Author Topic: A Tail Of Two Resumes  (Read 5262 times)

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #25 on: September 17, 2008, 12:17:01 AM »
A Tale of Two Résumés
Barack Obama versus Sarah Palin.
by Dean Barnett
09/02/2008 8:50:00 AM

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Having spent over a decade as a headhunter for lawyers in another life, I've seen many résumés. And every résumé tells a story. The stories told by Barack Obama's and Sarah Palin's résumés could hardly be more different for two people of roughly the same age and aspirations.

WHAT STORY DOES Barack Obama's résumé tell? Obama became the head of the Harvard Law Review in 1990 and graduated Harvard Law magna cum laude in 1991. These accomplishments suggest great intelligence and strong interpersonal skills. They also suggest limitless potential.

So what did Obama choose to do with his limitless potential after leaving Harvard? Not much. His first two years out of law school, he began writing a book, commenced lecturing at the University of Chicago Law School and returned to his old vocation of community organizing. Obama's résumé would probably advertise the fact that he eschewed big money options to better serve humanity in these various capacities. Many members of the legal community would view these claims of selflessness with skepticism. Some cynical readers of his résumé would infer that he spent the time "trying to find himself," and perhaps think of the old Bill Cosby crack that after two years of searching, he should have been able to find not just himself but a couple of other people as well.

All readers of his résumé circa 1993 would ask what Obama accomplished at his serial vocations. And there the story gets grim. He didn't finish his book during the two years in 
question. He didn't pursue any scholarship at the University of Chicago, so his career there stalled at lecturer and never advanced to the professor level. And as is ever the case with something as nebulous as community organizing, pointing to tangible accomplishments would be impossible.

Thus begins a pattern of under-achievement, or more specifically non-achievement, that has followed Obama since law school. In later years, Obama practiced law for a few years and then he had enough of that. His 1995 book, Dreams From My Father showed much promise, yet Obama didn't further explore his skills in this area until over a decade later with the best forgotten campaign tome, The Audacity of Hope. Similarly, Obama was a part time state legislator of minimal accomplishments. When Obama went to the United States Senate, he impressed his colleagues with his potential. But he again never attempted to tap that potential, beginning a run for president shortly after his arrival in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body.

Unlike Obama, one wouldn't look at the early years in Sarah Palin's résumé and necessarily see unlimited potential. A 1987 graduate of the University of Idaho, Palin's greatest accomplishments from her youth would come in the "Miscellaneous Information" portion of the résumé. The fact that she had won a beauty contest would impress some people. Her sinking of a critical free throw on a broken ankle in her high school state championship would impress others. Still, there would be nothing in Palin's résumé from her younger years that would suggest potential like Obama's.


 
And yet throughout her adult life Palin, again unlike Obama, overachieved. In 1992, she got elected to the Wasilla, AK city council. In 1996 she became mayor. She was by all accounts a very successful mayor. Her résumé entry for her mayoral years would have all sorts of bullet points for tangible accomplishments like reducing city property taxes by 40 percent. Similarly, Palin's time as governor has been distinguished. Both would starkly contrast with the various stops in Obama's career where he occasionally held impressive titles but accomplished little.

Two things would leap out from Sarah Palin's résumé--a pattern of overachievement and a pattern of actually getting things done. Two things would also leap out from Barack Obama's résumé--an undeniable wealth of talent and an equally undeniable dearth of accomplishments.

While it has become almost a cliché on the right to belittle Obama as a talker rather than a doer, his résumé suggests just that. Obama does have the requisite brain power to be president; it's unlikely that the intellectual demands of the job would overwhelm him. But his past work experience is unnerving. Obama had ample talent to excel at all the other positions he has held, and yet he accomplished little at each. So what would he do as president? Would his efforts in the Oval Office be as indifferent and irresolute as they've been at every other stop along his professional path? Could one imagine him making the political sacrifices and showing the fondness for bold action that characterized Harry 
S. Truman?

As for Palin, she lacks Obama's glittering Ivy League credentials. While that fact scandalizes vast portions of the Bos-Wash corridor, the scandalized neglect the most common purpose for an education--to develop one's abilities to such a point that one can actually begin accomplishing things. And there again is where Palin shines--she has gotten a tremendous amount done everyplace she has been.

In truth, Sarah Palin is the kind of employee virtually every enterprise seeks--the kind who gets things done. And Barack Obama is the kind of employee a company hires only when it's in the mood for taking a risk and willing to wager that the candidate's past performance isn't predictive of his future efforts.

Dean Barnett is a staff writer at THE WEEKLY STANDARD.

 



 




Seriously Coach, you can't compare Obama's resume to Palin because there's really no comparison. 

Obama graduated with a B.S in Political Science with a speciality in international relations in 1983 along with graduating from Harvard Law School with a J.D. Magna Cum Laude in 1991. 

Palin has only a B.S in Communications.



Education-wise, Obama rules.  Even John McCain can't match it. 



Even Obama's Half Sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng is more educated than she is......
A

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #26 on: September 17, 2008, 07:33:07 AM »


Seriously Coach, you can't compare Obama's resume to Palin because there's really no comparison. 

Obama graduated with a B.S in Political Science with a speciality in international relations in 1983 along with graduating from Harvard Law School with a J.D. Magna Cum Laude in 1991. 

Palin has only a B.S in Communications.



Education-wise, Obama rules.  Even John McCain can't match it. 



Even Obama's Half Sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng is more educated than she is......

Yet she is a Governor.  And if McCain wasn't so old he would be the president who deserved it more.  Obama has NO experience with military issues even in the same universe as McCain. 

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #27 on: September 17, 2008, 07:36:11 AM »
  Obama has NO experience with military issues

4 years on Senate Foreign Relations Committee.


Todd Palin aka "First Dude"

From 1995 thru 2002, state records show that Todd Palin was a registered member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a group who wishes to separate Alaska from the USA.

Now, if your spouse spends 8 years aligned with an anti-American group, what does that make you?

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #28 on: September 17, 2008, 07:55:08 AM »
LOL. Coach always bringing the knife to a gunfight. Never learns.  :D

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #29 on: September 17, 2008, 07:56:36 AM »
Coach is the biggest dumbfuck on Getbig.

lol... It is almost embarassing to even post on a forum with a midget who can't even distinguish between the correct uses of "their" and "there" and posts stupid shit like this.

+1. Throw in pompous ass.

-I constantly smell GED with his spelling.

-And in case you forget, he constantly reminds us what a stellar background he has for his "training". He claims that his coaching resume makes him the man when in fact experience is only one factor when it comes to training people. Thus of course he's going to try to make some analogy (sorry coach, big word) to his losing republican platform.

-This genius has been divorced 4 times so far.


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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #30 on: September 17, 2008, 08:34:49 AM »
Hey Coach, nice way to get your self pwning underway by using "tail" and not "tale" in the thread topic.

Next time you CTRL+C something from net, you may want to at least copy their heading in as your own thread title so you don't fuck up right out the gate.

I demand to see proof of a high school diploma before reading anymore of this poster's replies.

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #31 on: September 17, 2008, 08:37:51 AM »
What has palin and obama got to do with each other anyway, I believe Obama has to beat Mcain......

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #32 on: September 17, 2008, 08:42:12 AM »
So what did Obama choose to do with his limitless potential after leaving Harvard? Not much. and returned to his old vocation of community organizing.
As opposed to what? Making himself rich while screwing the American Tax Payer? You do realize he could have made money hands over fist after leaving Harvard don't you?

So he decides to commit a short period of his life to community organizing, a pillar of what this country was founded on.... and you bash him for it... 

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #33 on: September 17, 2008, 09:19:03 AM »


Seriously Coach, you can't compare Obama's resume to Palin because there's really no comparison. 

Obama graduated with a B.S in Political Science with a speciality in international relations in 1983 along with graduating from Harvard Law School with a J.D. Magna Cum Laude in 1991. 

Palin has only a B.S in Communications.



Education-wise, Obama rules.  Even John McCain can't match it. 



Even Obama's Half Sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng is more educated than she is......

LOL....I don't care how many degrees someone has, it doesn't mean they are qualified to be president. I have a client that has multiple degrees and is a Dr and Lawyer, extremly successful.....doesn't qualify her to be president. Compare what Palin has done for her state as opposed to Obama. Obama failed in representing just his district in in his state.

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #34 on: September 17, 2008, 09:42:15 AM »
Compare what Palin has done for her state as opposed to Obama.

Please list the achievements of Palin during her 18 months as Governor.

Answers like "she cleaned up spending!" or "she kicked energy's ass" won't be accepted.

Please tell us the solid list of accomplishments.  it's gotta be incredible to make her worthy of holding the nuclear (or as she pronouce sit, "nuke-u-ler") codes.

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #35 on: September 17, 2008, 09:48:15 AM »
LOL....I don't care how many degrees someone has, it doesn't mean they are qualified to be president. I have a client that has multiple degrees and is a Dr and Lawyer, extremly successful.....doesn't qualify her to be president. Compare what Palin has done for her state as opposed to Obama. Obama failed in representing just his district in in his state.
So true! But it is a good indication of intelligence, critical thinking and social acumen.  ;)

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #36 on: September 17, 2008, 09:58:15 AM »
So true! But it is a good indication of intelligence, critical thinking and social acumen.  ;)

This is true.  A lot of people who don't have degrees will disagree until they're red in the face.  A degree gives you a great set of tools.

I don't have a medical degree, and I can sure as hell admit a guy who went to med school is better at open-heart surgery than I am.

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #37 on: September 17, 2008, 10:09:28 AM »
As opposed to what? Making himself rich while screwing the American Tax Payer? You do realize he could have made money hands over fist after leaving Harvard don't you?

So he decides to commit a short period of his life to community organizing, a pillar of what this country was founded on.... and you bash him for it... 

You know what disgusts me... The GOP always bitches and moans about Welfare and free outs... So for 3 years obama goes into the innner citys (this is a HARVARD Graduate) helps create jobs, after school programs, helping people etc etc... and they hammer him for it...

How many attorneys leave a ivy league school and go work in the inner citys to help the community...

McCain nor Palin even have the brain capacity to get into harvard let alone graduate TOP of his class...

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #38 on: September 17, 2008, 10:14:32 AM »
Obama will increase taxes on people making 70K and up.
Obama will increase funds given to government entitlement programs for people too lazy to wirk that want to milk the system.

This affects my life negatively, therefore I would never vote for him.

Resumes be damned.  Obama in office = less money for upper middle class.  F him.

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #39 on: September 17, 2008, 10:16:20 AM »
This is true.  A lot of people who don't have degrees will disagree until they're red in the face.  A degree gives you a great set of tools.

I don't have a medical degree, and I can sure as hell admit a guy who went to med school is better at open-heart surgery than I am.
This is Gospel! I don't think I really 'learned' how to think until I did grad stuff, and then it became a self-propelling auto-didacticism. I think what some around here lack is being able to view things with any kind of critical skepticism.

Protip: Of all the questions, the most important one is always 'Why.'

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #40 on: September 17, 2008, 10:18:30 AM »
What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said “I do” to?

What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama were a member of the “Keating 5”?

What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #41 on: September 17, 2008, 10:19:27 AM »
Obama will increase taxes on people making 70K and up.
Obama will increase funds given to government entitlement programs for people too lazy to wirk that want to milk the system.

This affects my life negatively, therefore I would never vote for him.

Resumes be damned.  Obama in office = less money for upper middle class.  F him.

Everything you named even FOX NEWS hammered McCain for because its NOT TRUE... How sad is it even that FOX FREGGI NEWS told McCains camp they were lieing about the Claims obama would raise taxes....

get your facts straight....

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #42 on: September 17, 2008, 10:24:45 AM »
Resumes be damned.  Obama in office = less money for upper middle class.  F him.

and spending hundreds of billions on war and bailing out rich people who got into trouble because of Republican deregulation doesn't affect the upper middle class?

we already have socialism in this country, it's just socialism for the rich.  if you make a profit, you get to keep it.  you won't even have to pay taxes on it.  if you fail, we'll bail you out.

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #43 on: September 17, 2008, 10:25:20 AM »
Please list the achievements of Palin during her 18 months as Governor.

Answers like "she cleaned up spending!" or "she kicked energy's ass" won't be accepted.

Please tell us the solid list of accomplishments.  it's gotta be incredible to make her worthy of holding the nuclear (or as she pronouce sit, "nuke-u-ler") codes.



About the Governor

Governor Sarah Palin made history on Dec. 4, 2006, when she took office. As the 11th governor of Alaska, she is the first woman to hold the office.

Since taking office, her top priorities have been resource development, education and workforce development, public health and safety, and transportation and infrastructure development.

 
Under her leadership, Alaska invested $5 billion in state savings, overhauled education funding, and implemented the Senior Benefits Program that provides support for low-income older Alaskans. She created Alaska’s Petroleum Systems Integrity Office to provide oversight and maintenance of oil and gas equipment, facilities and infrastructure, and the Climate Change Subcabinet to prepare a climate change strategy for Alaska.

During her first legislative session, Governor Palin’s administration passed two major pieces of legislation – an overhaul of the state’s ethics laws and a competitive process to construct a gas pipeline.

Governor Palin is chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multi-state government agency that promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting health, safety and the environment. She was recently named chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) Natural Resources Committee, which is charged with pursuing legislation to ensure state needs are considered as federal policy is formulated in the areas of agriculture, energy, environmental protection and natural resource management. Prior to being named to this position, she served as co-chair of this committee.

Prior to her election as governor, Palin served two terms on the Wasilla City Council and two terms as the mayor/manager of Wasilla. During her tenure, she reduced property tax levels while increasing services and made Wasilla a business friendly environment, drawing in new industry.

 
 
She has served as chair of the Alaska Conservation Commission, which regulates Alaska's most valuable non-renewable resources: oil and gas. She was elected by her peers to serve as president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors. In this role, she worked with local, state and federal officials to promote solutions to the needs of Alaska's communities.

 

 Sarah Heath Palin arrived in Alaska with her family in 1964, when her parents came to teach school in Skagway. She received a bachelor of science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. Palin, who graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982, has lived in Skagway, Eagle River and Wasilla.

She is married to Todd Palin, who is a lifelong Alaskan, a production operator on the North Slope and a four-time champion of the Iron Dog, the world's longest snowmachine race.

 
Todd and Sarah fish in Bristol Bay with their children – Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig. Through Todd’s Yup'ik grandmother, Alaska’s Native heritage plays an important role in their family. Track enlisted in the U.S. Army on Sept. 11, 2007.

Prior to taking office, Palin served on numerous boards and commissions throughout the state. She was active in her family’s pursuits – including serving as a sports team mom and school volunteer. She also runs marathons.

Palin is a lifetime member of the NRA and enjoys hunting, fishing, Alaska history, and all that Alaska's great outdoors has to offer.

 
Also, commander and chief of the Alaska National Guard

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #44 on: September 17, 2008, 10:25:22 AM »
I really like how every time 240 proves Coach to be wrong and challenges him to prove something otherwise, Coach disappears..

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #45 on: September 17, 2008, 10:25:24 AM »
McCain nor Palin even have the brain capacity to get into harvard let alone graduate TOP of his class...

McCain was ranked #894 out of 899 students in his naval class.  Yes, the bottom 1%.

Palin attended SIX different colleges before getting a Bachelors in Journalism.

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #46 on: September 17, 2008, 10:29:14 AM »
Since taking office, her top priorities have been resource development, education and workforce development, public health and safety, and transportation and infrastructure development.
 
Under her leadership, Alaska invested $5 billion in state savings, overhauled education funding, and implemented the Senior Benefits Program that provides support for low-income older Alaskans. She created Alaska’s Petroleum Systems Integrity Office to provide oversight and maintenance of oil and gas equipment, facilities and infrastructure, and the Climate Change Subcabinet to prepare a climate change strategy for Alaska.

During her first legislative session, Governor Palin’s administration passed two major pieces of legislation – an overhaul of the state’s ethics laws and a competitive process to construct a gas pipeline.

Her "priorities" also included buying a tanning bed for treating her admitted depression, and letting her daughter skip 8 months of school to pose for drinking crown royal in myspace pics, and getting preggo.  I'm not sure her priorities matter much here.  Her accomplishments do.

This pipeline has not been built, correct?

So her accomplishments were ethics laws changes, and she started a pipeline deal with ehr hubby's company?

Obama spent seven years in the Illinois senate, two years a U.S. senator, authoring 900 bills and co-authoring 1000. 

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #47 on: September 17, 2008, 10:31:28 AM »
Obama will increase taxes on people making 70K and up.
Obama will increase funds given to government entitlement programs for people too lazy to wirk that want to milk the system.

This affects my life negatively, therefore I would never vote for him.

Resumes be damned.  Obama in office = less money for upper middle class.  F him.

you're honest, although I think your numbers are a little skewed.

it is good when people admit why they're voting how they are.

You may want to check out www.ObamaTaxCut.com and see specifically if you'll be helped or harmed.



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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #48 on: September 17, 2008, 10:34:18 AM »
Everything you named even FOX NEWS hammered McCain for because its NOT TRUE... How sad is it even that FOX FREGGI NEWS told McCains camp they were lieing about the Claims obama would raise taxes....

get your facts straight....
I'm NOT trying to start a flame war, but it will happen.  Watch.
Not only that, but watch estate taxing and watch the taxation of anything relating to retirement funding.

The only safe way to save for retirement is eventually gonna be Whole Life Insurance...

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Re: A Tail Of Two Resumes
« Reply #49 on: September 17, 2008, 10:35:46 AM »
The Most Popular Governor
Alaska's Sarah Palin is the GOP's newest star.
by Fred Barnes
07/16/2007, Volume 012, Issue 41

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Juneau
The wipeout in the 2006 election left Republicans in such a state of dejection that they've overlooked the one shining victory in which a Republican star was born. The triumph came in Alaska where Sarah Palin, a politician of eye-popping integrity, was elected governor. She is now the most popular governor in America, with an approval rating in the 90s, and probably the most popular public official in any state.

Her rise is a great (and rare) story of how adherence to principle--especially to transparency and accountability in government--can produce political success. And by the way, Palin is a conservative who only last month vetoed 13 percent of the state's proposed budget for capital projects. The cuts, the Anchorage Daily News said, "may be the biggest single-year line-item veto total in state history."

As recently as last year, Palin (pronounced pale-in) was a political outcast. She resigned in January 2004 as head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission after complaining to the office of Governor Frank Murkowski and to state Attorney General Gregg Renkes about ethical violations by another commissioner, Randy Ruedrich, who was also Republican state chairman.

State law barred Palin from speaking out publicly about ethical violations and corruption. But she was vindicated later in 2004 when Ruedrich, who'd been reconfirmed as state chairman, agreed to pay a $12,000 fine for breaking state ethics laws. She became a hero in the eyes of the public and the press, and the bane of Republican leaders.

In 2005, she continued to take on 
the Republican establishment by joining Eric Croft, a Democrat, in lodging an ethics complaint against Renkes, who was not only attorney general but also a long-time adviser and campaign manager for Murkowski. The governor reprimanded Renkes and said the case was closed. It wasn't. Renkes resigned a few weeks later, and Palin was again hailed as a hero.

Palin, 43, the mother of four, passed up a chance to challenge Republican senator Lisa Murkowski, the then-governor's daughter, in 2004. She endorsed another candidate in the primary, but Murkowski won and was reelected. Palin said then that her 14-year-old son talked her out of running, though it's doubtful that was the sole reason.

In 2006, she didn't hesitate. She ran against Gov. Murkowski, who was seeking a second term despite sagging poll ratings, in the Republican primary. In a three-way race, Palin captured 51 percent and won in a landslide. She defeated former Democratic governor Tony Knowles in the general election, 49 percent to 41 percent. She was one of the few Republicans anywhere in the country to perform above expectations in 2006, an overwhelmingly Democratic year. Palin is unabashedly pro life.

With her emphasis on ethics and openness in government, "it turned out Palin caught the temper of the times perfectly," wrote Tom Kizzia of the Anchorage Daily News. She was also lucky. News broke of an FBI investigation of corruption by legislators between the primary and general elections. So far, three legislators have been indicted.

In the roughly three years since she quit as the state's chief regulator of the oil industry, Palin has crushed the Republican hierarchy (virtually all male) and nearly every other foe or critic. Political analysts in Alaska refer to the "body count" of Palin's rivals. "The landscape is littered with the bodies of those who crossed Sarah," says pollster Dave Dittman, who worked for her gubernatorial campaign. It includes Ruedrich, Renkes, Murkowski, gubernatorial contenders John Binkley and Andrew Halcro, the three big oil companies in Alaska, and a section of the Daily News called "Voice of the Times," which was highly critical of Palin and is now defunct.



One of her first acts as governor was to fire the Alaska Board of Agriculture. Her ultimate target was the state Creamery Board, which has been marketing the products of Alaska dairy farmers for 71 years and wanted to close down after receiving $600,000 from the state. "You don't just close your doors and walk away," Palin told me. She discovered she lacked the power to fire the Creamery Board. Only the board of agriculture had that authority. So Palin replaced the agriculture board, which appointed a new creamery board, which has rescinded the plan to shut down.

In preserving support for dairy farmers, Palin exhibited a kind of Alaskan chauvinism. She came to the state as an infant, making her practically a native. And she is eager to keep Alaska free from domination by oil companies or from reliance on cruise lines whose ships bring thousands of tourists to the state.

"She's as Alaskan as you can get," says Dan Fagan, an Anchorage radio talk show host. "She's a hockey mom, she lives on a lake, she ice fishes, she snowmobiles, she hunts, she's an NRA member, she has a float plane, and her husband works for BP on the North Slope," Fagan says. Todd Palin, her high school sweetheart, is a three-time winner of the 2,000-mile Iron Dog snowmobile race from Wasilla to Nome to Fairbanks. It's the world's longest snowmobile race.

Gov. Palin grew up in Wasilla, where as star of her high school basketball team she got the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" 
for her fierce competitiveness. She led her underdog team to the state basketball championship. Palin also won the Miss Wasilla beauty contest, in which she was named Miss Congeniality, and went on to compete in the Miss Alaska pageant.

At 32, she was elected mayor of Wasilla, a burgeoning bedroom community outside Anchorage. Though Alaskans tend to be ferociously anti-tax, she persuaded Wasilla voters to increase the local sales tax to pay for an indoor arena and convention center. The tax referendum won by 20 votes.

In 2002, Palin entered statewide politics, running for lieutenant governor. She finished a strong second in the Republican primary. That fall, she dutifully campaigned for Murkowski, who'd given up his Senate seat to run for governor. Afterwards, she turned down several job offers from Murkowski, finally accepting the oil and gas post. When she quit 11 months later, "that was her defining moment" in politics, says Fagan.

Her campaign for governor was bumpy. She missed enough campaign appearances to be tagged "No Show Sarah" by her opponents. She was criticized for being vague on issues. But she sold voters on the one product that mattered: herself.

Her Christian faith--Palin grew up attending nondenominational Bible churches--was a minor issue in the race. She told me her faith affects her politics this way: "I believe everything happens for a purpose. In my own personal life, if I dedicated back to my Creator what I'm trying to create for the good . . . everything will turn out fine." That same concept applies to her political career, she suggested.

The biggest issue in the campaign was the proposed natural gas pipeline from the North Slope that's crucial to the state's economy. Murkowski had made a deal with the three big oil companies--Exxon, BP, ConocoPhillips--which own the gas reserves to build the pipeline. But the legislature turned it down and Palin promised to create competition for the pipeline contract.

She made three other promises: to end corruption in state government, cut spending, and provide accountability. She's now redeeming those promises.

Palin describes herself as "pro-business and pro-development." She doesn't want the oil companies to sit on their energy reserves or environmental groups to block development of the state's resources. "I get frustrated with folks from outside Alaska who come up and say you shouldn't develop your resources," she says. Alaska needs to be self-sufficient, she says, instead of relying heavily on "federal dollars," as the state does today.

Her first major achievement as governor was lopsided passage by the legislature of the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act, which is designed to attract pipeline proposals this summer. The state is offering $500 million in incentives, but the developer must meet strict requirements. The oil companies have said they won't join the competition.

Palin's tough spending cuts drew criticism from Republican legislators whose pet projects were vetoed. But her popularity doesn't appear threatened. "It's not just that she's pretty and young," says Dittman. "She's really smart. And there's no guile. She says her favorite meal is moose stew or mooseburgers. It wouldn't shock people if that were true."

Fred Barnes is executive editor of THE WEEKLY STANDARD.