazem Crossing at the Kuwait–Iraq border and met with members of the Alaska National Guard at several bases.[83] On her return trip to the U.S., she visited injured soldiers in Germany.[84]

Budget, spending and federal funds

File:Sarah Palin Germany 3 Cropped.JPG
Palin in Germany, July 2007

In June 2007, Palin signed a record $6.6 billion operating budget into law.[85] At the same time, she used her veto power to make the second-largest cuts of the construction budget in state history. The $237 million in cuts represented over 300 local projects, and reduced the construction budget to $1.6 billion.[86] In 2008 Palin vetoed $286 million, cutting or reducing funding for 350 projects from the FY09 capital budget.[87]

Palin followed through on a campaign promise to sell the Westwind II jet, a purchase made by the Murkowski administration for $2.7 million in 2005 against the wishes of the legislature.[88] In August 2007, the jet was listed on eBay, but the sale fell through, and the plane was later sold for $2.1 million through a private brokerage firm.[89] Palin lives in Juneau during the legislative session and lives in Wasilla and works out of offices in Anchorage the rest of the year. Since the office in Anchorage is far from Juneau, while she works there she is legally entitled to a $58 per diem travel allowance, which she has taken (a total of $16,951), and to reimbursement for hotels, which she has not, choosing instead to drive about 50 miles to her home in Wasilla.[90] She also chose not to use the former governor's private chef.[91] In response to criticism for taking the per diem, and for $43,490 in travel expenses for the the times her family accompanied her on state business, the governor's staffers said that these practices were in line with state policy, that Palin's gubernatorial expenses are 80% below those of her predecessor, Frank Murkowski,[92] and that "many of the hundreds of invitations Palin receives include requests for her to bring her family, placing the definition of 'state business' with the party extending the invitation."[90]

Federal funding

In her State of the State Address on January 17, 2008, Palin declared that it was time for Alaska to "grow up" and not continue to rely on federal government earmarks.[93] Alaska's federal congressional representatives cut back on pork-barrel project requests during Palin's time as governor; as of 2008, Alaska was still the largest per-capita recipient of federal earmarks, requesting nearly $750 million in special federal spending over two years.[94][95]

Alaska State revenues doubled to $10 billion in 2008, and there is no sales tax or income tax. For the 2009 budget, Palin gave a list of 31 proposed federal earmarks or requests for funding, totaling $197 million, to Alaska Senator Ted Stevens.[96][97] During 2008, Palin’s decreasing support for federal earmarks was the leading source of friction between herself and the state's congressional delegation; according to her staff, she has requested $95 million to $150 million fewer earmarks or funding requests during each of her years in office than her predecessor Frank Murkowski requested in his last year.[98]

"Bridge to Nowhere" and Knik Arm Bridge

See also: Gravina Island Bridge and Knik Arm Bridge

By the time Palin ran for governor, two proposed bridges had drawn criticism in Congress, as symbols of pork barrel spending.[99] The Gravina Island Bridge was proposed to connect Ketchikan to the Ketchikan International Airport on Gravina Island,[100] and the Knik Arm Bridge was proposed to cross Cook Inlet, north of Anchorage, Alaska.[101][102]

As a candidate in 2006, Palin said in Ketchikan that the Gravina Bridge was essential for prosperity, but later cancelled the bridge.[99]

The proposed Gravina Island Bridge is nicknamed the "bridge to nowhere" because of the island's population of only fifty.[100] Less often, "bridges to nowhere" has been used to refer to both bridge proposals.[103]

In 2005, the $442 million earmark to build the two bridges was included in an early version of an omnibus spending bill for 2006, but the proposed earmark generated strong criticism in Congress and was stripped from the bill before final passage in November 2005. Congress instead gave the transportation money to Alaska with no strings attached.[100]

In 2006, Palin ran for governor with a "build-the-bridge" plank in her platform,[99] and criticized the use of the word "nowhere" as political spin[104] insulting to local residents.[99][105] She urged speedy work on building the bridges "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."[106]

In September 2007, Palin said that Congress had "little interest in spending any more money" on the Gravina Bridge due to what she called "inaccurate portrayals of the projects".[107] She directed Alaskan officials to look for alternative ways to access Gravina Island and the Ketchikan airport.[107] Palin opted not to return the transportation funds Alaska had received for the canceled project, [108] and continues to support the building of a road on Gravina Island.[109] Palin also has continued to support the Knik Arm Bridge but ordered a funding and feasibility review in June 2008.[110]

Gas pipeline

See also: Alaska Gas Pipeline

In March 2007, Palin presented the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA) as the new legal vehicle for building a natural gas pipeline from the state's North Slope.[78] This negated a deal by the previous governor to grant the contract to a coalition including BP. The bill was approved with only a single dissenting vote,[111] and in June, Palin signed it into law.[112] On January 5, 2008, Palin announced that a Canadian company, TransCanada Corporation, was the sole AGIA-compliant applicant.[79][80] In August 2008, Palin signed a bill into law giving the state of Alaska authority to award TransCanada Pipelines $500 million in seed money and a license to build and operate the $26-billion pipeline to transport natural gas from the North Slope to the Continental United States through Canada.[113] According to Newsweek, which describes the pipeline project as Palin's main achievement as governor, the pipeline will be built only if Canadian authorities can strike a deal with indigenous tribes of the First Nation who are accusing Palin and other pipeline proponents of treating them with disrespect by not consulting with them.[114]

Public Safety Commissioner dismissal

Main article: Alaska Public Safety Commissioner dismissal

Sarah Palin dismissed Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan on July 11, 2008, citing performance-related issues, such as not being "a team player on budgeting issues."[115][116] Monegan said that he had resisted subtle but persistent pressure from the Governor, her husband, and her staff to fire Palin’s ex-brother-in-law, state trooper Mike Wooten; Wooten was involved in a child custody battle with Palin’s sister that included an alleged death threat against Palin's father.[117][118] Monegan told the Palins that there was nothing he could do because the matter was closed.[119] Monegan initially said he was not certain why he was dismissed but that his refusal to fire Wooten could have been connected,[120] and he later asserted that the dispute over Wooten was a major reason for his firing.[121] Palin stated on July 17 that Monegan was not pressured to fire Wooten, or dismissed for not doing so.[115][119] Monegan's replacement resigned on July 25, amid accusations of previous sexual harassment.[122][123]

The Alaska Legislature hired an investigator on August 1 to review the Monegan dismissal; the atmosphere was bipartisan and Palin pledged to cooperate.[124][125] After ordering her own internal investigation, Palin acknowledged on August 13 that "pressure could have been perceived to exist, although I have only now become aware of it,"[126] and she said "I apologize to Alaskans for this distraction".[127][128] Palin announced that officials had contacted Monegan or his staff about two dozen times regarding Wooten,[119] that she had only known about some of those contacts, that many of those contacts were appropriate, and that she had not fired Monegan because of Wooten,[129] who remained employed as a state trooper.[130] She placed an aide on paid leave due to one tape-recorded contact that she deemed improper.[128]

Several weeks after the start of what the media referred to as "troopergate", Palin was chosen as John McCain's running mate.[124] Then, an opponent of hers in the legislature speculated about damage to her administration,[131] subpoenas were issued, and Palin stopped cooperating.[124] On September 1, Palin asked the legislature to drop its investigation, saying that the state Personnel Board had jurisdiction over ethics issues.[132] Palin also asked the Board to review the matter.[133] On September 5, legislators expedited their investigation, setting an October 10 completion date.[134] On September 15, Palin filed arguments of "no probable cause" before the Personnel Board.[135][136] Monegan accused the Governor of "not telling the truth" on national television about why he was fired.[137] On September 19, the Governor's husband and several state employees refused to honor subpoenas, the validity of which were disputed by Alaska's Attorney General , who was appointed by Palin.[138]

Predator Control

See also: Palin's Predator Control policy

In 2007, Palin supported the Alaska Department of Fish and Game policy allowing the hunting of wolves from helicopters as part of a predator control program intended to increase moose populations.[139] In March 2007, Palin's office announced that a bounty of $150 per wolf would be paid to the 180 volunteer pilots and gunners, to offset fuel costs. Wildlife activists sued the state, and a state judge declared the bounty illegal on the basis that a bounty would have to be offered by the Board of Game and not by the Department of Fish and Game.[140][141]

2008 Vice-presidential campaign

Main article: John McCain presidential campaign, 2008; see also: 2008 Republican Vice Presidential Candidates

Template:Future election candidate small

Palin addresses the 2008 Republican National Convention

On August 29, 2008, in Dayton, Ohio, Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, announced that he had chosen Palin as his running mate.[142] McCain met Palin in a February National Governors Association, and it is reported that she made a favorable impression on McCain. He called Palin on August 24 to discuss the possibility of having her join him on the ticket.[143] On August 27, Palin visited McCain's vacation home near Sedona, Arizona, where she was offered the position of vice-presidential candidate.[144] Palin was the only prospective running mate who had a face-to-face interview with McCain to discuss joining the ticket that week.[143] Nonetheless, Palin's selection was a surprise to many as speculation had centered on other candidates, such as Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, United States Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, and former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge.[142]

Palin is the second woman to run on a major U.S. party ticket. The first was Geraldine Ferraro, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 1984, who ran with former vice-president Walter Mondale.[142][145] On September 3, 2008, Palin delivered a 40-minute acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention that was watched by more than 40 million viewers and was well-received by the crowd.[146][147][148][149]

The Palins and McCains in Fairfax, Virginia, September 2008.

In her nomination acceptance speech and on the campaign trail, Palin has often said: "I told the Congress 'thanks, but no thanks,' on that Bridge to Nowhere."[150][151] Although Palin was originally a main proponent of the Gravina Island Bridge, McCain-Palin television advertisements claim Palin "stopped the Bridge to Nowhere".[152] These claims have been widely questioned or described as misleading or exaggerations[153][154][155][156] by "virtually every media group in the US."[157] Newsweek remarked: "Now she talks as if she always opposed the funding."[158]

In September 2008, a hacker accessed a Yahoo! email account Palin uses, hoping to "derail her campaign,"[159] and precipitating an investigation by the FBI and Secret Service.[160]

Palin is scheduled to participate in a vice-presidential debate with Joe Biden on October 2, 2008.[161] The election is set for November 4, 2008.

Reception

Main article: Public image and reception of Sarah Palin

A series of polls suggested that Palin gave a major boost to John McCain's campaign and excited the Republican base.[162] The McCain campaign reversed its poll deficit, and Palin may have boosted support among white mothers.[163][164] A WSJ/NBC News poll taken on September 9 indicated that 34% of respondents were more likely to vote for McCain as a result of the Palin pick, while 25% were less likely.[165] McCain chose Palin in part due to her potential to rally Christian conservatives behind his campaign.[143]

Sarah Palin signing an autograph at a campaign rally in O'Fallon, Missouri

Since Palin was largely unknown outside of Alaska prior to her selection by McCain, her personal life, positions, and political record became the focus of intense media attention and scrutiny.[166][167] Some Republicans felt that Palin was being subjected to unreasonable media coverage, a sentiment referenced by Palin in her acceptance speech.[168] Though there was less criticism of the press from Democrats, Mark Penn, a former top advisor to the Hillary Clinton campaign, questioned the coverage and said the media had "growing credibility problems."[169] A poll taken immediately after the Republican convention found that slightly more than half of Americans believed that the media was "trying to hurt" Palin with negative coverage.[170]

Polls conducted immediately after the speech found that Palin was viewed favorably by a majority of respondents.[171][172] Palin was also a draw with Catholic voters.[173] However, followup polling 2 weeks after the Republican convention found that the main enduring effect of Palin's selection had been to excite the Republican base.[174]

Palin appeared on the covers of Newsweek and Time, which had been critical of the level of media access to Palin allowed by the McCain campaign.[175] Her first interview with the press, with Charles Gibson of ABC News, aired on September 12. In the interview, Palin was asked about her experience, national security, Iraq and the Bush Doctrine.[176] Subsequently, the McCain campaign has tightly restricted press access to Palin, prompting protests from the Associated Press and CNN.[177]

Political positions

Main article: Political positions of Sarah Palin

Palin has described the Republican Party platform as "the right agenda for America,"[4] because of its "respect for equality and respect for life and an acknowledgment that it is individual Americans and American families who can make better decisions for ourselves than government can ever make for us," and has stated that "individual freedom and independence is extremely important to me and that's why I'm a Republican."[4]

Sarah Palin in June 2007

Palin is a social conservative. A lifetime member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), Palin believes the right to bear arms includes handgun possession, and has advocated gun safety education for youth.[178] She supports capital punishment.[179] Palin supports allowing the discussion of creationism in public schools, but says it does not have to be part of the curriculum.[180] Palin opposes same-sex marriage and supported a non-binding referendum for an Alaskan constitutional amendment to deny state health benefits to same-sex couples.[117][181] Palin has called herself "as pro-life as any candidate can be"[181] and has called abortion an "atrocity."[182] Palin supports a constitutional amendment to make abortion illegal in all cases, including rape and incest,[183][184] except if the life of the mother is endangered.[185] She is also a member of Feminists for Life.[182] She supports sex education in public schools that promotes abstinence and that also discusses birth control.[182][186]

Palin has promoted oil and natural gas resource exploration in Alaska, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR),[77] and initiated a lawsuit over the federal listing of the polar bear[187] and Cook Inlet beluga whale as endangered species.[188] Palin has stated in the past that she does not believe that global warming is primarily human-caused and has further clarified her position saying in September 2008 that "man's activities certainly can be contributing to the issue" and that "John McCain and I agree that we gotta do something about it."[84][189][190]

Regarding foreign policy, Palin supports preemptive military action in the face of an imminent threat, and supports U.S. military operations in Pakistan. She declined to give a yes or no answer regarding whether U.S. military forces should make cross-border attacks into Pakistan without the approval of the Pakistani government.[191] She supports NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia,[176][192] and affirms that if Russia invaded a NATO treaty member the United States would meet its treaty obligations.[193][194]

Personal life

See also: Public image of Sarah Palin

In 1988, Sarah Heath eloped to marry Todd Palin, her high-school boyfriend.[195][196][197] Todd Palin works for the London-based oil company BP as an oil-field production operator and owns a commercial fishing business.[198][21] The family lives in Wasilla.

Palin family members at the announcement of Palin's vice-presidential selection, August 29, 2008. From left: Todd, Piper, Willow, Bristol, and Trig.

The Palins have five children: sons Track (b. 1989)[199] and Trig (b. 2008), and daughters Bristol (b. 1990), Willow (b. 1995), and Piper (b. 2001).[134] Track enlisted in the U.S. Army on September 11, 2007,[200] and subsequently was assigned to an infantry brigade. He and his unit deployed to Iraq in September 2008, for 12 months.[201] On September 1, 2008, Palin announced that Bristol was five months pregnant and intends to keep the baby and marry Levi Johnston, the father of the child.[202][203] Palin's youngest child, Trig, has Down syndrome, diagnosed prenatally.[204]

Palin was born into a Catholic family.[205] When she was 4 years old, her family joined the Wasilla Assembly of God, which belongs to a Pentecostal association of churches.[206] Palin attended the Wasilla Assembly of God until age 38. When in Juneau, she attends the Juneau Christian Center.[207] Her current home church is the Wasilla Bible Church, an independent congregation.[208] Palin described herself in an interview as a "Bible-believing" Christian.[205] After the Republican National Convention, the McCain campaign told CNN that Palin "doesn't consider herself Pentecostal."[209]

Palin has stated that she would not allow her personal religious beliefs to dictate her political positions.[209] She has come under scrutiny in the press for comments made at a commencement address to a graduating class of ministry students at the Wasilla Assembly of God church in June 2008. In that address, Palin stated, "Pray... for this country, that our leaders... are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan".[210] Critics have argued that she was justifying the Iraq war as part of God's plan,[211] while Palin has explained that she was referring to Abraham Lincoln's statement, "let us not pray that God is on our side in a war or any other time, but let us pray that we are on God's side."[84][210]

Notes

  1. ^ "Commissioners - Terms in Office". Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, State of Alaska. May 15, 2006.
  2. ^ "Biographical Information John K. Norman" (PDF). Alaska State Legislature. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  3. ^ "Alaska Governor Sarah Palin". National Governors Association. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
  4. ^ a b c Newton-Small, Jay (2008-08-29). "TIME's interview with Sarah Palin". Time. p. 3. Retrieved 2008-08-30. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ Gorski, Eric (2008-08-30). "Evangelicals energized by McCain-Palin ticket". Google News. Retrieved 2008-08-31. {{cite news}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  6. ^ "NIC alum selected as U.S. vice presidential candidate". Media-Newswire. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  7. ^ "Ancestry of Sarah Palin". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  8. ^ Johnson 2008, pp. 15–17
  9. ^ "City of Wasilla : Wasilla History". Cityofwasilla.com. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  10. ^ Johnson 2008, pp. 27–31
  11. ^ a b "Palin education took her to five colleges". Associated Press via Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-04. {{cite news}}: Text "date-2008-09-04" ignored (help)
  12. ^ a b Boone, Rebecca (2008-08-29). "McCain's veep pick, Palin, has ties to Idaho". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  13. ^ "McCain surprises with Palin pick". MarketWatch. 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  14. ^ Peterson, Deb (August 30, 2008). "Palin was a high school star, says schoolmate". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2008-09-01.
  15. ^ "Miss Alaska '84 Recalls Rival's Winning Ways". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  16. ^ "Gov. Sarah Palin Was Second Choice in '84 Beauty Contest". US Magazine. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  17. ^ Johnson 2008, p. 21
  18. ^ "Video: Sarah Palin:Former TV Sports Reporter". US magazine. August 31, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  19. ^ "We know Sarah Palin". Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. August 30, 2008.
  20. ^ "Gov. Sarah Palin (R)". Almanac of American Politics 2008. National Journal. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  21. ^ a b Yardley, William (2008-08-29). "Sarah Heath Palin, an Outsider Who Charms". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  22. ^ a b c "Palin's Alaskan town proud, wary". Boston Globe. September 3, 2008.
  23. ^ "1992 Vote Results". City of Wasilla. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  24. ^ "1995 Vote Results". City of Wasilla. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  25. ^ Becker, Jo (September 14, 2008). "Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-14. Regarding library books, Chase stated: "Sarah said she didn’t need to read that stuff [...] It was disturbing that someone would be willing to remove a book from the library and she didn’t even read it. I’m still proud of Sarah [...] but she scares the bejeebers out of me." Chase was Palin's campaign manager for mayor in 1996.
  26. ^ Keller, Diane. Reconsideration Requests of Library Materials.
  27. ^ Lott, Maxim. (September 5, 2008). "Top 7 Myths, Lies, and Untruths About Sarah Palin". Fox News.
  28. ^ "Table 4: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Alaska, Listed Alphabetically: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007" (CSV). 2007 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. June 21, 2006. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  29. ^ Bennett, James. “Sarah Palin is not such a small-town girl after all”, The Daily Telegraph (2008-09-09). The four larger cities in Alaska are Anchorage (population: 279,671), Fairbanks (population: 34,540), Juneau (population: 30,690), and Sitka (population: 8,986).
  30. ^ Kizzia, Tom (2006-10-23). "'Fresh face' launched Palin: Wasilla mayor was groomed from an early political age". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  31. ^ Johnson 2008, p. 45
  32. ^ a b c d Yardley, William (2008-09-02). "Palin's Start in Alaska: Not Politics as Usual". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  33. ^ a b c "Wasilla's new mayor asks officials to quit". Daily Sitka Sentinel. October 28, 1996.
  34. ^ Komarnitsky, S.J. (October 2,1996). "Palin wins Wasilla mayor's job (10/2/1996)". TPM Election Central. Retrieved 2008-09-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  35. ^ Juliet Elperin, "Palin's Pay Cut as Mayor Followed by a Raise", Washington Post, September 19, 2008. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  36. ^ a b Stuart, Paul (December 12, 1996). "Palin: Library censorship inquiries 'Rhetorical'". Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
  37. ^ a b White, Rindi (September 4, 2008). "Palin pressured Wasilla librarian". Anchorage Daily News. pp. 1B. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  38. ^ a b Armstrong, Ken and Bernton, Hal (September 7, 2008). "Sarah Palin had turbulent first year as mayor of Alaska town". Seattle Times.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  39. ^ Mooney, Brian. (September 10, 2008). "Wasilla besieged by researchers". Boston Globe.
  40. ^ a b Komarnitsky, S.J. (February 1, 1997). "Wasilla keeps librarian, but police chief is out". Anchorage Daily News. pp. 1B. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  41. ^ Toomey, Sheila (September 10, 2008). "Firing suit in Wasilla hits court (2/22/1997)". Anchorage Daily News.
  42. ^ Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball."A Police Chief, A Lawsuit And A Small-Town Mayor"; NEWSWEEK, Sep 13, 2008
  43. ^ Komarnitsky, S.J. (March 1, 2000). "Judge Backs Chief's Firing". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-01. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  44. ^ 1992 Election ResultsCity of Wasilla
  45. ^ "As Mayor of Wasilla, Palin Cut Own Duties, Left Trail of Bad Blood - washingtonpost.com". Retrieved 2009-09-16.
  46. ^ a b c Kizzia, Tom (October 23, 2006), "'Fresh face' launched Palin", Anchorage Daily News{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  47. ^ a b "From Wasilla's basketball court to the national stage : Sarah Palin timeline". Anchorage Daily News. August 29, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  48. ^ Johnson 2008, p. 65
  49. ^ "2006 Campaign Tip Sheets: Alaska Governor". National Journal. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  50. ^ "October 5, 1999 Regular Election; Official Results" (PDF). City of Wasilla. October 11, 2005. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  51. ^ a b Phillips, Michael M. (September 6, 2008). "Palin's Hockey Rink Leads To Legal Trouble in Town She Led". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
  52. ^ “Numbers right, context missing”, Politifact.com from St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly (2008-08-31).
  53. ^ Krane, Paul (September 2, 2008). "Palin's Small Alaska Town Secured Big Federal Funds". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  54. ^ Hamburger, Tom (September 3, 2008). "McCain had criticized earmarks from Palin". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-09-03. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help): "Three times in recent years, the Arizona senator's lists of 'objectionable' pork spending have included earmarks requested by his new running mate.... Wasilla received $11.9 million in earmarks from 2000 to 2003."
  55. ^ The Associated Press (August 29, 2008). "Timeline of Gov. Palin's life and career". ABC News.
  56. ^ "State of Alaska Primary Election - August 27, 2002 Official Results". Alaska Division of Elections. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  57. ^ Gay, Joel (August 29, 2008). "The Sarah Palin I knew". New Mexico Independent. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  58. ^ a b "Palin explains her actions in Ruedrich case". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  59. ^ Johnson 2008, p. 80
  60. ^ Kizzia, Tom (October 24, 2006). "Rebel status has fueled front-runner's success". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  61. ^ "Palin steps down from commission". Associated Press. January 20, 2004.
  62. ^ Zaki, Taufen; Dennis, Stephen (March 14, 2008). "Randy Ruedrich defiant, still employed". Retrieved 2008-09-03. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |Work= ignored (|work= suggested) (help)
  63. ^ "Attorney General Gregg Renkes Resigns". Stories in the News. sitnews.us. February 6, 2005. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  64. ^ "Personnel board drops complaint against Renkes". Juneau Daily News. March 8, 2005. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  65. ^ Dobbyn, Paula (December 5, 2004). ""Renkes Mixed Personal, State Business"". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
  66. ^ Johnson 2008, p. 81
  67. ^ a b Mosk, Matthew (September 1, 2008). "Palin Was a Director of Embattled Sen. Stevens's 527 Group". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  68. ^ Abcarian, Robin (September 4, 2008). "Sarah Palin's 'new feminism' is hailed: Outside the convention hall, questions are raised about the pro-life working mother's family responsibilities". Los Angeles Times.
  69. ^ "Palin's rise a model for maverick politicians". Washington Times. Retrieved 2008-09-03. See also: "Alaska Governor Concedes Defeat in Primary". The New York Times. 2006-08-03. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  70. ^ Johnson 2008, p. 107
  71. ^ "Alaska Governor Sarah Palin". Alaskan State Govt. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
  72. ^ Ayres, Sabra (May 30). "Alaska's governor tops the approval rating charts". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  73. ^ "Palin approval rating takes huge dive". Alaska Report. September 24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  74. ^ "Alaska Governor Sarah Palin". Gov.state.ak.us. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  75. ^ Halpin, James (2007-07-10). "Palin signs ethics reforms". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  76. ^ Carlton, Jim (2008-08-31). "Alaska's Palin Faces Probe". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  77. ^ a b "State of the State Address Jan 17, 2007". 2007-01-17. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  78. ^ a b "Governor Palin Unveils the AGIA". News & Announcements. State of Alaska. 2007-03-02. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  79. ^ a b "Palin picks Canadian company for gas line: Gas Pipeline". adn.com. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  80. ^ a b "Canadian company meets AGIA requirements". ktuu.com. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  81. ^ Rosen, Yereth (2008-08-27). "Alaska governor signs natgas pipeline license bill". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  82. ^ Bender, Bryan (2008-09-03). "Palin not well traveled outside US". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-09-03. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  83. ^ Bender, Bryan (2008-09-13). "Palin camp clarifies extent of Iraq trip:Says she never ventured beyond Kuwait border". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-09-13. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  84. ^ a b c "Palin's Interview with ABC News". Fox News. September 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-14. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  85. ^ Shinohara, Rosemary (July 16, 2007). "No vetoes here". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
  86. ^ Bradner, Tim (July 8, 2007). "Lawmakers cringe over governor's deep budget cuts". Alaska Journal of Commerce. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  87. ^ Cockerham, Sean (May 24, 2008). "Palin's veto ax lops $268 million from budget". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  88. ^ Yardley, William (2007-08-25). ""Jet that Helped Defeat an Alaska Governor is Sold."". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
  89. ^ "Governor's Plane Wasn't Sold on Ebay". The Washington Post. 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
  90. ^ a b Grimaldi, James V. (2008-09-09). "Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-09. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |co-authors= ignored (help)
  91. ^ The Anchorage Daily News, January 20, 2008: Palin does not use the governor's private chef, whom Palin transferred to the Lounge of the State Legislature.
  92. ^ Luo, Michael; and Leslie Wayne. Palin Aides Defend Billing State for Time at Home. New York Times, 2008-09-09.
  93. ^ Tuesday, January 29, 2008 By: Leslie K. Paige. "Citizens Against Government Waste: Alaska Begins to Grow Up". Cagw.org. Retrieved 2008-09-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  94. ^ "McCain, Palin criticize Obama on earmarks - John McCain News - MSNBC.com". Msnbc.msn.com. September 8, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  95. ^ Woodward Calvin. "Fact Check: Palin and the Bridge to Nowhere". The Associated Press.
  96. ^ "Palin's earmark requests: more per person than any other state". Seattle Times. See also: Associated Press: Taylor, Andrew, "Palins Pork Requests Confound Image".
  97. ^ "TrooperGate back in the News". MSNBC First Read September 11, 2008 by Mark Murray
  98. ^ Bolstad, Erika. "Palin's Take On Earmarks Evolving", Anchorage Daily News, (2008-09-08): “For the 2007 federal budget year, the administration of former Gov. Frank Murkowski submitted 63 earmark requests totaling $350 million, Palin's staff said. That slid to 52 earmarks valued at $256 million in Palin's first year. This year, the governor's office asked the delegation to help them land 31 earmarks or funding requests valued at $197 million….One thing is clear: Palin has increasingly distanced herself from earmarking since she made her first trip to Washington D.C. to lobby Congress for money in 2000. And over the past year, it has been the leading source of tension between Palin and the state's three-member congressional delegation.”
  99. ^ a b c d Tom Kizzia (2008-08-31). "Palin touts stance on 'Bridge to Nowhere,' doesn't note flip-flop". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-08.: "Alaska's congressional delegation endured withering criticism for earmarking $223 million for Ketchikan and a similar amount for a crossing of Knik Arm at Anchorage." Cite error: The named reference "Stance" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  100. ^ a b c Associated Press (2007-09-22). "'Bridge to nowhere' abandoned". CNN.com. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  101. ^ Burke, Garance. “Palin and the Knik Arm bridge”, Associated Press via ‘’Anchorage Daily News’’ (2008-09-16).
  102. ^ "Here's Another Bridge Too Far - Yahoo! News". News.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  103. ^ Hulse, Carl (November 17, 2005). "Two 'Bridges to Nowhere' Tumble Down in Congress". The New York Times.
  104. ^ Dilanian, Ken (2008-08-31). "Palin backed 'bridge to nowhere' in 2006". Gannett News Service. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
  105. ^ "Where they stand (10/22/2006)", Anchorage Daily News, August 29, 2008{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  106. ^ "Where they stand (10/22/2006)", Anchorage Daily News, August 29, 2008{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link): "5. Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges? Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now - while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."
  107. ^ a b Governor's Office (September 21, 2007). "Gravina Access Project Redirected" (Press release). Governor's Office–State of Alaska. Governor Sarah Palin today directed the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to look for the most fiscally responsible alternative for access to the Ketchikan airport and Gravina Island instead of proceeding any further with the proposed $398 million bridge.
  108. ^ Rosen, Yereth (September 1, 2008). "Palin 'bridge to nowhere' line angers many Alaskans". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  109. ^ Hayasaki, Erika (September 19, 2008). "Sarah Palin said yes, thanks, to a road to nowhere in Alaska". Los Angeles Time. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  110. ^ Hayasaki, Erika (September 19, 2008). "Sarah Palin said yes, thanks, to a road to nowhere in Alaska". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
  111. ^ "Palin to sign gas pipeline plan today". News & Announcements. Alaska Legislature. 2007-06-06. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  112. ^ "Bill History/Action for 25th Legislature: HB 177". BASIS. Alaska State Legislature. 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  113. ^ Rosen, Yereth (2008-08-27). "Alaska governor signs natgas pipeline license bill". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  114. ^ "Palin's Pipeline to Nowhere". Retrieved 2009-09-23. {{cite web}}: Text "Newsweek Periscope" ignored (help); Text "Newsweek.com" ignored (help)
  115. ^ a b Cockerham, Sean (August 14, 2008). "Palin staff pushed to have trooper fired". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  116. ^ Simon, Matthew (July 19, 2008). "Monegan says Palin administration and first gentleman used governor's office to pressure firing first family's former brother-in-law". KTVA. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  117. ^ a b Demer, Lisa (August 30, 2008). "'Troopergate' inquiry hangs over campaign: 'Troopergate' inquiry hangs over campaign". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-05. For the record, no one ever said fire Wooten. Not the governor. Not Todd. Not any of the other staff. What they said directly was more along the lines of 'This isn't a person that we would want to be representing our state troopers.' Cite error: The named reference "Demer" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  118. ^ Holland, Megan (July 19, 2008). "Monegan says he was pressured to fire cop". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-07-22. Monegan said phone calls and questions from the Palin administration and the governor's husband, Todd Palin, about trooper Mike Wooten started shortly after Monegan was hired and continued up to one or two months ago.
  119. ^ a b c Grimaldi, James V. and Kindy, Kimberly, James V. (August 31, 2008). "Long-Standing Feud in Alaska Embroils Palin". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-08-31.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  120. ^ Holland, Megan (July 19,2008). "Monegan says he was pressured to fire cop". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-07-22. Monegan said he still isn't sure why he was fired but thought that Wooten could be part of it. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  121. ^ Demer, Lisa (2008-08-30). "'Troopergate' inquiry hangs over campaign". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-05. Monegan said he believes his firing was directly related to the fact Wooten stayed on the job. 'It was a significant factor if not the factor,' Monegan said.
  122. ^ Posted by Alaska_Politics. "adn.com | Alaska Politics : Palin spokeswoman: Kopp never told governor about reprimand (Updated with comments from lawmakers)". Community.adn.com. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  123. ^ Holland, Megan (September 13, 2008). "Palin names Doyon security exec to lead Public Safety". Anchorage Daily News.
  124. ^ a b c Espo, David (September 19, 2008). "Palin probe has parallels to 2000 recount fight". Associated Press.
  125. ^ Loy, Wesley (July 29, 2008). "Hired help will probe Monegan dismissal". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  126. ^ Grimaldi, James V. and Vick, Karl (September 4, 2008). "Palin E-Mails Show Intense Interest in Trooper's Penalty". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-03.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  127. ^ “Raw feed: Palin (Updated)”, Anchorage Daily News ((2008-08-13).
  128. ^ a b "Namely, specifically, most disturbing, is a telephone recording apparently made and preserved by the troopers...", Anchorage Daily News (2008-08-13).
  129. ^ Sean Cockerham (August 14, 2008). "Alaska's governor admits her staff tried to have trooper fired". Anchorage Daily News. McClatchy. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  130. ^ Demer, Lisa (July 27, 2008). "Is Wooten a good trooper?". Anchorage Daily News.
  131. ^ Ross, Brian and Tepper, Len (September 2, 2008). "'October Surprise' Over Palin Investigation?"". ABC News. 'It's likely to be damaging to the Governor's administration,' said Senator Hollis French, a Democrat… 'She has a credibility problem,' he said…. 'Now they may have to deal with an October surprise,' he said….{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  132. ^ "Palin seeks review of Monegan firing case: Governor makes ethics complaint against herself to force action". Anchorage Daily News. 2008-09-03. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  133. ^ Demer, Lisa (September 2, 2008). "Attorney challenges Monegan firing inquiry". Retrieved 2008-09-02. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |workr= ignored (help)
  134. ^ a b Quinn, Steve (2008-09-05). "Subpoenas to be issued for Troopergate probe". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-09-05. Cite error: The named reference "quinn" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  135. ^ Van Flein, Thomas. "Motion for determination of no probable cause" (2008-09-15).
  136. ^ Loy, Wesley (September 15, 2008). "Palin accuses Monegan of insubordination". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  137. ^ Schwartz, Rhonda and Rood, Justin (September 15, 2008). "Fired Official: Governor Sarah Palin Did Not Tell the Truth to ABC". ABC News. Retrieved 2008-09-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  138. ^ Quinn, Steve (September 17, 2008), "Alaska AG: State employees won't honor subpoenas", The Guardian, UK{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link).
  139. ^ Bolstad, Erika (September 26, 2007). "Lawmaker seeks to ban wolf hunting from planes, copters". Oakland Tribune. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  140. ^ "State Puts Bounty on Wolves". Anchorage Daily News. March 21, 2007. See also: "Governor Palin Introduces Bill to Streamline Predator Management Laws". Alaska Department of Game and Fish. May 11, 2007.
  141. ^ DeMarban, Alex. (March 31, 2007). "Judge orders state to stop wolf bounties". Anchorage Daily News.
  142. ^ a b c "McCain taps Alaska Gov. Palin as vice president pick". CNN. 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  143. ^ a b c Bumiller, Elisabeth; and Michael Cooper. Conservative Ire Pushed McCain From Lieberman. The New York Times, 2008-08-30.
  144. ^ Dan Balz and Robert Barnes. Palin Made an Impression From the Start. The Washington Post, 2008-08-31.
  145. ^ Gordon, Craig (2008-09-01). "Knocked off message by Palin baby news". Newsday. Retrieved 2008-09-03. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  146. ^ Bauder, David (2008-09-04). "More than 40 million people see Palin speech". Forbes/AP. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
  147. ^ Mears, Walter R. (2008-09-04). "Republicans in love with Sarah Palin". Yahoo!News. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  148. ^ Raum, Tom (2008-09-04). "Palin delivers star-turning performance at RNC". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-09-04. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  149. ^ Impersonations of Palin have also drawn vast media audiences—notably Tina Fey's 2008 September 13 spoof of Palin on Saturday Night Live. "Will Tina Fey play Sarah Palin again?". Times-Picayune. New Orleans. September 16, 2008. pp. C1, C3.In the same spoof Amy Poehler played Senator Hillary Clinton.
  150. ^ "Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Alaska Governor Sarah Palin". 2008 Republican National Convention. 2008-09-03. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
  151. ^ Shear, Michael D. (September 9, 2008). "Palin Defends 'Bridge to Nowhere' Claims". =The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  152. ^ Romano, Andrew (2008-09-08). "The Politics of the 'Bridge to Nowhere'". Stumper. Newsweek. Retrieved 2008-09-08. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  153. ^ Holmes, Elizabeth and Meckler, Laura (September 9, 2008). "Record Contradicts Palin's 'Bridge' Claims". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-09-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  154. ^ Associated Press (September 8, 2008). "Fact Check: Palin and the Bridge to Nowhere". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
  155. ^ Kirkpatrick, David D. and Rohter, Larry Rohter (August 31, 2008). "Account of a Bridge's Death Slightly Exaggerated". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-10.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  156. ^ "Weisman, Jonathan". The Washington Post. September 10, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
  157. ^ Davies, Anne (September 16, 2008). "Press picks over litter of lies on the Palin trail". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2009-09-15. Virtually every media group in the country has now concluded that Mrs Palin exaggerated her claim in her acceptance speech that she said 'Thanks, but no thanks to the Bridge to Nowhere', a notorious federally funded project that involved building a bridge to a remote island in Alaska.
  158. ^ "An Apostle of Alaska". Newsweek. September 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
  159. ^ Rowland, Kara (2008-09-19). "Hacker wanted to 'derail' Palin". The Washingon Times. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  160. ^ Jordan, Lara Jakes (September 22, 2008). "FBI searches apartment in Palin hacking case". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  161. ^ Daniel, Douglass (August 2, 2008). "Obama backs away from McCain's debate challenge". Houston Chronicle. Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  162. ^ Wallsten, Peter; Hook, Janet (September 9, 2009), l "Palin bounce has Democrats off balance", Los Angeles Times {{citation}}: Check |url= value (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  163. ^ Calmes, Jackie (August 31, 2008). "Palin drawing women's attention, maybe not allegiance". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  164. ^ Agrell, Siri (September 10, 2008). "Did Palin give McCain a boost with women?". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
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  169. ^ CBSnews.com (September 12, 2008). "Ex-Clinton Aide: Media Tougher On Palin". CBSnews.com. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  170. ^ "Palin Power: Fresh Face Now More Popular Than Obama, McCain". Rasmussen Reports. September 5, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
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  173. ^ "Zogby Poll: Republicans Hold Small Post-Convention Edge". Zogby. 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
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  180. ^ Kizzia, Tom (2006-10-27). "'Creation science' enters the race". Anchorage Daily News.: "In an interview Thursday, Palin said she meant only to say that discussion of alternative views should be allowed to arise in Alaska classrooms: 'I don't think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class. It doesn't have to be part of the curriculum. She added that, if elected, she would not push the state Board of Education to add such creation-based alternatives to the state's required curriculum."
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  211. ^ Waldman, Steven (September 9, 2008). "The Passion of Palin: Separating Real Concerns From the Hysteria". Wall Street Journal.

Further reading

  • Johnson, Kaylene (2008). Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment Upside Down. Epicenter Press. ISBN 0979047080. First chapter freely available from the Epicenter Press website (in PDF format).

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Political offices
Preceded by
John Stein
 Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska
1996 – 2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of Alaska
2006 – present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican Party vice presidential candidate
2008 		Succeeded by
Incumbent

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