Palin E-mails Show Infighting With Staff

CBS News ^ | July 1, 2009 | Scott Conroy & Susshannah Walshe

[Al B.]

Internal campaign e-mails exchanged three weeks before Election Day offer a rare look at just how frustrated then Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin had become with the manner in which top McCain campaign aides were handling her candidacy. The e-mails, obtained exclusively, also highlight the power struggle and thinly veiled acrimony that pervaded the relationship between Palin and the campaign's chief strategist, Steve Schmidt.

The episode in question began when an investigative report published on the left-leaning Web site Salon.com raised questions about Palin's relationship with members of the Alaska Independence Party (AIP) when she was mayor of Wasilla. The AIP's platform calls for a vote giving Alaskans the option to secede from the United States. It had already been widely known that Todd Palin was a registered member of the AIP from 1995 to 2002 and that Governor Palin had taped a recorded greeting at the party's 2008 convention.

On the morning of Oct. 15, Palin was aboard her campaign jet and en route to New Hampshire when she happened to catch a disparaging CNN segment that touted the Salon.com story, complete with a provocative graphic at the bottom of the screen reading, "THE PALINS AND THE FRINGE."

[Al B.]

Now they're leaking emails Gov. Palin sent during the campaign. They're trying to take her out right now.

I think it may get even uglier real soon.

[EGPWS]

This woman has my vote whenever I have the option.

Lib's hate her thus she has some serious potential politically! : - D

[Da Coyote]

Palin must have been frustrated that she was brighter than McKennedy and the sum of his entire staff.

Of course, let’s also bring blame on the millions of repub IDIOTS that voted for McKennedy. Good grief, the idiot’s a dimb-bulb-crat. The main diff between McCain and Kennedy is at least all of McCain’s female associates are still alive.

[rlmorel]

"...highlight the power struggle and thinly veiled acrimony that pervaded the relationship between Palin and the campaign's chief strategist, Steve Schmidt..."

Ya know...a WORTHLESS no-load who ran such a CRAPPY campaign which gave us who we have in the White House today is going to have a lot of trouble convincing me he is either RIGHT about ANYTHING or UNDESERVING of any MALEDICTION I can deliver.

[rlmorel]

And lets not forget to pile heaps of blame on the IDIOTS who DIDN’T vote for McCain who simply greased the slides for our country’s journey to the crapper.

As crappy as McCain was, he would not have accomplished this much damage in such a short time.

So let’s not forget to heap blame on ALL the IDIOTS who deserve it too, okay?

[RoadKingSE]

thinly veiled acrimony that pervaded the relationship between Palin and the campaign's chief strategist, Steve Schmidt.

Thinly veiled acrimony my @$$! McLame's people were afraid of Palin's appeal casting a giant shadow over their jet jockey. The problem with this moron Steve Schmidt is that every other letter in his last name is camoflage to disguise his real name.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“As crappy as McCain was, he would not have accomplished this much damage in such a short time.”

And that, my FRiends is his ONLY saving grace. ;)

Don’t blame me. I voted for Sarah. And I will again! And I’m thinking of taking a page from the ‘Rat Handbook...and voting for her as many d@mn times as I can get away with in the future, LOL! :)

[ReneeLynn]

Sucession? In fighting with McCain’s lot? I’m liking Sarah even more, if that were possible.

[ckilmer]

this is what happened to newt during the 90’s

[rlmorel]

"...every other letter in his last name is camoflage to disguise his real name..."

Very good! I had not heard that angle!

[McGruff]

Who knows if this is true but assuming it is,

...frustrated then Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin had become with the manner in which top McCain campaign aides were handling her candidacy...

Next time she won't be playing second fiddle. It's her campaign to win or lose. My bet, she smokes them.

[nralife]

See my tagline. Been there since before the election...

[rlmorel]

Agreed. He was my commanding officer when I was in the USN for a short period of time so I give him respect for his sacrifice and service to his country.

As a politician, he is reprehensible, and as a conservative, well he isn’t and never has been.

But no matter how bad he was or is, he could not and would not have been able to humiliate our country as completely and effectively as Obama has in such a short time.

[golfisnr1]

I believe that a Pub is Behind this. Who benefits most? Romney?

[Bruinator]

For what its worth, the astute and active voter will pick up on this. There will be a backlash to this take down and people who would not actively suppoer her will begin to support her in the public domain.

[rlmorel]

You know what really made me sit up and take notice of her? When the McCain campaign pulled out of Michigan and gave it up as a lost cause, she wanted to go try, and loudly said so.

She has gumption.

[Redgirl]

OOOOHHHHH Palin sent an e-mail asking McCain staffers to defend her husband! The nerve! Doesn’t she know she should be a good little Stepford wife and let the men handle it?! /s

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Yep. We’re starting into month SIX. Six short months, and the damage to date is beyond tragic.

Good Lord, I don’t know if I’ll survive another three and a half YEARS of this cr@p.

[GOP Poet]

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[jimfree]

Sounds like she was asking the staff to act like they wanted to win. We both know they didn’t care as much as about what they could make in their next gig.