She was vetted by a Google search by the McCain team, according to the Los Angeles Times.
One Republican strategist with close ties to the campaign described the candidate's closest supporters as "keeping their fingers crossed" in hopes that additional information does not force McCain to revisit the decision. According to this Republican, who would discuss internal campaign strategizing only on condition of anonymity, the McCain team used little more than a Google Internet search as part of a rushed effort to review Palin's potential pitfalls. Just over a week ago, Palin was not on McCain's short list of potential running mates, the Republican said.
Far from being an opponent of earmarks, Palin has relied on them, earning $27 million for her town of less than 7,000, almost as much as the entire state of Idaho, according to the Washington Post. As Governor, she requested nearly $200 million more for her state, according to the website of indicted GOP senator Ted Stevens. Not to mention the fact that she was before "the Bridge to Nowhere" before she was against it, which is now established as fact.
In her time as chief executive of Wasilla, Alaska, she fired the town police chief for being insufficiently loyal, and tried to fire the chief librarian, exactly as she this summer fired the Alaska Highway Patrol commissioner, Walt Monegan, for not caving to pressure to fire her ex-brother-in-law, a state trooper.
In a letter to the unfortunate pair in Wasilla, she wrote:
'I do not feel I have your full support in my efforts to govern the city of Wasilla. Therefore I intend to terminate your employment ...'"
This led to a recall campaign.
In the present, the McCain campaign is trying to keep her as far as possible away from the press, according to David Corn, of Mother Jones.
Will the campaign let the media question her right after the convention? Or does it want to put this obligatory exercise off for longer?
On Monday night, I encountered Mark Salter, a top McCain adviser, outside the St. Paul Hotel, and I asked him when Palin's first press conference would be. He did not seem eager to talk about it. "After the convention," he said. Soon after the convention? "After," he repeated.
Whenever it occurs, it will be some session.
And even fervent, evangelical supporters are beginning to have doubts. Rod Dreher wrote:
This morning, I've heard from several Palin sympathizers (and read comments at various places on this blog) who say that their view of her is dimmer this morning, not because her daughter is pregnant, but because of her mother's decision to bring the national spotlight onto her daughter in crisis.
As oft-quoted political analyst Charlie Cook told the Los Angeles TImes:
"The choice of Palin is either brilliant or a colossal screw-up on the part of John McCain. Are people going to say, 'Gee, she's a regular person coping with problems just like us?' Or are people going to say, 'How can she possibly run for vice president with everything going on her life?' "
Easy question to answer, I'd say...
