I am prepared to eat my words...

John McCain selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, in her official state portrait.

Serve up my words on a plate and hand me a fork, and give me a tall glass of water to wash it all down with.

Let me take off my reporter hat, and put my hat on as an Alaskan, to share with you my observations and personal experiences about Sarah Palin. First, on the selection of Palin--I am floored. We all in Alaska knew that this was a possibility--being that there was actually a great deal of discussion of her being on the selection list for VP candidates for the McCain campaign. We all thought that it was a far-fetched thing; I knew I was certainly skeptical. Mostly because I am a little selfish and I felt that keeping her in Alaska would do we Alaskans more good. Nowhere or no-how in our Last Frontier did we think that our governor would be taken seriously.

However, now that I think about it... she's got a chance to not only do us Alaskans good, but all Americans in all 50 states and all territories, including our men and women in uniform stationed overseas and deployed across the world. What does she have to lose? (Even if the campaign doesn't pull through, we get to keep her as governor!)

So, what's Palin like? Let me give you some insight on her:  Her oldest son is deploying to Iraq. She has three daughters, all of whom seem sweet and well-mannered from the two years I have been interacting with them. Her youngest son--the baby--has Down's syndrome. She's a real person, who deals with real issues that typical Americans deal with. Down-to-earth. Doesn't have a chef at the Governor's mansion--"My kids can make their own sandwiches," she was quoted as saying once.

Lots of news outlets say she was a "part-time" mayor of the town of Wasilla. That does a lot to try to diminish her credibility. Do you want to know what really went down from this Alaskan's perspective? When she was elected mayor of Wasilla, she campaigned to bring down the costs of government so the residents could have taxes lowered, or more money invested in programs that directly helped all residents instead of line the pockets of those in power. She brought down her own mayor's salary, and cut her hours, while she was at it--she wasted no time in helping build Wasilla to be the thriving Anchorage suburb it is today.

She brought out the red pen and vetoed several requests for funding in the 2007 budget requests from the Alaska State Legislature. Boy, were they mad--but she campaigned as governor on a promise to cut government costs and reduce "frivolous spending"--a term she often uses to describe poor spending habits of most government entities. This year, she set time aside with all 60 state legislators to personally check with them about their budget requests. Rumor had it that cookies were baked and set on the table. A couple legislators stiffed her and didn't come to the meetings--won't say who--but she at least gave them a chance to argue their points.

She's garnered a reputation as a maverick Republican here in Alaska. Never once in her campaign for governor did she ever campaign on "Republican" values, or a "Republican" state... she campaigned on "Alaskan" values, for the "Alaskan" people. Things with her are not partisan. She sits down for coffee with people from all parties. Special interests don't go knocking on her door on the third floor of the Capitol building in Juneau--they go running when they see her coming.

She even blew the whistle on some shenanigans being committed by the Alaska Republican Party chair while she with Alaska Oil and Gas--in fact, she quit her position as chair so she could report him. He was fined for his actions. She blew the whistle because she felt it was the right thing to do. Obviously, they're not friends. Her election as governor showed that there is a dire split in the Alaska Republican Party--there are the old, stodgy moralists who would rather pass over young people than reach out and try to understand, and then there are the progressives who embrace all Alaskan interests (and not just those of the O-I-L variety!). Even after possibly ruining her political future, she still rose to this position as governor, without the blessing of the Alaska Republican Party's old-guard. Her approval rating is shockingly high in this state. Even Democrats embrace her--because she embraces them.

My heart is swelled with pride not only as a woman ("18 million cracks in a glass ceiling," after all--we're going to burst right through it!), but as an Alaskan, and a military brat, and an American. On an even more personal note, my boyfriend is deploying to Iraq in the same brigade that her son is. If there is anyone who knows how not only I, but also the wives, mothers, father, brothers, sisters, girlfriends, boyfriends, friends, etc., of deployed men and women feel... it's her. She's right there with us.
 
I have lots of stories about Sarah Palin. I'll relate one, to illustrate what kind of a person she is.
 
In April 2006, I was a college senior. I'd taken an interest in Alaska politics, and a gubernatorial election was getting ready to heat up in the fall.  The University of Alaska Fairbanks was getting ready to hold an energy forum with gubernatorial candidates--at the table were all sorts of great political minds from all over the state. The only woman sitting at the table was Palin--naturally, I was curious about what she had to say--and I liked it. After the debate, I went down to the table to shake her hand.

"What's your name?" she asks me.

"I'm Dani Carlson!" I answered.

"What's your major?" she asks me.

"I'm a Broadcast Journalism major," I respond.

She gripped my hand a little harder and said, "You know, I went to college in Idaho and I was a journalism major." The thought of someone I'd just gained so much respect for having been through the same experience as I was going through totally thrilled me. She stared at me for a couple of seconds, and said, "I bet you I'm going to see you again real soon. You'll be a great reporter."

My heart soared, and one part of me leveled and thought that maybe she was just trying to say something sweet to a possible young voter. Even so, I was still very flattered.

Several months later, after working a summer at a restaurant, retail, a reality television show's pit stop in North Pole, and another television internship, I was finally a political correspondent at the NBC affiliate, KTVF, in Fairbanks. I was finally a reporter, and a weekend anchor. One day, I got the news that Tom Irwin (the former energy commissioner who said "no" to former Governor Frank Murkowski's gasline deal and was fired as a result) was to endorse Sarah Palin in Fairbanks. I was sent to cover it. I was very happy to have the chance to say "hello" to her again, and to see what she had to say.

I showed up at the endorsement site. She and her campaign posse showed up, happy and smiling--Irwin endorsed her, and then it was time to hurry on with the busy schedule of the day.

But before Palin left, she came right up to me with a look of keen recognition, and said, "Dani! I met you at UAF! Do you remember me? I told you I was going to see you again. AND you're a reporter."

I was absolutely dumbfounded. And thrilled. Ever since then I've always had great interviews with her. Journalistic encounters are always very short and sweet because of busy schedules, but she always gives me a hug and a smile when there's the time to do so.