Binside TV

SARAH PALIN RESIGNS VIDEO AS GOVERNER OF ALASKA PREPS FOR 2012 PRESIDENTIAL RUN?

Sarah Palin has resigned as the Governor of Alaska.

The former Vice presidential candidate who was blamed for contributing to John McCain's loss in the presidential race is now calling it quits with a public press conference. There is now speculation that she is resigning to prepare for her run as President of the United States in the next election. Palin has already received criticism for how she handled the pregnancy of her teenage unwed daughter Bristol Palin.   There are also rumors that her mentally disabled son Trig is her daughter Bristol Palin's son.

Sarah Palin the former Republican vice-presidential candidate who electrified her party's campaign last year, has resigned as Alaska's governor in a dramatic decision that has fuelled speculation she is positioning herself to run for president.

But after an at times rambling speech in which she compared herself to battle wounded American soldiers in Kosovo and said only dead fish go with the flow, Palin's critics accused her of a "flaky" decision and walking away from her post.

Palin, who built strong support among conservative Republicans as John McCain's running mate last year, said she will step down in three weeks because she can contribute more away from politics.

"We know we can effect positive change outside government at this moment in time on another scale and actually make a difference for our priorities," she said.

But Palin also hinted at continuing political ambitions when she repeated a quote she attributed to general Douglas MacArthur: "We are not retreating, we are advancing in another direction."

For someone who is supposedly stepping back from politics, Palin's resignation speech was weighty with policy specifics which prompted speculation that she is positioning herself for a 2012 presidential bid or seeking another office which would move her from distant Alaska to the heart of Washington politics.

But the timing, coming during one of the biggest American holidays of the year, independence day, raised questions among some of Republicans who accused her of attempting to escape falling poll numbers in Alaska as a series of economic problems and ethics investigations take their toll.

A prominent Republican strategist, Ed Rollins, who directed Ronald Reagan's election campaign, said Palin had made a serious mistake.

"She was a shooting star who dimmed in recent months and now she's crashed," he said.

Another Republican strategist, Tony Blankley, disagreed and said Palin appeared to have made a smart move to position herself for a run for president.

"It looks like she's moving down a path toward it," he said. "It frees her up. The normal rules don't seem to apply to her. She's a fascinating character who seems to do things her own way."

Blankley said that it makes sense for Palin to resign as governor if she is seeking higher office.

"This is going to be a pretty tough time for incumbents the next couple of years in America with everything going to tell and this may be a pretty good time not to be in office," he said.

Blankley also said that Palin faced particular difficulties trying to juggle a national campaign with being government of Alaska. [SOURCE]

LEVI JOHNSTON ON TYRA SAYS SARAH PALIN KNEW "BRISTOL & I WERE HAVING SEX"| SARAH PALIN SISTER-IN-LAW DIANA PALIN ARRESTED FOR BURGLARY

We don't know what is going on with the Sarah Palin clan in Alaska. Sarah Palin lashed out at her daugther Bristol Palin's baby daddy/former fiance, Levi Johnston who appears on Tyra next Monday. The teenager admits that Sarah Palin knew that he and her underage daughter were having sex.

Levi Johnston not only says he practiced safe sex “most of the time” when they were together, he also reveals to Tyra Banks that he believes Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin knew he and Bristol were having sex when they lived under her roof. “I’m pretty sure she probably knew. Moms are pretty smart,” Johnston, 18, says in an interview set to air April 6. [DAILY KOS]

There is also news that Sarah Palin's sister in law was arrested for burglary with her 4 year old daughter. Levi Johnston's mother, Sherry L. Johnston was arrested last winter and charged with 6 felony counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance.

Levi Johnston: Sarah Palin knew Bristol and I were having sex.

The Alaska wildlife tales just keep coming!

Smoke has yet to settle from the feud between Levi Johnston – the former fiancé of Bristol Palin, who will appear on The Tyra Banks Show April 6 to discuss his sex life with the Alaska governor's 18-year-old daughter – and Sarah Palin, who issued a blistering statement condemning Johnston's decision to talk dirty on TV. (Johnston, 18, and Bristol Palin welcomed son Tripp last December and split earlier this year.)

And now comes a new source of embarrassment for the former GOP vice-presidential contender: police in Sarah Palin's hometown of Wasilla have arrested the half-sister of her husband, Todd, for allegedly breaking into a house in a robbery attempt.

According to the Anchorage Daily News, police say Diana Palin, 35, entered the home Thursday morning and made straight for a bedroom cabinet where cash was stowed. The house had already been burgled twice in recent weeks. This time the owner, carrying a gun, was waiting in a bathroom after seeing an unfamiliar car pull up outside.

The owner, Theodore Turcott, reportedly confronted the intruder and detained her until police arrived.

In a further twist in the case, Diana Palin's 4-year-old daughter was apparently waiting in the car outside, but entered the house before police arrived, a prosecutor said during a Palmer District Court hearing Friday. The little girl reportedly told police she had been in the house before.

Diana Palin was taken into custody on felony burglary charges relating to two break-ins at the Turcott house. A spokeswoman for Gov. Palin declined the newspaper's request for comment. [PEOPLE]

Levi Johnston: Sarah Palin knew Bristol and I were having sex.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Levi Johnston is in big trouble at the Sarah Palin household.

After taking about sex on The Tyra Banks Show, Johnston – the 18-year-old father of Bristol Palin's baby – was hit with a blistering response from Bristol's mother, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

"Bristol did not even know Levi was going on the show. We're disappointed that Levi and his family, in a quest for fame, attention, and fortune, are engaging in flat-out lies, gross exaggeration, and even distortion of their relationship," says the statement from the Palin family rep.

"Bristol's focus will remain on raising Tripp, completing her education, and advocating abstinence," the statement continues. "It is unfortunate that Levi finds it more appealing to exploit his previous relationship with Bristol than to contribute to the well being of the child."

The statement ends, saying, "Bristol realizes now that she made a mistake in her relationship and is the one taking responsibility for their actions."

In the show airing April 6, Johnston tells Tyra Banks that he believes Sarah Palin knew he and Bristol, 18, were having sex when they lived under her roof. "I'm pretty sure she probably knew. Moms are pretty smart," Johnston says.

The couple, who were high school sweethearts, planned to wed after graduating – but ended up splitting earlier this year. At the time, Johnston told Good Morning America that he needed to mature before getting married.[PEOPLE]

SARAH PALIN TURKEY SLAUGHTER GRAPHIC TURKEY PARDON CARNAGE VIDEO

MSNBC Mocks Palin for ‘Pardoning’ Thanksgiving Turkey as Birds Are Slaughtered Behind Her

Alaska governor and former Republican VP candidate, Sarah Palin, is still working the photo ops after her election loss. Palin pardoned a filthy Thanksgiving turkey, but unfortunately the other turkeys on the farm weren't spared from the chopping block. Witness video of the carnage in the background behind Sarah Palin while she talks about the "gotcha" media. Warning the turkey slaughter and carnage video is pretty graphic. It must be mentioned that Sarah Palin was told that the bloody turkey killings scene would be in the background of her interview. Watch the horror...

Some turkeys receive an official pardon around Thanksgiving. Many more do not, as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin reminded us yesterday. Just after Palin announced she'd be sparing a turkey, grisly processing of a less-fortunate bird continued behind her in plain sight, according to KARE-TV in Minneapolis.  A photographer told Palin of the scene happening over her shoulder and she let the conference continue, the station reported. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin officially pardoned a turkey for Thanksgiving at a farm in Wasilla, Alaska on Thursday, then conducted a television interview as another bird was clearly seen being slaughtered in the background. source

As the former Republican vice presidential nominee spoke with a KTUU-TV reporter about returning to work in Alaska, just a few feet behind her a Triple D Farms worker is seen feeding a turkey into a grinder, periodically turning around to watch the on-going interview. Click to watch the Palin interview (Warning: Content may be disturbing to some) Palin, who called the pardoning experience "neat" was reportedly told by the station videographer what was going on behind her, but allowed the interview to continue. Pardoning a turkey is tradition for governors in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, following a White House custom that began in 1947.

SARAH PALIN MATT LAUER INTERVIEW IN ALASKA KITCHEN VIDEO

Sarah Palin conducted one of several post election interviews with Matt Lauer on the Today Show. During the interview Sarah Palin blames everyone else except herself and negative campaigning for the loss of the Republican ticket. Watch Matt Lauer's awkward interview with her cooking in the kitchen like Martha Stewart while saying she may run in 2012.  The Alaska Governor also brags about going rogue and complains that she wasn't able to introduce John McCain before his concession speech. Sarah Palin's first post election press conference was cut short. Some Republicans were not happy with the way that the Palin press conference was conducted, complaining that it seemed intended to bolster her status as the leader of the party and that she was hogging the media attention.source

Click here to watch the video.

Can anyone explain why everyone is running to interview Sarah Palin and do  hand holding in Alaska while she complains about her treatment in the press? How often do people run to hang out with the loser in a major political election?

Reporters are baffled that Sarah Palin is still saying negative things about Barack Obama like she did on the campaign trail. Watch the reaction to the Sarah Palin press conference.

Jonathan Capehart told MSNBC's David Shuster, "I watched her entire speech, and I had to remind myself that the election was a week ago, and this was not a McCain/Palin rally." Is that crazy white-haired lady who thought Obama was "an Arab" a Republican Governor? Probably! "Everything you heard at a McCain/Palin rally since she was selected as the Vice Presidential nominee since September, and even down to the same rhetoric was in that speech," said Capehart.

Jonathan Martin added that Palin's speech was "perplexing" and "jarring," which are the two nicest things ever said about a Palin speech. He added that he wasn't "sure if she wanted to, you know, re-litigate the past campaign or look forward and diagnose where the party should go from here. And it was sort of a little bit of both, but also neither."

Capehart added, "She needs to stop." And, according to David Shuster, 52% of people polled agree that it's time for Sarah Palin to go home. By contrast, 45% say they can't get enough of her. Funny how those numbers seem to correspond with another large accounting of the American electorate that was recently taken! source

 

Related articles by Zemanta

• The First Notch on Her Gun Barrel:
• Palin urges GOP governors to keep Democrats honest
• Sarah Palin 2012?
• Palin says she doesn't regret Couric interview

SARAH PALIN POST ELECTION INTERVIEW WITH FOX NEWS GRETA VAN SUSTEREN VIDEO

Exclusive : Gov Palin Pt. 1

Fox News host Greta Van Susteren interviewed Alaska Governor Sarah Palin who gave her first post election interview. Sarah Palin blasted critics who leaked the information that she didn't know Africa was a continent and wasn't familiar with NAFTA. Greta Van Susteren argued with Bill O'Reilly about Sarah Palin and labeled the information about Palin's lack of knowledge on certain topics as "gossip".

Sarah Palin was not happy about the discussion of her in the media and called her critics "jerks".

“I remember having a discussion with a couple of debate preppers,” Palin said. “So if it came from one of those debate preppers, you know, that’s curious. But having a discussion about NAFTA — not, ‘Oh my goodness, I don’t know who is a part of NAFTA.’ ”

“So, no, I think that if there are allegations based on questions or comments that I made in debate prep about NAFTA, and about the continent versus the country when we talk about Africa there, then those were taken out of context,” Palin said. “And that’s cruel and 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 is not fair and not right.” source


Listen to their discussion.

Watch Sarah Palin's scripted responses to questions about the $150,000 plus shopping spree and whether the rumors are true that she is the biological mother of her son Trig. There are blogosphere rumors that Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol is the mother of Trig.   

Exclusive : Gov Palin Pt. 2

In an interview with the Anchorage Daily News posted on the paper’s site Monday morning, Palin pointed a finger at the Bush administration for souring the GOP brand, adding that it was “amazing” that the McCain campaign did as well as it did. “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? How have there been blunders with war strategy under a Republican administration?” Palin said. “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. 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.” Looking back on the race, the Alaska governor said that she was “frustrated” by misinformation spread about her, especially related to her family. “Some of the goofy things like who was Trig's mom. Well, I'm Trig's mom and do you want to see my medical records to prove that? And banning books. That was a ridiculous thing also that could have so easily been corrected just by a reporter taking an extra step and not basing a report on gossip or speculation,” Palin said. “Just looking into the record. It was reported that I tried to ban Harry Potter when it hadn't even been written when I was the mayor. So, gosh, we have so many examples, I mean every day, especially the first few weeks, every day something that was thrown out there.”

source

Exclusive : Gov Palin Pt. 3

Exclusive : Gov Palin Pt. 4

Related articles by Zemanta

• Linda Bergthold: Palin calls bloggers "kids in pajamas"
• Greta Van Susteren Exposes Palin Family Kitchen Activities! [Softball]

SARAH PALIN DIDN'T KNOW AFRICA WAS A CONTINENT

Information is being released about Sarah Palin's grasp on Foreign Policy and "diva" behavior behind the scenes of the Republican campaign. Watch a discussion on Fox News about the fact that Sarah Palin did not know that Africa was a continent and not a country. Sarah Palin also did not know about NAFTA.  It's kind of scary if that is true. If Sarah Palin was elected to Vice President she would have literally been a heartbeat away from the presidency. Sarah Palin responded and said they were false allegations. Newsweek claims there was infighting behind the scenes of the Republican campaign. There are also reports that Sarah Palin's RNC shopping spree was more than $150,000 dollars and Palin once answered the door wearing a towel.

NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books. source

Learn more about Sarah Palin in Newsweek's article on "The Special Election Project"   

John McCain was not her dream pick. Only a year ago, when the Republican primaries were just beginning, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told NEWSWEEK that she wasn't enthusiastic about anyone in the GOP field. McCain was languishing at 7 percent in the polls. Mike Huckabee was reduced to playing his electric bass to get attention. Palin, driving with a NEWSWEEK reporter along the highway from Anchorage to Wasilla, said she could understand why the country was enthralled by the race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. "When you talk about the Republican Party needing appealing candidates, darn right they do!" she said. "The Democrats, whether you like them or not … there is some dynamic there, and it's something that the Republicans I think have lacked for some time." Palin had a lot on her mind in summer, with the kids out of school and a state to run, and didn't think she'd have time to focus on the race for a while. "I'm not overly excited yet," she said. "I will probably do what every American does and that's really get plugged in, tuned in to what's going on, when the field is set and that means there will be someone who stands out." When the GOP held its Alaska caucus on Feb. 5, Palin didn't bother to endorse a candidate, despite personal appeals from Huckabee and Mitt Romney, her fellow social conservatives. She had never met or spoken to John McCain. But she indignantly dismissed his opposition to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as the politically correct—yet wrong—position of "Eastern politicians." Palin finally got the chance to meet McCain at a gathering of Republican governors in Washington, D.C., in mid-February. Weeks later, even after the other Republican contenders had dropped out of the race, Palin still had not endorsed McCain. Preparing to go onstage March 3 in Los Angeles, at NEWSWEEK's Women's Leadership Forum, Palin was eager to quiz another governor, Janet Napolitano of Arizona, on her impressions of her state's senior senator. Palin said she still had "a lot of questions" to get answered about her party's presumptive nominee before she could back him. source

SARAH PALIN PRANK SARKOZY CALL GETS PUNK'D ON FRENCH CANADIAN RADIO STATION

Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin got punk'd big time on a popular French Canadian  radio station in Quebec. Govenor Palin took the phone call and was asked various questions about her desire to run for President and the "documentary" about her life by Hustler called "Who's Nailin Palin."  Sarah Palin was completely clueless that she was being pranked during the phone call which makes it even funnier. Listen to the  hilarious 6 minute prank Nicolas Sarkozy phone call. 

A notorious Montreal-based comedy duo named The Master Avengers has released a recording of a prank phone call made to Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, in which one of the participants pretends to be French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Palin, unaware she was speaking to a Quebec radio DJ and being recorded, talked for nearly six minutes as the conversation touched on topics such as a Hustler porn video made about her, shooting animals from helicopters, Dick Cheney's hunting ability, Sarkozy's "beautiful wife" and how the French leader could "see Belgium" from his house.

Palin's campaign spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt has confirmed in a statement that she took the call.

"Governor Palin received a phone call on Saturday from a French Canadian talk show host claiming to be French President Nicholas Sarkozy. Governor Palin was mildly amused to learn that she had joined the ranks of heads of state, including President Sarkozy, and other celebrities in being targeted by these pranksters. C'est la vie," she said.  The Master Avengers, consisting of Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudel, have pranked celebrities many times before, including Sarkozy himself when one of the pair pretended to be Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The pair, from radio station CKOI, are planning to play the call on the air on Monday. source

Republican running mate Sarah Palin has unwittingly taken a prank phone call from a Canadian comedian, who posed as French president Nicolas Sarkozy and told her she would make a good US leader one day.

In the six-minute call, which will air on a Quebec radio station on the eve of the US presidential election, the governor of Alaska misses several hints that the conversation, in which the comedian uses an exaggerated French accent, is a joke.

The McCain-Palin campaign later issued a statement which said Mrs Palin was "mildly amused" and added: "C'est la vie."

During the call with Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudel, a Montreal comedy duo known as the Masked Avengers, the moose-hunting Republican talked about how she was a "careful shot", praised Mr Sarkozy, and asked him to give his wife, model-turned-singer Carla Bruni, "a big hug for me".

When the comedian told her he could see her as a president one day, Mrs Palin laughed and replied: "Maybe in eight years."

She also discussed the perils of hunting with vice president Dick Cheney, who shot and injured a friend while hunting quail in 2006.

"I just love killing those animals. Mmm, mmm, take away life, that is so fun," the fake Mr Sarkozy said.

After he suggested they should go hunting together by helicopter, she replied: "Well, I think we could have a lot of fun together while we're getting work done. We can kill two birds with one stone that way."

The comedian joked that they should not go with Mr Cheney. source

Related articles by Zemanta

• Palin's prank call from fake French president
• Montreal comedian pranks Sarah Palin
• Palin Fooled By Prank Phone Call

SARAH PALIN GMA INTERVIEW WITH ELIZABETH VARGAS 20/20 VIDEO

Governor Sarah Palin's interview on ABC with Elizabeth Vargas aired on GMA and 20/20. Palin is asked if she thinks Senator Barack Obama is any less of an American or any less patriotic or honorable than John McCain. She is also asked if there was a double standard she was held to and that there are many Republicans who say she is not qualified for the VP position. She then talks about her $150,000 dollars worth of clothes bought by the RNC and her political aspirations for 2012. Sarah Palin talks about the double standards involved with her duties since she is a new mother. However, Governor Palin has a 6 month old special needs child who needs more time to be cared for by his mother.

CARIBAYA RUMS WANTS TODD PALIN AS "FIRST DUDE DRUNK AND SEMI-NUDE" SPOKESMODEL

VP candidate Sarah Palin's husband, Todd Palin, may not be your average Joe Six Pack but he can definitely relate to the the dog-racing snowmobile riding folks across America. Caribaya Rums is making an offer for Todd Palin to pose shirtless on billboards and ads across the country. Read the open memo sent by the company to "nations newest hottie" who is making the hockey moms of America swoon.

Dear Todd: 

I would like to take this opportunity to express my congratulations on being the nation’s “newest hottie.” We at Caribaya Rums are searching for a product supermodel to be placed on billboards and ads across the nation.

We would like to make an offer to you about representing our rum products. We at Caribaya Rums think that you would become a sex symbol to the millions of women that enjoy our product, as well as become the new face in the advertising world. Even though you live in the land of cold, we are sure that you would melt the tons of hearts that see this ad.

Celebrities and politicians provide the best exposure for product sales. Look what former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole did for Viagra. If your wife moves to Washington ,  you might be looking for a new job. Our ads appear on the back of every New York City bus.

Since our product comes from the tropical islands, our Madison Avenue team feels that a possible ad can have you revealing your bare chest, dressed in Hawaiian boxer shorts, surrounded by our rum.

Thank you for your anticipated review of this request. Should you accept an offer from us we know that Alaska ’s “first dude” will be the most popular spouse in the world.

Sincerely,

Martin Silver. President and CEO

Related articles by Zemanta

• Rum Company Wants Todd Palin Shirtless and Drunk

GOP REPUBLICANS SPEND $150,000 ON SARAH PALIN'S CLOTHES WARDROBE CLOTHESGATE PHOTOS

News has emerged that the GOP spent over $150,000 dollars on Sarah Palin's  wardrobe. UPDATE: Washington Post Fashion Editor Robin Givhan gave the following critic about Sarah Palin's clothing. "Her clothes are unpretentious, but they are also unremarkable. They have nothing to do with Fashion." 

Politico reports that the Republican National Committee "has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorise vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family" since August, with shopping bills at stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Barney's and Bloomingdale's totaling as much as $75,062.63, and a one-month hair and makeup total expenditure of $4,716.49.  It certainly wasn't a necessity with regard to the availability of fashionable clothes for modest prices. As Pam Spaulding aptly notes, "Michelle Obama buys off-the-rack (eg, the dress that she wore on The View was $148), and looks damn good in it without costing the campaign a fortune." source

Sarah Palin's expensive department store clothes were bought with campaign contributions. Remember when John McCain accused Barack Obama and Michelle Obama of being elitist?  Michelle Obama's off the rack Donna Ricco dress that she wore during her guest hosting gig on The View became an instant hit. The dress costs only $149 and is selling quickly at White House/Black Market. 

Here is the Gawker and Daily Kos' points of view on the Palin Clothesgate scandal.

On FOX News Channel, they are truly hilarious in their spin on the Palin wardrobe shopping spree, initially spinning that the shopping budget is the reason why she looks so good, and then quickly sputtering themselves into a strange rant on sexism and how TV personalities always get free clothes anyway. source

So the story of Sarah Palin spending $150,000 on clothes? Brother, it gets better. See, the RNC is required by law to list who exactly bought all the fancy clothes. And all the Sarah Palin fancy purchases—at Barney's, Bloomingdale's, and Saks Fifth Avenue—were made by one guy: Jeff Larson. Jeff Larson is one of the men behind FLS Connect, a Republican robocalling firm! They're famous this cycle for terrible robocalls about Barack Obama and Bill Ayers. source

Questions over the legality of Mrs Palin's wardrobe bill – paid for out of campaign donations – prompted her spokesman yesterday to say that the clothes would not be kept but donated to charity.

According to financial records obtained by Politico.com, a US politics website, the fashion spending spree started in early September.

The spending on so-called "campaign accessories" included bills from the fashion chain Saks Fifth Avenue in St Louis and New York that came to a total of $49,425.

There were also a couple of hefty splurges at another expensive fashion store, Neiman Marcus, in Minneapolis, including one worth more than $75,000.

The Republican National Committee also spent $44,716 on Mrs Palin's hair and make-up in September after reporting no such costs in August.

The rest of the Palin family made do on rather less. Around $295 was spent at Pacifier, an upmarket baby store, and just under $5,000 at Atelier, an expensive men's clothes shop.

The legality of such expenditure was questioned by campaign finance experts who cited the Federal Election Commission's opposition to campaign money being used to buy items for personal use.

Federal campaign finance law prohibits the use of campaign funds for personal use, which it defines as any expense "that would exist irrespective of the candidate's campaign or duties as a federal officeholder".

After initially refusing to discuss the spending, the McCain campaign issued a new statement as criticism mounted.

"With all the important issues facing the country right now, it's remarkable that we're spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses," said a McCain spokesman.

"It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign." source

Related articles by Zemanta

• Palin Shopper Is McCain Smearer [History]
• Of All The Things Sarah Palin Has Done And Said, THIS Is What Draws Outrage?
• Sarah Palin's Expensive Clothes
• Melissa McEwan: Palin's $150,000 wardrobe makes a mockery of the McCain campaign