Palin may have left Alaska, but she's not giving up her moose roots

John McCain and Sarah Palin began their post-convention tour of battleground states today in the small Wisconsin town of Cedarburg. But although Palin's biggest task in the coming months will be trying win over the lower 48, she's not about to abandon her Alaska roots.

How can we tell?

Follow the tracks. Moosetracks, that is.

That's the ice cream flavor she chose when she, McCain, and Cindy McCain made a stop at a Cedarburg sweets shop before their campaign appearance. The new vice presidential candidate ordered a large scoop of moosetracks -- vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups and fudge -- served in a waffle cone.

Palin's affinity for all things moose is well documented. Indeed, the Republicans seem to be touting her moose-hunting skills as one of her qualifications for vice president.

During his GOP convention speech, Fred Thompson called her, "the only nominee in the history of either party who knows how to properly field dress a moose ... with the possible exception of Teddy Roosevelt."

And Cindy McCain, in her speech, said, “John has picked a reform-minded, hockey-mommin', basketball-shooting, moose-hunting, salmon-fishing, pistol-packing mother of five for vice president."

Palin, it seems, likes moose best when they're on her plate.  She has said in the past that her favorite meal is moose stew. (We found a recipe here).

Her propensity for hunting has alarmed some environmental activists. "Her philosophy from our perspective is cut, kill, dig and drill," John Rosenberg, the director of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, told the Associated Press.

Some Republicans would take that as a compliment.

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Palin wasn't the only politician cooling off with ice cream in Cedarburg today. Sen. McCain also had a scoop. His order? Watermelon sorbet. We're not quite sure what that reveals, but we welcome interpretations.

-- Kate Linthicum

Photo: Toby Talbot / Associated Press

Comments

[Paul Stewart]

I mean, who cares about field dressing a moose? Is this the dark ages?

And who needs a pistol packing momma or a pit bull for VP? America needs a smart and courageous person. Not an upstart smart ass spewing outrageous mockery of an upstanding opponent and sowing divisiveness in the name of unity. She and McCain are galling.

Fooliani is just an idiot - a bully in the sandbox. Say a few ugly things and give a huge friendly smile as if that's normal and okay. That is not whining, that is stating a fact. What is so funny about what he said?

If and when they get to the issues, I will tune back in to see what more they have to say. In the end, this is a test for America not for McCain or Obama. Do they have the courage to be bigger than themselves? Are they capable of that cosmopolitan view that Rudy so uglifies? Are they capable of opening their minds and hearts to each other? Are they capable of fueling the unity and growth of their country. Can they indeed give back for a cause greater than themselves and the selfish petty character destruction politics of the right?

Indeed, the face of the "selfless right" as can be seen from their convention is really the face of the self righteous and the selfish right.

[Alexander]

I can hardly wait until she shoots her friend in the face

[Alexander]

I can hardly wait until she shoots her friend in the face

[John Neville]

When you folks get done bashing our governor, would you please send her home in the same condition we loaned her to y'all. For a bunch of Schwarzeneggerites you don't have a lot of room to throw stones, if you know what I mean. And by the way, moose is good eating.

[CurtMerzFan]

Silly Wabbits! The more you silly Dems attack Palin the more likely she is to make a difference in this election. Your desperation is showing! Get a clue!

[CurtMerzFan]

Silly Wabbits! The more you silly Dems attack Palin the more likely she is to make a difference in this election. Your desperation is showing! Get a clue!

[Graniteman]

Are you from Venice or the Hollywood Hills? Then scoff all you want as you sip your merlot and polish your Prius. Sarah Palin appeals to lots of working people in suburbs and small towns in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin, etc. There was a time when the Democratic Party REALLY stood for working people of modest means. Now cultural snobs lead the Democratic party and Republican populists like McCain and Palin have a chance to win despite the miserable policies of George W.

[Dani]

It's is surprising that even before POW, in the war it was very easy to hit his plane among all others flying with him. and they would bring him down all the time. Forget SAM, just using Manpads. Friends, I am not sure of his flying nor political skills.

[kaye]

she's a hockey "mom"...not a "hockey Mormon"...

[John Neville]

The "we are paying the bill for her (Palin) to bash the elites in the lower 48" argument is nonsense. The last two staes to be admitted before Alaska and Hawaii were Arizona and New Mexico. They have had about 47 years each of amenities provided by the Federal larder before Alaska was admitted to the Union. I bet they even got some bridges and some nifty roads and some National Parks, wow! The California Republic was admitted in 1850, or about 158 years ago. I'm sure the feds haven't given California anything during that time. They saved it up and gave it to the Alaskans when we became a state!

[ray reyns]

My god, how bad can it get? A VP candidate that likens herself to a pit bull...(now ain't that just endearin? an just what we need...a pit bull in the white house). A former member of a party that advocates Alaskan secession from the USA...no experience at much of anything except huntin n fishin....
are you kidding me? is this a joke or what?
what is going on?
Is there anyone out there that will vote for them?

[jeff barron]

mc SAME and the moose from Alaska = blah,blah,blah.
Maybe if we challenge another country to soccer she could ref the game or atleast make the koolaid at half-time. We could into a major dispute about blubber stealing from Russia or China.

[smc]

Funny responses. A few responses to them...

1. Bambi was NOT a moose. He was a deer (yes, it was a HE... what where his parents thinking when they named him!).

2. Wolves are FAR from endangered. Not even close. In fact, wolves in the lower 48 are causing problems all over the country. The discovery channel (or national geographic?) did a special on it awhile back.

3. Does EVERY article about the candidates have to be a love'em or hate'em article? Can't some of them just be human interest? Fun? Lord knows there are PLENTY of other articles if you are looking for something more supportive of your views.

4. I've never in my entire life seen a 'bible-thumper'. So, if someone has a conservative faith, they are branded by some self-righteous, 'radical-right', extremist? Give me a break. Like somehow 'atheism' is the sign of true enlightenment? My most standards, the 'radical right' would be considered extremist liberals just a few decades ago.

5. Who decides what animals are 'okay' to kill? MacDonalds? Burger King? Cows and pigs are okay, but not deer and moose? What about bunnies? What about chickens and turkeys? You've just picked your own spot on the continuum and decided that anyone beyond that is a murderer. I'm glad you didn't write the constitution!

6. You're concerned about baby wolves being killed? Yeah, kinda harsh in my book too. But unless you can teach them to wear condoms, you're going to need to address the wolf population on Alaska. There are no natural predators of wolves. And yes, I hear your rebuttal... someone should have mentioned condoms to her daughter and her boyfriend. Agreed... but cut them slack. They aren't the first or the last to make that mistake.

7. I'd like all of those who are condemning her for having a family and running for office might want to consider the fact that she will have MUCH more support than many single-moms do. Instead of whining about her, maybe you should get involved in a big-brother/big-sister program to provide some support for those families in your OWN communities who might need some help. Cut her some slack. You wouldn't bust Obama's chops if he had a 5-month-old child with downs syndrome.

8. NO... not all of us are 'totally' blinded by the light when it comes to Governor Palin. We may balance our criteria differently than you, but MOST of us are very interested in more than her bust-line. It's not like Biden is a 'rare find' or anything. His selection was just as political as hers. That's okay... this is POLITICS. But lets be honest. He was near the bottom of his class and he tends to stick his foot in him mouth. But overall, he seems like a very nice guy. And she seems like a nice woman.

PEACE... It starts here at home. Maybe we should all start being a little less self-righteous, things might actually change.

Go and do something good!

[RealBaptist]

Sarah Palin is just a distraction from the REAL STORY. What people don’t know about John SIDNEY McCain is that this SO-CALLED Baptist is really a member of a radical, pro-homosexual splinter group of THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. This anti-papist doesn’t worship the REAL GOD of the Baptist faith, but rather the false god of the Queen of England, the English Prime Minister and the ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. What kind of change will this man bring to our country when Baptist-God fearing American children with be forced to sip tea and chant Chaucer under the guidance of A GAY SCHOOLTEACHER! We cannot let this lime sucking “Episcopalian”, who was indoctrinated in a radical CoE madrasa, cede control of our government back to the British Crown! Unless you want our children worshiping the false antipope / antichrist of Canturbury, John SIDNEY McCAIN must be stopped! THE REDCOATS ARE COMING! THE REDCOATS ARE COMING!

[george m shub]

Thanks for progressing the pertinent political discourse. That was terrific.!

[ray reyns]

well don't that just show yew what a great ol country this is...when trailer trash can make it to the white house...she kin jes clean up the whole mess in the iraq with her skinnin knife i'll betcha...boy if that ain't what this world needs, some regular folk runnin things...well hell, i guess we kin all jes relax and go out an fire off a few rounds jes fer the fun of it....

[B. Stiles]

I think the whole watermelon sorbet thing sounds elitist and gay (not that there's anything wrong with that). Too many Moosetracks ice cream cones and she won't be able to fit into her frumpy outfits.

[Victor Mendez]

I am sure why the Times would even write this trite piece of trash, given the latest job report.

As of Governor Palin, she may find it amusing to trash her opponents, and assume she is "hot" teflon; however, she needs to be reminded that she is not Ronald Reagan and Big Ron was president before the Internet was around.

Sarah is simply a right wing experiment in Affirmative Action gone terribly bad.

[Andy]

Poor Obamaniacs. You have got to learn to share the spotlight!

[dennis]

I was born and raised in LA, moved out when I was in my 20's. When I was young, I thought I knew things based upon my environment. I learned a lot more based upon experience. Lawyers in office do what lawyers are trained to do, they create laws. The more laws, the more limits on freedom. The more lawyers, the more laws.
This country may very well be in trouble and it may actually fall before it rises again but if the entire thing goes into the toilet, it's not going to be the government that saves you, it will be you that saves you. Qualifications for office aside, when the rubber meets the road, when and if times get really hard and if I get really hungry. I'll take the moose hunters help over the community organizer help every single time. If I was cold, hungry, lost and confused, I would take the help of people that have proven they are capable of survival over the people that are capable of helping me after they take the means to do so from somebody else.

[Tsiangkun Tzu]

Watermelon sorbet is the flavor of choice to remove the taste of sucking off team Bush for the last 8 years. A way to rid ones mouth of the remains of vomit that rises from one's gut when looking at themself in the mirror and realizing that they have compromised their integrity and honor to advance the dreams of a failed political ideology.

It's the flavor of choice for a man that can no longer talk about his record because he is ashamed of what his has done in recent times.

[t]

I wonder how many of you who think hunting is cruel eat meat. Have ever thought about where your food comes from? I assure you that the average cow lives and dies in a far less humane manner than the big game that is killed during hunting reason. At lest the animal lived free and its' death was probably quick and painless. Most cows spend their lives walking on poop in a feed lot never touching a fresh blade of grass. Also, have you ever thought about the natural death of a moose? Watch some nature shows. Once they get old and weak, the wolves move in. Death by wolf is slow a painful.

[lisa]

Who cares? What a stupid article!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are more important things than what kind of ice cream some woman eats!!!!!!! This is serious politics not better homes and gardens. She is running for VP, not first lady.

I think she is vastly underqualified and that the article is dumb and sexist.

I wish Palin supporters would realize that just because she is a woman and someone they can relate to, and not better educated than they are, or smarter -- that doesn't make her a good pick for one heartbeat away from being President.
It's so sad that people don't view President and VP as highly qualified positions anymore that need our smartest and best educated. Hockey mom is not a qualification for VP.

[Paul]

Jill >>> Because animals are food. In Alaska people hunt and fish for food. It is common to stock a freezer with fish and a moose each fall. If you knew what the price of groceries (particularly fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat) is in Alaska you would go out and bag a moose as well if you could. If you couldn't hunt a neighbor would probably share some with you instead. The Federal Jones Act restricts how supplies can be shipped to Alaska, and allows some select shipping companies from the lower-48 to do very well.

bsmith >>> Wolves are not endangered in Alaska. The only persons that can shoot a wolf from the air are state fish and game technicians who do it for control purposes. In fact, there is a law that you cannot hunt the same day that you fly in an airplane so people don't use planes to scout out game. The Sierra Club is not always right (and quite often wrong about Alaska) so don't believe everything they tell you when they are trying to guilt you into making a donation.

[basementfrog]

Let's hope she doesn't.

You know, maybe the progressives should take this women in: she's a sheep in wolf's clothing.

The statement reads ironically in light of the McCain campaign's "America First" catch-phrase. For Palin, however, it is more than a matter of rhetoric. The reason is because of an unusual provision in the Alaska Constitution that treats the states resources -- everything from fisheries to oil and natural gas reserves -- as public trusts:

“It is the policy of the State to encourage the settlement of its land and the development of its resources by making them available for maximum use consistent with the public interest.”

This is not some sort of trivial, legal matter. On the contrary, all Alaska residents stand to benefit directly from the exploitation of the state's natural resources. In 2007, for instance, all Alaska residents were sent a dividend check for $1,654 in exchange for their share of income earned from the state's leasing of oil- and gas-rich territory. Anybody who has been a resident of the state for a year or more is eligible, including children, meaning that a family of four might expect to bring in about $5,000 in income each year this way.

The provision puts Palin in the unusual position of being sort of a landlord-in-chief, charged with negotiating oil and natural gas leases for the "maximum benefit of all Alaskans" -- which Palin generally seems to have interpreted as the maximum royalty dividend.

Sounds like my kind of gal. I am all for having American companies giving their profits to the people... free everything, via Palin and McCain. Yea!