Politico: Palin camp just said 'no' to Clinton bailout

Jonathan Martin, in a Politico.com piece says that John Coale tried to convince the Palin camp to use funds from SarahPAC to retire Hillary Clinton's campaign debt:

Coale made his case to Palin at the Iron Dog snowmachine competition in Fairbanks, where Todd Palin was competing over Valentine’s Day weekend. His broader aim, say Palin camp insiders, was to help Palin develop a relationship with the former first family that he thought could bolster the polarizing governor’s standing with Democrats and independents.

Palin was amenable to getting acquainted with the Clintons but was skeptical of using her PAC to help the former first lady.

She expressed concern to aides about Coale’s request that weekend and a few days later directed Meg Stapleton, an Alaska-based campaign aide, to tell Coale that she would not help retire Clinton’s debt.

“While we appreciate your efforts and recognize that a friendship with the Clintons is appropriate, the governor believes (and I concur) that using SarahPAC to pay down Hillary’s debt is not a prudent use of the money,” Stapleton wrote to Coale in a Feb. 17 e-mail, a few days after he made his pitch to the governor. “Contributors who chose between heating their homes and sending in a contribution because they believe in Sarah would be crushed.”

As for the governor's political strategy:

With only occasional departures, Palin has now settled on focusing her energies at home. While Palin recently joined a group of top Republicans in a well-publicized effort to rebuild the party, it came only after questions were raised about her absence. But advisers indicate that she’ll weigh in only on Alaska-centric issues such as energy.

And of the thousands of invitations she gets, Palin plans to attend only out-of-state events that have an Alaska hook.

“As we’ve been trying to make clear, the governor is entirely focused on Alaska and not on the national scene,” said Stapleton. “That is to the frustration of some who have their own political ambitions for her.”

Palin has set up a Twitter feed that is almost exclusively focused on Alaska issues...

Coale spouse Greta Van Susteren, in a post on her blog, denied the premise behind this entire story Friday, but Politico decided to publish it today nevertheless. Why let the facts get in the way of a good political yarn?

And what would a Politico Palin article be without a slap at the governor? First the misleading headline. The "Palin camp" did not "eye" an alliance with Clinton. Coale did, and he plays both sides of the street. Then there's this:

Some top Republicans who are sympathetic to Palin understand her short-term political imperatives at home — her approval numbers have fallen considerably from last year, when McCain would often defend her against critics as “the most popular governor in America.” They compare her to an incredibly gifted athlete with raw skills but no coach to help her develop a pro game.

“What she really needs is somebody who has good political sense to move to Alaska,” said a Washington-based Republican who wants her to succeed. “And until that happens, she is going to continue floundering.”

Floundering? She's doing exactly what most political advisors, both of the professional and the armchair variety said she has to do - stick close to home, build a record of success in Alaska and work hard to win a second term as governor.

She's not floundering. She's doing her job.

- JP