GretaWire: Transcript of Sarah Palin's Gridiron Speech

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Thanks to an e-mailer she didn't name, Greta Van Susteren has posted the text of the speech Governor Palin delivered Saturday night at the Gridiron Dinner in Washington, DC on her GretaWire blog. The mysterious e-mailer was, says Greta, in the audience, so here are some excerpts:

Good evening. It’s great to be in Washington and I am loving the weather. I braved the elements and went out for a jog! Or, as Newsweek calls it, a cover-shoot. It’s a privilege to be here tonight at the Washington DC Barnes & Noble. Tonight, I'll be reading excerpts from my new book. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? Going Rogue... Wasn’t sure if I’d go with that title, and somebody suggested I follow the East Coast self-help trend and go with, “How To Look Like A Million Bucks…For Only 150 Grand.”

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Well, sometimes you just have to trust your instincts. When you don’t, you end up in places like this. Who would have guessed that I’d be palling around with this group? At least now I can put a face to all the newspapers I read. It is good to be here and in front of this audience of leading journalists and intellectuals. Or, as I call it, a death panel. To be honest, I had some serious reservations about coming to visit your cozy little club. The Gridiron still hasn’t offered membership to anyone from my hometown paper in Wasilla, the Matanuska-Susitna Valley Frontiersman. And my dad thought it was just a plain bad idea to leave the book tour for some football game. He might have a point!

I’ve been touring this great, great land of ours over the last few weeks. I have to say, the view is much better from inside the bus, than under it! But really, I am thrilled to be with you. And I’d like to thank the Gridiron for the invitation and Dick Cooper for his introduction. To paraphrase John F. Kennedy, this has to be the most extraordinary collection of people who have gathered to viciously attack me since the last corporate gathering at CBS.

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That Democrat speaker I referred to is, of course, the one-and-only Barney Frank. And I’m the controversial one? Barney, the nation owes you and the government a debt. A huge, historic, unbelievable debt. But, it’s good to be here with you, Mr. Chairman. Because by Chairman, I don’t just mean the House Financial Services Committee. As far as I can tell, Barney’s also the Chair of AIG, CITI, and the Bank of America. I don’t want to say that the U.S. Government is taking over the role of the private sector, but I have to admit, on the flight here, thumbing through a magazine and looking at a photo of President Obama with the President of China, the person next to me pointed at it and said, “Hu’s a communist.” I thought they were asking a question.

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Speaking of books… Did I mention mine? Going Rogue... Makes a great stocking stuffer. Available now at a bookstore near you. Hey, I have to pay for my campaign vetting bill somehow.

Really, the response has been great. So I’ll close by reading a final passage. Page 403: I’ve been asked a lot lately, “Where are you going next?’ Good question! Wherever I go I know that, as with anyone in the public eye, I’ll continue to have my share of disagreements with those in the media. Maybe even more than my share. It will come as no surprise that I don’t think I was always treated fairly, or equally. But despite that, I respect the media very much. It’s important. A free press allows for vigorous debate! And that debate is absolutely vital for our democracy.

So as hard as it can sometimes be, we must all look past personal grievances. We must move beyond petty politics. And we must allow these incredibly talented and hard-working women and men to ask the hard questions and hold us, and our government, accountable. Because their mission is as true as the sun rising over the Talkeetna nd Susitna Mountains. Okay – so none of that is actually in the book. Not a word. But I do believe it!

And I believe we live in a beautiful country blessed with so many different people who want the best for their children, families and for our great nation. I’m so proud to be an American. And that is what I’ll be talking about when I travel to, really where I’m headed. No better place than here to announce where I’m going. I’m going to Iowa! I’ll be there tomorrow from noon to 3:00 pm at the Barnes & Noble on Sergeant Road in Sioux City. Come early. Long lines are expected.

Thank you everyone. God Bless the U.S.A!

We noticed that Gov. Palin's quip about being able to see the Russian Embassy and the one asking that her parents, who were in the audience, not be treated like the Salahis are not in the transcript. Either they were lost in the transcription process or they were ad libbed. Anyway, read the "full" transcript here.

Update: Comment from Dan Riehl:

"The attendees at the DC dinner numbered twice what they usually do? Pretty impressive for someone we are always told is insignificant."

- JP