Palin Camp Forcefully Denies Report Of Internal Discord

By: Scott Conroy
Topics: Sarah Palin

(CBS)

From CBS News' Scott Conroy:

(SIOUX CITY, IOWA) - In response to a report by The Politico citing reports of strife within Sarah Palin's campaign team, traveling press secretary Tracey Schmitt made her way to the back of the campaign plane to deliver a rare in-person statement to reporters traveling with the governor.

"Unnamed sources with their own agenda will say what they want," Schmitt said. "But from Gov. Palin down we have one agenda, and that's to win on Election Day."

The Politico reported that "stirrings of a Palin insurgency are complicating the campaign's already-tense internal dynamics." Reporter Ben Smith cited four sources close to the governor who said that Palin has "decided increasingly to disregard the advice of the former Bush aides tasked to handle her, creating occasionally tense situations as she travels the country with them."

Though Palin kept her distance from the traveling press throughout most of the campaign, the dynamic suddenly shifted last weekend, when she took questions from the media on three separate occasions over the course of two days.

Palin decided to hold an impromptu press conference on the tarmac in Colorado Springs on Sunday without first notifying her staffers. She again took questions at an ice cream shop just a few minutes later but has not made herself available to the traveling press since then.

Scott Conroy
Scott Conroy is a National Political Reporter for RealClearPolitics and a contributor for CBS News.
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by news_master October 27, 2008 10:30 PM EDT: My goodness the news media and Dems sure are putting the pressure on Palin --- BUT see NOTHING adverse by the press on Biden

This woman must scare em LOL; Reply to this comment


by allthat44 October 27, 2008 4:50 PM EDT: can anyone think of a name that ends in ''IST'' as it will surely be the next nasty name the gop comes up with. i can''t think of anything else. palin will use and fire anybody who gets in her way. she might even give mccain what he''s been looking at while he rubs his wedding ring, causing him to have heart failure. president palin.; Reply to this comment


by mollybee5 October 27, 2008 12:26 PM EDT: Watching the movie the Dead Zone over the weekend and seeing Martin Sheen play that whacked out President reminded me what it would be like if Palin got into the White House. God help us all.; Reply to this comment


by targaray-2009 October 27, 2008 2:53 AM EDT: A Vote for the Bush/McCain/Palin Ticket is a vote for?
__ Bush/McCain/Rove Camp
__ Palin Camp
__ Three Republican Stooges (Rudy, Mitt & Fred)
__ None of the Above; Reply to this comment


by rahepee October 27, 2008 2:50 AM EDT: They could be as good as gold with one another and walk hand in hand singing kumbaya in harmony, but they still aren''t going to win...; Reply to this comment


by idahosilk October 27, 2008 2:21 AM EDT: Hey Palin...I would be more worried about Mccain and is goons than Obama. Looks like your the fall gal.; Reply to this comment


by ttkkdd October 27, 2008 1:19 AM EDT: I just salivate a the thought of Obama vs. Palin in 2012.; Reply to this comment


by ttkkdd October 27, 2008 1:17 AM EDT: The Grand Oil Party is expert at name calling.
First they called Obama a "celebrity".
Then he was called an "elitist".
Then it was "sexist".
Then it was "racist".
Then it was "terrorist".
Then it was "socialist".
Next week, it will be "space alien."
Do you see a pattern here?; Reply to this comment


by ttkkdd October 27, 2008 1:13 AM EDT: McCain can''t even manage the VP choice that he picked.
How does he expect us to believe that he can manage the country?; Reply to this comment


by DCropp October 27, 2008 12:40 AM EDT: When is Palin going to talk about a real issue?

First we had troopergate, now we''re hearing that she gave the gas pipeline to a very close lobbyist friend.

Rather than give fair treatment to American companies, Palin allowed her Canadian lobbyist friend inside information.; Reply to this comment