KNIVES OUT for Palin in McCain Campaign

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-08-2008
KNIVES OUT for Palin in McCain Campaign
1
Tue, 10-28-2008 - 2:09am

World News






From correspondents in New Mexico


Agence France-Presse


October 26, 2008 09:24am









Sarah Palin
On the trail ... Sarah Palin at a campaign stop in Iowa / AP

BITTER infighting has broken out between aides to John McCain and Sarah Palin over management of the Alaska governor's role in the campaign, it was reported today.


The Politico.com website cited four Republicans close to Palin as saying she had grown frustrated by advice given to her by campaign handlers, whom supporters blame for a series of public relations gaffes.



BlogsStars 'n' Snipes: Sarah Palin 'goes rogue'


The report said Ms Palin was now increasingly willing to disregard orders from advisers, suggesting the Republican running mate was in the initial stages of forging her own identity for a future tilt at the White House.


"She's lost confidence in most of the people on the plane," said a senior Republican quoted by Politico, adding that Ms Palin had already begun to "go rogue" in some of her public pronouncements on the campaign trail.



The Alaska governor's supporters accused McCain campaign strategist Steve Schmidt and senior aide Nicole Wallace of already attempting to blame Ms Palin for the failure of the campaign.


"These people are going to try and shred her after the campaign to divert blame from themselves," a McCain insider was quote by Politico as saying.


When asked to comment on the Politico story, Ms Wallace said in an email: "I have no comment other than what's in the story, if people wish to throw me under the bus, my personal belief is that the graceful thing to do is to lie there."


Later, Politico quoted McCain advisers reacting angrily to the report, branding Ms Palin a "diva".


The McCain sources said Ms Palin had repeatedly gone "off-message" recently, suggesting she appeared to be looking out for herself.


"She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone," the McCain source said. "She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else."


News of tensions within the McCain camp comes after polls suggested Ms Palin - who electrified the party base when named as running mate in August - is now dragging down the Republican ticket 10 days from the November

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-13-2008
Tue, 10-28-2008 - 7:12am

Ever since the 'gone rogue' comment surfaced, I've rather suspected McCain staffers (and perhaps McCain as well) are laying the groundwork for blaming Sarah for what seems poised to happen a week from today. I rather suspect she will put up a hell of a fight if they persist in dropping these anonymous comments, and if she does, the post election doings will be incredibly fascinating. She could single handledly take out and end the Republican machine we've known ever since Reagan came to power. Can you blame her?



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