(CNN) - Last August, then-Republican presidential nominee John McCain introduced to the nation his surprise pick for vice president, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
At the time, little was known about the fresh-faced, first-term governor, but within days, Palin's face was on newspapers, magazines and tabloids.
Since then, Palin has become a polarizing figure in the Republican Party. Her passionate supporters are countered with equally fervent critics.
And even though it's been nearly a year since she ventured onto the national stage and more than eight months since the Republican ticket lost the election, as Palin prepares to leave office, the public's interest in her has yet to wane. Palin explains why she's stepping down
"She's kind of a shooting star that caught fire and kept burning," said Lorenzo Benet, an assistant editor for People magazine and author of "Trailblazer: An Intimate Biography of Sarah Palin."
"When she walks into a room, she definitely commands attention and she gets more than most. She's definitely a star," said Benet, who was the only national journalist to have spent much time with Palin in the weeks before she was announced as McCain's running mate.
Palin, a mother of five, "caught the imagination" of the public because there is no one else like her, Benet said. "Particularly for conservative America, there hasn't been a rallying figure of this type," he noted.
From CNN Politics
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The DOW is over 9,000 points. This is news, not Sarah "The Quitter" Palin.
And here comes the "news" (PR blitz) about her ghostwritten book. Before you know it she'll have her own TV show where she'll claim Oprah pals around with terrorists.
@syfredrick said:
Sarah Palin is the Paula Abdul of politics.
_______________________________________________
And Barack Obama is the Moe Howard of politics.
I just SAD that the American populice can be so interested in someone SO AVERAGE!!! It truly states how pathetic some of us haVE become.
To look up to someone who:
... can BARELY answer any questions of significance with depth.
...blames everyone else for her problems (especially the Media)
...deliveried extremely inflamatory (untrue) statements in the Presidential campaign and ALLOWED hate speech from those attending
...and when the going REALLY got tough..SHE QUIT!!!
I always thought Americans hated QUITTERS!!!
I guess I was wrong all you have to be is a woman trying to protect her family after she paraded them around to influence voters.
I find it AMAZING that many women do not see it for what it really is. Sarah Palin is a living example, that supports what many men think of women..ALL TALK and when the going gets tough a woman will use any excuse to get away from the HARD WORK.
Sarah Palin left her job early because her words during the campaign changed the dynamics of the Governors office...It became TOUGHER..
SHE'S A QUITTER!!! Look at her history. SHE'S A QUITTER!!!
And we need to QUIT giving her so much attention...IT'S PATHETIC!!!
We should no longer use the phrase "having a blonde moment," but instead use "having a Palin moment." She has brought disgrace to brunettes.
to carlos: well written chap, I thought you were one of those ditto heads......hehehehehe
She's got similar scandals and an annoying voice to match.
She has my vote as long as she stands up to the politics as usual crowd. She is not liked by either party because she calls them both out. Sarah 2012! Thats CHANGE I will vote for.
Sarah Palin had her 15 minutes of fame, and will do anything to stay in the spotlight. After the election, she made sure we didn't forget her. When we started to put her out of our brains, the Levi soap-opera-drama occured. When we finally were starting to not focus on her, she resigned as governor to get our attention. She will run for President to get our attention, maybe even the Senate in 2010. Ms. Maverick was obviously not given much attention as a child.
I feel if dental health was covered, heart disease would be less of a health problem for most Americans. Especially the middle class,most ignore the care of their teeth because of costs. I've seen several suryeys asking when was the last time they had seen a dentist, most , a long time. If they had children, money was spent on their teeth and not on the adults. This has been the provbem we have always had. The lower incomes sonetimes can get help, the wealthy can afford it, but the middle class cannot afford even the basic trips to dentist until it's too late to save the teeth. Please address this question.
she is gonna fade away. Good riddance. She will probably go independent
It's over baby!
Did you ever think that maybe Palin isn't a "star" but so bizarre that that is why she has any interest in her? I mean, she was a mayor of a small town, then Governor of a lovely, but not powerhouse, state, and from that she has quit before her FIRST term has even ended! What kind of "star" quits halfway through? Is this country in such a state of affairs that we see a quitter as a hero? Her resignation statement was odd and created no clarity, yet some are still touting her as someone to look to for guidance and wisdom? Huh?! Shame on us all if she carries ANY clout whatsoever in the political arena.
"When she walks into a room, she definitely commands attention and she gets more than most. She's definitely a star," said Benet, who was the only national journalist to have spent much time with Palin in the weeks before she was announced as McCain's running mate.
Benet and McCain most have taken a page from Nixon play book when they agreed to put Sara Palin on McCain ticket.
Sorry, but your Nixon plan back fired.
Thank God she's leaving! The U.S. will be a better place without her and her Republican cronies ruining our great country!
Thank god maybe she can explain Obama Health Care to me. Because Obama can't explain any of the health care program. That was event last night. WHAT WAS HE SAYING HOW DOES IT EFFECT ME. HELP ME SARA A DOUBLE TALKER IS IN THE WHITE HOUSE
I hope she stays in the spotlight. This country is already seeing Obama for the empty suit he is. Trying to ram through another socialist agenda, not giving anybody time to read the bill. Even if she doesn't run for the Whitehouse, she can represent conservatives in a positive light. The libs will never like her and only believe in government handouts, so that part of the population doesn't matter. The more conservitive Dems that believe in fiscal responsibility could vote Obama out of office in 2012. Just ask the blue dog Dems, having a (D) by your name doesn't guarantee votes. I just pray that it's not too late by the time 2012 rolls in. Look at what he's done in just 6 short months, just 1/16 of his term. Did he think blaming Bush was going to work forever? This guy is a complete joke, and a failure.
...."When she walks into a room, she definitely commands attention and she gets more than most. She's definitely a star,"....
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If a unread bigot commands more attention than most, than it is a pretty sad reflection of her and her supporters.
Palin's resignation, defense fund and her twitter account do not matter.
She doesn't matter.
Her homegrown bigot ‘Country First’ supporters don't matter.
All she was good for was to reveal to the global media and the educated world the true hypocrisy rooted in the racial and religious bigotry of (R) 'Christian 'Conservatism.
Her 15 minutes were over months ago. She's an intellectual leper. Put her and her isolationist bigots in an intellectual leper colony far far away.
Palin is now totally irrelevant. She was a worthless bimbo before, now she's also a quitter who will never see time in a federal job. She is a non-issue. Just drop her already. Sick of hearing about the idiot.
…."When she walks into a room, she definitely commands attention and she gets more than most. She's definitely a star,"….
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If an unread bigot commands more attention than most, than it is a pretty sad reflection of her and her supporters.
Palin's resignation, defense fund and her twitter account do not matter.
She doesn't matter.
Her homegrown bigot ‘Country First’ supporters don't matter.
All she was good for was to reveal to the global media and the educated world the true hypocrisy rooted in the racial and religious bigotry of (R) 'Christian 'Conservatism.
Her 15 minutes were over months ago. She's an intellectual leper. Put her and her isolationist bigots in an intellectual leper colony far far away.
She will never sit in the oval office. It's just a fact.
Why is this news?
No, she's not going away. She has a remarkable talent for recognizing what government should be doing for the people, how to make that happen and how to stop the things that get in the way. She doesn't pull punches or pander to the media or anyone getting in the way of what needs to be done. People have not seen a woman like this before but they will see plenty more of her. We don't need more lawyers in Washington. We need a leader, someone to see the job clearly and do it for the people and the best interest of the country.
Wow, it's hard to believe it's been a year already. I remember the day McCain announced, I was sitting at my desk and on CNN.com. I was a bit dumbfounded at the choice, but anyway, time flies. Does this mean the next four years will fly by fast too?
So tired of hearing about this wanna-be-famous ex-governor... Is it not enough that she is completely ignorant on all topics – except child-raising, hunting, and the alaska pipeline? This woman doesn't even know the names of world leaders – forget about global politics!
"She is a mother of five" So what? I'm a educated, working mother of three and I don't get kudos for that. Who exactly is behind this woman??? I'd love to know the IQ scores of these people!
"She's kind of a shooting star that caught fire and kept burning," said Lorenzo Benet.
I can't wait for her fuel to run out, but it would be nice if she could make it to Russia before that happens.