Party at war as Palin 'goes rogue'

DAMAGING recriminations between aides to John McCain and Sarah Palin, who is being accused of "going rogue", are spilling out into public view.

Reflecting a bitterly divided campaign going into the final week of the presidential race, unnamed campaign insiders are starting to speak out in a traditional Washington game of "precriminations", where blame starts to be apportioned in the face of a likely defeat.

Ms Palin is making it obvious she is unhappy how she has been handled by her campaign staff - particularly that she has been shielded from any unscheduled interaction with journalists.

US media outlets yesterday were reporting open hostility from aides close to both candidates, some calling Ms Palin a "diva" in what will be an even more heated blame game after November 4 should Senator McCain lose.

"She's lost confidence in most of the people on the plane," said a senior Republican quoted by the website Politico yesterday, adding that Ms Palin had already begun to "go rogue" in some of her public pronouncements on the campaign trail. CNN reported similar comments.

Politico cited four Republicans close to Ms Palin as saying she had grown frustrated by advice given to her by campaign handlers, whom supporters blame for a series of public relations gaffes.

As The Australian reported last week, Ms Palin has in the past two weeks noticeably distanced herself on several occasions from Senator McCain, a move many regard as her attempt to establish her own identity and a possible run for the White House in 2012 if Democratic contender Barack Obama wins on Tuesday week.

CNN reported a Palin associate saying the candidate was simply trying to "bust free" of what she believes was a damaging and mismanaged rollout.

Polls continue to indicate that Senator McCain needs a stunning reversal in the last week of the campaign to win.

While one AP poll last week had him in a dead heat with Senator Obama, most polls show the 47-year-old Illinois senator with a six- to 10-point lead. And he is ahead in enough battleground states that media networks across the US are projecting a comfortable win for Senator Obama in the electoral college tally should the polling hold true.

It makes reports of the internal spats in the McCain camp all the more damaging as Senator McCain looks to ride the race home with a consistent message focusing on Senator Obama's relative lack of experience and a left-liberal economic agenda.

But reports indicate Ms Palin may continue to make headlines in the final days of the campaign as she appears increasingly willing to disregard advisers' orders and speak out on her own.

Politico reported the Alaska Governor's supporters were accusing McCain campaign strategists of already attempting to pin the blame on Ms Palin for the failure of the campaign.

It later quoted advisers to Senator McCain reacting angrily to the report, branding Ms Palin a "diva". The McCain sources said Ms Palin had repeatedly gone "off-message" recently, suggesting she appeared to be looking out for herself.

Ms Palin has also been taking some heat over the $US150,000 ($220,000) spent on her wardrobe since late August, undermining her appeal as a down-to-earth working "hockey mum".

Campaigning in Iowa yesterday, noting the chill in the air, she said: "It reminded me a lot of Alaska, so I put my warm jacket on, and it is my own jacket. It doesn't belong to anybody else

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24555047-2703,00.html

From Maverick to Rogue. . . Natural progression, if you ask me!

A second McCain source says she appears to be looking out for herself more than the McCain campaign.

"She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone," said this McCain adviser. "She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else.

"Also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/25/palin.tension/index.html

Awww! The Soccer mom is letting the (bull) dogs out.

That was his biggest mistake choosing Palin as his VP.

She is crap and has made blunders on a few late night shows.

I bet the old man will be regretting his decision