NEW YORK, Nov. 15, 2009

Palin Book Roils Former McCain Aides

Steve Schmidt Says "Going Rogue" Is a Work of Fiction; But Others Remain Silent as They Look ahead to 2012

  • Play CBS Video Video Sarah Palin's Side

    As Sarah Palin tells her side of the story in her new book, "Going Rogue", some former McCain campaign aides are already crying foul. Randall Pinkston has the story.

  • Palin appears on the

    Palin appears on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" Nov. 12, 2009  (CBS)

  • Photo Essay Palin Presses On

    Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin on the campaign trail.

  • Photo Essay Sarah Palin

    Alaska's youngest and first female governor tabbed to be McCain's running mate.

(CBS)  This is going to be a big week for former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin as her highly anticipated book hits the shelves. Some of the book's allegations have already sparked new controversies - and opponents are firing back, as CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston reports.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's new book will not be released until Tuesday, but, it is already generating the kind of controversy that Palin brought to last year's presidential campaign as Sen. John McCain's running mate.

In "Going Rogue" Palin reportedly criticizes McCain's senior staff for allegedly pushing her to be interviewed by "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric; that interview produced a series of exchanges that dogged Palin throughout the campaign.

In an interview for the Oprah Winfrey Show, Palin accused McCain's campaign staff of misleading her about her performance with Couric.

"The campaign said, 'Right on, good, you're showing your independence. This is what America needed to see. It was a good interview,'" Palin recalled. "And I thought if you think that was a good interview, I don't know what a bad interview was, because I knew it wasn't a good interview."

Steven Schmidt, McCain's chief strategist calls Palin's account "fiction."

Other former McCain aides are refusing to speak publicly. But political strategists say they are not so concerned about what happened in the last election. They're looking at 2012.

"They need to hit back and this is about getting contracts for the next election cycle and lining up candidates in the future," said Politico reporter Andy Barr.

Palin, who resigned her post as governor of Alaska, refuses to say whether she will run for the White House in 2012. One former senior McCain advisor said, "This is not the book you write if you want to be president of the United States."

Still, Palin may have reason, for now, to dismiss her critics. She's been reportedly paid more than $1.25 million for the 400-page book. Plus, she's polling well among likely Republican presidential candidates in 2012.

© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Add a Comment See all 171 Comments
by bundye November 20, 2009 12:12 PM EST
Pray she doesn't run for President....
Reply to this comment
by tibu987 November 16, 2009 7:19 PM EST
GOODBYE SARAH.......
Reply to this comment
by Omni-Present101 November 16, 2009 7:29 PM EST
1/2 Term Governor, Sarah Palin is a Quitter, Money Hungry, Bright Lights, Attention Seeking...


Hollow, Floating, Bubble.
___________

CBS should be talking about Condoleeza Rice and Lisa Murkowski for President and Vice President of the USA, they Both have National and International Experience and Keenly Astute on Law.


Yet CBS and the Mass Media Machine, Concentrates on this Hollow, Floating Bubble.

A Bubble is Beautiful to look at, but Very Easy to Burst, such is the Case of Sarah Palin.

_________________
by kansas1946 November 16, 2009 5:04 PM EST
You know it is really pathetic, the quality of American's that the Republican party latches onto as idols. Joe the Plumber, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Carrie Prejean. Most of these folks couln't make the "most likely to succeed" list in high-school. Hell, some of them probably had trouble graduating. The only prerequisite for a Republican hero is nastiness. Amazing.
Reply to this comment
by ajvw November 16, 2009 3:07 PM EST
cBS is certainly selling a lot of books for her
Reply to this comment
by Omni-Present101 November 16, 2009 7:30 PM EST
Yeah, 7.00 a Pop !!

1/2 Term Governor, Sarah Palin is a Quitter, Money Hungry, Bright Lights, Attention Seeking...


Hollow, Floating, Bubble.
___________

CBS should be talking about Condoleeza Rice and Lisa Murkowski for President and Vice President of the USA, they Both have National and International Experience and Keenly Astute on Law.


Yet CBS and the Mass Media Machine, Concentrates on this Hollow, Floating Bubble.

A Bubble is Beautiful to look at, but Very Easy to Burst, such is the Case of Sarah Palin.

_________________
by chrisbieber November 16, 2009 1:48 PM EST
partisan fratricide....and partisan obliviousness to the BIPARTISAN installing of Empire and the Surveillance State on American Citizens.and those hapless victims of US GOVERNMENT intervention.

the tireless "Me Too!" socialism of the Republican Party since at least 1982 and the TEFRAA tax has been breathtaking(ly) duplicitous in the face of pretty faces and freemarket and libertarian RHETORIC...just look at the growth of government...since the "Contract ON America" and all the Demo-lite wannabees...and the bankruptcy and sprawled out empire and death all over the world...and the GOP LEGALLY greased the skids-layed the groundwork for THIER Strong Leader and HIS statism.

Thanks guys...despite Palin's generally free-market RHETORIC she is unfortunately another shill for the Hegelian Right and ITS statist rhetoric(good example is militarist warmonger McCain and his Party shills..then AND now)...and defense of ITS statist RECORD.
Reply to this comment
by lmartink November 16, 2009 12:27 PM EST
Palin is a legend in her own mind. She is a celebrity.
Reply to this comment
by endurorob_5 November 16, 2009 11:15 AM EST
10 comments on the health care story, 21 comments on the elledged racism story, and 166 comments on the Palin story. Amazing. You libs just cannot help yourselves can you?
Reply to this comment
by mountainstates1 November 16, 2009 11:44 AM EST
And yet your commenting on Palin's stupid book, too... typical right wing nut.
by endurorob_5 November 16, 2009 11:48 AM EST
Not commenting on her book. Commenting on libs obsession with Palin. Haven't even read the story.
See all 4 Replies
by endurorob_5 November 16, 2009 11:13 AM EST
msimamaji November 16, 2009 10:45 AM EST

Palin's re-appearance simply makes me glad that I voted for Obama. I wish the media would stop paying so much attention to her because I am getting a serious case of déjà-vu.


Are you kidding. The media pay so much attention to her because she gets so much attention from the libs. If you want her to go away then stop inviting her around.
Reply to this comment
by sammiak November 16, 2009 5:35 PM EST
So your glad you voted for Obama. Well you didn't get much he hasn't gone nothing so far but to spend money and make the richer, richer.
by endurorob_5 November 16, 2009 10:02 AM EST
skyk-2009 November 16, 2009 9:57 AM EST
endurorob_5, you don't find THIS to be interesting? Can you explain what YOU are doing here? LOL I look at this the same way I would anything so outlandish... LOL



I dropped ny because the other stories were not getting any action so I figured maybe I will look at the Palin story to see if maybe that is attracting the attention of the libs, which Palin stories always do, and here you all are. No I don't find it to be interesting and havn't even read the story. Just checking for the usual suspects. Maybe if she decides to get back into ploitics i will pay attention. But for now I find the behavior of the libs towards her to be the interesrting thing and is the only thing that attracts me to a Palin story.
Reply to this comment
by skyk-2009 November 16, 2009 10:18 AM EST
endurorob_5, hey maybe you can convince someone that the party that gave them Medicare to begin with is secretly developing "Death Panels" for old folks... course you'll have to leave out the Neocon Position during that debate won't you? Oh! Hey! How about trying yet again to sell the Republican LIE?? You know the one about Tax Breaks for the Rich trickling down to us below.. about how you will cut spending and balance the budget? No, I don't think it's been long enough to sell that tried old lie to anyone outside the Fringe.. never mind! You just go right on being a Ditto Head and make it up as you go along! LOL
by msimamaji November 16, 2009 10:45 AM EST
While Obama speaks out for human rights in Shanghai, Palin is carrying on with the same she-say, he-say sort of garbage, the stuff of a bad soap opera.

Palin's re-appearance simply makes me glad that I voted for Obama. I wish the media would stop paying so much attention to her because I am getting a serious case of déjà-vu.
by P0STING_AWAY November 16, 2009 9:57 AM EST
by skyk-2009 November 16, 2009 9:48 AM EST
P0STING_AWAY, can you tell me what having money and education has in common? Some of the most uneducated backward people in our history have managed to exploit people and the nation to make a lot of money. LOL

They do not necessarily have ANYTHING to do with each other.
Rush Limpballs, Hannity, Oreilly, Paris Hilton (to use another poster's example) are all wealthy yet dumber than a bag of rocks.
And, depending on how many MORE copies of the Palin book Rupert Murdoch buys,
Sarah might end up becoming wealthy as well.
Reply to this comment
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