CNN

Well, the Governor couldn't go so guess who she is sending in her place. No, not the LT Governor who is supposed to replace the Governor. She is sending her husband a non elected person, the first dude, to represent the state of Alaska. Brilliant! Just another fairy tale in the book of Sarah Palin. I wonder if this is unethical. We shall see.

She should be taking care of her State instead of using it as a personal checkbook. Alaska gets 1.81 for every tax dollar paid so she should look at herself when talking about living in a socialist state. I hope they show how much she has pocketed out of public funds so the GOP can get an idea of who she really is. I definitely think she is standing in a glass house when it comes to what she said about Stevens.

I doubt this would have received the same attention if it was a man who had been on the failed republican ticket who decided not to attend a dinner. Actually, she has alot more executive experience than our commander in chief who is doing a fine job of socializing the country and making it really difficult for any business owner to consider hiring workers or for anyone to consider investing in America. It's a real shame that we seem to keep getting top politicians who are lawyers and have no business experience to run the government which is really just a big business. The American Dream seems to be changing into a socialist or communist dream. Capitalism which made our country so great and so attractive to immigrants is dying not because the citizens want it to die but because politicians who are power hungry want it to. Gee, the ones who are so high on Obama may come out of that high in a few years and not be very happy with the way things turned out. Hope all of you who voted for him enjoy losing your jobs and then getting your assigned government job with lower quality health care than you have now.

Maybe she's not coming because she didn't get a wardrobe allowance for the family.

I don't know what her motivations truly are for declining to attend. Maybe it's the flood, maybe she could'nt find a dress, maybe she wanted to "dis" the President. Really, who knows with this woman. And truly who cares!

Sarah Palin is staying at home not because there is a village almost destroyed by a flood,but because she has just learned her approval ratings have dropped very sharply from a once 89% to a low 54% from just a few months ago. And from all indications, will continue to drop because of her, "I'm Queen of Alaska," attitude.Her wanting to stay in the spotlight and not doing what she was elected for is killing her in the polls. Right now in Alaska, her Attorney General pick and asking for an elected senator to step down so they could hold another election for disgraced Senator Ted Stevens and refusing to be in the legislation the last days of the season is giving her rival, Lisa Murkowski a higher approval rating, 76% approval rating. Sarah Palin knows she is in deep trouble and may get the boot come next election. She once said, and these were her words,she would do what she wanted till a court of law tells her different, is not sitting well with Alaskans. Palins record shows she is not what Alaskans need right now. When she left office in Wasilla as its mayor, she left with a 20 million in debt and now as governor, shes in trouble because she can't depend on all the oil revenues she walked into office with. People are seeing her for what she truely is. All talk and no substance.

First good move I have seen her make

They should be glad she won't be there, who in the world can stand her voice? It's so annoying not to mention the dumb things that come our of her mouth

Perhaps she's come to her senses and realizes that she will NEVER be elected to run this country, NEVER, so why not stay home and do the job she was hired to do. Not to mention the GOP is all screwed up right now, and she's a fair weather kind of gal, who is not willing to stick around when times are not so great. Stay home lady and make your family a big pot of moose stew.

This is the smart thing to do if she wants to continue to govern Alaska. I bet her advisers had to hog tie her to keep her home. Sarah can hardly stand it if she misses out on photo ops.
I hope the people of Alaska send this pathetic woman packing in 2010.

Sarah realized she is out of her league and they are threatening to de-governor her back home.

Palin bashers are consistent. Criticize her when she was going to go, criticize her when she isn't.

Poor Sarah. Now she actually has to do her job.

I find it amazing the people on here that seem to thinkg this woman is something special and they are so blined the they hype that the spew drivle out every chance they get...

Look at al the people that have commented on this article alone about her staying in Alaska and taking care of her people as she is so good at while the reality of it is she probably didn't want to go...

If she was so for her people she wouldn't have turned down the stumulous money that was mainly reserved for the people themselves (as in exteneded unemployment etc...) instead she accepts the money that will further big business but not money designed to help the struggling people... then the fools on here make comments about her being such a good leader of her state and all she ever does is think of her people in Alaska...

If that is the case then why did she leave Alaska before the legislative session was over... considering she is the leader of her state you would think she "needed" to be there to make sure the legislators kept the people in mind on their final votes, but no, how they voted for or against the people was of no interest to her especially since the majority wanted to stimulous money for the people...

Seems to me like the "best thing" she could have done (considering her track record) was to go DC and let the people that really care about the people in Alaska take care of the flooded town. As we all know all she will really do is put in a token appearance at the site for PR reasons and let others handle it anyway...

It just amazes me how many foolish and ignorant people are on here and make foolish comments about things without even having any facts to back them up... this is the information era people and all you really have to do is go online and look up almost anything you want to know and if you are intelligent enough to check more than one source you can usually figure out the REAL truth about things...

Go figure people would talk favorable about Sarah Palin when it comes to her doing her actual position she was elected to do, but yet it is the same people that have no problem with her doing all the other crap and ignoring Alaska in the process...

First of all, This woman is a pawn woh was placed in running for the second highest position in the country mearly because she is a woman. No one heard of her and once we did hear from her the smoke and mirrors show ended.... we saw how incompetent she was and irrational her viewpoint was. She cannot give intelligent answers (only eye winks, and spreading anger). Do you really think thaty she wants to sit with intellectuals and have a "real" conversation?

Her base is small and they are angry that the rest of the country is not in step with the antiquated pre civil war ways of thinking.

She will stay away from having to engage with the Dems as long as possible and stick to the neocons, her angry base, and and Fox for sanctuary... just as during the election..

The Internet says that the population of Eagle, Alaska was 129 in the 2000 census. So.......8 houses, a gas station and a store got flooded. Basically this is a tempest in a teapot, and from that it is obviously a chance for Sarah to get some photo-ops visiting the town.
To put this in perspective, in California 100 million of homes just burned down this week. I wonder if Arnold will be at the dinner.

I guess in Alaska, when your popularity is dropping like a stone, any opportunity to help your own popularity becomes important. It is ironic that when her own legislature needed her for the final sessions the other week, THEN it was OK to leave the state.
I don't believe for a moment Palin's motives are anything BUT political on this.

Sarah won't be at the Correspondent's dinner and therefore we won't be seeing her during coverage of the event?
That's one good reason to go on living.

"Palin pulls out of White House Correspondents' Dinner"

Pulling out can be risky. She should have just abstained.

You people really cant put away your knives for one second. You may disagree with Sarah on her abortion stance, that is OK. You may also believe she was not ready to be president in 2008, thats OK too.

But other than that she stand for limited govt, fiscal responsibility , has a great family, and now wants to saty in her home state rather than go to a dinner.

Your guy won, he is socializing the country with no one to stop him, her will soon control all business, health care, education, and your daily lives. Be happy folks.

As for the people who feel like no one better come and ask Obama questions or he will "clean their clock". Id that whyhe purposely does not take any questions from anyone not pre hand picked for the press at his pres conferences

I admit it, I can not figure a way to converse with you and at least entertain the notion that what Obamas doing is not in the interest of democratic capitalism or liberty , may just have to wait till next year, but I thought the steam would have gone out of your hatred by now.

Could this be political posturing or is she really needed to shovel and help with the cleanup? Either way who really cares!

You mean she's actually going to put the state she was charged to govern before anything else?
I don't believe it for a minute.

She needs to work at improving her standing back in Alaska. It has taken a nose dive since the election.

She should be taking care of the business of Alaska. It is about time. Instead of trying to run for president in 2012 which she isn't close to being ready.

Wow, look at all the hate-filled liberal comments here. Amazing. She really does make libs foam at the mouth.

For the record:

Her daughter and grandson have nothing to do with this, so leave them out of it.

I have not heard her say anything about Levi, but just the oposite, since he is making rounds on talk shows. Tell him to shut up and get a job or at least help his mom brew her meth.

She does not shoot wolves for sport. It is to keep the population down, so there are enough moose to hunt. This is Alaska people, if you are not in Anchorage, Fairbanks, etc, you need to hunt to eat. There is no Panera Bread or Costco.

CNN will not post this, because I'm convinced that the C stands for Communist.

I don't blame her I wouldn't go to a press corp dinner either. What would she do if reporters asked her a question – sound stupid?

This is a rather intelligent decision to make, which inevitably leads me to believe someone with an I.Q. higher than that of a napkin, assisted her.

How can people possibly believe that she actually cares about human beings? This is a woman who forced rape victims to pay for their own testing kits.

She will not be attending because she's afraid of what godawful comments she'll make and her advisors have instructed her to bail out. While the victims of the flood should be her first priority, I sincerly doubt that this is anything but a mediocre attempt at saving whatever dignity she has left.

No matter who made this decision, it's the correct one.

Making sure that those who have been flooded out are taken care of is her first priority. However, if she considered Obama to be such a low life than why accept the invitation from the start?

The truth of the matter is this; Palin is still trying to stay in the lime light because she has plans to run for President in 2012.

Heck! she's even using her own daughter to promote her own selfish deeds.

So, let's see. The worst flood in 70 years occurred 4 days ago. so she is just now doing a "flyover".The polling numbers came out yesterday showing Sarah's popularity in Alaska was in the tank. So today she's not going, yet what is not in this article is the fact that the "first Dude" is going in her place. Sponsored by Fox news. Will Fox news be paying for his security or will the State of Alaska? And exactly when did Alaska elect Todd Palin to be the Lt. Governor? More bailing of water on a sinking ship.

Me thinks she should go to these events to talk about abstinence, about geography, specifically Africa, and about how to write a resume for the Republican ticket, specifically how by opening your window you can gain all the knowledge/experience necessary to deal with Russia.
She can also talk about how to protect the environment by killing the animals and drilling in Alaska. Her hubby can help out in that regard too.

Recognizing her responsibilities? Where was she when her teen got pregnant as Sarah believed in sex ed at home? Who's taking care of her special needs child as her husband appears with her teen and baby promoting abstinance? Flood or another chance to get in the news? What an insignificant just like "Joe the Plummer" getting more attention!

imagine that.... she really DOES have a job... lip stick wont fix a flood.

How is this woman going to be the republican candidate for 2012 when she can't even stand to be around them. Maybe she is avoiding a fight with Mitt Romney, who knows..........

Sarah isn't going for her own self-centered reasons, as usual. The woman is pathetic!

Well she could always fly over like Bush did over New Orleans, as she is on her way to the Dinner.

You betcha....this is the first smart decision she has ever made !!!!

Whatever . . . she's doing the job she's being paid to do. I guess even she has to do her job sometimes.

Whew! Thank goodness. The one dinner she went to where President Obama was....she was being held back by Joe Liebermann to stay away from the President.

I still can't believe she even thinks she can compare to President Obama. LOL

Thats what bad press does, make bad relations. As Alaskans pursue this fine woman and hound her about all she has been invited to do they move farther and farther back on the boat as a step child state. Sarah is trying to lead and it's just as well she not mix with the falling president as he and his do nothing about the flood thats upon them.

I think she took a gander at the latest polls in Alaska that show her at 52% approval rating, down from 82% a year ago. Apparently, Alaskans have not been happy that she has chosen to ignore her state and its' growing problems (did you know Alaskans pay the highest energy prices in all the US - wowza?) so that she can traipse all over the lower 48 and try to elevate her pathetic status (all on the Alaskan citizen's dime).

To all that you that say that she cares. Just like when she skipped out of town for a fund raiser on the last days of the legislative period, when her own party told her not to go. I wonder if some of that Per diem money that she stole from the state will go to help relief efforts?

Palin wouldn't have missed this White House event if it weren't for Alaskans who have become more vocal in their frustration over Palin's self-serving political choices at their expense. She doesn't belong on the national stage to begin with. I hope Alaskans flush her in the next election.

She's afraid Stephen Colbert will be there.

I think it's two fold. There's the flood issue, but having seen how she's responded to other issues in Alaska, I doubt it concerns her much. The other side is similar to, "If you want to look tall, stand next to short people." In this case, if she wants to look intelligent stay away from President Obama and stand next to Cheney.

Eagle, Alaska....population 146. Why doesn't she just say she doesn't want to go because her popularity ratings are sliding into the toilet? This excuse is just too pathetic, like Palin.

I am glad to see she finally decided to do something right(left). To stay at home and attend to the needs of her citizens. I am sure she checked with Rush first,then DIck before deciding..You betcha!!!!

I never would imagine that it would take the election of a half/white individual to the highest office in our land to bring out the hatred, bigotry, evil, division, animosity amoung us all. It took a beautiful/white woman like Sarah Palin to see the true color in some, and a handsome/black man like President Obama to bring out the worst in some.

God Bless us all.

Good....who needs her or wants her anyway....

Your "Ticker: Palin backs out of big Obama event" home page headline makes it appear it would be a huge disappointment to President Obama if she didn't show and I seriously doubt he cares either way.

I heard where Fox news had reserved three chairs at the event,... one for Sarah, two for Rush Limbaugh

She had better, the once popular governor is slipping in the Alaska polls, in December she was at 86% approval now, 54%.

A pretty steep slide and she better what she can to stop it and quick.

CNN, it's called executive responsibility. It's not a dig at Obama. Give it a rest.

I'm so heartbroken and she doesn't have a chance to open her mouth...I have no headlines involving her to read this weekend

She is the Govenor of Alaska and her duties first is with Alaska, she will not be President until 2012.

I'm thinking that maybe she saw the last name AYERS and thought it was the other guy and didn't want to be accused of palling around with a terrorist! Besides I'm sure President Obama will miss her since they have SO much to talk about.

Maybe she'll accept the stimulus package from the govern. now so she can help the people of Alaska. So far she has refused it and the people are suffering. Her approval rating is abt 57% as to 85% nine months ago. According to the other politicians in her state she is a total failure and useless. Her focus has been on her daughter's ex., what he is saying and doing. The masses of the people in Alaska feel she is not doing her job. Utilities are sky high in AK, her people are suffering, she has a few more days left to accept money from the government. Somebody needs to PULL HER COAT TAIL. We do not miss her in the lower 48, to me she is a joke and an insult to intelligent, secure, independent women. Hilliary Clinton is head and shoulders above S. Palin.

Sounds like a real fun time! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....................

For once I agree with her!

Good for her it shows she has intellegence.

I wish she could go and ask Rush to go as well.

What a combo! She could bad mouth Obama and Rush could bad mouth Colin Powell then they could sit around and expound on teen age abstinence (sex for her, drugs for him) and then for the grand finale, bring in Joe the Plumber to set everybody straight!! Boy,, I'll bet we'd all sit up and take notice then!!

Anybody shaking in your boots yet?

You know CNN your headline makes it seem like it is a slam on Obama that she did not go. Way to fan the flames. I am not a Palin supporter but of course she has to go. No Gov. would or should stay for a party durng a disater llike the flooding.

Nice try but this liberal blogger sides with Palin on this one.

You Republicans are still making excuses for Sarah's ignorance. Of course she was not goingto show up and watch the man who spanked her and McCain soundly in an election. She does not care about Alaska, she cares about herself and her interest only. Why in the world would you want someone like her on your ticket in 2012 is down right mind boggling.

good, she doesn't need to go. NO bigots, racists, and illiterate people Allowed!

As an avowed Palin Basher, I think your headline is a little disengenuous. My first thought was she was uppstaging the event. In fact she is doing what she is supposed to do.

Still, this might fall into a broken clock is right twice a day catagory.

didn't a flood wipe out another town when Palin was attending the "Pro-Life" event last month?
Why didn't she cancel her trip to Idaho?
I guess an event designed to rally her extreme right wing base is more important than losing a town.
The the White House Correspondents' dinner is obviosly not as important as wipping up the base.

People of Eagle River is MORE important that exchanging toast with NOBama. Palin has her priority straight, NOBama continue doing his wink wink to the people while TAXPAYER'S MONEY move south of the border courtesy of GM which NOBama and Democraps at the helm directing the traffic.

UNEMPLOYMENT .........8.9%

HOPE AND CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN......UNEMPLOYED!

Maybe she didn't have a babysitter. Since Bristol has her own luggage to tend to now

Why would she even be invited to an Obama event anyway?

A guest of Fox News, need I say more/

Poor Sarah. She actually has to do the job she's paid to do.

super falling poll numbers from 85 to 54 have a real flood of an effect also.

If the Republicans attending the corresponents event at the White House ask Obama questions, he will clean their clock.

There does not appear to be a Republican out there that is bright enough to compete one on one with the President.

Ever notice a patter here? Undependable Palin saying one thing and doing another?

That's been her MO her entire life. Think she's a conservative? Better think again.

She raised taxes on the most important industry in Alaska for the third time in as many years with her ACES tax. This tax increase resulted in the loss of hundreds of the best paying jobs in my state.

She has interfered in the free market by giving half-a-billion dollars to a foreign company to do study work on a pipeline that is already being done by two Alaska based companies. And yes she dares to call herself conservative – worse people believe her.

To be fair, that's what she should do.

She's still a complete idiot though hehe

I think a lot of people are breathing a sigh of relief that they won't have to see/hear her AND try to eat. Frankly, her voice makes me gag, not to mention what she's usually saying!

Well she needs to take care of the people of Alaska. She's already been trotting around the country too much since the election as it is, when Alaska has such a short legislative period. She must have seen her latest poll numbers, and how well her past refusal to accept the stimulus money for weatherization of homes (freezing their rear end off) is going with the people.

"Palin was slated to be a guest of Fox News at the annual dinner." What a shock!

A town is wiped out by a flood...shouldn't she be home clearing brush from her yard? Isn't that the standard proceedure for republican leadership?

Well done Sarah Palin. Good to see there are still folks in government that put more important things first. Such as taking care of your state and the people you work for.

It's a good thing. She needs to be in Alaska watching her baby mama daughter. We don't want Bristol getting pregnant again by another boy. Family values Sarah my a#$!

All of a sudden she is concerned with crises in Alaska?!! Too little, too late.

sarah palin is still mad at thae fact of how her own party treated her, and let me tell you they treated her like mess on a stick. and i think she's embarassed all the way around. sarah is heated at everyone.

Maybe they will ask the only GOP presidential candidate who correctly pointed out during the campaign that our economy was a mess.

Maybe they will realize freedom is popular and ask Dr. Ron Paul to take her place.

Na- they aren't that smart- the Neocon's that is...

Palin has been and continues to be a great Gov. for Alaska. She actually cares about and works for all the people of Alaska.
Obama on the other hand pretends to care about the common man. But in fact despises a huge chunk of the American people, saying they cling to God and their guns. Laughs and mocks people like Joe the plumber and TEA PARTY protesters and even Gov. Palin. If you are a left wing liberal or belong to a union, Obama will work for you. The rest of us he despises.

This woman put the nail in the coffin for the GOP and they still keep her hanging around. They should be embarrassed for she and her family if not for themselves.

She is wishy washy- is, was and always will be, America.

tina faye does a better job anyway, they should have asked her.

I don't blame Gov. Palin for backing out of the dinner with Gov. Sanford. Who in their right mind would want to be seen with that mealy mouthed weasel?

Stay up in Alaska as much as possible

She doesn't want to break bread with Prez Obama? I'll take her place! LOL

Should it be former "vice" presidential candidate, not presidential candidate. Sounds like a Fruedian slip by someone.

Saved by a flood! Maybe they could get Rush to substitute!

This is the best thing she has done in a long time. It is about time she takes care of the people of Alaska and forget about having any chances in national politics, she hasn't proved herself in anything as yet, other than being a poor example of a mother.

Wish she could make it... But I know she puts the people first, like our President should...

PALIN2012

This woman is SO undependable. I'll bet she'd back out of Middle East Peace Conference at the last minute.

Anyone anywhere in this world can not possibly think that a dinner, no matter that God will bethere, is moreomportant that the people of a town that has almost been wiped out because of a flood. How can anyone anywhere think that this does not take presedence? The woman runs the state, she is responsible for the people and she has to do everything in her power to assist her people. I, any many other people in this world, would never accept anyone elses excuse that they will surely try to make as to why she can not attend the dinner. Waiting for the liberal dems and women haters to post. Cant wait to here them say why the people caught in this tragedy do not matter and that a diner with God is more important. Waiting.....waiting.......

So she's not able to do all those "fun" things because she has to work?
Bet that makes her mad.
It is the right thing to do though, so good.

Sarah, so what if its basically wiped out a town? It is not government's place to get involved in such things, right? Let them fend for themselves. Isn't that your ideology?

Good for Sarah. She is doing what she needs to do for her state.

did Jesus send the flood to keep her away?

She probably thinks its a bad idea to be seen with Obama because then she's consorting with people who consort with terrorists, or that she's seen in public with 'big government.' C'mon Sarah, it's not like Stewart or Colbert are speaking at the event.

Imagine that, she's not interested in glad-handing a liberal press that's been nothing but vicious and degrading toward her and a president who is doing everything he can to destroy the country she loves. I wouldn't go either.