Thank you Kerri, for standing up for Governor Palin, a woman of courage and character. I just sent the message below to John McCain through his website: Dear Mr. McCain, Please make a statement strongly defending Gov. Sarah Palin from the unconscionable attacks coming from your own campaign staff. The cowardly, anonymous accusations being made against her are uncalled for, unjustified, untrue and reveal the character of the accusers and the reporters who would even report this scurrilous blather while allowing the source to remain unnamed! I am ashamed of the Republican Party for allowing this to go on without denouncing it. Gov. Palin is a woman of character and graciousness who deserves every respect, not this. Please back her up! Sandy Holladay

Thank you Kerry and Sandy! Sarah Palin is a class act! Intelligent, beautiful, and as you said courageous. She is a woman that is genuine,and has the character and moral convictions that are admirable. She has the qualities that should be representative of our United States, this was the vision of our founding fathers, was it not? McCain made a very good selection of her. I am ashamed of the Republicans that did not stand with them, then and now. PS.When you are point a finger at someone, there is always 3 fingers pointing back...

I heard the accusations on Fox about Palin's alleged ignorance on civic issues. I'm inclined to think, based on the interviews I saw her do, that the allegations are correct. And we've all seen her repeat one grammatical abortion after another. I disagree with the backbiting, and now that Palin is on her own, she will have the ability to either impress us and prove her critics wrong or disappoint us - long before she gets even close to the nomination.

I heard the accusations on Fox about Palin's alleged ignorance on civic issues. I'm inclined to think, based on the interviews I saw her do, that the allegations are correct. And we've all seen her repeat one grammatical abortion after another. I disagree with the backbiting, and now that Palin is on her own, she will have the ability to either impress us and prove her critics wrong or disappoint us - long before she gets even close to the nomination.

Sarah Palin brought life to a dead campaign. Let's face it, many men are intimidated by accomplished, strong women. The terms being thrown around are the same things said of most successful women. A woman with high expectations is a "diva"; a man with high expectations "demands excellence". A woman who gets angry throws a "tantrum"; a man who gets angry is "strong" and "determined". And without fail, they say that successful women are dumb. This lady didn't get to be Governor and gain an 85% approval rating by being dumb. Being a strong women and a strong Christian is bound to bring criticism. But it looks to me like she can handle it. Go Sarah!

What grossly disloyal conduct. McCain's staff is out of control, and as far as I know, he's made NO MOVE to nip this scandal in the bud. Shame on him. It makes everybody look bad - but especially McCain.

It is ALLEGED that Gov. Palin said these ridiculous things. BUT we have it on tape that obama said he had VISITED ALL 57 states of our country. Now who is the idiot? Thank you Kerri, you said everything that is also true for me and my wonderful husband. A man much like Todd Palin!

Thank you so much. I am starting to get ill listening to all of the baloney. I hope John McCain comes out and states something in regards to this. Gov. Palin has benn ridiculed since the day she came on the scene at the convention. I for one am sick of it.

Carl Cameron should be placed on a long vacation for "reporting" this old lady gossip. I was literally ill with disgust when I heard it. It doesn't matter, one whit, whether any of the accusations are true. When did we start shooting our own? It is a clear case of campaign impotence on the part of McCain's supposed "experts". They screwed up six ways from Sunday from the moment he was nominated and then along comes Sarah and shows them up on the first day. If John McCain does not come out TODAY and put an end to this, he is not the man I thought he was.

This "report" is not what Fox reported, what Carl Cameron reported. Not anything like they reported! Steve Schmidt was most certainly not in the anti-Palin camp, and in any event, Cameron did not specify names. That was an addition of the poster of this inaccurate "news".

Sarah Palin did indeed breathe life into a raspy campaign. I don't care who these "insiders" are - this is precisely the vitrol and infighting the liberals are thrilled to see - and not only the liberals, but our enemies!!!!! How DARE anyone cast such vile dispersions upon her! She did a brilliant job, brillant. I should think because of the intensity of the venom being spewed - she really IS the one to carry forth the Conservative Torch. They say Evil is repelled by Good. Judging by the reaction to Sarah Palin, we have our new leader!

These elitist reporter/campaign aides don't like Sarah Palin because she is a real threat to the Inside-the-Beltway crowd. They hate her as they hated Ronald Reagan.

David Frum at NRO seems to want to pin this ugly tail on Nicole Wallace. http://frum.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTA3MDY2NGE3ODFjYjViNjhlOGFkMWZiNzYwZWRmYjY=

I sometimes judge too quickly, however a community that allows "authors" (and "regular ones at that!) to post unsubstantiated and made-up items, especially about Governor Palin, does a particularly vile disservice to all parties concerned. This made-up smear piece is just as horrible as the unattributed smears on the good character of Palin. I find it unconceivable that whoever runs this place hasn't at least seen this submission, after all, there are several comments on it. All, seemingly accepting at face value what it says. I know for a fact, having been involved in running national campaigns for several decades, and knowing the people involved, that although some asses who won't come forward have indeed smeared Sarah Palin, the names given here are not completely correct, therefore giving one what they deserve (public ridicule) and the other a totally unwarranted attack on their character.

Dear Ridgeliner7: If you know who is responsible for the smear on Palin please name them and save the allegedly innocent folks from further speculation. As it is, the entire campaign team is suffering from the acts of few. We welcome an op ed from any member of the campaign. It is open posting. The responsibility for campaign leadership and integrity doesn't end on November 4 so let's hear from the campaign. We would love to put this to rest and move on for the cause of liberty, but it appears we have some cleaning up to do first.

Ridgeliner7, you must know that all these reports are in the news. It's not "irresponsible" to tell people what is being said by and about campaign officials. Scheuneman himself predicted that Schmidt was going to go after Palin. Now someone HAS gone after Plain in a base and degrading way. Schmidt has NOT (yet) repudiated any of the reports. Nor have the Wallaces. Nor has McCain, to his increasing shame. There is nothing - not one word - in Kerri's report that is "made-up". Read it again - the entire thing is substantiated by multiple reports in different forms of media - TV, radio, and print. I suggest you go over to Newsweek, CNN, Politico, Fox News, etc, etc and rail at them for publicizing made-up and unsubstantiated reports. That will be a more effective use of your time than railing at a citizen who decries the entire brou-ha-ha. NONE of these rumors, innuendo, and smears should EVER have seen the light of day, much less pushed so aggressively in the mainstream media. SOMEONE inside the McCain campaign (three aides, to be exact) has done a hatchet job on Palin, and enlisted the biggest news outlets to do it! Those news outlets have made front page news - and they would NOT do so on the mere gossip of some low-level no-name campaign worker. Their sources are at the highest level (so they claim) - and the suspects are few. McCain has had the opportunity to shut this entire mess down - AND HE HASN'T! His staff is out of control the entire situation is a terrible stain on the honor and integrity of his campaign.

@ Lori Roman and Heidi Thiess.... My complaint is that Carl Cameron reported a story, and one of your featured authors added names to it not revealed by Cameron or anyone else reporting it. I am troubled that Heidi, you are now acting like one of those dreaded "ism" people, and actually saying because one hasn't denied their culpability, once an unfounded accusation against them is leveled, they are as much as saying they are guilty. So, if someone reports an ongoing drug problem, say you Heidi or me have, unless we post denying it, that means we indeed have that problem? See how wrong your thinking is? I am not disputing that inaccurate information, with no other purpose but to smear Sarah Palin or extract retribution for some imagined or actual slight, has been deliberately leaked to members of the press by some despicable coward(s)seems to have happened. Believe me, no less than anyone else, I hate this sort of thing. I have immense respect for, and owe, as we all do, a debt of gratitude to Governor Palin. But narrowing it down to three people, is wrong. There are more involved. But it is not my place to accuse, reveal or punish those involved. Nor, I respectfully submit, is it anyone other than John McCain's responsibility to do so. Unless McCain has suffered a stroke and is incapacitated, he should be dealing with this. I know they feel (as any sane and fair person would) that a "when did you stop beating your wife?" sort of accusation is pointless to deny. We don't even know if the charges against Palin are really not just the invention of the press. Wouldn't be the first time, would it? Personally, in talking with more than just the "big three" of the McCain/Palin campaign, within the past week, not one of the named, or unnamed campaign staffers never uttered anything like the reported comments to me. Some venting, sure, but nothing like the obviously inaccurate and demeaning comments stated by members of the press. Those who have leaked to the press, should have the integrity to come forward and stand behind what they said, if true. Unless and until they do, those of us who admire Governor Palin do her an injustice by continuing to dignify anonymous comments with all the continued speculation. My objection was (and is) to Kerri Houston Toloczko's attaching names to the story Cameron reported when he did not, without telling us WHY it is she did. If she received some first-hand report from a credible person, she should say. If, as I suspect, it was her own good idea of who it was, that also should have been made clear, rather than stated as fact. I realize I might well be in the minority among Internet denizens, in demanding a level of integrity here that isn't even lived up to by so-called reporters working in non-Net positions anymore. But it is morally wrong to state who was involved in making such spurious comments without proof, and certainly it is wrong to demand that those not guilty deny something that might well have never come from them, or even happened. Finally, IMO, it was a major breach of journalistic ethics for such damaging charges to have been reported, in such detail, without attribution. Without such attribution, we should all be treating it with the credence it deserves: none.

I simply have to respond to Mr. Jenkins' comments because they're totally without substance. Governor Palin's perceived grammatical errors, etc., were the result of a concerted effort of leftist newsanchors/journalists. Katie Couric is known to have interviewed the Governor for over two hours & yet we were treated to only a couple minutes of it. Are we expected to believe that Ms. Couric chose not to let her bias run rampant? Are we to believe she had the best intentions in mind when she threw together those soundbytes? Hardly. She & Charlie Gibson could hardly contain their glee at the prospect of making Governor Palin seem addle-pated. And by way of comparison, Obama's knowledge of our 57 states plus his inability or limited ability to speak without a teleprompter is well-known. As to Joe Biden's multitudinous gaffes - I hardly know where to begin. How about when he asked the handicapped politician to stand? His near constant foot-in-mouth statements are legendary. And Mr. Jenkins chooses to pick on Sarah Palin???? I believe she'll be back - I surely hope so. If only John McCain had the onions Governor Palin has - he'd have forced Obama to return to his community organizer roots and won. Sarah Palin is the new face of Conservative Republicans - something sorely lacking since the days of Ronaldus Magnus.

Ridgeliner, I know that Kerri linked to the Cameron report, but I presume that she did not extrapolate the names by all by herself. They have been reported by other news outlets who sourced Scheuneman and other campaign insiders. Plus, there have been direct lines drawn between earlier tension in the campaign between Palin and the staffers in question. In fact, there were (inaccurate) reports that Scheuneman was fired for daring to expose the staffers, that have since been debunked, although Scheuneman admits his communication was cut-off. You said, "But narrowing it down to three people, is wrong. There are more involved." I'm not sure if you mean it this way, but I read that to mean that the three top staffers ARE involved in the knee-capping of Palin, though they are not the ONLY three. This disaster of a situation was created SOLELY by McCain staffers. Now, either Schmidt, Davis, and the Wallaces are completely innocent, and stupidly oblivious to the activities of their underlings (in which case a vigorous repudiation of the attacks on Palin should've been issued within the first minutes of the scandal) OR they are complicit. Which is it?

By the way, you misunderstand my previous statement that the staffers ought to repudiate the reports to mean that I require for them to prove their own innocence in the face of the accusations. That is incorrect. Actually, I was referring to them repudiating the gossip about Palin. They have failed to do so. By their silence, they haven exhibited disloyalty. It speaks volumes. In fact, by his very silence McCain himself has become complicit in the attacks. I hold his staffers no less accountable. Palin has been betrayed and sabotaged, and NOT ONE of them has attempted to stop it, declaim it, and fix it. Not one has attempted any measure whatsoever of accountability. It's a free for all of inside-the-Beltway ugliness and treachery. Regular Folk like us hate these displays of ruthless ambition, untempered by loyalty, honor, and honesty. SOMEONE inside the McCain campaign better grab their cahones and HANDLE this mess. Because until someone does, they are all painted with the brush of cowardice and disloyalty. McCain included.

What I meant was there wasn't any proof that the three mentioned were the culprits, and there were more "top staffers" with regular press contacts than the three mentioned. I still maintain that in the regular press, none of the reports of Palin-bashing attributed a name. That being the case, it is wrong for anyone to assume whom. To publicly tar, by name, the three gentlemen in the article above, is doing the same thing we are complaining about, as it regards Sarah Palin. I totally agree someone needs to step up. I think it is John McCain. http://ridgeliner7.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/palin-starts-pushing-back-about-time/ BTW, my direct contact info is included in my profile here.

Well I'm just a commoner, but I heard the names bandied about on Fox and NRO long before they showed up here at RFU. In other words, RFU did NOT originate the names to "smear" the staffers in question (Davis, Schmidt, Wallace). And if I may repeat, the fact that they have not stepped up to defend Plain speaks volumes about their possible culpability. Ridgeliner, we are not insiders here. We don't have inside scoops. Apparently, you do. So perhaps you can pass along some advice to your friends: the longer they allow Palin to get dragged trough the mud, the scummier they all look. Sorry, it may not be as "nuanced" as the Beltway elite would wish, but it's how regular, decent people think. If they can't see it by now, then they have subsumed themselves inside the Beltway for far too long.

Where does the buck stop? Ultimately, with McCain, of course. His staff, from the top down, is in disarray. In fact, Davis and Schmidt seem to be out of control of their own underlings - if indeed, their underlings are the culprits. That makes them inept at best, complicit at worst. Someone is slinging mud - they ALL know who it is - and no one is man enough to step up. Of course, they may all be following the cues from McCain, who has made himself scarce, which makes them all beta males following a cowardly course. That's how I see it. I'm a woman watching a bunch of men cowering behind each other while the incredible woman who saved their collective as$es takes friendly fire. The whole things REEKS, Ridgeliner. If they were half the men the regular guys in my life are, they would go to WAR on Sarah's behalf. But they aren't. Cowards, all, unless they fix this. Tell your friends I said so. Their response to my charges should tell you everything you need to know about them.

Rick Davis just went on Hannity and Colmes to try to put this to rest. It was the right thing to do. By all accounts the charges against Palin were absurd and untrue.

In what I do, in what everybody does, there must be accountability. Without it, our society is doomed. What has been said about Sarah Palin by the people who literally accepted money to get them elected is beyond the pale. Whoever said whatever, man up and admit it. When I screw up and say something I shouldn't, integrity and accountability compels me to say so. I suspect that is the case with all of you "regular folks" as well. It is not astrophysics. It is what genuine people do. We are not dealing with regular people in this instance. The lights need to be turned on and the cockroaches exposed so they can be exterminated. Too easy. This is just further evidence that it is going to take regular folks to put an end to this elementary school foolishness and take our country back. Like Heidi said, "actions, not words".

Sarah: 1 / Fox, weasels and jerks: 0 Governor Palin fights back in language regular folks would use, stating ""That's cruel. It's mean-spirited. It's immature. It's unprofessional and those guys are jerks if they came away with it, taking things out of context, and then tried to spread something on national news. It's not fair and it's not right." And ... by the way ... Greta Van Susteren gets the first post election Palin interview. Nice!!!

When all this first came up I thought it must be a joke. In the 21st century, when the United States of America has elected its first African-American? President (because of guilt more than faith) how we can debate the wardrobe of a Vice Presidential candidate is totally beyond my understanding. The spreading of false rumors from the liberal, socialistic media is expected, even as I retch with disgust, but for the staffers of the RNC to perpetrate and further fan the flames by not repudiating (or just LOL at the preposterous notion)show me, at least, why the GOP were the big loser of this poorly run election. The RNC couldn't have the MSM as their lapdog, unlike Obama, so they wanted Governor Palin to behave like one and when she refused to do so and had the nerve to think for herself, they behave like the disgusting DNC. God help our party if this is where it's headed. Who do I support in 2012?

I for one, believe that McCain did not want to win the nomination. He was only running to make sure that Obama would win. He picked Palin because he did not think that she would be able to attract any one to vote for him or her. That is why he would not pick any of the other well knowns. When she was able to pull the election his way, he and his fellow Republican leaders had to put her on ice. That way the media and Democrats would be able to attack her and she would not be able defend herself. I fully believe that McCain only ran to make sure the Democrats would win. You can argue all you want, but you will have to admit that McCain did not really try.

Gov Palin is a strong woman that can stand her ground and overcome this BUT as a woman and a republican I am appalled at the treatment given to Sarah Palin throughout the campaign by the media, the Democratic Party, and now by the Republican Party. They had to blame someone so they all blamed the one they feared the most "Sarah". They feared having Sarah in office with McCain before of the "right/good" things they both would have achieved. It is beyond me to understand why McCain is not speaking up for Palin, I thought better of him. This lady is not finished. They can say what they want and try to break her, but they will only make her stronger.

"They can say what they want and try to break her, but they will only make her stronger." Well said, FlaBorn.