Post by kevinfelixlee on Jun 11, 2011 1:25:23 GMT -5
(Reuters) - The state of Alaska Friday released more than 24,000 pages of former Governor Sarah Palin's emails, shedding some light on how the possible Republican presidential contender conducted business.
The printed emails to and from Palin, who abruptly quit as governor of the oil-rich state nearly two years ago, were made available to those willing to pay $725 for copies and hundreds of dollars more in delivery fees. Six hours later, almost one quarter of the emails had been scanned and posted online by various media websites.
Most of the emails so far reviewed concern fairly dry day-to-day workings of the governor's office, punctuated by the folksy language she has become known for: "You bet!" Much of the correspondence comes from one of Palin's Yahoo accounts -- gov.sarah@yahoo.com -- which she often used from her BlackBerry. Some of the emails posted online include:
* A request to aides to set up a meeting with John McCain's team as he campaigned to become the Republican presidential candidate, several months before he chose Palin as his running mate. "Is it possible to get hooked up (maybe by Nick Ayers?) with someone from the McCain campaign?" Palin wrote. "I want to talk to McCain's people about his ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) and resources positions."
* Palin's initial tentative support for Mike Huckabee in the 2008 Republican primaries: "He called. Very cool. Unless McCain calls, Huck's a good pick for me, just fyi. He says he's all for gasline and anwr- very cool," Palin wrote.
* Aides planning to send emails to the Anchorage Daily News complaining about treatment of Palin by a blogger on the newspaper's site. "Guys, I may be pretty wimpy about this family stuff but I feel like I'm at the breaking point with the hurtful gossip about my family," Palin wrote "I hate this part of the job and many days I feel like it's not worth it ..."
* An aide suggesting a meeting with Pete Rouse, then chief of staff "for a guy named Barack Obama." "I'm game to meet him," Palin replied.
* Aides arranging a TV interview on energy issues where the answers are taped and the questions to be introduced later.
* Opposition to hunting bears in the McNeil River Bear Sanctuary. "I am a hunter. I grew up hunting - some of my best memories growing up are of hunting with my dad to help feel (sic) our freezer. I want Alaskans to have access to wildlife...BUT - he's asking if I support hunting the bears in the sanctuary? No, I don't... I don't know any Alaskans who do support hunting the McNeil bears that frequent the viewing area.
The emails, some heavily redacted to remove private or privileged information, come from the first two years of Palin's governorship, from December 2006 to September 2008. The six cartons of documents include emails from Palin's official account as well as two private Yahoo accounts she used to conduct state business, a practice that critics said circumvented Alaska's open-records law. Dozens of reporters descended on the state capital, Juneau, to get earliest access to the documents, which were first requested in 2008 shortly after Republican presidential nominee McCain chose Palin as his vice presidential running mate.
After the Republican loss to U.S. President Barack Obama, Palin quit the governorship with more than a year left in her term to embark on a more visible national career as a television commentator and author. She has not said whether she would run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Journalists and Alaska political activist Andree McLeod sought the emails under state public records laws in 2008. At that time, Palin was the subject of a legislative probe into accusations she abused her power as governor to seek revenge against a state trooper who had been married to her sister.
The New York Times and The Washington Post started scanning and posting the e-mails on their websites, and are asking readers to comment. MSNBC is working with data research firm Crivella West to produce a searchable database online, some of which is available at palinemail.msnbc.msn.com. About 2,400 pages are being withheld because state attorneys have deemed them to contain privileged information. The emails "show a very engaged Governor Sarah Palin being the CEO of her state," said Tim Crawford, treasurer at SarahPAC, Palin's political action committee. "The emails detail a governor hard at work. Everyone should read them."
Alaska's open-records law mandates a 10-day deadline for delivery of public documents when requested, but Alaska officials argued the request overwhelmed state resources and received numerous extensions. Requests by news organizations to see emails up to Palin's resignation as governor in July 2009 are still pending. About 3,000 of Palin's husband Todd's e-mails were released last year after a request by NBC. ~By Yereth Rosen
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