All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

By special contributor Shushannah Walshe and CBS News' Scott Conroy, co-authors of the book "Sarah From Alaska: The Sudden Rise And Brutal Education Of A New Conservative Superstar"

Two of the more enticing excerpts that have been published in advance of the official release of Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue" involve the former vice presidential candidate's recollections of behind-the-scenes conflicts with top McCain aides on the 2008 campaign trail. The first details Palin's version of a conversation she had with top campaign aides about her views on evolution, and the second addresses the fallout from the infamous crank call she received from a comedian pretending to be French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

On the night before John McCain invited Palin to join him on the Republican presidential ticket, Palin stayed in Flagstaff, Arizona, at the home of Bob Delgado, the CEO of Cindy McCain's family company Hensley & Co. After speaking on the phone with McCain campaign attorney A.B. Culvahouse, top McCain aides Mark Salter and Steve Schmidt took turns trying to ensure that Palin was ready for the monumental leap onto the national stage that she was about to take.

The McCain campaign had stressed secrecy over thoroughness in their vetting of Palin, so at this eleventh hour, Salter and Schmidt grilled the Alaska governor on topics ranging from her own political record to more personal matters.

Salter was particularly interested in Palin's views on the subject of evolution vs. creationism, and according to an excerpt from "Going Rogue," Palin maintains that the McCain campaign's chief strategist, Steve Schmidt, was dismissive of her point of view on the subject.

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If President Obama has one of those wall maps where he sticks a flag pin in every state he's visited, he planted the 50th yesterday.

"I have to tell you I'm also really excited because I had up until today visited 49 states. So this is officially my 50th state," he told military personnel at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, a refueling stop on his way to Japan.

His self-proclaimed tally is clearly the result of a lifetime geographic accomplishment that includes his two years of extensive travel as a presidential candidate. But as president, he still has a ways to go before he can put a flag pin in every state.

Our CBS News scorecard shows that since taking office, Mr. Obama has been to 28 states (see list below). That reflects the 39 domestic trips he's taken since his Inauguration. It's a lot, but it's not a record.

During George W. Bush's first year as president, he visited 39 states. It took him the remaining seven years to bring his count to 49. But he never planted a flag pin in Vermont, perhaps understandably. It was a state in which 40 towns and the State Senate voted to impeach him and Vice President Cheney.

Pres. Bill Clinton was impeached, though not convicted, and he managed to visit all 50 states during his eight years in office. But he only hit #50 a month and a couple weeks before the end of his two terms by visiting Nebraska in December 2000.

George H. W. Bush hit all 50 statements in his one term as president.

List of 28 States Visited By President Obama
(in chronological order):

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Reporters Scott Conroy and Shushannah Walshe covered Alaska Governor Sarah Palin nearly from the day Senator John McCain announced her as a presidential running mate.

Now, they have a new book out titled "Sarah from Alaska: The Sudden Rise and Brutal Education of a new Conservative Superstar," which tells the story of the high-profile politician through the eyes of hundreds of interviews.

"She is such a polarizing figure and many of the media reports out there are one dimensional so we wanted to get both sides out there," Conroy told CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris on "Washington Unplugged" Thursday.

Conroy said that while the official response to the book from the Palin camp has been "no comment," one loyal senior adviser called the book fair earlier this week.

Walshe chimed in, explaining that they had interviewed almost 200 people for the book, including Palin's family and friends.

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Former Alaska Governor and Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin is one of the most polarizing figures in politics today. Love her or hate her, when Sarah Palin speaks, people pay attention.

New revelations about her life from the campaign that made her an overnight sensation are now coming to light in a new book, "Sarah from Alaska," jointly authored by CBS News' own Scott Conroy and Shushannah Walshe.

The book, based on the two authors' experience covering the campaign from within Palin's inner circle, shines a unique light on the new Republican superstar's meteoric rise.

Click here for an exclusive excerpt from "Sarah from Alaska"

Conroy tells CBS "Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith that he and Walshe bore witness to a "remarkable internal war" between Palin's staff and that of her boss, former Presidential Candidate John McCain.

Walshe tells Smith that McCain's campaign leaders were "terrified that she would embarrass John McCain, even after the campaign had officially ended."

Another revelation in the book; the authors allege that Palin didn't tell her daughters she was running for vice president, instead leaving it to a staffer to deliver the news.

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Four members of President Obama's cabinet headed to Alaska today as a part of the administration's "Rural Tour."

Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan (at left in the photo), Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Energy Secretary Steven Chu stopped in Bethel and Hooper Bay in in effort to improve rural communities and states. A statement released by the White House noted that the four secretaries make up the largest Cabinet-level delegation to visit Alaska.

Donovan announced $132 million in grants to Native American and Native Alaska communities across the country today, the Anchorage Daily News reports. This includes $32 million in stimulus funds to tribal and native organizations in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington.

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One of the stranger aspects of Sarah Palin's announcement Friday that she will resign as governor of Alaska was the notion that it followed naturally from her decision not to seek reelection next year.

The argument goes that executives who can't – or in Palin's case simply choose not to – seek reelection are no longer accountable to their constituents. Their legislative counterparts no longer have to worry about continuing to work with them. So they just amble on, enjoying the fancy dinners and chartered jets that come with their positions, accomplishing little in their waning days in office.

Palin put it this way in her resignation speech:

And so as I thought about this announcement that I wouldn't run for re-election and what it means for Alaska, I thought about how much fun some governors have as lame ducks... travel around the state, to the Lower 48 (maybe), overseas on international trade - as so many politicians do. And then I thought - that's what's wrong - many just accept that lame duck status, hit the road, draw the paycheck, and "milk it". I'm not putting Alaska through that - I promised efficiencies and effectiveness!

She made the same argument in a July 4th Facebook post, saying, "Once I decided not to run for re-election, my decision was that much easier - I've never been one to waste time or resources."

It’s a tough justification to swallow. Are we really to believe that serving out her term would be an automatic waste of time and resources? For one thing, its logical endpoint would be that all presidents should resign as soon as they're elected to a second term, lest they waste America's time with four years of unaccountable lame duck status. Senators and congressmen should resign too as soon as they see retirement or a losing electoral fight on the horizon.

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The office of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin issued a press release saying she will make an announcement from her home in Wasilla today at 11:00 a.m. local time (3:00 p.m. ET).

There was no indication as to the topic of the announcement.

CBSNews.com producer Scott Conroy, who covered Palin's vice presidential campaign last year, said it is rare that Palin sends a press release out nationally.

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In the wake of news that the Justice Department is dropping its case against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, Alaska Republicans are calling on Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, who narrowly defeated Stevens in November, to step down so that a new vote can be held.

Such a move is necessary "so Alaskans may have the chance to vote for a senator without the improper influence of the corrupt Department of Justice," Alaska GOP Chairman Randy Ruedrich said.

"The only reason Mark Begich won the election in November is because a few thousand Alaskans thought that Senator Ted Stevens was guilty of seven felonies. Senator Stevens has maintained his innocence and now, even the Department of Justice acknowledges its wrongdoing," he added in a statement. (Read it in full here.)

Stevens was convicted of felony corruption charges last year. The Obama administration's Justice Department, however, elected to stop pursuing its case against him because of repeated instances of prosecutorial misconduct in the handling of the case.

In a statement released after the decision was made public, Stevens said it was "unfortunate" that the election "was affected by proceedings now recognized as unfair."

Begich is refusing to step down.

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This post was written by Igor Kossov.

Alaska officials on Wednesday ruled that Alaska governor and former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin must pay back taxes to the IRS.

The exact amount the governor must pay is not yet known, but the Associated Press estimates she owes taxes on more than $17,000 in per-diem expenses.

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