Inside Palin's Life in Alaska

Shushannah Walshe, who co-authored with Scott Conroy Sarah From Alaska: The Sudden Rise and Brutal Education of a New Conservative Superstar, has posted "Inside Palin's Life in Alaska" at The Daily Beast, which provided this promotional:

Sarah Palin's influence on the Tea Party candidates in today's primaries is just the beginning of her firepower—but could her new life in Wasilla derail a presidential run? Shushannah Walshe spoke exclusively to Palin's parents; friends who recount her nasty streak; and explores how life has dramatically changed for her.

In the piece The Daily Beast:

• Talks to Sarah Palin’s parents, Chuck and Sally Heath, about whether she'll run

• Shows how her life in Wasilla has changed from a mom about town to rarely seen Republican rock star (she drives a Jetta to avoid being spotted and has Bristol do the shopping!)

• Speaks to Palin foes and former allies about a “mean streak” that spares no one; one describes her style as “taking a nuclear bomb when a fly swatter would have dealt with the issue.”

• Reveals her ambitions for the White House even in her early Wasilla days—before she was McCain’s VP.

• Has new details about her upcoming reality show on TLC, Sarah Palin’s Alaska (think caribou hunting, gold-mining, and dog-mushing)

• Plus, friends explain why she gave up the governorship citing the lure of money as much as the piling ethics complaints compiled by detractors

Eddie Burke, a Palin family friend, thinks she probably quit the governorship for money. Walshe wrote:

On one hand, “you can’t do anything because everybody’s watching when you go to the bathroom,” says Eddie Burke, a Palin family friend who says he lost his job as a radio talk-show host after skirmishing with a Palin critic who worked at the same station. On the other, Burke says, she’s facing the allure of big-money book deals. “So did she leave for money? Probably so.”

Walt Moneghan personally experienced Palin's vindictiveness during Troopergate. Walshe wrote:

[He] knows what it’s like to have friction with the Palins on the grand scale. His firing as Palin’s public safety commissioner led to the Troopergate investigation. Monegan is still struggling with the fallout years later. The former Anchorage police chief still breaks down in tears when reminiscing about his time on the beat. If Palin does make a bid for the presidency, Monegan is sure to be held up by opponents as a case study in how she can wield power vindictively. He strongly cautioned against a future President Palin.

“I think it’d be a train wreck. You need to have a thick skin in public service, especially if you’re going to be a boss of any sort. People are very opinionated; they will go up and tell you what they think about you, where you’ve gone wrong. You have to listen to them. You don’t shut them off, you don’t turn your back on them, and you certainly don’t attack,” Monegan said. “In her case, she is not mature enough or doesn’t understand that or she has such a large goal that she feels she knows what’s best for everybody, doesn’t really need any other input.”

Troopergate concerned Walt Moneghan's refusal to fire Sarah Palin's brother-in-law, Alaska State Trooper Michael Wooten. Troopergate was illustrative of Palin's inability to separate the State's interests from her personal interests. The Anchorage Daily News' "Troopergate report: Palin abused power" states:

A legislative investigation has concluded that Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power in pushing for the firing of an Alaska state trooper who was once married to her sister, by failing to prevent her husband Todd from doing so.

The report by investigator Steve Branchflower was made public late this afternoon by a bipartisan 12-0 vote of the Legislative Council, which authorized the investigation.

Branchflower's report contains four findings. The first concludes that Palin violated the state's executive branch ethics act, which says that "each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust."

Branchflower was investigating Palin's involvement in an effort to get state trooper Mike Wooten fired. Wooten was involved in a nasty divorce from Palin's sister. Palin and her husband, Todd, have accused Wooten of threatening Palin's father. ...

... The initial complaint against Wooten was filed by Gov. Palin's father, Chuck Heath, before she was elected governor in 2006. ...

Newsweek's "Warned by the Court" provides background information about Wooten's divorce from Palin's sister, Molly, which was at the root of Palin's desire to have Wooten fired. The judge warned that he considered the Palins' disparagement of Wooten child abuse.

But, apparently, disparagement may have continued, albeit in a different custody case: In the recent custody agreement over Bristol's son, Tripp, "the parties agree[d] that the child shall receive positive reinforcement about each party and that the child has the right to be free of negative comments by one parent about the other." The Hollywood Gossip reported that Levi and Bristol agreed not to "speak badly about the other parent in front of the child ... or to allow anyone else to speak badly about the other parent or members of their family in front of the child," with the penalty for a violation of that agreement set: "The parties shall not allow the child to visit with, or interact with, any family member who publicly ... or in front of the child, criticizes the other parent or the other parent's family." [emphasis added]