Sarah Palin begins to build her network of advisors

Politico's Ben Smith reports:

Randy Scheunemann, has emerged as an advisor to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as she attempts to build a serious public profile and begins to build a network of aides and advisors typical of a national politician.

Scheunemann confirmed this evening that he's with Palin in Hong Kong, where she is delivering a paid speech at a conference hosted by the brokerage house CLSA, which has in the past heard keynotes from Bill Clinton and Al Gore.

Rich Lowry recounts how the McCain campaign eventually split over their vice presidential candidate, with the communications team mostly dissing Palin, while Steve Biegun, Randy Scheunemann and other policy advisors supported her. Scheunemann was one of Sarah Palin's staunchest defenders within the McCain camp, and he nearly lost his job because of it:

Steve Schmidt has told people [Randy Scheunemann] was fired the last week of the campaign; Scheunemann says he wasn't fired; others say Schmidt tried to fire him (at one point cutting off his e-mail) but was over-ruled by [campaign manager Rick] Davis. (Scheunemann's offense was writing an email to Bill Kristol defending Palin and criticizing the handling of her.)

Also helping out with former Governor Palin's Hong Kong speech, according to Smith, were Dan Blumenthal and Kim Daniels.

Blumenthal is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he has worked on the national security implications of U.S.-Sino relations and coordinates the Tocqueville on China project, which examines the underlying civic culture of post-Mao China. Blumentahl has also served as commissioner and former vice chairman of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, where he directed efforts to monitor, investigate, and provide recommendations on the national security implications of the economic relationship between the two countries. He had previously held the position of senior director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia in the Secretary of Defense's Office of International Security Affairs.

Daniels, an attorney with the Thomas More Law Center in Washington, penned an excellent op-ed for NRO in 2003 presenting the case for confirming Miguel Estrada to the D.C. Court of Appeals, but the Democrats would not allow a conservative and well-qualified Hispanic such as Estrada to be seated on the court. Apparently, wise Latinas and Latinos are acceptable only if they steer to  the port side of the ship of state.

- JP

Topic of Palin Asia speech: US foreign policy and China

Organizers say that Sarah Palin will speak about US foreign policy and China in her keynote speech at the CLSA Investors' Forum Wednesday in Hong Kong, according to a report from an international wire service:

"We have asked her to address US foreign policy, to discuss her views on governance, healthcare, and of course, China," Jonathan Slone, chief executive officer of the Asia-focused brokerage, said in an interview with AFP.

Palin was chosen to speak since she's a possible Republican candidate in the next US presidential election and because of her influential role in politics, he said.

After the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate told CLSA that she would have to adjust her speech if reporters were present, Slone said CLSA decided to close Palin's session to the media: 

"We are very pleased with her attitude towards us. Sarah could have come here and made a media circus," he said.

"But we said to her, 'Look, we want you to give the most information to our clients. Do you feel comfortable doing that with the press around?'

"She said, 'If I do that with the press in the room, I will have to say different things.'"

Stone said that keynote speeches at the annual CLSA event have been closed to the media in previous years for the same reason.

Former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore and ex-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan have delivered CLSA keynote addresses in past years.

Our take: We strongly suspect that former Governor Palin told the organizers that she wouldn't criticize the Obama administration on foreign soil with the media in the room. She knows they would have reported that she "criticized her country" on foreign soil. So the CLSA people closed the session to reporters to allow her to speak freely.

Criticizing the U.S. on foreign soil is just fine with the Democrat-Media Complex as long as it's a lefty such as Jimmy Carter or some Hollywood moron doing it and a Republican is president. But if a conservative tried to do the same thing with a leftist Democrat in the White House, the press would treat it as the most heinous act of treason since Benedict Arnold switched sides in the Revolutionary War.

Update: At The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Eric Zimmermann suggests "Palin... may be trying to beef up her foreign policy bona fides in preparation for a 2012 presidential campaign." 

- JP

In Hong Kong, Palin won't have to deal with biased media

Per News 24:

The former Alaska governor will address hundreds of chief executives, fund managers and other financial big-hitters from around the world at the Hong Kong forum.

The event in general is open to the media. But a spokesperson for CLSA, one of Asia's top investment houses, said that Palin's session with the moneyed audience will take place in private.

"Some of our keynote sessions in previous years were also closed to the media. So this is not the first time," she told AFP, declining to be named.

"Ms Palin has not yet confirmed with us the topic of her speech," the spokesperson added.

Awesome!  So from now until after the 24th of Sept., the media will be following around Sarah like a dog and will be fabricating details of what she might be saying to these executives.  Either way, I think it is funny.  Gov. Palin is doing exactly what the media had done to her but Gov. Palin has the upper hand, as she always dos when it comes to surprises.  

I have a feeling she will be very well received at the Investors Forum, unlike what the media will be portraying.  What I wonder is what media outlet is going to try to sneak into the convention.  Any wagers?

- u

Related: Speaking of the media, Hot Air's Ed Morrissey reports:

The latest survey on news media from Pew Research shows that Americans have the lowest opinion of the mainstream media in the entire time that Pew has polled on the subject.

- JP

Larry Kudlow: The Palin Factor

h/t: FRee Republic

- JP

Will Sarah Palin Punk the Living Borat out of the CLSA?

Hong Kong Broker Pulling A "Borat" On Sarah Palin

I am going to make this one thread short and sweet...

What I want to know is if Sarah Palin will punk the living Borat out of the CLSA for lousy investment practices....

HONG KONG (AP) — A former banker at one of Asia's top stock brokerages and an ex-fund manager have been jailed in Hong Kong for insider trading that reaped illegal profits of more than half a million dollars, regulators said. Allen Lam, former investment banking director at broker CLSA, was sentenced Monday to six months in prison and ordered to pay fines of $69,000 Hong Kong dollars ($9,000), the territory's Securities and Futures Commission said in a statement. His friend Ryan Fong, a former fund manager at HSZ (Hong Kong) Ltd., received a one-year jail term and was fined nearly ....

To be continued for sure...

- Tom

Fox News: Sarah Palin's Asian speech confirmed

Way down near the bottom of a Fox News story apparently meant to slam Sarah Palin for turning down an invitation to attend the National Federation of Republican Women's 35th Convention, we find this interesting bit of information:

"While Palin will not be going to Florida, she will be delivering a keynote speech in Hong Kong, China later this month, according to her spokeswoman, Meg Stapleton."

Talk about burying the lede!

So Monday's AP news item is now confirmed, and our decision to report it is supported -- not that we needed vindication, but we did receive some criticism for posting that AP was reporting it. Also, Riehl's 24 hour rule holds up, and Dan should rest assured that Sarah Palin does indeed have the people around her to be successful.

As for the Fox story, we wonder what part of  "Sarah Palin is writing her book and won't attend any events until it is finished" the legacy media fail to understand. Despite FNC's misleading headline, former Governor Palin didn't "snub" anyone. We have to ask who was asleep at the Fox newsroom printer when the following AP story was sent down the wire Monday:

The father of Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and vice presidential nominee, says his daughter has been steering clear of the media spotlight in recent weeks to focus on writing her memoirs.

Chuck Heath, in Idaho campaigning for a Republican congressional candidate last week, says Palin has been away from her Alaska home for more than a month but is in touch frequently with him.

The AP story preceded Fox's Monday piece by a full seven hours at the very least.

Update: ADN's Sean Cockerham at least got right to the point in the Alaska Politics blog, but as per McClatchy practice had to include this bit of snark:

But, given recent history, it seemed prudent to make sure Palin was actually on board.

Ironically, in Cockerham's next paragraph, he had to report on what will put an end to the "they said, she said" media narrative that the likes of ADN has so relished reporting:

Stapleton also confirmed reports that Palin has signed with the Washington Speakers Bureau to handle her paid speaking engagements.

Update: Fox News has changed the headline of their story from "Palin Snubs Republican Women's Convention" to "Palin to Speak at Hong Kong Investors Conference." Heh...

- JP

She who laughs last does so on her way to the bank

At Left-leaning The Business Insider, Vincent Fernando dutifully propagates the latest DNC talking point -- that CLSA's invitation to Sarah Palin to travel to Asia for a speaking engagement at the end of the month is nothing more than a practical joke:

"Her invitation as keynote speaker in Hong Kong is so ridiculous that its absurdity can't be accidental."

In attempting to belittle former Governor Palin, Fernando beclowns himself. Think for just a minute, a chore which is impossible for the liberal mind...

Consider the report that the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate will be paid a six-figure fee for each speech she gives. That means that CLSA will be out a minimum of $100,000 for a relatively small chunk of Sarah Palin's time and trouble. Plus, she will get an all-expenses-paid trip to Hong Kong as a bonus, not to mention another stamp on her passport, one liberals criticize for having an insufficient number of marks on it. Oh, yes, and she will also pick up some foreign policy and finance cred.

Advantage, Palin.

It probably never occurred to Fernando and the DNC talking-pont team that if this is indeed a such a stunt, then the joke is on CLSA and the Democrats. And Sarah Palin, ever the happy warrior, will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Update: Anti-Palin site Alaska Dispatch doth spinneth too much, wethinks. Meanwhile, Allah says if it is a joke, then...

"...what’s the punchline? They’re going to pay her a hundred grand to come read what I’m sure will be a perfectly serviceable speech on foreign relations — and that’s it?"

- JP

AP says Sarah Palin to travel to Asia next month

The Associated Press is reporting that former governor Sarah Palin will journey to Asia in September:

The former Alaska governor will visit Hong Kong to address the CLSA Investors Forum, a well-known annual conference of global investment managers, the host announced Monday.

Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Alan Greenspan have spoken at the event, hosted by brokerage and investment group CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets.

A statement from CLSA spokeswoman Simone Wheeler read, in part:

"We just felt it would be a fabulous opportunity for CLSA clients to hear from Mrs. Palin," Wheeler said, adding that CLSA approached Palin with the offer.

She said the conference aimed to present investors "a diversity of views that potentially influence decision-makers who help shape the markets."

The Sept. 23 address will mark Palin's first commercial speaking engagement, according to CLSA. Her speaking fees were not disclosed.

It will be closed to the media, and the topic has not yet been confirmed.

Excuse us, AP, but we will have to wait for confirmation from Gov. Palin or someone authorized to speak for her before we take this one to the bank. You know how optimistic some event organizers can be.

Businessweek quotes another CLSA spokeswoman, however, who gave assurances:

"It’s confirmed. She will be a speaker at our forum."

Still, we will have to wait for Sarah's people to confirm or deny, which they tend to do only when contacted and asked directly about a specific event. "Getting out front" on a story doesn't appear to be a high priority for the Palin organization. As they say, watch this space...

Meanwhile, the CLSA corporate website is here.

Related: Posting on Marc Ambinder's Atlantic blog, Chris Good wonders what she will say.

- JP