Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Heath Palin (born February 11, 1964), the 11th Alaska state governor, is the U.S. Republican Party's presumptive vice presidential nominee for the 2008 United States presidential election. She was chosen by the party's presumptive presidential nominee, John McCain, in August 2008.
Before coming to national attention as McCain's running mate, Palin was elected governor of Alaska in 2006. Her political experience prior to this consisted of two terms as mayor/manager of Wasilla, Alaska (pop. about 9,000), from 1996 to 2002, and two terms as a Wasilla City Council member (1992-1996). She had also been a chair of the Alaska Conservation Commission which regulates oil and gas, and was president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.
Political ideology
She is politically conservative, an anti-abortionist, and a long-time member of the National Rifle Association. Although she vetoed a bill to deny benefits to gays, because she felt it was unconstitutional, she believe marriage should only between a man and a woman, and is in favor of constitutional ammendments to deny gay rights.[1],[2]. She touts herself as an anti-corruption leader, although she is currently under investigation for using her office to fire the boss of her former brother-in-law for refusing to fire her former brother-in-law.
Family and education
She graduated in 1982 from Wasilla High School and received a bachelors degree from the Univerisity of Idaho in communications-journalism in 1987. She has lived in Skagway, Eagle River and Wasilla. She married Todd Palin and together they have five children - Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig. She has been praised by pro-life groups for not terminating her pregnancy after learning that Trig had Down syndrome.
The environment
She opposed the protection of salmon contamination due to mining operations, and as governer she had the State of Alaska file a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to overturn Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne's decision to list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.[3]. She is business-friendly and encourages the increased development of the timber, mining, drilling, and fishing industries in Alaska, including the opening of ANWR for oil drilling.[4]. She is an avid hunter and fisherman.