(AP) Sarah Palin called on fellow Republican governors to keep the new president and his strengthened Democratic majority in check on issues from taxes to health care as she signaled she'll take a leadership role in a party searching for a new standard-bearer.
Addressing the Republican Governors Association meeting Thursday, this year's GOP vice presidential nominee - and an oft-mentioned candidate for 2012 - revisited some aspects of the bitter campaign and talked about the role of the governors in the coming year. After losing the White House and several seats in the Senate and House, the party is engaging in some soul-searching about its direction.
"We are the minority party," Palin said at a session on "Looking Towards the Future: The GOP in Transition." "Let us resolve not to be the negative party."
Palin never mentioned the name of President-elect Barack Obama, but she took a swipe or two at the Democrat. She said with governors, "the buck stops on our desk. ... We are not the many voting yea or nay or present." While an Illinois state lawmaker, Obama often voted "present," a practice the GOP criticized during the campaign.
Palin noted that Congress is led by the likes of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Rep. Barney Frank, and said it was incumbent upon GOP governors to ensure that the federal government doesn't take over the health care system. She said if Obama and the new Congress "err on the side of excess taxes, we have to show them the way."
Facing the prospect of being out of power at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue for the first time since 1992, Republicans are looking to their governors to fill the leadership vacuum. Speculation has centered on the telegenic Palin despite her tumultuous two months on the national political scene. She likely would have competition for a possible 2012 bid from Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal - all in attendance at the three-day meeting.
On Wednesday, Barbour told his peers that now isn't the time to think about the next presidential election.
"Anybody here tonight that has thought about the 2012 presidential election needs to keep their eye on the ball," Barbour, a former Republican Party chairman, told a reception for the governors and their supporters. "We don't need to talk about 2012."
In a series of national television interviews, Palin did not rule out seeking the presidency, saying, "It's crazy to close a door before you know what's even open in front of you."
Asked about the 2012 talk at a news conference Thursday morning, Palin said, "I, like all of our governors, we're focused on the future. The future for us is not the 2012 presidential race. It's next year and our next budget, and the next reforms in our states and in 2010 we're going to have 36 governors' positions open across the U.S. That's what we're focused on."
©MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(CNN) -- Former Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has said she is optimistic about Barack Obama's incoming administration and that she prays for the president elect a
nd his family.
Palin drew huge crowds at her campaign stops, garnered intense media interest and brought big ratings to "Saturday Night Live" as comedian Tina Fey impersonated her in several political skits.
The Alaska governor appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" on Wednesday to discuss the historic campaign, how she thought she affected the Republican ticket, the concession speech she never got to make, her family's coverage in the media and her plans now that the election is over.
Palin emphasized her admiration for the president-elect in the interview. "I'm proud of Barack Obama," she told King. "I pray for him, his family, the new administration. I look forward to the good things that are in store for this nation."
She said that despite characterizing Obama during the campaign as inexperienced and "palling around with terrorists" she had no fears for the United States under his presidency. 
Watch highlights of Larry King's interview with Palin »
"I don't have fear, I have optimism," Palin said. "Barack Obama is going to surround himself with those who do have executive experience.
"There was nothing mean-spirited -- there was no negative campaigning when I called Barack Obama out on his associations. You know, we're talking specifically, of course, about Bill Ayers -- an unrepentant domestic terrorist, who campaigned to bomb our United States Capitol and our Pentagon.
"I don't think that there is anything wrong with calling someone out on their associations, their record, their plans. I expect to be called out -- and so did John McCain -- on his associations and our record."
Palin said she did not regret her interview with Katie Couric of CBS and wished she had been more available to the media during the campaign.
"I should have done it, yes. And her questions were fair," Palin told King. "Obviously being a bit annoyed with some of the questions, my annoyance shows through."
Palin had some well-publicized fumbles during interviews with Couric in late September leading up to her vice presidential debate.
"Certainly I should have done the interview. And to attribute I think that interview to any kind of negativity in the campaign or a downfall in the campaign, I think it's ridiculous."
Speculation is mounting that Palin could have designs on the Republican presidential nomination in the next race for the White House. Watch if Palin could be the next GOP star? But as the 2012 buzz takes off, a new poll suggests that just less than half of all Americans have a favorable view of Palin.
Forty-nine percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research survey released Wednesday had a favorable opinion of Palin, with 43 percent viewing her unfavorably. Watch whether Palin could be next Republican star »
That is lower than a previous poll, suggesting that favorable opinions of Palin are dropping among Americans.
Asked by CNN's King whether she was ready to run for the presidency, Palin refused to rule out a bid. "I'm not going to close any doors of opportunity that perhaps are open out there in the future. Not having a crystal ball, I do not know what those opportunities will be," she said.
"But at this point, I'm very happy to get to serve my constituents in the great state of Alaska and start contributing our state more to national security and economic prosperity across America."
Palin said she was sad when she heard the result. "You know, sad because I knew had hard that our ticket had worked. Again, I'm convinced today, as much as I was along the campaign trail, that John McCain is a true American hero and he does have solutions that need to be..."
She played down reports of a rift over her concession speech that never was. "I had some very nice words penned ready to deliver it. It was going to just be a sweet shout-out to Sen. McCain and all that he has overcome and the challenges that he has met and the victories within his own life and his character.
"I had good words penned there that I would have loved to have been able to express. But John McCain is a very, very humble man. It was decided that -- at the very last minute that, no, he would do the concession speech solely. That's our right. That's, you know, that's their call. That's the strategists' call and John McCain's."
Palin also talked about how surprised she was that her children became part of the campaign story. "It wasn't naive, not after Barack Obama came out and said that his wife was off limits. Why should my children, then, have been this assumed target? And they were and that was unfair.
"But, yes, I thought it was ridiculous, not so much the reporting on my children, but the lies that were told about my children and about my own record. That -- you know, stupid things, Larry, you know, like who is Trig's real mother?
"And mainstream media wouldn't correct the erroneous assumptions or suggestions in a story like that? That was ridiculous."
King asked Palin about her daughter's pregnancy. "You know, I looked at her and thought -- and I thought, Bristol, honey, you're going to have to grow up really fast. She is a strong and kind-hearted young woman. She's going to make a great mom. She is very strong. She's going to be just fine.
"But Bristol has an opportunity, at this point, also, to reach out to other young American women and let them know that these are absolutely less than ideal circumstances that she or any other unwed teenage mother are in. And it is not something to glamorize."
Defeated Republican running mate Sarah Palin has said that a woman would be good for the party's ticket in 2012.
Attending the Republican Governors Association in Florida, she did not say if that female nominee might be her.
But the Alaska governor told reporters she would be happy to do whatever she was asked to progress the nation.
Mrs Palin, who is scheduled to speak about the Republican Party's future on Thursday, said she stood for everyday hardworking US families.
Correspondents say the mother-of-five could face stiff competition if she wants to become the Republican nominee in 2012.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who both failed in their candidacy this year, along with Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour may also be candidates.
'Honour to assist'
Mrs Palin, 44, was asked by reporters on Wednesday about speculation that she is the party's future.
She said: "I don't think it's me personally, I think it's what I represent. Everyday hardworking American families - a woman on the ticket perhaps represents that.
"It would be good for the ticket. It would be good for the party. I would be happy to get to do whatever is asked of me to help progress this nation."
Meanwhile, in an interview with NBC on Wednesday, Mrs Palin said she would feel at ease with President-elect Barack Obama in the White House as long as his advisers understood threats against the United States.
"I'm comfortable with Barack Obama as our commander-in-chief, assuming that he has those around him who recognise... that terrorists have not changed their minds," she said.
She has also hinted at a possible run for the top job in 2012 during a flurry of national television interviews this week, telling one network she would "plough through that door" if it was God's will.
She told CNN it would be her "honour to assist and support our new president and the new administration" if asked.
But she said Mr Obama's ties to former militant William Ayers "still concerned" her.
Correspondents say her sudden media blitz is a marked departure from her tightly-controlled interaction with journalists during this autumn's presidential campaign, when she was John McCain's running mate.
Arizona Senator McCain praised Mrs Palin on Tuesday night during his first post-election interview, saying she inspired people and "would play a big role in the future of this country".
The former beauty queen, who was relatively unknown outside Alaska before Mr McCain picked her as his number two in August, energised crowds on the campaign trail.
But she also drew criticism from across the political spectrum that she lacked experience.In her first national television interview since the election, Gov. Sarah Palin delivered a lengthy post-mortem of the presidential campaign, criticizing the media, her campaign handlers and the aides who anonymously leaked damaging characterizations about her to the press.
“I believed in going off script once in a while in some of the rallies in order to really reiterate, perhaps, something that I believed about John McCain,” Ms. Palin said. “Maybe it wasn’t written in the script, but so what? Geez, if this is all going to be so scripted and kind of like a movie screen and we have to follow verbatim everything that somebody writes for you, I don’t want any part of that. That’s not who I am and that’s not who John McCain is either.”
Ms. Palin granted the hourlong interview, a one-on-one talk conducted in her home in Wasilla, Alaska, and her office in Anchorage, to Greta Van Susteren of Fox News. The second part of the interview will air on Tuesday.
The show kicked off a week of high-profile national interviews for Ms. Palin, on the scale of the interviews that she famously flubbed in the first weeks after being chosen as Mr. McCain’s running mate. On Tuesday morning, she will face Matt Lauer on the NBC “Today” show, and on Wednesday, she will appear on “The Situation Room” on CNN.
Speaking with Ms. Van Susteren, Ms. Palin struck a more relaxed, low-key note than previous television interviews with Katie Couric of CBS News and Charlie Gibson of ABC News.
Of course, Ms. Van Susteren kept it light. She avoided questions on policy in favor of open-ended conversation about life on the campaign trail and the difficulty of national media attention.
Ms. Van Susteren spent the first eight minutes of the interview asking about the hefty clothes expenditures, and on the anonymous accusation that Ms. Palin thought Africa was a country, not a continent. (The charge was first leveled on Fox News.)
In response, Ms. Palin said, “We discussed what was going on in Africa. And never, ever did I talk about, well, gee, is it a country or is it a continent.”
Seated behind her large desk in the governor’s office, Ms. Palin did not wear the expensive clothes the Republican National Committee bought for her on the campaign trial. Instead, she wore the boxy pink jacket that she wore on the campaign trail in Florida, and proudly told a crowd that she had bought at her “favorite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska.”
Ms. Palin directed most of her media criticism at liberal bloggers, whom she twice called, “those bloggers in their parents’ basement just talkin’ garbage.”
But she had a kind word for President-elect Barack Obama, who she said called her during the campaign to wish her luck.
“He was cool,” Ms. Palin said, with almost a giggle. “He said, ‘good luck, but not that much luck.’”
On the question of whether Ms. Palin will run in 2012, she answered, “This is what I always do. I’m like, O.K., God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I’m like, don’t let me miss the open door. Show me where the open door is. Even if it’s cracked up a little bit, maybe I’ll plow right on through that and maybe prematurely plow through it, but don’t let me miss an open door. And if there is an open door in ‘12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I’ll plow through that door.”
At the Republican Governors’ Association conference in Miami on Thursday, Ms. Palin will appear at a news conference and later at a panel titled, “Looking Toward the Future.”
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin suggested in an interview broadcast on Monday that she might run for higher office in 2012 if the right opportunity presents itself.
Even before the Republican loss in last Tuesday's election in which Palin was the running mate of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, there was talk of the 44-year-old first-term Alaska governor running for president in 2012.
"Show me where the open door is. Even if it's cracked up a little bit, maybe I'll plow right on through that and maybe prematurely plow through it, but don't let me miss an open door," Palin said in an interview on Fox News' "On The Record" program. She did not specify which office she might be interested in seeking.
Palin, whose term as governor ends in two years, said she could not predict the future. But she said it would be "very exciting" to have an opportunity to serve in a greater capacity.
"If there is an open door in '12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I'll plow through that door," Palin said.
As McCain's surprise pick in a hard-fought campaign against Democrat Barack Obama, Palin attracted controversy but also a strong following in the Republican Party's conservative base.
(Writing by JoAnne Allen; Editing by Peter Cooney)
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Defeated Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin said she hopes God will "show her the way" before she decides on any future bid for the White House.
The Alaska governor declined to say whether she was planning to run for the US presidency in four years, stating in an exclusive interview Monday with the Fox News Channel that 2012 remained too far off.
"I can't predict what's going to happen a day from now, much less four years from now," Palin said in the interview.
However the devoutly religious 44-year-old mother-of-five said that if God wanted her to run for the highest office, she hoped to be shown the way.
"You know, I have -- faith is a very big part of my life. And putting my life in my creator's hands -- this is what I always do," said Palin, who served as running mate to Senator John McCain.
"I'm like, OK, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I'm like, don't let me miss the open door. Show me where the open door is," she added.
"Even if it's cracked up a little bit, maybe I'll plow right on through that and maybe prematurely plow through it, but don't let me miss an open door.
"And if there is an open door in '12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I'll plow through that door."
Palin's faith was scrutinized during the election campaign after an Internet video surfaced showing her being blessed by a Kenyan witch-hunter in a 2005 service at a Pentecostal church in Alaska.
In a separate interview with the Anchorage Daily News she blamed President George W. Bush's administration for the defeat of the McCain-Palin ticket in last week's election.
"I think the Republican ticket represented too much of the status quo, too much of what had gone on in these last eight years, that Americans were kind of shaking their heads like going, wait a minute, how did we run up a 10 trillion dollar debt in a Republican administration?" Palin told the paper.
"So people desiring change I think went as far from the administration that is presently seated as they could.
"It's amazing that we did as well as we did."
In Monday's wide-ranging interview with Fox News, Palin also appeared to admit for the first time allegations made by anonymous aides to running mate John McCain that she had "gone rogue" during the election campaign.
In the final weeks of the election, reports of tensions between Palin and McCain's advisers emerged, with unidentified sources alleging she had routinely disregarded their advice and made unscripted remarks.
"But being quite independent, just like John McCain is also, yes, maybe there is some characterizing of me going rogue when once in a while I would say something that -- hey, I said it from the heart," Palin said.
"I believed in going off script once in a while in some of the rallies in order to really reiterate, perhaps, something that I believed about John McCain."
"Maybe it wasn't written in the script, but so what? Geez, if this is all going to be so scripted and kind of like a movie screen and we have to follow verbatim everything that somebody writes for you, I don't want any part of that. That's not who I am and that's not who John McCain is either."
Palin denied however that any of her comments had hurt McCain's campaign.
Meanwhile Palin also dismissed reports following last week's election suggesting she was unaware Africa was a continent, not a country, insisting the question had never arisen during discussions about the region.
"We discussed what was going on in Africa. And never, ever did I talk about, well, gee, is it a country or is it a continent," Palin said.
"I just don't know about this issue. So I don't know how they took our one discussion on Africa and turned that into what they turned it into."
And Palin denied she ever asked for her much-publicized 150,000-dollar wardrobe during the campaign, saying it was purchased for her by the Republican party and that many of the clothes for her and her family were never worn.
"I did not order the clothes. Did not ask for the clothes," said Palin, saying she "would have been happy to wear my own clothes."
Given the serious issues facing the country, "that turned into a kind of odd campaign issue," she said.
WASILLA, Alaska – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says she wouldn't hesitate to run for the presidency in four years if it's God's will, even though she never thought Campaign 2008 would be "as brutal a ride as it turned out to be."
In a series of interviews in the wake of last Tuesday's elections, Palin said she had no problem with Republican presidential nominee John McCain, but that she resents rumors she said were spread about her and her family by the Arizona Republican's aides. She emphatically denied that she was a drag on the GOP ticket.
"I think the economic collapse had a heckuva lot more to do with the campaign's collapse than me personally," the governor said in an interview broadcast Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show.
Palin also said "There were a lot of times I wanted to shout out, 'Hey, wait a minute, it's not true.' It's pretty brutal."
Nevertheless, the relatively obscure governor of Alaska, whose selection for the ticket by McCain last August brought excitement — and controversy — to the 2008 campaign, said she would be eager to do it all again under the right circumstances.
"I'm like, OK, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I'm like, don't let me miss the open door," Palin said in an interview with Fox News on Monday. "And if there is an open door in '12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I'll plow through that door."
In the wide-ranging interview, Palin said she neither wanted nor asked for the $150,000-plus wardrobe the Republican Party bankrolled, and thought the issue was an odd one at the end of the campaign, considering "what is going on in the world today."
"I did not order the clothes. Did not ask for the clothes," Palin said. "I would have been happy to have worn my own clothes from Day One. But that is kind of an odd issue, an odd campaign issue as things were wrapping up there as to who ordered what and who demanded what."
"It's amazing that we did as well as we did," the governor said of the election in a separate interview with the Anchorage Daily News.
"I think the Republican ticket represented too much of the status quo, too much of what had gone on in these last eight years, that Americans were kind of shaking their heads like going, wait a minute, how did we run up a $10 trillion debt in a Republican administration? How have there been blunders with war strategy under a Republican administration? If we're talking change, we want to get far away from what it was that the present administration represented and that is to a great degree what the Republican Party at the time had been representing," Palin said in a story published Sunday.
Palin has scheduled a series of national interviews this week with Fox, NBC's "Today" show and CNN. She also plans to attend the Republican Governors Association conference in Florida this week.
Palin has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2012. She also could seek re-election in 2010 or challenge Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Still uncertain is the fate of Sen. Ted Stevens, who is leading in his bid for another term but could be ousted by the Senate for his conviction on seven felony counts of failing to report more than $250,000 in gifts, mostly renovations on his home. If Stevens loses his seat, Palin could run for it in a special election.
Palin and McCain's campaign faced a storm of criticism over the tens of thousands of dollars spent at such high-end stores as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus to dress the nominee. Republican National Committee lawyers are still trying to determine exactly what clothing was bought for Palin, what was returned and what has become of the rest.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin pushed back against the growing number of negative leaks coming from John McCain’s former campaign staffers Tuesday, calling those who have spoken on condition of anonymity “cowards.”
”Unless they're going to put their name and face to a false allegation like that, any allegation, then they're cowards,” Palin said in an interview on NBC’s “Today Show.”
The Alaska governor defended herself from details that have emerged regarding the Republican National Committee’s purchase of $150,000 worth of clothes for her and her family. In one report, a leaker characterized Palin and her family as “Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast.” Another suggested that she ordered McCain staffers to buy her clothing on their own credit cards.
“I did not order up these clothes,” Palin said in her defense. “I'm flabbergasted that anybody would say that I spent any money on clothes for me or my family.”
“It's been reported that, you know, I insisted on going to Neiman Marcus and to Saks,” Palin continued, “I've never been in these stores.”
Palin insisted that reports claiming the RNC has dispatched a lawyer to Alaska to retrieve clothing still in her possession are untrue.
“That's absolutely false, unless they're doing that without telling me,” she said. “We don't have any of the campaign's clothes in our possession. And it was never anybody's intention to keep these borrowed clothes from the RNC.”
“Over the past couple days,” she added, “we put it all in boxes, put it in the FedEx plane and sent it back to the headquarters.”
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Gov. Sarah Palin denounced anonymous criticisms leveled at her by former John McCain aides as lies, including allegations that Republican lawyers were traveling to Alaska to reclaim her high-priced wardrobe and that she didn't know Africa was a continent.
"Those accounts are not true," the former Republican vice presidential candidate said in her first public comments on the matter since the election Tuesday.
Palin returned Friday to her Anchorage governor's office and said she had no immediate plans to build on her newfound national name-recognition and popularity with the Republican base for a possible 2012 presidential run.
Instead, Palin said, she wanted only to get back to the governor's desk to advance a proposed pipeline tapping Alaska's vast North Slope natural gas reserves and to prepare Alaska's proposed 2010 budget.
As for the vice presidential campaign, Palin denounced criticism from unidentified McCain campaign aides as "cowardly." She said she found it frustrating trying to respond to false allegations when she didn't know who was making them.
"It's ridiculous," she told reporters. "You guys report based on anonymous sources, so it's hard to have a defense."
One report said she and her family went on a shopping spree, spending more than the $150,000 in clothing that the Republican National Committee had earlier reported.
"The RNC purchased clothes," Palin said.
"Those are the RNC's clothes. They're not my clothes. I never forced anybody to buy anything. I never asked for anything more than maybe a Diet Dr Pepper once in a while."
The RNC will inventory clothing it purchased for her to account for dollars spent, she said. She scoffed at reports that the RNC was sending lawyers to take back clothes from her home.
"It's not happening. Nobody's told me that they're coming to my house to look through closets, to look through anything. The belly of the plane that had clothes in it, and those clothes being packed up and sent back by staffers, perhaps that's what they're talking about, but these aren't attorneys."
She said she wasn't angry at the continued coverage of her clothing, but mostly disappointed.
"This is Barack Obama's time right now, and this is an historic moment in our nation and this can be a shining moment for America and our history, and look what we're talking about. Again, we're talking about my shoes and belts and skirts. It's ridiculous."
She also denied a report that she didn't know Africa was a continent, not a country, and that she didn't know the members of the North American Free Trade Agreement — the United States, Canada and Mexico. She remembered discussing both Africa and Obama's stance on NAFTA with people preparing her for her debate, she said. Anything reported as a gaffe was 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."
Asked if she felt muzzled by her limited time with reporters during the campaign, Palin said the media is a cornerstone of democracy and an important part of the checks and balances on government.
"Heaven forbid that a candidate or an elected official shy way from speaking to the media," she said. "So it was a little bit of a frustration that I didn't get to call more of those shots, and I guess that was sort of the 'rogue' criticism was, 'She wants to talk to more of the media' than perhaps some in the campaign wanted me to."
Palin backed off from calling for the resignation of fellow Alaskan Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in Senate history. Stevens leads Democrat Mark Begich by about 3,500 votes with more than 50,000 to be counted.
A Washington jury convicted Stevens on Oct. 27 of seven felony counts of failing to report more than $250,000 in gifts, mostly renovations on his home. Stevens is appealing the verdict.
"The Alaska voters have spoken and me not being a dictator won't be telling anyone what to do," she said.
Fellow senators have indicated they could boot Stevens.
"That's their baby," Palin said. "They'll have to figure out what to do there."
Palin said she was not interested in running for the job if it comes open.
"Not planning on that. Nope," she said.
By Christine Kearney
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's hair, with its straight bangs, beehive top and cascading locks, is proving popular among Halloween partygoers and some Orthodox Jewish women.
As Americans gear up for Halloween and Election Day soon after, New Yorkers are snapping up Palin-style wigs and glasses regardless of their political leanings, costume shop owners say.
And in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, the look has become popular among some Orthodox Jewish women, who buy wigs to cover their hair for religious reasons. Made of human hair, the Palin-style wigs cost $695 or more.
In Brooklyn's Borough Park, an area heavily populated by Hasidic men wearing black hats and long beards and women dressed in long skirts and long-sleeved shirts, stylist Gail Rosenzweig said half of her Orthodox Jewish clients want Palin's style.
"It's a fashion statement," said Rosenzweig as she worked on a Palin wig. Even though Palin is a Christian from Alaska, where Jews make up less than 1 percent of the state's 670,000 population, Rosenzweig said her clients "like her classic look. It can be worn up or down."
Shlomo Klein, an Orthodox Jew and vice president of wig maker Georgie Wigs, said he sold more than 50 of the "Sarah P" wigs across America in recent weeks to women wanting wigs either for medical or religious reasons.
Married Orthodox Jewish women do not show their real hair in public for modesty reasons and can spend between a few hundred to several thousand dollars on wigs, he said.
The Palin look had replaced previous popular looks among Orthodox Jewish women such as Victoria Beckham's "Posh Spice" look and Jennifer Aniston's "Friends" cut, he said.
'LOOKS GOOD'
Esther Melamed said she paid more than $700 for the human hair Palin wig to wear for a recent Jewish holiday.
"I have some old wigs that I can wear, but I wanted a certain look and I really like that look," she said, adding she intends to vote for Palin.
Others in the Brooklyn community said if the Palin look appealed, it was not for religious or political reasons.
"She just looks good. I don't think it is anything political or religious. I think she just came across as self-possessed and self-assured and able to juggle," said Sarah Yavne, owner of Teen Boutique, which carries labels like French Connection for Orthodox Jewish teens.
The Palin locks have also proved popular with Halloween stores in New York, a state that predominantly votes Democratic.
"People are concentrating on her because she is new, she is a woman and she is a pretty lady," said Robert Pinzon of Abracadabra, which sells Palin wigs for $75.
Todd Kenig, CEO of Ricky's, a New York costume store, said he sold more than 150 Palin wigs priced at $49.99, and more than 600 Palin sashes that said "Miss Alaska" on the front and "Miss Vice President" on the back.
"It's all parody, I don't believe it's supporters," he said. "It's all people like Tina Fey types looking to knock her."
Comedian Fey's parody of Palin on the U.S. comedy show "Saturday Night Live," has giving the show its highest viewership in years.
Kenig said masks of Democratic presidential candidate and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama were selling briskly, while masks of Republican presidential candidate and Arizona Sen. John McCain were not selling so well. In recent days he sold dozens of the new "Joe The Plumber" costume -- a jumpsuit, bald cap and plunger.
(editing by Mark Egan)
David Brody
Governor Sarah Palin tells The Brody File that "faith and God" have been mocked throughout this campaign. The Vice-Presidential candidate really opens up in this answer and takes some shots at the media. But she also defends her faith and speaks strongly about her belief in God being in control of all things.
I interviewed Alaska's Gov. Palin this weekend for 20 minutes in Lancaster, Pa. My full report can be seen Tuesday on The 700 Club. Check The Brody File for other clips regarding her faith, media scrutiny and much more.
Watch her answer above. The transcription is below.
Brody: There have been some shots taken at you…regarding your Christian faith…The Pentecostal stuff, the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Do you want to clear up exactly what you believe in and so that the record can be set straight a little bit? Because there have been some editorials and others taking shots at you regarding --
Palin: Yeah, and I think the saddest part of that is that faith, not just my faith, faith and God in general has been mocked through this campaign, and that breaks my heart and that is unfair for others who share a faith in God and chose to worship our Lord in whatever private manner that they deem fit and my faith has always been pretty personal. I haven't really worn it on my sleeve. I haven't been out there preaching it. I've always been of the mind that you caalk the walk. You just don't have to be talking the talk about your beliefs, so just wanting maybe my life to be able to reflect my faith. So it's always been pretty personal and that was kind of a surprise in the last couple of months that people would misconstrue and spin anything that has to do with my faith or anybody else's and turn it into something to be mocked. That's very sad. I don't think that there's anything that I can do about it, so you know, I won't, I won't whine or complain about it, but nobody is going to convince me that my foundation of faith is not good for me and for my family no matter the mocking, no matter what anybody says about it, I'm going to keep plugging away at this and I'm going to keep seeking God's guidance and His wisdom and His favor and His grace, for me, for my family, for this campaign, for our nation. Again no matter what anybody else says about it it's between me and God, and I am so thankful that that he has strengthened me with this understanding and this belief that I can count on Him. I can reach out to Him asking for that strength, asking for the blessings that He so freely gives and I don't know how anybody would want to do this if they didn't have real strong faith in God that He's got it all under control.
By David Brody
CBN News Sr. National Correspondent
October 21, 2008
CBNNews.com - Since her nomination, Sarah Palin has possibly been the most talked about Vice Presidential candidate in history.
The Alaska Governor has faced intense media scrutiny and in an exclusive interview, she tells CBN News that her faith in God has been mocked during this Presidential campaign.
With two weeks before Election Day, Palin spoke with CBN News about campaign strategy, the media attention and her prayer life.
Attacker in Chief
Sarah Palin plugs away in her current role as "attacker in chief" for the McCain campaign. Despite that strategy, the McCain-Palin team trails in the polls and now face news like republican hero Colin Powell endorsing Obama and the senator raising a record $150 million last month.
Palin tells me there's still hope.
"When they see numbers that show us a bit down in the polls, for John McCain and for me it's invigorating," she said. "It's inspiring. It makes us work even harder."
Palin has been working hard to expose Obama's ties and relationship with Bill Ayers, a former domestic terrorist. Palin has been criticized for her approach.
"Are you okay with the "pal around with terrorist line?" Or you want to reign that back a little?" asked CBN's David Brody.
Palin responded "No I would say it again, I would say it again because again it, it, according to the information that we have, the association that he's had with Bill Ayers wasn't just one or two time sitting on a board together."
Palin's comments have led some supporters to supposedly yell out threatening comments against Obama.
"If I ever were to hear that standing up there at the podium with the mic, I would call 'em out on that," Palin said. "And I would tell these people, no, that's unacceptable, let's rise above that please. We haven't heard that."
Her Faith Walk
What she has heard plenty of are the attacks against her -- especially her Christian faith.
"Faith and God in general has been mocked through this campaign, and that breaks my heart."
Newspaper editorials have taken shots at her Pentecostal upbringing. The liberal blogosphere has chimed in and yes, Saturday Night Live has taken their shots too.
"People would misconstrue and spin anything that has to do with my faith or anybody else's and turn it into something to be mocked. That's very sad," she said. "I don't think that there's anything that I can do about it, so you know, I won't… whine or complain about it, but nobody is going to convince me that my foundation of faith is not good for me and for my family no matter the mocking, no matter what anybody says about it."
Palin dedicated herself to the Lord as a middle-schooler complete with an Alaska lake baptism. It's an event she calls 'significant" because she realized there was something bigger than her out there.
"As you're raised up out of the water it's like 'hey world, this is my confession of faith that I'm going to try to lead and live my life according to my belief that God as my Creator has good plans for all of us, and we are to seek those plans and seek the destiny that he has for all of us,"' Palin said.
Economy, Abortion, Gay Marriage
In the McCain campaign 'destiny' has made Palin the central outreach to Christian conservatives. While the economy gets top billing in this election cycle, Palin has gone after Obama on social issues, like abortion. Palin believes voters need to take a hard look.
"His abortion stance is so extreme. It's so, so far left that it's way out of the mainstream," she said. "I think he's in some sense succeeded in trying to package up and pretty-up some of his policies to make them look mainstream even on abortion."
The Obama campaign makes clear his desire to reduce the number of abortions in this country. On traditional marriage, Palin made clear her desire for a federal marriage amendment.
"I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman," she said "I wish on a federal level that that's where we would go because I don't support gay marriage."
It's that type of talk that excites social conservatives and brings out signs like, "I love Sarah," "In God we Trust", "Sarah, the New face of Feminism" and yes, in a nod to her Alaska roots, even the "I Love Mooseburgers". While Palin's rallies are filled with energy and thousands of people, it's the quiet times, times for reflection and prayer that mean a great deal.
"I pray of course for about my family that my kids will not be adversely affected by some of the political shots of course that, that we've been taking the last couple of months. I pray for my son's safety over in Iraq fighting for us in a striker brigade in the US Army and for all of our troops," she said.
"It will take God's hand of protection to be continually over our land and His wisdom, His grace, His favor I pray for that for our country."
Be sure to log on to CBNNews.com for the latest on Election 2008.
By GLEN JOHNSON Associated Press Writer
GREEN, Ohio October 23, 2008 (AP)
John McCain struck an anti-tax chord Wednesday in the state that launched him toward the Republican presidential nomination and in the home state of the plumber he hopes will help him reach the White House.
During rallies in New Hampshire and Ohio, the Arizona senator said Democrat Barack Obama favors taxes that will hurt the middle class and small businesses — despite Obama pledging to cut them for 95 percent of taxpayers.
"Sarah Palin and I will not raise your taxes, my friends. We want you to get wealthy," McCain told 10,000 people gathered in a football stadium near Akron, Ohio. The scene had a festive air, with those sitting in the grandstands behind the candidate dressed in T-shirts that composed the red, white and blue Ohio state flag.
Palin, holding her first joint event with McCain since Oct. 13, derided Obama as "Barack the Wealth Spreader" and said: "You have to really listen to our opponent's words, because he's hiding his real agenda of redistributing your hard-earned money."
McCain and Palin have accused Obama of fostering socialistic tax policies since Ohio plumber Joe Wurzelbacher questioned the Democrat two weeks ago. Both now routinely invoke "Joe the Plumber" as part of their closing argument.
Palin was exuberant before the crowd, demanding an autograph from warm-up singer Gretchen Wilson, famed for her song, "Redneck Woman."
Palin joked: "Someone called me a `redneck woman' once. You know what I said back? `Thank-you very much.'"
Ohio voted for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, but Obama held a narrow lead in recent polls. The state offers 20 electoral votes.
McCain later told an airport rally in Cincinnati: "I know it's been a long, long time since whoever was going to be president didn't win the state of Ohio. I'm not going to break that tradition. We're going to win the state of Ohio."
Earlier in New Hampshire, McCain implored voters "to come out one more time" for him, as the two-time primary winner tried to stave off a general election loss with sharp criticism of Obama's tax and spending plans.
"I love you. I love New Hampshire," McCain told a rally crowd in a college hockey rink. "I know I can count on you again to come from behind and take a victory and bring it all the way to Washington, D.C., next January."
Republican vice presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin waits to speak to the crowd as presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., hugs his wife Cindy at a rally in Green, Ohio, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)
(AP)
McCain added: "I'm asking you to come out one more time. Get out the vote."
Although McCain won the 2000 and 2008 New Hampshire primaries, recent polls have shown Obama with a lead no smaller than 7 percentage points with less than two weeks until Election Day. That has prompted speculation McCain may have to surrender the state's four electoral votes and focus elsewhere if he hopes to cobble together the 270 needed to become president.
Senior adviser Mark Salter dismissed such thinking. He said McCain was visiting New Hampshire because "we get a charge out of it. We think we're competitive there. They get it."
In a state with no income tax and a Yankee aversion to government spending, McCain tried to rally his supporters with a touched-up stump speech that focused on both issues. He, too, hit the wealth-distribution theme.
"Apparently, as my opponent sees it, there's a strict limit to your earnings as well, and it's for the politicians to decide. The proper amount of wealth is not what you can earn, but what government will let you keep," McCain said.
In one final jab at Obama, McCain accused him of planning "another stadium spectacle" by planning an outdoor rally in Chicago on Election Night. "Acting like the election is over won't let him take away your chance to have the final say in this election," he said.
New Hampshire political trends are working against McCain. It was the only state to vote for Democrat John Kerry in 2004 after going for Republican Bush in 2000. Democrats also swept both congressional seats, the governor's office and both houses of the state Legislature in 2006.
Speaking in Virginia, Obama told a crowd he had spoken with Wurzelbacher and pronounced him "cool." He added: "Let's be clear who John McCain is fighting for. He is not fighting for Joe the Plumber. He's fighting for Joe the hedge fund manager. ... If you make less than a quarter of a million dollars a year — which includes 98 percent of small-business owners — you won't see your taxes increase one single dime."
CNN) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband will provide depositions Friday to the state Personnel Board, which is looking into whether Palin unfairly fired Alaska's public safety director this summer, the couple's attorney told CNN.
Gov. Sarah Palin says she has been "cleared of any legal wrongdoing."
Gov. Sarah Palin says she has been "cleared of any legal wrongdoing."
Thomas Van Flein said he will be present for the depositions by the governor and her husband, Todd Palin. Each deposition will be done separately, with Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate, giving hers in St. Louis, Missouri, a campaign adviser said.
Walt Monegan requested the fact-finding hearing before the state Personnel Board after he was fired as public safety director in July. He claims his reputation has been "unjustifiably tarnished" by a false accusation of misconduct.
Monegan, a gubernatorial appointee, says Palin fired him after he resisted pressure to dismiss State Trooper Mike Wooten, who had gone through an acrimonious divorce and custody battle with Palin's sister.
The governor had asked the Personnel Board to conduct an investigation -- a move she launched after becoming Sen. John McCain's running mate, declaring the agency the proper legal venue for the probe.
Don't Miss
* Report: Officials warned Palin aides about trooper feud
* Alaska official wants hearing, says reputation 'tarnished'
* Palin discusses potential plans for America
An investigation commissioned by Alaska's bipartisan Legislative Council found earlier this month that Palin had the right to dismiss Monegan because she appointed him to the post, but that she unlawfully abused her authority by pressing for Wooten's firing although he already had been disciplined by the State Patrol for various actions.
"There was nothing unlawful or unethical about replacing a Cabinet member," Palin told reporters after Anchorage prosecutor Stephen Branchflower released his findings.
The transcripts of Friday's depositions are not likely to be released immediately unless approved by Personnel Board investigator Timothy Petumenos, who will take the testimony.
CNN) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband will provide depositions Friday to the state Personnel Board, which is looking into whether Palin unfairly fired Alaska's public safety director this summer, the couple's attorney told CNN.
Gov. Sarah Palin says she has been "cleared of any legal wrongdoing."
Gov. Sarah Palin says she has been "cleared of any legal wrongdoing."
Thomas Van Flein said he will be present for the depositions by the governor and her husband, Todd Palin. Each deposition will be done separately, with Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate, giving hers in St. Louis, Missouri, a campaign adviser said.
Walt Monegan requested the fact-finding hearing before the state Personnel Board after he was fired as public safety director in July. He claims his reputation has been "unjustifiably tarnished" by a false accusation of misconduct.
Monegan, a gubernatorial appointee, says Palin fired him after he resisted pressure to dismiss State Trooper Mike Wooten, who had gone through an acrimonious divorce and custody battle with Palin's sister.
The governor had asked the Personnel Board to conduct an investigation -- a move she launched after becoming Sen. John McCain's running mate, declaring the agency the proper legal venue for the probe.
Don't Miss
* Report: Officials warned Palin aides about trooper feud
* Alaska official wants hearing, says reputation 'tarnished'
* Palin discusses potential plans for America
An investigation commissioned by Alaska's bipartisan Legislative Council found earlier this month that Palin had the right to dismiss Monegan because she appointed him to the post, but that she unlawfully abused her authority by pressing for Wooten's firing although he already had been disciplined by the State Patrol for various actions.
"There was nothing unlawful or unethical about replacing a Cabinet member," Palin told reporters after Anchorage prosecutor Stephen Branchflower released his findings.
The transcripts of Friday's depositions are not likely to be released immediately unless approved by Personnel Board investigator Timothy Petumenos, who will take the testimony.
Joe Biden "We're Gonna Have An International Crisis If Obama Is Elected" | Sarah Palin In Colorado:
Financial Assist to solve the Financial Crisis
The Republican VP candidate has a few special messages for America.
Need Some Financial Assist for Economic Crisis?
http://www.fiscalassist.net Sarah Louise Heath Palin, born February 11, 1964, is the governor of Alaska and the Republican vice-presidential nominee in the 2008 United States presidential election.
Need Some Financial Assist for your Residual Income? Click here!
Katie Couric sat down with Sarah Palin and Joe Biden and asked them their thoughts on Roe v. Wade.
Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin have put in some very long days preparing for their Thursday night debate. To give voters a better sense of who these candidate are, and where they stand on a number of issues, CBS News anchor Katie Couric asked Biden and Palin some "Vice Presidential Questions." This installment tackles Roe v. Wade and Supreme Court decisions.
Need Some Financial Assist, Residual Income?
Sarah Palin the REAL story: starring Obama Girl. See the hi-res version at: http://barelypolitical.com
And click SUBSCRIBE above to see the next episode when it come out. Thanks.
Need Some Financial Assist, Residual Income?
Who's Sarah Palin? THIS is the REAL Sarah "Political Stunt" Palin. Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin told a passel of lies during her national convention speech. Additionally, the Republicans stretched the truth by overstating Palins experience, misrepresenting her attitude toward earmarks and millions in earmark spending.
She falsely claimed (again) to have opposed the Bridge To Nowhere. "The Bridge to Nowhere:" she was for it, before she was against it."
Obama appeared on Bill O'Reilly's "The O'Reilly Factor" where he refuted Palin's claims. Obama found himself under Republican fire this week after his comment "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig" was made. Conservatives have criticized Obama, calling his comments sexist and in reference to Palin's quip "What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull? Lipstick". Sarah Palin sat down with Charlie Gibson of ABC News for her first interview. During the interview Palin raised eyebrows with her comment that Barack Hussein Obama will regret not having chosen senator Hilary Clinton as VP.
On Saturday, September 13th, NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL) presented a parody, featuring alumni Tina Fey along with Amy Poehler, in which the two spoofed Palin along with Democratic senator Hillary Clinton. Tina Fay has been noted as a Sara Palin look a like. On September 19th, comedienne Sandra Bernhard released a verbal attack against the VP candidate. On September 27th, once again on Saturday Night Live (SNL), Tina Fey and Amy Poehler parody, spoof, and mock the Sarah Palin and Katie Couric Interview. And once again, Tina Fay gives a spot on performance of Sarah Palin at the Katie Couric interview. On Oct. / October 4th, SNL's Tina Fey once again played a parody of Sarah Palin. On 10/04/08, Saturday Night Live's Tina Fay has pointed out both Palin's and Biden's campaign gaffes and the liberal media / medias "gottcha" questions. Tina Fey mocks and parodies Sarah Palin by using her EXACT words.
Need Some Financial Assist, Residual Income?
Katie Couric will spend two days traveling on the campaign trail with Governor Sarah Palin on Sunday, September 28 and Monday, September 29, conducting an exclusive interview to be broadcast on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric beginning Monday the 29th (Part 1). Coverage will continue on Tuesday, September 30th (Part 2) on the Early Show. The interview will take place just days before the Vice Presidential debate between Palin and Senator Joe Biden in St. Louis on Thursday, October 2.
The scandal known as "Troopergate" gained national attention after Republican presidential candidate John McCain chose Palin as his running mate.
Fox New's Bill O'Reilly and Anne Coulter take a stab at both Jon Stewart's the Daily Show and Stephen Colbert's the Colbert Report for "the Liberal biases and conspiracy of the Media."
The presidential debate will be aired on Fox News, or Faux News, on Friday, September 26 2008 in Mississippi. Part 1 I of the president debate will include Barack Obama and John McCain discussing the economy and recent Wall Street economic crisis and the Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac bailout. Part II 2 will include international foreign affairs. Question Part 3 of continues discussion of the economic recession and potential great depression 2. Part 4 of the presidential debate questions Barack Obama and John McCain on Lehman Brothers, job loss, and a failing American economy. The president debate between Barack Obama and John McCain promises to accuse each other for the blame of our economic crisis. Presidential debate 2008 between Jon McCain vs Barak Obama, live on September 26th 2008 9/26/08.
Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, the vice presidential VP nominees, will debate each other Thursday October 2 / Oct. 2nd in the Washington University in Saint Louis / St. Louis Athletic Complex. Part 5 of 11 shows Sarah Palin having a meltdown as she cannot answer basic questions. Part 6 of 10 shows Sarah Palin answering to the claim of "gotcha" journalism, and the media asking "gottcha" questions. Part 7 of 12, Sarah Palin is unable to recall a Supreme Court case, other than Roe v. vs. Wade and cannot answer even one magazine or newspaper that she reads. On Thursday, 10/02/08 the VP vice president debate Palin and Biden will debate on "the bridge to nowhere," earmark / earmarks, the economy, experience versus change. Part 8 of 11 shows Sarah Palin having a melt down as she is unable to answer simple and easy questions and is unable to construct a coherent sentence. Part 9 of 10 of the VP vice presidential debate shows Joe Biden makes a gaffe, which is ignored by the "evil" liberal media as Palin must stumble through "gotcha" questions. Part 10 of 11 the candidates discuss the 700 billion dollar Wall Street bailout. A bail out of $700 billion would socialize corporate losses, paid for by middle-class tax payers. Sarah Palin is nothing more than a gimmick. John McCain used Palin as a pawn and a gimick!
CBS News RAW": Actor Matt Damon criticizes Alaska governor Sarah Palin, citing her inexperience in national politics and comparing her candidacy to "a bad Disney movie."
Need Some Financial Assist, Residual Income?
Keith breaks down all of the lies that have been told by Sarah Palin since joining the McCain campaign and her troubles as both mayor and governor of Alaska and how she wanted to bill rape victims for rape kits. Shannyn Moore weighs in.
Need Some Financial Assist, Residual Income?
"Only On The Web:" GOP V.P. candidate Sarah Palin talks to Katie Couric about the importance of bipartisanship during tough economic times.
Your Financial Solution
Exclusive: Sarah Palin explains a facetious comment she made about Joe Biden's years in the Senate. Watch Katie Couric's interview with Sarah Palin tonight on the CBS Evening News.
Need Some Financial Assist, Residual Income?
"CBS News Exclusive:" Katie Couric speaks with GOP vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin about the nation's economic concerns and the McCain campaign's ties to lobbyists.
Need Some Financial Assist, Residual Income?
With a few days left before the vice presidential debate, Gov. Sarah Palin speaks with Katie Couric about her views concerning social and environmental issues.
Need Some Financial Assist, Residual Income?
Gov. Sarah Palin discusses environmental and social issues with Katie Couric; Despite a Wall St. rebound, credit markets tighten; And voter purging may cause election day trouble.
Need Some Financial Assist, Residual Income?
Sarah Palin is a 44-year old woman (born Feb. 11, 1964) and the current governor of Alaska. On August 29, 2008, she was selected as the Republican Vice Presidential running mate of John McCain.
Politics:
Protects the citizens of the United States from the Soviet airplanes flying over Alaska.
Family:
Palin is married to an oil worker and has 5 children. She was born in Sandpoint, Idaho. Her family moved to Alaska when she was 3 months old.
Education:
Palin graduated from the University of Idaho with a bachelor's degree (B.A.) in communications.
The Next VP Candidate
