Bristol Palin avoids questions about Mercede Johnston Playboy interview.

Bristol Palin Fields Questions About Mercede Johns

Damn, I don't think Bristol liked this introduction into the world of the LA reality star one little bit.

And you just know she was biting a hole in her lip to keep from responding to those questions about Sadie.

Somebody who has access to her REAL Facebook account needs to monitor is carefully, because I have little doubt she will let her anger out later on today.

It was nice to see that Willow has been allowed to accompany her sister and Tripp on their adventures.  She has been out of sight for such a long time.

(If the video does not play click here.)

UPdate: What is this? Bristol's reality show is a big fake? Say it ain't so!

This may come as a bit of a shock, but, from what can be seen here, Bristol Palin's new reality show isn't very, well, real.Footage taken of Palin, son Tripp and co-star Kyle Massey on their new BIO channel reality show features the trio in a number of Los Angeles-area locales. 

They go in and out of a baby supply store, timed with their cameras to get the shot just right, and take a strangely long amount of time to order food at a burger stand. 

Perhaps the most authentic of the crew? Little Tripp, who had a cute fit when someone tried to pry him off an electric rocking horse. 

(Here is the video of what's described above.)


Fake pregnancies, fake political credentials, fake marriages, fake chins, and now fake reality. Isn't there ANYTHING real about this family?

Greta Van Susteren pulls the short straw and once again has to pretend that Sarah Palin has anything intelligent to say about what is going on in this country.

You know the first thing that leaps out at me is that Fox News hosts ALWAYS refer to Palin as "Governor" multiple times, like they are trying to remind their audience that once upon a time this dimwit actually had a real job.

Then only a few sentences into her remarks she starts the middle school attacks on our President. (By the way you nasty harpy bitch, the President is referred to as "No Drama Obama." HE is not the reason that we are facing a potential crisis, that would be the politically illiterate Teabaggers YOU helped get elected to sabotage our country!)

By the way Geitner said we "would not default" based on his belief that the politicians would not really allow that to happen:

Geithner said Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell "had been absolutely clear, they are not going to let this country default.

But pressed several times, Geithner refused to reveal if the Obama administration had a back-up plan and had begun deciding which checks would be signed and which would not.

"We will do everything we can to mitigate the damage," he said, revealing that the United States writes 80 million checks a month.

That does NOT mean there is not a crisis, only that the grownups will try to minimize the damage if the children continue throwing a fit and not taking seriously the responsibilities that the American people assigned to them.

Okay is it just me, or does Palin look especially venomous today?


Gee I certainly hope I did not have anything to do with that.


"Well scaring the American people is exactly what President Obama is doing in that bizarre speech he gave last night. It reminded me of when he insisted that TARP had to be passed. You know it was life or death at that time also. We had to..uh..increase spending or the Federal government, or people would be starving on the streets..I mean..uh uh..look at what TARP resulted in."

You know I hate to distract Palin while she is on one of these anti-Obama rants of hers with facts (After all we know how much she hates facts, because they always seem to favor liberals.), but TARP was passed in October of 2008, by George W. Bush.  It is kind of hard to blame President Obama for legislation that was put into place BEFORE he was in office.

Oh, and you would think that Palin might remember this, since her running mate John McCain suspended his campaign to help get it passed. (Damn, no WONDER Palin hates facts so much!)

But sorry to interrupt, you were saying?

"Reinvent the will?"  You know I have never met an Alaskan who could not say "wheel" properly. Every time she opens her mouth she embarrasses the crap out of us.

You know the minute that Palin says, concerning the debt ceiling, "I don't want to see it raised," is when a real journalist would stop the interview and apologize to their audience for bringing on somebody who has no understanding of the topic being discussed.

And riddle me this Batman, why are the Teabaggers, who wave the Constitution around like it is a sacred document on par with the Bible, now pushing for a Balanced Budget Amendment?  Aren't they the crowd who believe that the Amendments which freed the slaves and allowed women the right to vote, are what started this country's downward spiral into Socialism in the first place?

When I watch these "interviews" there is always a moment where I stop and wonder if ANYBODY is really taking what this idiot says seriously.  I hear her spout these canned talking points, and rattle on using inflammatory language, and yet everytime she stops to take a breath I realize that the oxygen that she just used up was completely wasted. Actually, not that I want to see any harm come to her, I kind of think ALL of the oxygen she uses is wasted on her.

I really think that the only reason that we see Palin in this interview is because she is contractually obligated to appear on camera a couple of time a year, and that she was overdue. She has no expertise on the topic, adds nothing to the debate, and, even with the teleprompter reflected in her glasses, relies almost solely on the regurgitation of one size fits all talking points that essentially make her sound like a Chatty Cathy doll.

Her looks are fading rapidly, her wigs are becoming more obvious, and her talking points are becoming punchlines for late night comedians.  Hell even her most ardent supporters cannot force their families to go to her movie with them, or buy her daughter's book.

Even an endorsement from her, which used to carry some weight in conservative circles, would probably hurt a candidate far more than it would help them, so I cannot see anybody seeking her out for a photo op.

I still think we need to keep at least one eye cocked in her direction, because her base is potentially the most likely groups of Americans to open fire in a mall, or drown their children because they are possessed by liberal demons, but I think for all intents and purposes that Palin is yesterday's news.

Of course I still think we all need to buy Joe's book, and Nick's movie.  After all every corpse deserves a postmortem.

P.S. Oh, and don't forget the babygate book too. I have a call into the author for an update, andI hope to have that for you soon.

Some chilling words from Bill Maher.

I tend not to agree that Palin has a chance to become President, and I am always taken aback by the fact that there are many well educated people who believe it is not an impossibility.

I will say that if there was a devastating terrorist attack, and Obama was perceived to have not reacted adequately, that all bets are off as to how terrified and stupid the American people would suddenly become in response.

In THAT climate even an idiot like Sarah Palin, who did nothing but talk about God and American exceptional-ism, might actually have a shot.

However I have great confidence that Obama WOULD react appropriately, so this scenario is unlikely to present itself.

Anybody of a different opinion?

Sadly I have seen WAY too many Bristol Palin videos today, but this one is the strangest.

I have watched this video about four times now, and there is something very wrong with how her face moves.  Is that the result of cheek implants, or is she just high? Anybody?

So besides the video there is also this article.  Here are some of her more bizarre answers.

On abstinence:

"I hate the word abstinence," she says. "My mom knows I hate that word, everyone knows I hate that word. People think that I'm just 'abstinence only, do not have sex.' No. If you're going to have sex, practice safe sex. But the best option to prevent teen pregnancy is to not have sex."

You know, not only does Bristol hate the WORD abstinence, she also hates the PRACTICE of abstinence.

On her jaw surgery:

In person, a double take is required to first recognize her. The fullness of adolescence in her face is gone, leaving her with a much more angular look.

The surgery has been fodder for the likes of Kathy Griffin and Bill Maher.

"Why do people care?" asks Palin. In the mirror, she says she can't tell much of a difference. "Do people care when someone gets braces or glasses? Honestly, I'm just thankful I have tough skin to deal with that kind of stuff."

She doesn't read blogs and says her critics will talk regardless of what she does. What you'll never see her do?

"Pose naked," she shoots back. "Never."

You know, not to be mean, but I don't think anybody is clamoring to have Bristol pose naked. That may be the one thing she will not have trouble abstaining from.

On her next hook up:

What she wants: "Someone with the same religious beliefs as me and someone who's a family man." But "I have no time to date anyone right now."

Unless of course they brought their own tent and ice chest stocked with wine coolers.

Afer all a Wasilla girl can only hold out so long ya know.

I so wanted to believe that Bristol was just the victim of her mother's poor decisions and that there was something redeemable about her character.  I was wrong to give her that much credit.

Chris Wallace to Michele Bachmann: "Are you a flake?" Can I answer that?

Oooh, I do NOT think that Bachmann enjoyed that question!

"Well I think that would be insulting, to say something like that."

Really? Because Wallace JUST said something like that.  So if she were to be insulted you would think THIS would be the time. I don't believe she is completely connected to reality.

(H/T to Political Carnival.)

An interesting photo from Frank Bailey's book.

Until today I did not realize that a picture existed of the exact moment that Sarah Palin was e-mailing Frank Bailey in a desperate attempt to find out the name of the person who had just interviewed her.

That person in fact, was ME.

Here is the interview, for those who have never seen it.



What happened next I covered in my post titled The Bloggers and the Barracuda or A funny thing happened on my way to Wasilla.

We finished packing things up, thanked her for the interview, and exited the building to load up the car. After we finished I left Dennis outside with the equipment and went inside to get my friends and tell them that we were ready to hit the road.

When I located them in the sports center one of my friends asked “Did you see her?”
“See who?” I asked warily.

“Sarah Palin! When you left she handed Trig to Piper and charged across the middle of the basketball court in hot pursuit of you guys!”

Uh oh!

As we walked toward the exit we kept our eyes peeled, but did not see any sign of the Governor, so I figured that maybe it was no big deal and that she had given up and decided to rejoin her kids on the basketball court.

However when I climbed into the car I asked Dennis if HE had seen Palin.

“Oh yeah” he said. “She came out with a notebook and wrote down your license plate number.”

Apparently right before she stormed after us she was frantically e-mailing Frank Bailey, which was why moments after we drove away he would call Dennis Zaki's phone and try repeatedly to find out just who had interviewed the Governor. I was still anonymous in those days so he did not get an answer.

For some reason the incident was not mentioned in the book, but there is no doubt that the picture is from that day.

You can read the rest of the story, and discover how I think she DID find out who I was, by clicking the link above.

IM presents the parts of the Chris Wallace interview with Sarah Palin that got left on the cutting room floor.

"Hang on Wallace. Let Mommy's medication kick in before we get this show on the road."

"Oh yeah! That's the stuff! Bring it on girly man, the Mama Grizzly is ready to lay down some gibberish on ya!"

"No I did NOT get it wrong about Paul Revere! Let me explain something to you! Sarah Palin does NOT learn history!  History learns that it needs to change to match Sarah Palin's version of how things happened! And right now my minions are teaching that same lesson over at Paul Revere's Wikipedia page."

"Wait! Are YOU confronting me with facts that conflict with the answer I just gave you? Since when do you have the balls to do that?"

"If you try to embarass me with facts one more time Wallace I will come to your studio and use my cobra strike on you nutsack. And don't think I won't! Have you ever wondered why Todd has such a high voice?"

"Yes Piper did get a little cranky on the bus tour. But when I got her back onto the bus I calmly explained to her that this was Mommy's publicity tour, paid for by Mommy's friends, and that if she messed it up Mommy would send her back to Wasillla with the OTHER ungrateful little brats who cannot hold it together for five measly days!"

"I apologize if I stepped on any -- any of that PR that Mitt Romney needed or wanted that day. I do sincerely apologize. I didn't mean to step on anybody's toes. Did that sound sincere? Do you think Romney will buy that, the big baby, or should I do another take?"

"Did you see how big my jugs looked in that water bra? If THAT does not bring me up in the polls I don't know what will!  No really, I don't know what will?"

"Are we done? Well that went well I think.  Let me know when you want me back on your show to boost your ratings again, and next time DON'T try any of those gotcha questions! If I had not had this teleprompter, which keeps reflecting off of my fake glasses, I might have looked foolish. You guys are editing this part out right? Well gotta go, stage two of my medication just kicked in and I don't want to have to make my people change the Wikipedia page for George Washington next. Whoop, whoop! "

(H/T to Election 2012 for the pics)

Ken Morris, co-author of "Blind Allegiance," provides a little more insight into Sarah Palin's bizarre religious convictions.

Author Ken Morris

Courtesy of Truthout:

From the very beginning, Sarah had a plan that God would answer her Jabez-like prayers. And while none of us (Frank, me, and third co-author Jeanne Devon) believe God played any part, amazingly her dream for riches came true; the three of us decided that she’d have been wiser to pray for happiness.

Well documented in Blind Allegiance, Sarah came to relate to yet another Biblical figure, Queen Esther, going so far as to borrow the one-time savior of the Jewish people’s most famous line on several occasions: “If I die, I die.” In our book, we document several emails where the governor (who said repeatedly, “I hate this damn job”) marveled at how God chose her, above all others, for divine purpose. And while Frank was blindly allegiant to a woman he once truly believed was Ronald Reagan in a dress, Sarah was no less blind in her own faith in herself. She became convinced that she had Reagan’s so-called steely spine. She swore publicly that her skin was rhino thick, even to the point of lecturing Hilary Clinton to buck up and adopt Sarah’s ability to take the heat in the political kitchen. Frank and the others who knew the backbone filleted, thin-skinned truth, choked at the words despite continuing to believe in her mission. Not everyone in this world, they rationalized, is self-aware. If this were her only fault, they could live with that.

Unfortunately, this was the least of the character flaws that made her, in Frank’s words, “…not only ill-suited to head a political party or occupy national office, but would lead to a disaster of, well, biblical proportions.”

Sarah was, at best, an Old Testament Christian (an oxymoron since Christianity began with the birth of Christ and the creation of the New Testament). And she was a revisionist at that. An eye for an eye became two eyes for an eye. Eventually she translated that into the belief that any perceived slight deserved nothing less than personal destruction. Even in the case of a man of God, who championed what Sarah claimed was her most cherished principal - the preservation of unborn life - when causing her public embarrassment suffered her wrath. After one of her famous last-minute charity event cancellations (so that she could finish her lacquered biography in time for Christmas sales) even he became a target. She ordered Frank Bailey to do opposition research on this man, searching through sex offender and criminal files, telling Frank, “Find something. He must have something on him that we can use.”

After returning to Alaska from the McCain/Palin defeat, as Blind Allegiance so shockingly documents, Sarah did virtually nothing but attack enemies and work the national media for attention. She pledged to go only on Fox News because they were the only fair and balanced network. Even this week, when Frank Bailey courageously went on Sean Hannity’s show, Fox demonstrated how "fair and balanced" they were when Hannity, in a pique of his own defensiveness, asked Frank, "Okay, what would you ask Sarah if you were me?" Frank said, "Ask her why she broke campaign finance law and illegally coordinated with the Republican Governors Association during the campaign," an event painstakingly documented in our book. Not only did she illegally coordinate we prove, but she blatantly misrepresented that truth in her public statements. What did Sean Hannity do with this little exchange? He edited it out of the interview, and did not tell his viewers they were watching an edited tape he advertised on his website as “Sean battles Frank Bailey over his controversial book about Sarah Palin.” Yeah, Sean Hannity cut it clean out, but left his otherwise nonstop attacks, not allowing Frank to complete his sentences. Is this what journalism has become? Is that what Fox means when they claim to be fair and balanced? For what it is worth, Frank reported to me this morning that he may still be a Fox News conservative, but he is no longer a Sean Hannity conservative. That's progress.

I have long known that Palin's "religious conviction" was only truly felt when she was looking to God for some heavenly support, but at other times used simply to manipulate true believers into supporting her cause. She used her Wasilla congregation to trash opponent John Stein while running for the Mayor of Wasilla, manipulated the religious pro-life proponents to help her shoehorn her way onto the McCain ticket, and often calls on "prayer warriors" to seek divine protection on her behalf from media blow back that results from her ridiculous public statements.

However from everything I have heard about Frank Bailey, he truly IS a very religious person, and it was that shortcut into his heart that Palin used to seduce him into her camp. (Yes, her looks definitely played a part in that seduction as well. But I am not sure that Bailey was aware how much it did until much later on.)

And now poor Bailey is seeing first hand the kind of duplicitous behavior embraced by yet ANOTHER idol of his, Sean Hannity.  I have a feeling that due to these media experiences Frank is undergoing quite the "coming to Jesus moment" right before our eyes.

Which brings me to some good news.

I received confirmation yesterday that Frank IS willing to do an interview with me, and I hope to do that interview sometime next week.

Now before you all get your hopes up, let me tell you that I will NOT be asking if Bailey's opinion on babygate has changed.  As you all know if he were to suggest that his mind had been changed, and that Sarah did not give birth to Trig, it could very well damage his credibility and negatively impact his book sales.

However there are a number of questions about some of his observations that might give us a few more clues.  And there are also some behind the scenes stories that both Frank and I know that will lead to some very interesting new facts being revealed which might make this interview quite juicy indeed.

Anyhow that is currently planned for sometime next week.  If plans change, or for some reason Frank decides to bail, I will let you know.  But I have to say, after the brutal attack he suffered at the hands of Sean Hannity, he cannot be too worried about what I will do.

After all, I'm a nice guy. Right?

Lawrence O'Donnell interviews 10th grade student who challenged Michele Bachmann to a debate.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Wow, that is one sharp kid!

I think she could easily take on Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, and Glenn Beck without even breaking a sweat.

I have said it before, but it bears repeating, with this group of young people soon to take over the reins of responsibility in this country, I am filled with confidence that America's best days are still to come.

Have you ever wanted to reach through your computer screen and just throttle somebody? Well if you haven't you're about to now!

You know I wish I had been able to talk to Frank Bailey before he did this interview, because I would have told him to deal with Hannity in this way:

"Hey Shawn, I get it! In the beginning I was the guy assigned to viciously attack the messenger when Sarah Palin did not like the message.  I completely understand where  you are coming from, you have been given your directions and like a good dog you are jumping through the hoops provided for you.  You now have MY old job. But hey Shawn, it does not have to be this way! Look at me!  I am free of those bonds, and I can now tell the truth. Maybe someday you too will break your shackles and stand up to your corporate masters and Sarah Palin. After all everybody has to grow up someday, don't  you think?"

I wonder how far he would actually get into that response before they cut his microphone and the screen went black?

(Okay I am tired of hearing Hannity's voice.  I am NOT putting up anymore of his video, even if he sets himself on fire!)

(I lied. If he sets himself on fire I will absolutely post that! I mean who would not want to see that?)

Another Geoffrey Dunn interview!

From Mercury News:

Q. Palin is a pretty well-covered subject, and I think it's difficult to make a case that she's been treated with kid gloves by the mainstream media. Her popularity persists regardless. What does this book add to the conversation?

A. Not kid gloves, but maybe 16-ounce gloves. Part of the problem with mainstream journalism is their 24-hour news cycles and lack of in-depth reporting. The major example is TrooperGate. I turned up several emails and records that never have seen public light. And I've turned up dozens, if not hundreds of documents, that no one had ever seen before. Now, was it because I was a great investigative journalist? Not really. It was because I was persistent, and developed sources.

Q. Could you talk about some of the sources you were able to develop? How did you get that kind of access? Did writing for the Huffington Post help?

A. The fact that I knew Alaska, that I had a history in the state really helped me. I knew my way around the state, and I knew my way around the culture, helped me. The fact that I came from a fishing family here in Santa Cruz helped me. That I had family members that had been going up there to fish for years. But I didn't just do this as a fly-by-night reporter. I developed friendships; people had a confidence in me. In addition to that, the fact that I was breaking stories for the Huffington Post, gave people confidence that I could, one, respect confidentiality, and two, do a good job with it. They worked hand in hand. I thought I was going to have to tell the story of the election through the eyes of Democrats, that the only people that were ever going to talk to me were Democratic operatives who were following Palin around, so that's how I was going to tell the story. In fact, the Republicans leaked me everything. There are documents and emails in the book from Republican operatives during the McCain campaign, and no one's ever seen those. And they really tell the story on the ground of what it was like to work for Sarah Palin.

What's fascinating to me is the reaction of two people to her selection as vice-presidential candidate: George Bush and Barack Obama. Both said she'll never get up to speed. There's no way she can ever get up to speed. This is unfair to her and unfair to her family.

Two national figures who know how hard that road is, knew she wasn't ready for it.

I am sorry I am posting this so late.  I tried to put put up yesterday, but you all know what yesterday was like.

Anyhow click the link and give it a read, it has more interesting information about Dunn's research and his opinion of her political future.

 I REALLY hope that Geoffrey gets much more attention in the near future.  His book is really quite good.

"My problem is I DO have that fire in my belly." Oh crap, she is running!

Snowdrift Snooki has been doing her version of a media blitz, which entails appearing on as many Fox News shows as possible, whilst tweeting attacks on the Obama administration.

As I have noted earlier her interviews on Fox have been VERY aggressive and just chock full of hypocrisy.

However the Grizzled Mama's appearance on Greta yesterday was truly histrionic and combative.  Here see for yourself.



Number one Palin looks incredibly underweight, making her head seem enormous and her apparently shower curtain draped frame appear tiny and seriously malnourished.  Her dilated pupils and facial tics are reminiscent of a meth addict being interviewed by the police. 

My very first response was that she looks very unhealthy and seems to be deriving her manic energy from some source other than food.

Palin comes right out of the chute attacking the media at the 30 second mark, blaming them for making public the infighting within the Republican party, and the potential Presidential candidates.

Greta attempts to defend the occupation, of which she was once a member before going to Fox, and reminds Palin that it is the media's job to challenge the candidates on policy. This allows Sister Sarah to segue into the topic of personal attacks, during which she feels empowered to instruct the media on their appropriate job, which is not engaging in "personal gotchas" but rather talking about the candidates record.

When Greta asks Palin WHY anybody would even want to run for President with so much media scrutiny, Palin says she asks herself that "whenever I see one of my kids on the cover of a tabloid." (You mean like this one Sarah? "Photos courtesy of the Palin family.")

However then Palin quickly bares her teeth, and declares that "you have to believe the mission is that important. That you do have to make sacrifices in order to help mankind." (WTF? If mankind is so desperate that it needs Palin's help we are well and truly fucked.)

After that exchange Snooki decides to quote Thomas Paine to make her point, because she still does not realize that he was the very antithesis of her anti-intellectualism and religious points of view.

Then Palin switches gears at the 3:00 mark defending the media for going after Gingrich when he called the Ryan plan "Republican social engineering" This allows her to hit her stride by attacking the Obama health care plan while pimping Ryan's plan to do away with Medicare. (Somebody has not been paying attention to recent town halls now have they?)

At around the 4:33 mark Palin becomes patronizing toward Gingrich by saying "Bless his heart, and every other 'good ole boy's' heart that are playing that political game there in the beltway. They don't really know any more than the rest of us. Greta it was Newt Gingrich who told me in January of this year, Sarah Palin needs to slow down and think through what it is that she has to say." After that statement Palin claims that ALL of the candidates are on a "level playing field" which essentially I took to mean she believes they are ALL screw ups and therefore SHE does not have to concern herself with gaffes or misstated facts either.

After that exchange Greta seems to tailor her next question around Palin's own personal issues saying "every one you went to high school with, who never liked you, comes out as an anonymous source." (Hmm somebody has been reading Dunn's book.) Then, as she sees the Grizzled Mama's face becoming increasingly angry, she quickly backs off saying, "I'm not talking about you or anybody else, " when in fact Palin was exactly who she was talking about.

At the 5:45 mark Palin says that voters themselves need to "do their own homework and research a candidates record.  See if they have walked the walk, and not just talked the talk in their own personal and professional life." Finally!  Sister Sarah and I agree on something! (By the way let me welcome those of you who came here to "do their own homework and research" Sarah Palin. There are even more resources available to the left of this page in my blogroll. Just look under "Sarah Palin's least favorite blogs." Go ahead, read and learn! Remember, Sarah Palin told you to!)

(BTW what is it with Palin and the abuse of pickles? Constantly talking about "striking dills" (6:23) just seems especially cruel and heartless language to use on a harmless vinegar soaked cucumber that has never said one harsh word against her. I for one am tired of it!)

Okay now for this next portion you need to be sitting down. Are you sitting? Okay now grasp your jaw with both hands to hold it in place.  Ready?  Okay, here we go. (Starts at 15:03.)

"The toughest thing that I've had to do in my two decades of politicking has been the fundraising."

You heard her folks, Granny Grifter HATES fundraising!  Still got a hold of those jaws?  Good because she is not finished yet.

"I don't like asking other people for money." No I am not lying! She TOTALLY said that with a straight face. Watch it for yourself! And she is STILL not finished!

"It's very unpleasant, it's not a NATURAL thing to do for somebody like me to ask people to give me money so that I can get out there and fight for THEIR rights. But it is a necessary evil I suppose."

Now see THIS is why I am completely unconcerned about the possibility of the Rapture happening tomorrow.  If mean if there were a God WHY did a bolt of lightning not fry her where she stood? Go ahead Bible scholars, answer me that!

SHE does not "like asking people for money?" 

"It is a not a natural thing for somebody like me?' 

Who does she thing she is fooling? If this woman could figure out some way to make it marketable, she would have an E-Bay account set up selling little baggies of her own poop to crazed Palin-bots on the internet. 

However with the next question the Queen of the Grifters goes from totally full of crap, to dead serious in a heartbeat.

Greta asks if she has the "fire in the belly" to run for office. Her answer is hair raising.

"My problem is I DO have that fire in my belly. I am so adamantly supportive of the good traditional things about America, and our free enterprise system, and I want to make sure that America is put back on the right track,  and we only do that by defeating Obama in 2012. I have that fire in my belly." Then she goes on to lie about her family having some say in her decision to run, which we know is complete bullshit since when she was tapped as VP she made Steve Schmidt tell her family she was running.

Trust me she could not care LESS about their opinion on the matter. In other words, screw them, she's running.

"Yeah the fire in the belly, it's there that..that's kind of my problem! It's such a roaring fire in my belly to preserve and restore what is good about America that I struggle with THAT every single day." Look out GOP!  Here she comes!

For Palin book fans this next quote is gold, as Klondike Kardashian refers to the movies being made and the books coming out and that "hoarded e-mails from a disloyal former staff member have been compiled by a hateful blogger and those are going to be released!" (That's you Jeanne and Frank!)

At this point, around the 10:52 mark, Greta seems to finally understand that Palin is actually planning to run and essentially attempts to warn her off by telling her that the media WILL be going after her.

Palin than demands that Greta lead her her colleagues to ONLY go after candidates on their records and not on personal issues, at whihc point Greta has had enough, and responds with "Then don't take the bait! You know what? Then the candidates should not take the bait!"

This quickly devolves into an actual argument between Palin and her "go-to-Fox-interviewer" which is frankly amazing to me. Palin quickly throws up attacks on her family as a defense, but Greta is not having any of it.

"Anybodies got any dirt though, you know really bad things in the past, you know voter's need to know that, its fair." (Watch Palin's face and the hard swallow that happens during Greta's response starting at the 12:30 mark. She just realized that she cannot count on Greta to serve her softballs once she declarers her candidacy. Uh oh!)

Greta ends with "You have to have that fire in your belly to take it." Which is a DIRECT shot at Palin's thin skin and constant need to respond to bad publicity.

Palin realizing she has lost Greta, sort of agrees with her, but then attempts to make the argument that ONLY the conservative candidates get this type of scrutiny, once again resurrecting Obama's "associations" as evidence of the media playing favorites.

But Greta, refuses to allow Palin to go there, and instead suggests that it is a gender biased thing and brings up the kind of vicious attacks suffered by NANCY PELOSI and HILLARY CLINTON as examples of how female candidates suffer much harsher scrutiny from the media. (For fun, grab a bucket of popcorn and just replay Palin's expression over and over on a loop while Greta makes this point. There is SO much on display in that face as the Grizzled Mama fights to retain her composure, that it is amazing that her wig does not blow right off the top of her head.)

"Did that bitch just defend Pelosi?"

I was blown away by this interview, in that I believe it was the first time that Van Susteren has EVER treated an interview with Palin as anything other than two girlfriends kibitzing about the weather. AND it is clearly the first time that Palin seems to realize that once she announces her candidacy that her friends at Fox News might suddenly turn into ACTUAL journalists.

I don't think that idea made her very happy.

But even with THAT frightening realization, I think it is pretty clear the lunatic is running. I believe having Trump and Huckabee pull out was just too much temptation for her NOT to run.

Holy crap! This is going to be a blood bath!

Geoffrey Dunn, the author of "The Lies of Sarah Palin," in his own words.



Geoffrey Dunn and Gryphen in Alaska

Below is my interview with author, and my good friend, Geoffrey Dunn.

I attempted to ask Geoffrey questions that perhaps others would not think to ask him, as well as those to which I already knew the answers, but thought all of you might enjoy learning about as well.

Hopefully this interview will clear up some of the misconceptions that are swirling about concerning the research done for this book, and provide some insight into just what a herculean task writing a book which reveals the truth about such a secretive person can turn out to be.

So get a cup of your favorite beverage, sit back, and enjoy the conversation.

Gryphen: What was your very initial impression of Sarah Palin, when she first came onto the scene?

Geoffrey Dunn: I felt like I saw right through her from the get-go. I never felt, to steal a phrase from Gertrude Stein, like there was a there there. I knew people in the Mat-Su who said that her mayorship in Wasilla had been a disaster. I just never bought into the hype. When she was nominated for vice-president, I knew there was trouble ahead, and I was right.

Gryphen: How long did it take for you to start thinking there might be a problem with her ability to tell the truth?

Dunn: You know, there’s a fascinating editorial from the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman that was written in 1996. And it’s devoted to Palin’s inability to tell the truth. It’s stunning. It’s been part of her M.O. from the beginning. In November of last year my friends in Alaska all emailed me about her lying about the weather in Juneau when she was on Fox News. She lies about the weather. She lies about everything. As I say in the book, it’s a pathology.

Gryphen: When did you first decide to write a book about her, and what was the impetus of that idea?

Dunn: I had no intention of ever writing a book about Palin when I first started writing about her for the Huffington Post. None. Nada. I assumed that someone would grab a book deal about her and run with it. Plus, I didn’t want to spend a couple of years working on a book about her. But then several people started encouraging me to write a book – this was near the end of the 2008 campaign – and remember, she was coming back to Alaska to finish out her term for governor —and so the first idea for a book was that it would be a reflection on the interface between Alaska politics and the Outside. That has always fascinated me since my first trip to Alaska in 1974. Most people Outside have no clue about what is going on in Alaska. And then of course, she came back to Alaska and clearly had no interest in being governor anymore – none – she absolutely hated it. She’d seen the lights of the big city and wasn’t going to be kept down on the farm. So the book changed because her position in American political discourse changed. She became a national icon and she has stayed a national icon.

Gryphen: Did you find it easy to locate people in Alaska who were willing to go on the record about Sarah Palin?

Dunn: Nothing was “easy” about this book. Nothing. You know, Michael Paul Gross came to Alaska and said that no one would speak to him on the record. Ditto with several other reporters. I built up trust over two years with several people and the vast majority went on-the-record with their comments. But nothing was easy. And the Palin supporters have always attacked anyone who goes on the record. Viciously.

Gryphen: Did you make contact with any of the Palins close friends or associates? If you did what were your impressions?

Dunn: Yes, of course I made contact with several people who were at one time close to the Palins, and some who still claimed to be close. All good people. But it’s a fascinating river of human carnage that have been thrown under the bus by Palin—from Wasilla to Juneau to the McCain campaign, and now, even to SarahPAC. And they all draw the same portrait of Sarah Palin – and a pretty portrait it is not. Next week there will be another book out by one of her closest supporters – someone who was one of her closest confidantes, Frank Bailey. And he draws the same portrait.

Gryphen: What shocking bit of information about Sarah most surprised you while researching this book?

Dunn: The fact that she clearly and openly betrayed John McCain during the 2008 campaign. Now you can say, well, of course, everyone knew that. But when I stepped back from my book and looked at the whole story, that really hit me: she openly and willfully betrayed John McCain in the middle of the campaign. Wow. Think about it.

Gryphen: There have been some allegations from a few readers who claim that your sources were lying. How do you answer such charges?

Dunn: I checked up on the stories that were told and got confirmation from others. And I will forever stand by my sources. But look, one doesn’t need to question their rendition of events. The most devastating revelations in my book are those that are unchallenged, for which Sarah Palin is herself the source. And the most ringing is Palin’s tone-deaf and morally bereft response to the shooting of Gabby Giffords and the killing of six innocent bystanders in Tucson. Watch that tape again. It’s a shameful moment in American history. Appalling. And the commentators I cite in response to Palin’s speech are Republican and conservative commentators, not liberal ones. Watching Palin’s response made me sick to my stomach. It still does. That’s why I call the Epilogue to my book, “Crosshairs.”

Let me also add this—whenever someone attacks Palin, the minions circle the wagons and attack the messenger. They’ve done it every time. It’s soooo predictable. And when you watch it enough, the Palin inner-circle takes on all the qualities of a cult. And these people are cultish in their behavior. If you read the Bailey book, one reading is that those in the inner-circle were like cult members. It required an unquestioning dedication to Palin. The all drank the Koo-Aid.

Gryphen: Did you have to pay anybody to get them to speak with you?

Dunn: That’s a joke. No one was paid. The fact that anyone would claim that is another Palin scam and lie. Add it to the list. And it’s a very long list. The only one who has ever made money off the Palin scam is Palin herself.

Gryphen: Did anybody you interviewed have only positive things to say about Sarah Palin? And if so did they appear impaired in some way?

Dunn: Two people I interviewed only had positive things to say about Palin. And I included their comments in the book. I would like to spend more time with each and push them on their perceptions. But I like them both very much. They like me. Or they did. And they probably think my book is too hard on her. Which is funny, because a few people have thought I was too easy on her. Which proves, for anyone considering writing yet another book on her, that you need to be true to yourself in the portrait you draw. You can’t worry what anyone else thinks. And I don’t.

Gryphen: Have you had any bad experiences with Palin supporters?

Dunn: Yes, plenty. They’re entitled to their opinions. But I don’t really give them any juice and I refuse to engage it. And I’m not going to here.

Gryphen: Joe McGinniss is also writing a book about Sarah Palin, are you friends or mortal foes?

Dunn: I have to chuckle at that. It was you and other Alaska bloggers who informally introduced me to Joe last summer, through mutual emails and the like. And we have struck up a friendship that has become very important in my life. We have many things in common and he has been a mentor to me. One thing is that I’m Italian (on my mother’s side) and I lived in Italy during the mid-1980s. And he wrote a great book about Italian soccer, The Miracle of Castel di Sangro. He speaks Italian and has an Italian sensibility. Who would have thought? Two writers with Irish names speaking Italian to one another. He is il mio fratello negro. I’ll let you figure out what it means. And I think in the end, our books will complement one another. And I am really looking forward to reading his book— though I simply will never embrace his passion for soccer. But the Palin sand box is big enough for plenty of shovels and pails. And I am sure there will be more.

Gryphen: Do you think Sarah Palin will run for President in 2012? If not, why not?

Dunn: You know, several of my friends in Alaska, from across the political spectrum, made bets with me that Palin would win the presidency in 2012. Well her response to Tucson put a major damper on that dream. And I still think I will collect on that bet. Because let me say this to all her supporters: Sarah Palin cannot win the American presidency. Ever. She’s hated now Outside as much as she is hated in Alaska. Here’s my favorite graph about Palin:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/13/fav-palin_n_725513.html

The numbers tell the tale. And what’s fascinating is that ever since the Katie Couric interview, her favorability rating has been in steady descent. It has never moved the other direction once. And since Tucson it has been in even sharper decline. So the question is, even with those numbers will she run?

All of a sudden the planets have once again aligned in her favor. Trump got thrown out of the race. Huckabee dropped out, which creates a huge hole for Palin. Gingrich has self-immolated. Romney is made of cardboard. Pawlenty of recycled cardboard. Palin is the only one with any charisma or juice.

 The Gallup poll indicated that she has the most name recognition of any candidate. I mean, how many people know who Mitch Daniels is? She will no doubt see this as a sign from God that a door has opened. Also.

The fact that she just sent out 400,000 letters to South Carolina this week indicates that she is still positioning herself for a run. She can’t win Iowa—she has no organization there—and she can’t win New Hampshire –where she is disliked by Republicans (see my book, wink)—but she can win in South Carolina, so if she enters the race there, well it’s a free for all, and with Huckabee out, well she can roll in the South…she plays to the Southern conservative evangelicals who have a real problem with a black president. And she is dynamic on the stump where she has a well-scripted speech that she can deliver to the throngs. So that’s a possible scenario where she winds up running. She is the anti-Obama. And she has a shot, albeit a long one, to win the Republican nomination. But the presidency? Never.

Gryphen: Do you intend to write more about Palin?

Dunn: Right now, like most Alaskans, I am suffering from Palin fatigue. She may be suffering from Palin fatigue, too. So I may or may not. I was at work on a book about Bohemian culture in American history when I started the Palin book and I have already returned to working on it. But I am also considering writing a similar book about Palin’s buddy Glen Beck called “Snake Oil Man.” A couple of people have come to me with stories about him and I view him as a malignancy in American political discourse. So, too, do most credible Republican operatives. They can’t stand him. He and Palin tap into the same dark American sinister underbelly of fear and hatred and racism that fuels their huckster politics. And, of course, they snicker all the way to the bank. Theirs is really a disgusting presence in American political history.

Thanks for your time Geoffrey.  You are a true journalist in the best sense of the word, and you have done a great service to your country with this book.  The more light we shine on Sarah Palin the easier it will be for people to see her for what she really is, a very dangerous fraud.

Oh, and before I forget, thank you for the kind words that you wrote about me in "The Lies of Sarah Palin: The Untold Story Behind Her Relentless Quest for Power."  I felt truly honored to be included among such an impressive cast of characters.

And folks, if you have not ordered Geoffrey's book, what are you waiting for?

As of this writing it is number two on the Amazon "Hot New Releases in Political People Biographies" section. But with your help we can make it number one, as well as in a number of other categories too.