Governor Palin 4 President

West Allis, WI — Less than two weeks before the release of her memoir "Going Rogue," former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was on message during a Friday night speech to anti-abortion activists at State Fair Park.

"Let's simplify, we're pro children," Palin told thousands of people who attended a $30-a-ticket fund-raiser for the Wisconsin Right to Life Education Fund.

In a personal and passionate speech, Palin lauded the state's anti-abortion movement for legislative advances achieved over time."We were told to sit down and shut up," Palin said. "Wisconsin, you went rogue."

[...]

"I was scared," Palin said, adding that she asked her husband, Todd, "Why us?" He responded, "Why not?""My family life is much richer thanks to this beautiful baby boy Trig," Palin said. "He is awesome."

The speech marked Palin's re-emergence on the national scene. The event was emceed by WTMJ-AM radio personality Charlie Sykes. The Journal Sentinel purchased a ticket to cover Palin's speech. Security was tight at the Wisconsin Exposition Center. Spectators were told beforehand that prohibited items included cell phones, recording devices, video and still cameras, as well as strollers and car seats. A line stretched across the length of the facility and out to a parking lot as spectators waited patiently to pass through security.

Once they got inside, spectators didn't have to wait long for what they came for - Palin's speech. The address began with Palin asking for a moment of silence to remember those killed in Thursday's shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas.

[...]

Palin remains a potent force in national politics even after her abrupt resignation as Alaska's governor. Her future political plans - including the possibility of a presidential run in 2012 - remain unclear. She has kept in touch with tens of thousands of her admirers through online social networking tools.

She used President Barack Obama's mantra of change to make her political points. "Let's talk about change we can believe in," Palin said. "Friends, a majority of Americans identify as pro life, and thank God for that."  She called health care reform a "government takeover" and called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to at least allow a congressional vote to prohibit federally sponsored health insurance plans to pay for abortions.

"I feel real change is just up ahead," she said. "Wisconsin, we need to ramp it up."She brought the crowd to its feet with a simple closing line: "Don't let anyone ever tell you to sit down and shut up."

In some ways, the Wisconsin event was a dress rehearsal for Palin's book tour, which kicks off with a Nov. 16 appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The book has been a bestseller for more than a month on Amazon, the online bookseller.

Louise Radnofsky from The Wall Street Journal was nice enough to provide several highlights of the new book: Sarah From Alaska.  I posted a few of them:

— Getting the news from Fox: Sarah Palin learned from Fox News that she and John McCain wouldn’t win last year’s presidential election. When she heard anchor Brit Hume announce that Barack Obama had won Ohio, “Palin swallowed a mouthful of air. ‘Oh, well, that’s it,’ she said.”

— No concession on the concession: Palin wanted to give a concession speech, but that was nixed by McCain and his aides. It had been written by former Bush speechwriter Matthew Scully, and would have had her say, “when a black citizen prepares to fill the office of Washington and Lincoln, that is a shining moment in our history that can be lost on no one.” And Palin would have offered her own lavish praise for Obama and his “beautiful family,” McCain and the “honor of a lifetime” that he had given her, and a shout-out to a boy with Down syndrome who she had met on the campaign trail. McCain and his staff were adamantly opposed, though the authors offer no real explanation beyond the general friction between the McCain and Palin camps by the end of the campaign.

— The awkward goodbye with McCain: McCain and Palin parted ways that night after she saw him getting into a Chevy Suburban outside the Arizona hotel where the campaign had gathered on election night. The conversation went like this: “‘John? Is that you?’ Palin asked. Cindy [McCain] was already in the car, and the senator had just given a final hug to his press secretary and personal aide, Brooke Buchanan. He spun around. ‘Oh, hey. How are you, Sarah?’ ‘Are you leaving?’ ‘Yup, we’re out of here.’ Palin paused. ‘Okay, well, good night.’ ‘Yes, good night. We’re headed back to the house.’ The now former running mates exchanged final pat-on-the-back hugs and a muffled thank you or two.”

– The really awkward part: After the McCains had left, Palin wanted to take pictures with her family on the hotel ballroom stage, though a lot of TV crews were still filming. McCain staffers got wind of it and freaked out, thinking Palin was going to give her concession speech after all. After a round of frantic telephone calls, instructions filtered down from McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt to turn the lights down. Palin stayed posing on the stage anyway, prompting senior McCain staffer Carla Eudy to tell Palin aide Jason Recher: “You never had control of her. Get control of her! Get her ass off stage!” Recher’s response? “The campaign ended tonight, and so did you.”

Full Article At:

Book Report: Sarah From Alaska

No stops are planned in Seattle, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and other major cities and book-buying communities that are standard for authors on the road, but where the voters tend to be Democrats.

Beyond a Nov. 16 television interview with Oprah Winfrey, nothing is scheduled for Chicago. New York will feature media appearances only. Instead, the itinerary for Palin, whose "Going Rogue" comes out Nov. 17, includes Noblesville, Ind.; Washington, Pa.; and Rochester, N.Y.

Mall of America, MN Dec 7th

Rochester, NY Nov 21 7PM

Cincinnati, OH

Columbus, OH

Roanoke, VA Nov 22

Orlando, FL

Albuquerque, NM