Sarah Palin: An "unholy amalgam"?

The latest issue of Vanity Fair isn't even on newsstands yet and it's already making headlines for a not-so-politely titled article, "It Came from Wasilla," about Gov. Sarah Palin.

William Kristol at the Weekly Standard is calling it a "hit piece," taking writer Todd Purdum to task for his "dubious claims." A blogger at the Atlantic writes that the article "paints a gruesome picture" of the governor. Politico's Jonathan Martin mulls the "political fallout from the very tough piece."

Early in the almost 10,000-word article, Purdum describes Palin's life as an "unholy amalgam of 'Desperate Housewives' and 'Northern Exposure.'" Purdum has plenty of juicy quotes, but not a single source was willing to go on record. A sampling:

— "One longtime McCain friend and frequent companion on the trail was heard to refer to Palin as 'Little Shop of Horrors.'"

— "Some top aides worried about her mental state: was it possible that she was experiencing postpartum depression?"

— "Several told me, independently of one another, that they had consulted the definition of 'narcissistic personality disorder' in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — 'a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy' — and thought it fit her perfectly.

Purdum also quotes unnamed McCain campaign aides who, he writes, seem to "suffer a kind of survivor's guilt":

"They can’t quite believe that for two frantic months last fall, caught in a Bermuda Triangle of a campaign, they worked their tails off to try to elect as vice president of the United States someone who, by mid-October, they believed for certain was nowhere near ready for the job, and might never be. They quietly ponder the nightmare they lived through."

But other McCain staffers who are willing to go on record are refuting the article's tone and facts. Jason Rechem told the Washington Times blog that "the mean tone of this article is completely false, this is not the Sarah Palin I knew and spent two and a half months with."

In an email to a Washington Post blogger, McCain staffer David Welch wrote: "Purdum did not include quotes from pro-Palin staffers (Mike Goldfarb, Randy Scheunemann have been outspoken in their support) — a clear sign of biased hit piece. If that doesn't convince you, the countless cheap shots and comparison of Palin to Nixon should."

But for all that, Purdum acknowledges that despite her missteps, Palin cannot be ignored, and in fact, should be admired for her political prowess, however raw:

"Palin has shown herself to have remarkable gut instincts about raw politics, and she has seen openings where others did not. And she has the good fortune to have traction within a political party that is bereft of strong leadership, and whose rank and file often demands qualities other than knowledge, experience, and an understanding that facts are, as John Adams said, stubborn things. It is, at the moment, a party in which the loudest and most singular voices, not burdened by responsibility, wield disproportionate power."

- Lili Ladaga

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