After Harsh Words, GOP Warms to Palin

Scandal speculation gives way to new theories

(NEWSER) - When Sarah Palin made her sudden exit, many expected a scandal to break. But "in the days since, it has become clear that no other shoe is likely to drop," writes Jay Newton-Small of Time, who offers five likely reasons she resigned Alaska's top job:

• For the good of the state: Palin was lauded for resigning in protest from Alaska’s oil and gas commission. She painted her gubernatorial resignation “in the same way: a selfless act that should earn her kudos for saving taxpayers' money.”

(NEWSER) - Bill Kristol comes to the defense of Sarah Palin today in the wake of the “hit piece” about her in Vanity Fair. In a blog on the Weekly Standard, Kristol says the lengthy—and negative—article by “lefty journalist” Todd Purdum “is full of dubious claims, and is dependent on self-serving stories provided on background by some of the people who ran the McCain campaign into the ground.” More»

(NEWSER) - Very late in the presidential campaign, staffers for Sen. John McCain came to the painful realization that it would be impossible, ever, to get Sarah Palin up to speed, reports Vanity Fair. They discovered, too late, she was a truth-shifting, self-regarding "little shop of horrors" who knew little about issues, and stubbornly refused to take direction, writes national editor Todd S. Purdum. More»

(NEWSER) - Levi Johnston continues his gripping expose of the Palin family in an interview with Vanity Fair. Some choice revelations from Bristol's ex, who lived with the family for two months following the election:

• "There wasn't much parenting in that house": The Palin parents were too busy to care for their children, so "the kids would do it all themselves: cook, clean, do the laundry," Johnston says. He chipped in, too: "I’d barbecue chicken or steak on the grill."

Soon-to-be-former Alaska governor focused on upcoming book

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin has no plans to take a new job, her lawyer tells the Washington Post. Though the departing Alaska governor has received “hundreds of credible offers”—including a pitch for a gig as a talk-show host—she hasn’t pursued any of them except a previously announced book deal, Thomas Van Flein says. More»