Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Palin's late Iowa stop raises questions about 2012

Sarah Palin's election-eve stop in Dubuque, Iowa, a state where John McCain has been given little chance for weeks, raised questions about her intentions. (Telegraph-Herald photo by Dave Kettering)

"Many in the audience wondered why Palin was spending time in a state where [Barack] Obama has a double-digit lead and speculated that she could be trying to drum up support for her own run for the White House in 2012," Agence France-Presse reported. "Iowa is traditionally viewed as the kick-off presidential state with its first-in-the-nation nominating caucuses. The largely rural state gave Obama his first win in the Democratic nomination process and some have credited that win with building the momentum he needed to ultimately beat Hillary Clinton. Spokespeople for McCain and Palin have denied that she's eyeing a 2012 run for president, saying she made the Iowa appearance because they believe the race is much tighter than what some polls show."

Mary Rae Bragg of the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald reports, "Dressed in jeans and accompanied by her husband, Todd, Palin introduced herself as 'a hockey mom from Alaska' before announcing a surprise appearance by county music star Hank Williams Jr., who led the rally in singing the national anthem. Williams then delighted the crowd with a campaign rendition of his hit 'Family Tradition,' which he calls 'McCain-Palin Tradition.' By far the loudest cheer of the afternoon came as Palin described a mission "especially close to my heart," working with families that have children with special needs. The mother of a baby with Down syndrome, Palin said she would work to change the way children with special needs are set apart and excluded." (Read more)

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