Alaska Mag: Palin is "more than just a pretty face"

If you live in Alaska, you really ought to pick up a copy of the February issue of Alaska magazine, as the cover story is a fantastic profile of Gov. Palin and her family written by Melissa DeVaughn . There's far too much good info to fit into a blog post. But, for the benefit of my fellow lower-48ers who don't happen to have friends in Alaska sending them copies of such things, I figured I'd post a few excerpts here. What I found most intriguing were the descriptions of Gov. Palin's behavior and outlook on life. I've said this too many times already, but this proves yet again that Palin is the kind of common-sense personality that is sorely needed in Washington.

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"She can be on the phone with Dick Cheney and have (Republican Senate President) Lyda Green right outside her door, and her kids call and she goes, 'Oops, hold on,'" said [Shannon] Leighow, the deputy press secretary. "Her kids trump everyone, and I think that's pretty neat.

Watching her everyday life, its easy to forget Palin is the governor, a quality that unnerves her security detail. She often walks down the road to meet Piper's school bus. And although she could have a driver with her at all times, she prefers to drive herself.
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When they were married in 1988, Sarah and Todd were coming off a mediocre fishing season in Bristol Bay. She didn't want to burden her parents with the costs , something the young couple thought was totally unnecessary.

So they took the practical approach. One day in August, they simply drove to the Palmer courthouse and bought a marriage licence. But they still needed two witnesses to stand for them at the ceremony,

"So they went to the senior center there in Palmer and got two old people as witnesses," [Palin's father Chuck] Heath said. "They didn't know them at all. I'd love to have seen that. When Sarah came home, she said, 'By the way, we got married today.'"
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[The governor's Daughter] Bristol, upon returning from a shopping trip in Anchorage, received Palin's approval for the $15 dress she bought for the night's gala they were about to attend. No need for a $300 gown, Palin said.

But when Bristol revealed she spent $30 on a leg waxing-"That was supposed to be gas money," Todd Palin said disapprovingly-the governor wasn't too happy, either."

"That's a waste of money," she said, "You have razors."
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Maybe I should have focused more on the political parts of the article, but frankly I think you can tell a lot more about a leader from the way they live their life than you can from their political positions (and most of the political details are things I have posted on before).

So, let's keep up the good work and make sure that this fine lady is sent to Washington ASAP.