McGinniss does a fine job dissecting Palin's associations with extreme Christian fundamentalism—territory other authors have previously excavated. Palin ran for mayor of Wasilla with one public issue: more bike paths. But McGinniss shows how her real agenda was to transform her town into an enclave of evangelism. When she campaigned for governor, McGinnis writes, "the hardest job her staff had was to keep her quiet about her religious beliefs." He reports that after being elected governor she fired a group of minority state employees who had worked on her campaign. An aide (named) says, "Sarah just isn't comfortable in the presence of dark-skinned people." But what about Glen Rice?
Surely, David knows that human beings are extremely capable of such apparent contradictions, especially on race and sex. Bottom line:
The Rogue is must-cringe reading.
But how amazing that after three years in public life, no other reporter has gotten anywhere near as close to the Wasilla McGinniss explores. It almost makes you think the Beltway didn't really want to know what it had foisted on the nation and the world.
The Dish 