Palin Calls Her Critics "Jerks," "Cowardly"

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin called her critics cowards and jerks Friday for deriding her anonymously and insisted she never asked for the expensive wardrobe purchased for her use on the presidential campaign.

"I never asked for anything more than a Diet Dr. Pepper once in a while," Palin said as she returned to the governor's office from her two-month odyssey as the GOP vice presidential nominee. She said the Republican National Committee paid for the tens of thousands of dollars in designer clothes and accessories.

"Those are the RNC's clothes. They're not my clothes. I never forced anybody to buy anything," she said.

Republican Party lawyers are still trying to determine exactly what clothing was purchased for Palin at such high-end stores as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, what was returned and what has become of the rest.

She particularly lashed out at the anonymous Republican campaign sources cited in a Fox News report who said she did not know Africa was a continent, not a country, and could not name the three countries in the North American Free Trade Agreement _ Canada, the United States and Mexico.

"I consider it cowardly" that they did not allow their names to be used, she said.

Palin said those allegations aren't true. She recalled discussing Africa and NAFTA with aides who prepared her for the vice presidential debate with Democrat Joe Biden.

"If there are allegations based on questions or comments that I made in debate prep about NAFTA, and about the continent vs. the country when we talk about Africa there, then those were 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."

Story continues below

advertisement

Palin also said she would not call on Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, to resign, although last month, before his re-election bid, she said he should "step aside" and "play a very statesmanlike role in this now." Stevens, 84, was found guilty on seven counts of trying to hide more than $250,000 in free home renovations and other gifts that he received from a wealthy oil contractor.

Three days after the election, Stevens, the longest serving Republican in Senate history, is about 3,500 votes ahead of Democratic challenger Mark Begich with thousands of absentee ballots to be counted in the next two weeks.

Said Palin on Friday: "The Alaska voters have spoken and me not being a dictator, won't be telling anyone what to do."

When asked if she would call on him to resign, Palin said: "Not after the will of the people has been made manifest via that vote."

Meanwhile, RNC lawyers are discussing with Palin whether what's left of the clothing and accessories purchased for her on the campaign trail will go to charity, back to stores or be paid for by Palin, a McCain-Palin campaign official said Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the campaign hadn't authorized comment.

The sorting should be completed in the next four or five days, the campaign official said, declining to say whether the RNC was sending anyone to Alaska to help take inventory.

The RNC spent at least $150,000 on designer clothing, accessories and beauty services for Palin after she became John McCain's running mate in September. The spending included $75,062 at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis; $49,425 at Saks Fifth Avenue; $9,447 at Macy's; and $789 at the luxury retailer Barneys New York. Some of the purchases were for Palin family members, such as $4,902 spent at upscale men's clothier Atelier and $92 at Pacifier, a Minneapolis baby boutique.

The McCain-Palin campaign said about a third of the clothing was returned immediately because it was the wrong size, or for other reasons. However, other purchases were apparently made after that, the campaign official said.

The spending drew a complaint against Palin and the RNC by a Washington government watchdog group. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing Palin and the GOP of violating a federal ban on the use of campaign funds for personal expenses such as clothing.

The RNC didn't respond to repeated requests by The Associated Press for comment Friday.

It's routine for candidates to get professional hair and makeup services at campaign expense before they go on camera, but Palin's shopping spree at GOP donors' expense is unusual. It contrasted with the down-to-earth "hockey mom" image that Palin sought to craft and gave the campaign unwanted publicity in the form of newspaper headlines, Internet chatter and comedians' jokes.

FEC spokesman Bob Biersack declined to comment on the spending beyond confirming that the commission has received CREW's complaint.

___

Theimer reported from Washington.

___

On the Net:

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington: http://www.citizensforethics.org/

Federal Election Commission: http://www.fec.org/

Comments

[m00fin-san]

I still frimly believe that Sarah Palin has no business being anywhere near the White House, but the scapegoating of her by the GOP is almost sad, considering that it was John McCain who chose her to be his running mate in the first place.

[ThePhotogsBlog]

Jerks? Mean Spriited? Cowardly? That sounds very Republican doesn't it? Hey! Sounds just like the goose-stepping goombahs attending YOUR campaign events. Don't go home agry Sarah; just go...quick­ly.

[NoSandwiches]

I watched the full painful 10 minutes interview at http://mudflats.wordpress.com/
How painful.
Everybody keep your copies of this stuff to bring out in 2012.

And you thought you were motivated in THIS election?

[pupbayer]

I'm with her. Forget anonymous sources. Get some b alls and say it out loud for everyone to hear or go crawl back under your rock.

[hortonhearsawho]

Righteous of you there Levi...

[guajiro]

These guys/girls who are the sources can't afford to be outed. They do the hard, little rewarded work of a campaign and would lose a steady paycheck if they were found out. Suffice to say Palin does not deny it.

[RRG64]

she said her comments were taken out of context.
they just describer her as an "ignorant shopaholic" on the news here in Texas.

[pupbayer]

Yeah, well, that's Texas...Bu­sh country...­it's not like anyone takes Texas seriously.

[RRG64]

It may be Bush country, but there is a rising voice of Obamaites in the midst.

[stupidwoman]

I am sorry Sarah. I would rather to believe the "jerks", the "cowards" whatever you called them. But I can not believe any word from your mouth. You have talked too much. You should know that the more you talk, the worse it is. I can not imagine that if you were elected, you would spend 8o% time to fight with reporters across the world. By the way, did you return the clothes? I don't think the clothes itself a big deal, but for your future, donating them is the best way to do.

[gitlman]

For a party that had to spend 600-800 million to insure a win to even comment on $200,000 or so spent on anything.

[stupidwoman]

They can raise that much money, it tells the truth that people want them to win. If you thought they bought this win. So what? Anyway, they won. I don't think clothes issue is a big deal. It was GOP who told us this story. And Sarah palin said that she would donate them, so it will be nice to do that. At least build up a little credibilty.

[Hirnlego]

don't forget all that 400 dollar haircut talk..

[littlerabbit]

Are they going to auction Todd's silk boxers on eBay? Our Governor should settle back and just own up to enjoying those designer clothes. Since she was in on the decision, and nobody had to hogtie her to put those designer duds on her -- be a real person and own up to it Sarah. If the R's wanted to invest that money to do that, let them take the fall.

I would like to bid on Piper's Louis Vitton bag. Let me know when it is auctioned off

[jimd2k]

We quickly recognize most often what we know best. Bought a new camera? You'll see more of those cameras everywhere. Kind hearted? You'll see kindness in others everywhere. Now, take a look at what Sarah Palin sees in others. She calls her former team members "mean spirited . . jerks". What does this reveal about her own level of functioning? It is frightening.

[pup sydney]

as Letterman Said
she is waiting for FOX news to declare her and McCAIn the winners of the elections.­.

[missjabez]

I wonder what Joe the Plumber is doing?

[moongal6]

Who???????

[harhar2]

I think most of us are pretty sick of Sarah Palin, and can't wait for her to go away. Unfortunately the more she talks to reporters the more they write about her because the nonsense that comes out of her mouth seems newsworthy for some reason. Did she ever release her health records BTW? I was wondering if maybe she might have a chemical imbalance, as it seems way too easy for her to lie. People like this can be very dangerous when in power. Although, I am sure many of us are breathing a sigh of relief she isn't our VP, the talk from some Republicans of her making a run of it in 2012 is a bit scary.

[KeithMayass]

Sarah Palin blamed by the US Secret Service over death threats against Barack Obama
Sarah Palin's attacks on Barack Obama's patriotism provoked a spike in death threats against the future president, Secret Service agents revealed during the final weeks of the campaign.

[KeithMayass]

She said: "I consider it cowardly. It's not true. That's cruel, it's mean-spirited, it's immature, it's unprofessional and those guys are jerks if they came away taking things out of context and then tried to spread something on national news that's not fair and not right."

She was not asked about her incendiary rhetoric against Mr Obama. But she did deny the spending spree claims, saying the clothes in question had been returned to the Republican National Committee. "Those are the RNC's clothes, they're not my clothes. I asked for anything more than maybe a diet Dr Pepper once in a while. These are false allegation­s."

Speaking as she returned to her native Alaska, Mrs Palin claimed to be baffled by what she claims was sexism on the national stage. "Here in Alaska that double standard isn't applied because these guys know that Alaskan women are pretty tough, on a par with the men in terms of being outdoors, working hard," she said.

"They're commercial fishermen, they're pilots, they're working up on the North slopein the oil fields. You see equality in Alaska. I think that was a bit of as surprise on the national level."

[Heartlight3]

She said: "I consider it cowardly. It's not true. That's cruel, it's mean-spirited, it's immature, it's unprofessional and those guys are jerks if they came away taking things out of context and then tried to spread something on national news that's not fair and not right."

Isn't that exactly what she did to Obama during the campaign? Is that a double standard also? Is she even aware that she did the same thing?

[Bongborg]

She has NPD. It's different (to her) when she does it.

[KeithMayass]

Details of the spike in threats to Mr Obama come as a report last week by security and intelligence analysts Stratfor, warned that he is a high risk target for racist gunmen. It concluded: "Two plots to assassinate Obama were broken up during the campaign season, and several more remain under investigation. We would expect federal authorities to uncover many more plots to attack the president that have been hatched by white supremacist ideologues­."

Irate John McCain aides, who blame Mrs Palin for losing the election, claim Mrs Palin took it upon herself to question Mr Obama's patriotism, before the line of attack had been cleared by Mr McCain.

That claim is part of a campaign of targeted leaks designed to torpedo her ambitions, with claims that she did not know that Africawas a continent rather than a country.

The advisers have branded her a "diva" and a "whack job" and claimed that she did not know which other countries are in the North American Free Trade Area, (Canada and Mexico). They say she spent more than $150,000 on designer clothes, including $40,000 on her husband Todd and that she refused to prepare for the disastrous series of interviews with CBS's Katie Couric.

In a bid to salvage her reputation Mrs Palin came out firing in an interview with CNN, dismissing the anonymous leakers in unpresidential language as "jerks" who had taken "questions or comments I made in debate prep out of context."

[KeithMayass]

The Republican vice presidential candidate attracted criticism for accusing Mr Obama of "palling around with terrorists", citing his association with the sixties radical William Ayers.

The attacks provoked a near lynch mob atmosphere at her rallies, with supporters yelling "terrorist" and "kill him" until the McCain campaign ordered her to tone down the rhetoric.

But it has now emerged that her demagogic tone may have unintentionally encouraged white supremacists to go even further.

The Secret Service warned the Obama family in mid October that they had seen a dramatic increase in the number of threats against the Democratic candidate, coinciding with Mrs Palin's attacks.

Michelle Obama, the future First Lady, was so upset that she turned to her friend and campaign adviser Valerie Jarrett and said: "Why would they try to make people hate us?"

The revelations, contained in a Newsweek history of the campaign, are likely to further damage Mrs Palin's credentials as a future presidential candidate. She is already a frontrunner, with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, to take on Mr Obama in four years time.