Palin Takes Aim At "Cowardly" Critics

Alaska Gov. Denounces Anonymous Campaign "Jerks" For Spreading Rumors

(CBS/AP)  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin called her critics cowards and jerks Friday for deriding her anonymously and insisted she never asked for the expensive wardrobe purchased for her use on the presidential campaign.

"I never asked for anything more than a Diet Dr. Pepper once in a while," Palin said as she returned to the governor's office from her two-month odyssey as the Republican vice presidential nominee. She said the Republican National Committee paid for the tens of thousands of dollars in designer clothes and accessories.

"Those are the RNC's clothes. They're not my clothes. I never forced anybody to buy anything," she said.

Republican Party lawyers are still trying to determine exactly what clothing was purchased for Palin at such high-end stores as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, what was returned and what has become of the rest.

She particularly lashed out at the anonymous Republican campaign sources cited in a Fox News report who said she did not know Africa was a continent, not a country, and could not name the three countries in the North American Free Trade Agreement - Canada, the United States and Mexico.

"I consider it cowardly" that they did not allow their names to be used, she said.

Palin said those allegations aren't true. She recalled discussing Africa and NAFTA with aides who prepared her for the vice presidential debate with Democrat Joe Biden.

"If there are allegations based on questions or comments that I made in debate prep about NAFTA, and about the continent vs. the country when we talk about Africa there, then those were taken out of context," she said. "That's cruel, It's mean-spirited. It's immature. It's unprofessional and those guys are jerks if they came away with it, taking things out of context and then tried to spread something on national news. It's not fair, and it's not right."

Randy Scheunemann, McCain's foreign policy adviser, called the idea of a split between the two campaigns "laughable."

"It's hard to believe these people worked for John McCain. They obviously have no loyalty to John McCain and no loyalty to his running mate," said Scheunemann, who prepared Palin for the vice presidential debate.

"I've worked in Washington for over 20 years. I have seen literally dozens of politicians, and Sarah Palin is as smart, tough and focused as any politician I've ever seen. I'm proud of the time I was able to spend with her," he said.

Palin also said she would not call on Republican Sen. Ted Stevens to resign, although last month, before his re-election bid, she said he should "step aside" and "play a very statesmanlike role in this now." Stevens, 84, was found guilty on seven counts of trying to hide more than $250,000 in free home renovations and other gifts that he received from a wealthy oil contractor.

Three days after the election, Stevens, the longest serving Republican in Senate history, is about 3,500 votes ahead of Democratic challenger Mark Begich with thousands of absentee ballots to be counted in the next two weeks.

Said Palin on Friday: "The Alaska voters have spoken and me not being a dictator, won't be telling anyone what to do."

When asked if she would call on him to resign, Palin said: "Not after the will of the people has been made manifest via that vote."

Meanwhile, RNC lawyers are discussing with Palin whether what's left of the clothing and accessories purchased for her on the campaign trail will go to charity, back to stores or be paid for by Palin, a McCain-Palin campaign official said Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the campaign hadn't authorized comment.

The sorting should be completed in the next four or five days, the campaign official said, declining to say whether the RNC was sending anyone to Alaska to help take inventory.

The RNC spent at least $150,000 on designer clothing, accessories and beauty services for Palin after she became John McCain's running mate in September. The spending included $75,062 at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis; $49,425 at Saks Fifth Avenue; $9,447 at Macy's; and $789 at the luxury retailer Barneys New York. Some of the purchases were for Palin family members, such as $4,902 spent at upscale men's clothier Atelier and $92 at Pacifier, a Minneapolis baby boutique.

The McCain-Palin campaign said about a third of the clothing was returned immediately because it was the wrong size, or for other reasons. However, other purchases were apparently made after that, the campaign official said.

The spending drew a complaint against Palin and the RNC by a Washington government watchdog group. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing Palin and the Republican Party of violating a federal ban on the use of campaign funds for personal expenses such as clothing.

The RNC didn't respond to repeated requests by The Associated Press for comment Friday.

It's routine for candidates to get professional hair and makeup services at campaign expense before they go on camera, but Palin's shopping spree at Republican donors' expense is unusual. It contrasted with the down-to-earth "hockey mom" image that Palin sought to craft and gave the campaign unwanted publicity in the form of newspaper headlines, Internet chatter and comedians' jokes.

FEC spokesman Bob Biersack declined to comment on the spending beyond confirming that the commission has received CREW's complaint.

Palin returned to Alaska late Wednesday night, her final flight in the McCain-Palin campaign plane. Dozens of supporters greeted her with chants of "2012! 2012!" as she walked off the airplane - encouragement for her to run for president in four years.

Asked by reporters if she might run, Palin said: "We'll see what happens then."

The governor said she hoped to work with President-elect Obama on energy policy.

She returned home after spending Tuesday night in Phoenix, where she watched election returns with McCain.

[down-ndirty]

Whoa, horsey, something''s missing from this blog!

Oh, I see; CBS actually censored Rowdy...

Wow!!!

[ioweign]

I find it surprising that Palin would defy our constitution, which prohibits convicted felons from serving in the senate. This is really disturbing.

Posted by RationalTalk at 10:55 PM : Nov 09, 2008

Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for senators: 1) each senator must be at least 30 years old, 2) must have been a citizen of the United States for at least the past nine years, and 3) must be (at the time of the election) an inhabitant of the state they seek to represent. The age and citizenship qualifications for senators are more stringent than those for representatives.

The Senate (not the judiciary) is the sole judge of a Senator''s qualifications.

[aldon61]

Thanks for proving clovisbuford''''s point: You are a die-hard republican. In fact, as thoughtless as your rants are, see above, I''''m guessing you are actually Ann Coulter?


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Posted by Voltaire777 at 10:13 AM : Nov 10, 2008

First of all, I''m not defending Rowdy, she fights her own fights. Texas democrats are so called "yellow dog" democrats (conservative, not liberal). Hillary did, in fact, run in a more conservative vein thaqn Obama did. She may well NOW be a republican, but at the time, I really believe she was a democrat, albeit a conservative one.

[oldguy4truth]

I saw the interview. Wow, I did not know she looked that bad. Without the clothes, makeup, and someone to do that hair of hers, pardon me, but she seems very "slouchy" in her habitat.

[yongamerica]

Que Sarah, Sarah...

[yongamerica]

I want to be the first to say:
Que Sarah Sahrah...

[clovisbuford]

"Rowdy, I have some questions for you. You have been a democrat most of your adult life. You campaigned vigorously for Hillary." she is a democrat in the samme sense GWBush was a republican .they call tehmselves taht but they never held with any of their proclaimed parties positions . Republicans preach fiscal responsibility . Teedy roosevelt was a champion of the environment , He first formulated the progressive income tax. He was an ardent opponent of monopolies and big bidnesss . Reagan started the EIC which gave the poorest of Americans a stimulus check if they didnt nmake enough with dependents to pay pay roll taxes. GH bush passed significant clean air initiatives .Rowdy only was a Hillary democrat while she thought it benefittted the republicans by dems in party fighting , she has never espoused suppport for a single principle of the democratic party whetehr is balanced budget , the teaching of evolution in schools . a minimum wage or a womans right to choose , . If it walsk like a duck , quacks like a duck , it is a duck .. Rowdy is a republican , nothing wrong with that other tahn claiming to be a democrat , come out of the closet . Rowdy/ well Hell/ From Tex wLove etc. you are a social conservative and a republican .. its not a thing to be ashamed of ? is it ?

[clovisbuford]

"Tell that to the racist blacks who never bothered to show up and hear what she had to say?
Seems to me like THEY didn''''t bother to check out all the candidates!
Posted by FromTexwLove at 05:44 AM : Nov 09, 2008" nothing says inclusion like Palin supporters carrying a monkey with an obama sticker wrapped around its head ,while proclaiming waving the monkey "little hussein needs to see what patriotic americans are like" this you tube video easily available search for palin supporter and monkey etc. Rowdy/well Hell / From Tex w Love? wiccan ? etc even your personaliaties dont vary from your core beliefs, espousing the worts racial tensions and encouraging them in your messsages and then saying blacks didnt give them a chance is a little disingenous at best ,and reflects not only your rampnat hypocrisy ,but a mirror image of your Party as well and a willfull denial of the campaign we just saw . Mccain is to be honored for keeping the worst excesses of His party leashed , unlike His running mate and the foaming at the mouth partisans like yourself .stock up on those tin foil hats From Tex wLove or what ever five faces of Eve you are this week . The Secret Service was forced to upgrade the threat level on Mr Obama after the palin rallies,that more than anything gives the truth of what they were engaged in on a partisan level at her rallies.

[rationaltalk]

"When asked if she would call on [Stevens] to resign, Palin said: ''Not after the will of the people has been made manifest via that vote.''"

I find it surprising that Palin would defy our constitution, which prohibits convicted felons from serving in the senate. This is really disturbing.

[aldon61]

Posted by FromTexwLove

Rowdy, I have some questions for you. You have been a democrat most of your adult life. You campaigned vigorously for Hillary. You turned on a dime and started calling democrats democraps; how do you justify that? Your rhetoric theorizes that Obama is corrupt, yet all of the news sources and even Limbaugh and Hannity could not put icing on that cake. Why do you think that is? Girl, you are a fighter and I have admired the zeal in which you argue your case, but isn''t it time for you and all of us to stop the BS and support out new president? These are troubling times and in my life, it''s the most dire that I''ve seen. How about chillin'' out and having civil discourse on policies and direction that our country needs to be going. The election is over and we all need to pull together. Put personal attacks behind, how about it ?

[toolmangler-2009]

It works pretty well, though some might call it child abuse. I survived it, I know.
Posted by Voltaire777 at 09:28 PM : Nov 09, 2008



I survived it also, and then, I really found GOD. I can understand your feelings but don''t give up on GOD because he hasn''t given up on you.

[heidimt]

What a disgusting woman.

BTW.....fess up about your grandson.

[apprxam]

Funny how she refute anything said about her, just that they were "jerks" and "cowards". No, "of course I know the difference between a country and a continent".

This woman belies, which Bush should''ve, the true failure of the GOP, with their Anti-Intelectual leanings makes for brain-dead followers they could control over and over again.

Palin, Romney, Huckabee.....how about Neal Bush in 2012 or Lieberman in 2016.

[treknutz]

Pulled another nic name out of your behind, Slownewsday/daze, Floydzeppd, Treknutz???


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Posted by FromTexwLove

Hey TWL, if you had half a brain you could actually see the difference in writing styles and you would know there are more than one on this blog who are making you look like another dummy from the planet Texas! You must be proud that you and Jessica Simpson come from the same planet!

[treknutz]

You numb nuts don''''t understand that America is one of the great nations because of it''''s own principles and belief in individual freedoms

Posted by FromTexwLove at 05:40 AM

SHEEEE''S BAAACK! And look who''s talking about individual freedoms! The idiot from the planet Texas who wants to abolish all freedoms except the ones SHE wants us to have....Hey TWL, maybe you and Todd ought to draw up secession plans for both Alaska and Texas.
You can call it the Bevis and Butthead Bill!

[treknutz]

Her poor performance on the campaign trail, Hugh???
She was drawing bigger crowds then the Messiah was. She had a horrible interview with Katie Couric but besides that, she didn''''t nothing but help the ticket. If the Media wants to blame anyone for the loss, they should blame their own Biased, the finnancial disaster, George Bush and McCain. Palin was the GOP''''s only bright spot and the only reason Obama didn''''t win all 50 states.


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Posted by palin0808

I guess you only watch FAUX news channel. The last I saw Sarah had about 5,000 at her rallies and Obama, 75,000...where are you getting your numbers? What a MAROON!

[spinproof]

She will continue to support THIS country and believe in it as one of the great nations.

Posted by FromTexwLove at 06:16 AM : Nov 09, 2008

We need Sarah Palin in Alaska so when Putin raises his head she can warn us since she claims she can see all this from Alaska. Palin can continue to serve from Alaska, out of sight, out of mind. LOL

[treknutz]

She''''ll be back in 2012. McCain''''s campaign was a joke and Palin was the only star the GOP had this year. It will be her and Romney for the nomination in 2012.

I guarantee its Rommney people who are spreding these guttless rumors.

The Drive bys hate her just like they hatted Regan and said he was a moron in 76, because they are scared of her.

She''''ll be back


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Posted by palin0808

Yea right....At least Dan Quack...oops Quail had enought sense to get out of the limelight while he had a chance....Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow are praying Sarah does just what you want so they won''t get cancelled due to lack of jackasses to insult.

[treknutz]

Well, I can understand why she is bitter.

She really has blown her one chance at the Presidency and will not return in earnest in 2012. All the the late breaking inane stories or claims from the anonymous didn''''t break her......

I was her own poor performance in interviews and on the campaign trail that demonstrated her limitations.

Republicans can find plenty of candidates who are moral rightwing, believe in "drill baby drill", and are viscious in attacking with any scrap (true or untrue) against an opponent.....and still demonstrate some acumen for national, constituional, and international thought.

You can probably name half a dozen Republican women that would out perform Palin.


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Posted by Nearl4511

Yea, Elizabeth "Low Blow" Dole.....oops, she was slaughtered in the election...guess that means she runs for President with Sarah as her henchman....Bush Cheney in drag!

[spinproof]

Well, NO, he isn''t better than Sarah Palin...at least she has a clear record of successes and achievements while your empty suit has NONE! NADA! ZIPPPPPPPPP! ZEROOOOOOOOO record for anything but corruption and whack job ideology.

Posted by FromTexwLove at 06:02 AM : Nov 09, 2008

My empty suit? I don''t think so. Obama is still better than Palin who only has a narrow view and select constituency, not inclusive of all Americans. All the things you cite about Palin are for her base and a select few outside of it.