In a week that
saw an Alaskan governor rise from relative political
obscurity to the face most plastered across websites,
newspapers, and television sets the world over, the
Republican Party has welcomed a new star to the
political arena -- and her name is Sarah Palin.
Palin was such an
out-of-left-field choice for the Republican vice
presidential slot that when McCain added her to the ticket
Friday, news anchors were scrambling to play catch up,
some even needing clarification as to how her last
name was pronounced.
And as with many
a politician before her, a massive media-led
investigation into her past followed.
Hot off breaking
the John Edwards affair scandal wide open, The
National Enquirer immediately hopped on rumors that
Palin had cheated on her husband, Todd, among other
stories. The tabloid for a time even suggested
Palin's 4-month-old baby had actually been born to
her 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, who herself is now
five months' pregnant.
The McCain camp
quickly countered the rumors with a cease and desist
order of sorts, urging the media to lay off Palin's
personal life. Barack Obama issued a statement of his
own, suggesting Palin's family should be off
limits to the media.
But rumors
surrounding the Alaska governor's personal life could
just be the tip of the iceberg. Journalists are
continuing to follow an ongoing investigation into
whether Palin improperly ordered the dismissal of
Alaska's top law enforcement officer for refusing to
fire a state trooper from his post.
The trooper, Mike
Wooten, was married to Palin's sister, but Palin says
that when she fired Alaska Public Safety commissioner Walt
Monegan on July 11, it was because she wanted to take
the commission in a new direction.
Monegan countered
her claims, telling an Alaska NBC affiliate he felt he
was fired because he resisted pressure from Palin's
staff and her husband to fire Wooten, who had been
involved in a lengthy custody battle with
Palin's sister after their divorce in 2005.
Palin is urging
an independent investigation team to "hold me
accountable," according to MSNBC.
But the
accusations continue to fly, and just this weekend, the
Alaska trooper's union filed an ethics suit
against Palin.
And despite a
reenergized conservative base of support for McCain on the
heels of Palin being added to the ticket, the self-described
"hockey mom" continues to face her fair
share of criticism from across the board --
particularly from women.
Though Palin
herself indicated early on she was picking up the race to
see a woman in the White House where Hillary Clinton left
off, Clinton supporters aren't biting, with
many suggesting Palin's beliefs go against
everything Clinton has spent her career fighting for.
Noted feminist
Gloria Steinem echoed those sentiments in an opinion
article for the Los Angeles Times, saying:
"Selecting Sarah Palin, who was touted all summer by
Rush Limbaugh, is no way to attract most women,
including die-hard [Hillary] Clinton supporters. Palin
shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton."
Even antigay
author-radio talk host Dr. Laura Schlessinger joined the
fight against Palin, expressing disappointment that Palin
would return to work so soon after giving birth to a
baby born with Down syndrome. Schlessinger supports
traditional families with a stay-at-home mother.
While political
pundits all seem to agree Palin has reenergized
McCain's campaign just when it needed it most,
her addition to the ticket has also resulted in a
surge of donations to the Obama campaign. According to the
Boston Globe, Obama raised $10 million on the
heels of Palin's speech at the Republican
National Convention Tuesday night, a one-day record
for the campaign. (The Advocate)
