Sarah Palin bio continues to climb

As we noted yesterday, the biography of relatively unknown Sarah Palin was being snapped up by people eager to learn more about John McCain's choice for VP.

Today the book -- "Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment on Its Ear," by Kaylene Johnson -- is at  No. 12 in all of books on Amazon. It is the No. 1 bestseller in Biographies & Memoirs of Women and also No. 1 in Biographies & Memoirs of Leaders and Notable People -- Politicians.

The Wall Street Journal quotes author Johnson as saying that "the book has been selling well in Alaska because people really like her." That's probably an old quote, as the book is now selling well pretty much everywhere.

And some in Alaska aren't Palin-boosters. The Anchorage Daily News says local politicians are "stunned." Republican state Senate President Lyda Green, who, along with Johnson, is from Palin's hometown of Wasilla, said: "She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?"

Many are looking to Johnson's bio for the answer to that question.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

UPDATE: "Sarah" is now, after 1pm Pacific, at #10 on Amazon's sales chart; it's the only biography in the top 10.

Photo credit: Kiichiro Sato / Associated Press

Comments

[Peter]

WOW, I tryed to get the book. They had it for sell on Veep peek, but they were out yesterday like an hour after mcCAin made the annoucne. But there is sooo many questions about this scandal that keep leaking out today. http://www.veeppeek.com They have a collection of local news vidoes at that site concerning the trooper scandal

[Sam]

Odd McCain picks a VP who just recently has erupted in scandal. Weird how in a change election McCain picks a VP that is corrupt.
No one is going to like the fact that Palin is corrupt and politicizes government just like the Bush administration has done.
Another weird thing is that McCain has now proven that everything he's said about Obama was just political games and lies. Obama has enough experience; fact is Obama has more experience then Ronald Reagan had and Palin only has 2 years of experience. And in Plains tenor has Mayor she bankrupted the city and drove it into the ground.
Horrible choice McCain... Not to mention Palin is a staunch extremist right-winger who supports Bush 95% of the time, hates science, is bought by big oil (as proven by her executive decisions and bills), and is wants a theocracy (again proven by her positions on the issues).

[stalkexpress]

McCain must not have seen this local news report on Troopergate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UojMnCgqVA

[terri]

You can always find somebody in your state that doesn't like you. I'm sure Joe Biden has some in his state. Big deal.

[JOJO]

BIG DISASTER FOR MACNE POLITICS! SELF ASSURED DISASTER FOR THE CANDIDATE.

[Steven Gowman]

We live in Pa., and are life long republicans. We were so thrilled by Mcain's choice, as it will bring the votes from the christian right, & the pro choice group...that surely is a huge number. We think Sarah Palin is just a wonderful choice, and cannot wait for the convention.

[Frank Mancuso]

It's 3:00 AM. The phone rings at the White House.

[dallas mike]

A neocon is a neocon is a neocon, reguardless of gender.

[JD]

Yeah, that trooper scandal seems to be the worse point. If she fires her brother-in-law, a decorated officer of Alaska State Police, just because her sister was upset at him. And to do so, she forges all those documents, uses off-duty officers to threat and beat the poor guy, and all that Nazi stuff, think about if she wakes up a 3 AM on a bad mood to answer Putin on the red phone? Palin will fry this world out with Nukes, LOL.

[Cathy]

Palin has over an 80% approval rating by Democrats and Republicans alike in Alaska yet every article I have read about her since yesterday quotes someone with something negative to say about her.

[Mindy]

I think it's funny that you managed to publish comments from the one person in Wasilla that states that Palin is not prepared to be President, simply out of jealousy I presume. Ask the thousands of others in Wasilla, and Alaska in general that are very proud of her and know that she will make a great V.P.

[Ti]

THE L.A. TIMES is TRASH Now.

sad.

[richie t.]

David was not qualified to tangle with Goliath but took care of business just fine. What is in the heart and soul of a being will manifest itself, good or bad and VP Palin has a pure heart and pure motives unlike many of republicans and democrats in Washington who are self serving. We need the strongest leaders with high integrity and a fear of their Creator, man or woman. We shall see in the days to come what real truths will prevail.

[Dave]

Don't you think your article is slightly suspect when your amazon associates link to that book makes a profit for the newspaper?

isn't that just advertising for the book, and not an article at all?

-Dave

[Don]

Anyone who thinks John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin was not pure politics just has to ask whether she would have been picked if she was not a People magazine cover-ready woman. Her previous experience consists of two terms as mayor of a town smaller than Malibu, and 20 months as governor of an isolated state with a population half the size of San Diego. The industries there are oil, fishing and logging, not global banking, manufacturing and high-tech. If John McCain thinks Sarah Palin is ready to go toe to toe with four term Senators and change Washington, or negotiate arms reduction and trade with Hu Jintao and Vladimir Putin, I have to seriously question his commitment to the security and success of this country.

[Samuel Kupp]

I think Sarah Palin is a delightful, intelligent, and worthy choice as the vice-presidential candidate. If she were running for President I would still vote for her, but hope she took some tips from her advisers to solidify her decisions. As VP, I believe her wisdom will guide her to be fully capable of presidency within 2 to 3 months of office under McCain.

[Tracy]

Not impressed with the choice. Actions speak louder than words John McCain. You criticize Obama's experience and chose a running mate with no better qualifications, if not worse for the highest executive office in the free world.

You can't even stay true to your message, I guess I don't can't assume you'll stay true to your policies.

[Will Whatley]

No offense to the lady chosen by McCain to be his running mate (VP); but it terribly frightens me to think of this man, with this kind of monumental decision making example, being the person with his finger on the triggers of our nuclear weapons. More, more, more innocent service men and women of the U. S. and innocent men, women and children of foreign lands needlessly slain. Foreign lands only? Probably not, when such as that happens again.

[Alice]

I've been looking up info on her as well and I haven't been pleased with the results. I really wanted to like her since I've been on the fence between Obama and McCain, but from what I've gathered, Palin is just a less-experienced, female version of George W. Bush. I'm leaning towards Obama, though I'll certainly give the Republicans a chance to explain themselves at the convention. If its mostly attacking Obama instead of presenting a clear vision of what they're doing different from Bush, I'm done with them.

[AsBee]

Palin - what a refreshing candicate selection by John McCain. Excelent judgement

For those Obamites, questioning her experience - perhaps some introspection of your own candidate would be a good place to start.

This democrat could not have been happier to be voting for McCain, especially now with Palin as his VP candidate.

You Obamites talking about scandals is a joke. Barak is synonymous with scandal - Rev. Wright / Rezko / Pfeggler / terrotist Ayers / and on and on the list goes LOL

John McCain - a real American hero. Palin - now there is a candidate who truely deserves the mantle of being an agent of change !! :)

Registered democrat for McCain :)

[An Alaskan]

Just in response to the previous comment - the news isn't 'leaking out' about the on-going investigation into Palin's possible abuse of her gubernatorial power. It has been major news in Alaska for some time. She has an ex brother in law, who is by some reports not a great guy (!?) but it seems that not only did she try to use her position to have him fired, she removed a competent appointee from his post for not firing him for her. At least, that is the scuttlebut. She vehemently denied that ANYONE on her staff had talked to him about the ex family member, then had to recant when a recording of a phone call surfaced of one of her staff members. It has been on the news in Alaska for weeks. Not a surprise to Alaska.

[ms]

Good job McCain. This woman is like me, my mother, my sister in laws, all the strong women I know. Fantastic choice. Someone we can relate too, and she is smart and pretty. Now, I hope she is just as shrewd and tough as she seems. Finally one of us in the race for the White House. God Bless Sarah and John.

[Mike]

http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/072808/sta_310532640.shtml

O Boy. If the left actually does decide to bring this scandal up, this could get interesting.

Grimes suspended Wooten for 10 days. He also was punished for illegally shooting a moose and using a Taser on his 10-year-old stepson. The trooper admitted to using the Taser on his stepson in a "training capacity" and said he shot a moose on his wife's tag, but didn't think the act was illegal.

Cyr said the Public Safety Employees Association filed a grievance regarding the 10-day suspension and the punishment was later reduced to five days.

Several other allegations were made by Palin and her family but were denied by Wooten and found to be unsubstantiated, including that Wooten has used illegal steroids, driven drunk on a number of occasions and tried to bully his way out of paying a $5 fee at the local dump.

Wall's investigation did find that Wooten threatened Palin's sister, Molly McCann, with shooting her father if he hired a lawyer to represent her. Wooten denied making the statement, but Palin, McCann and Palin's son all confirmed that he did.

Wall said the act wasn't a crime because Palin's father was not present when Wooten made the statement.

[Hawthorn]

Sarah Palin may be inexperienced, but she's the only one who can stop Skynet from being activated!

No, seriously - she's an interesting choice, but unless she distinguishes herself on the campaign trail and survives an intense vetting that I doubt McCain gave her, she's going to be an invisible running mate. It's in neither campaign's interest to focus on her.

[JM]

To the people defending Mrs. Palin:
I can understand if you respect her, and agree with her positions on abortion, gay marriage, etc, but HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOU THINK SHE IS QUALIFIED TO BE VP?