Boater wrote:
Palin sorts clothes to see what belongs to the RNC
By GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer Gene Johnson, Associated Press
Writer Mon Nov 10, 6:41 pm ET

WASILLA, Alaska – Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin spent part of the weekend
going through her clothing to determine what belongs to the Republican
Party after it spent $150,000-plus on a wardrobe for the vice
presidential nominee, according to Palin's father.

Palin and John McCain's campaign faced a storm of criticism over the
tens of thousands of dollars spent at such high-end stores as Saks Fifth
Avenue and Neiman Marcus to dress the nominee. Republican National
Committee lawyers are still trying to determine exactly what clothing
was bought for Palin, what was returned and what has become of the rest.

Palin's father, Chuck Heath, said his daughter spent Saturday trying to
figure out what belongs to the RNC.

"She was just frantically ... trying to sort stuff out," Heath said.
"That's the problem, you know, the kids lose underwear, and everything
has to be accounted for.

"Nothing goes right back to normal," he said.

Heath dismissed the clothes controversy as "ridiculous" and said his
daughter told him the only clothing or accessories she personally had
purchased in the last four months was a pair of shoes.

RNC lawyers have been 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 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 apparently were made after that, the
campaign official said.

On Friday, Palin told reporters: "Those are the RNC's clothes. They're
not my clothes. I never forced anybody to buy anything."

In an interview with the Anchorage Daily News, Palin faulted the
policies of the Bush administration for the defeat of the GOP ticket,
and said, "it's amazing that we did as well as we 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 debt in a Republican administration? How have
there been blunders with war strategy under a Republican administration?
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," Palin said
in a story published Sunday.

Amid speculation in Alaska and nationwide about Palin's political
future, the governor has scheduled a series of national interviews on
Fox News Channel on Monday night, NBC's "Today" show on Tuesday and CNN
on Wednesday. She also plans to attend the Republican Governors
Association conference in Florida this week.

Palin has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2012.
She also could seek re-election in 2010 or challenge Sen. Lisa
Murkowski. Still uncertain is the fate of Sen. Ted Stevens, who is
leading in his bid for another term but could be ousted by the Senate
for his conviction on seven felony counts of failing to report more than
$250,000 in gifts, mostly renovations on his home. If Stevens loses his
seat, Palin could run for it in a special election.

In Wasilla, her hometown backers welcomed her, putting aside their
disappointment over her unsuccessful bid.

Jessica Steele can't wait to see what Sarah Palin does next — not with
her political career, but with her hair.

"That's something I want to talk to her about: What's our vision for her
hair?" says Steele, proprietor of the Beehive Beauty Shop and keeper of
the governor's up-do since 2002. "I can't wait to see her and say, 'OK,
I've got you alone for three hours. Just relax, and how are you, really?'"

While Palin remains popular, the reality of defeat is evident.

Bags of fan mail, as many as 400 letters a day, partially fill a room at
her parent's house. But parents no longer meet Secret Service agents
when they pick up their children at Cottonwood Creek Elementary, where
Palin's youngest daughter, Piper, is a student. The reporters and camera
crews are gone from the Palin home on Lake Lucille, once patrolled by
Coast Guard boats. Now a thick sheet of ice covers the lake.

Four state troopers still guard the governor 24 hours a day, Heath said
— something Palin never had before.

And in a bit of familiarity, Heath said he brought a pot of moose chili
to Palin's house this past weekend.

- - -

The saga of the Wasilla Hillbillies continues...stay tuned.

Please, please, GOP...run Sarah Palin again, in 2012. Pretty please.

Put her head to head against "O" in 2012 and she has a good chance of
winning. By then, even the hard core left wingers will want him gone.