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Palin Won't Dine With Journo— Even for $60,000
Ex-governor nixes critical writer's bid in charity auction
By Rob Quinn
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Posted Sep 19, 09 7:28 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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A journalist willing to fork over $60,000 for a dinner with Sarah Palin found himself frozen out of a charity auction at the last minute, the Huffington Post reports. Joe McGinnis, a Palin critic who wrote a piece last fall slamming her handling of Alaska's gasline, slipped through the pre-approval process but found himself shut out as he closed in on first place in the auction's last hour—shortly after the Alaska Dispatch ran a story identifying him as one of the bidders.
Auction rules stated that Palin had the right to reject dinner companions based "on her subjective standards of suitability, professionalism, background and other factors," which apparently applied to McGinnis. The winner, owner of an Alabama defense contracting company, says she's a "big advocate" for Palin and is looking forward to the trip to Alaska—even though she has to pay her own way.