'The Undefeated' Screening Tuesday Night in Northern Colorado

From the Longmont Republican Women website:
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One night only in Boulder County!

THE UNDEFEATED

A new feature film about Sarah Palin
and all who are rebuilding the nation through conservative ideals…

WHEN: Tuesday, August 30th, 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Bertolin Barn
11965 Wasatch Road
Longmont, CO 80504
WHY: To see what a difference
one person (you!) can make!

Sponsored by the Longmont Republican Women (LRW) and the Boulder County Republicans (BCR) ------ Cost: $5
There will be concessions available.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP NOW:
Only 150 seats available!
Bring your friends!

CHECK IN OPENS AT 7:00 P.M. FOR RESERVED SEATS,
7:20 FOR UNCLAIMED SEATS
ONLY 150 SEATS AVAILABLE!
Program starts at 7:30
with a message from LRW President, Peg Cage and BCR Chairman, Joel Champion

- JP

Denver Post: Sarah Palin hails bin Laden's death, praises troops

"We are not a nation in decline"
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Although her speech at Colorado Christian University to pay tribute to American troops had been scheduled for months, the timing couldn't have been any better for Sarah Palin. Only hours after news that Osama bin Laden had been killed by U.S. forces, the former Republican vice presidential candidate and potential 2012 presidential challenger addressed a crowd of mostly veterans and military families to hail the killing of the once elusive terrorist leader.

Saying "We want to thank our president," and "Thank President Bush for having made the right calls to set up this victory," Gov. Palin credited both the current and former Commanders In Chief, but she saved most of her praise for the troops on the ground:

"Their courage and their determination brought us justice," Palin said of those who hunted the terrorist figurehead for nearly 10 years. "They know that freedom isn't free. It's a God-given right and worth fighting for."

[...]

The death of the man Palin called "the public face of Islamic terrorism" struck a recurring chord throughout "Tribute to the Troops," which had been in the works long before bin Laden's death.

[...]

Striking a more political note, Palin said American troops need clear leadership. She cited the Obama administration's policy in Libya as an example of "a lack of clarity."

"We can't fight every war," she said. "We can't undo every injustice in the world.

"We don't go looking for dragons to slay."

Palin also questioned whether Pakistan helped harbor bin Laden, noting he was living in "relative luxury" when he was killed.

The former Alaska Governor wrapped up her address by citing the willingness of America's youth to become soldiers and lay their lives on the line to fight terrorism as proof that the nation has not lost its greatness:

"We are not a nation in decline," Palin said. "We will remain the world's abiding beacon of freedom."

h/t: Vets4Sarah

We have more coverage here.

- JP

Gov. Palin speaks at Tribute to the Troops rally (Updated w/ clip)

"We can lead by example..." as "the world’s abiding beacon of freedom"
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Sarah Palin spoke at the "Tribute to the Troops" rally at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood Monday evening:

Palin took the stage and thanked the members of the crowd for their service.

“Freedom is not free but a God given right” said Palin. “I thank you for being part of the solution.”

She then addressed the death of Osama bin Laden, who was killed by US forces.

“One of the evil leaders of the Islamic extremists..has met justice at the hands of America’s finest.” She said. “We thank our president, we thank President Bush for having made the right calls to set up this victory .”

Gov. Palin told the crowd that the United States cannot and should not try to be the world's policeman, nor can it afford to be its ATM:

"But we can lead by example. By our words and, when necessary, by our actions, we must remain the world’s abiding beacon of freedom."

She laid out five conditions for the U.S. to commit its troops to military action: a clear and vital national interest must be at stake; if we fight, we must use overwhelming force and fight to win; the goals of the mission must be clearly defined; U.S. troops must not be subject to foreign command; and armed force should only be used as a last resort.

The 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate cited the mission which resulted in the death of 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden as an example of proper use of American force, and she praised both President Obama for "decisive leadership" and former President George W. Bush for "having made the right calls to set up this victory."

Her biggest applause line of the evening, one familiar to Palin supporters, was that a fundamental transformation of America is not needed; what is needed is to restore America to the principles which guided the nation's founders.

The fundraiser for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) drew an overflow crowd of about 1,200, according to ABC News.

Palin TV has video of the speech here. The Denver Post has a photo gallery of stills from the rally here. AP photos from the event can be found here, and AP's story is here.

- JP

Sarah Palin will speak at SKF Foundation Fundraiser May 2

On military support and honoring those who serve
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The Sharon K Pacheco (SKP) Foundation, which supports military families and at-risk youth, has announced on its website that Gov. Palin will deliver the keynote address May 2 at the organization's annual Patriots & Warriors Gala and Fundraiser:

The event will be held at the Infinity Park Event Center, 4400 E. Kentucky Ave., Glendale, CO, starting at 6:00 PM.

The Patriots & Warriors Gala and Fundraiser is an event with a two-fold purpose - first to honor service members and those who have given of themselves in service and/or sacrifice to our country. Americans are encouraged to nominate deserving individuals for the organization's prestigious Freedom Award, which will be handed out to the honorees during this event. To nominate someone, please visit the Foundation's website at www.SKPFoundation.com by March 15, 2011.

The second purpose of the event is to serve as the major fundraiser for the SKP Foundation, directly benefiting military families and at-risk youth. "With the economic hardships our country is currently facing, the needs are becoming greater for everyone," says Foundation President, Leo Pacheco, "and many of our previous donors simply cannot afford to donate any longer."

Governor Sarah Palin will address the audience on the topic of military support and honoring those who serve.

For tickets and more information, click here.

- JP

ABC News: Gov. Palin Endorses Tom Tancredo

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ABC News’ Huma Khan reports that Sarah Palin has endorsed Tom Tancredo, a former GOP congressman-turned now running on the American Constitution Party ticket:

Palin taped a recorded message for Tancredo, though she didn’t endorse him on Facebook and Twitter, as she normally does.

“Tom is the right man for the job and he’ll fight for lower taxes,” Palin said. “He’ll stop growing government and start growing the economy, and we know he’ll continue to work to end illegal immigration.”

Listen to Gov. Palin's recording here.

Andrew Malcolm comments:

It's actually not a bad political move for Tancredo and Palin. With no GOP damage since Maes is a non-factor, she solidifies her anti-establishment, go-with-the-common-sense-conservative-guy-no-matter-what stance. Palin's pal and Tancredo's former House colleague Michele Bachmann made the same move earlier. If Tancredo wins, it looks like he'd owe her, if Palin were to run for something else someday soon.

And since Tancredo wasn't getting any significant Democratic support anyway, the arrival of Palin's endorsement costs him nothing and might help among Colorado's conservatives, where she is a favorite and he must score very big to have a chance in this three-way tilt.

- JP

Tipton: Gov. Palin 'a great inspiration' and 'a tremendous asset' to his campaign

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Two Congressional candidates in Colorado endorsed by Gov. Palin in SarahPAC's Take Back the 20" effort are Scott Tipton (CO-3) and Cory Gardner (CO-4). The Gardner and Tipton campaigns responded to NRO's new BATTLE ‘10 blog about receiving the endorsements:

Gardner expressed gratitude saying, “I’m pleased to get the endorsement since the McCain/Palin ticket won the district in 2008.” Tipton’s told BATTLE ‘10, “I am honored to have Governor Palin’s endorsement of my candidacy. She’s a great inspiration to a lot of common sense conservatives in Colorado’s Third Congressional District. She’ll be a tremendous asset to this grassroots effort to send a small businessman to Washington.”

- JP

Bob McConnell enjoys boost from Palin endorsement

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Congressional candidate Bob McConnell Of Steamboat Springs, Colorado talked recently to The Pilot, his hometown newspaper, about the boost he has received from Gov. Palin's endorsement in his race against Scott Tipton for the GOP nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives:

Within 10 days of receiving an endorsement from former vice presidential candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Bob McConnell said, he received interview requests from Time Magazine and the RedState conservative news blog, financial contributions from across the country and a huge increase in page views to his website.

“It’s been pretty incredible,” said McConnell, a Steamboat Springs resident running against state Rep. Scott Tipton, of Cortez, for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives.

[...]

Tipton holds a huge fundraising lead against McConnell, with more than $204,000 on hand as of June 30 compared with the more than $24,000 on hand McConnell reported July 21.

McConnell implied Wednes­day that the Palin endorsement could narrow that gap.

McConnell said he and his campaign team initially approached Palin through e-mails and phone calls that eventually resulted in outreach from Palin’s staff.

“We worked hard for that, and I pursued that endorsement because she represents values that I respect,” McConnell said Wednesday. “We need conservative, constitutional leaders.”

McConnell said he was in Cortez earlier this month when he got a phone call telling him about Palin’s upcoming endorsement. In a sign of the times, it happened on her Facebook page.

“We watched it go live on her Facebook and watched the almost immediate reaction,” McConnell said, referring to hits on that website and his. “The feedback has been, ‘Wow.’”

Colorado Republicans will cast their primary votes Tuesday, August 10.

- JP

Gov. Palin endorses McConnell in CO-3 and Gosar in AZ-1

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On Facebook Monday, Sarah Palin endorsed two "Papa Grizzlies" for the U.S. Congress:

Uniting America with McConnell and Gosar in Congress

An endorsement’s impact may be fickle and, as I warn the endorsed candidates, is oftentimes a double-edged sword. So I admire the boldness of Bob McConnell and Paul Gosar for accepting my support in their races for Congress! These two patriots are Commonsense Constitutional Conservatives who seek to limit government, protect our 2nd Amendment rights, respect the sanctity of life, support our strong military, and encourage free enterprise. Their work for these commonly held beliefs will help unite this exceptional nation.

Bob McConnell is considered a grassroots underdog candidate running a dynamic, prudent campaign to represent Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. Bob sometimes describes himself as a “recovering lawyer,” but that’s just one of his professions. Impressively, he’s a retired Colonel and Airborne Ranger. He’s a husband and the proud father of three and grandfather of seven, and he’s a true American patriot who wants to serve his fellow Coloradans for all the right reasons. Bob knows that in times like these ordinary citizens must be bold and take a stand to return our country back to our Constitutional roots of limited and fiscally responsible government. A decorated combat veteran, Bob is supported by the honorable Combat Veterans for Congress, and was unique in being able to tell a rally crowd at the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum that he’s parachuted out of three of the aircraft in that museum! He’s also an avid outdoorsman who climbed Mt. Everest and lived off the grid as a mountain guide for a number of years.

Please join many other concerned Americans in moving the country onto the right path by supporting Bob McConnell. Visit his website at www.mcconnellforcongress.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

I’m also proud to endorse Dr. Paul Gosar for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. Thankfully, Paul shares our belief that the federal government’s reckless spending is putting us on a dangerous path towards insolvency – and he’s determined to do something about that. In addition to being a proud family man, Paul is a dentist, and as a small business owner running his practice, Paul understands the challenges confronting job creators when DC stifles us with endless mandates, over-regulation, plans to impose new energy taxes, and just generally (and unnecessarily) overreaches into the private sector. The good doctor knows that true job creation comes from the private sector, not government; and he will work to rein in the fed’s long arm and get our economy moving again by getting government out of the way.

Paul stands firmly behind Governor Jan Brewer’s efforts to protect Arizonans, and the rest of us for that matter, by securing the border. He’s endorsed by three of Arizona’s leading sheriffs because they know America needs Dr. Paul Gosar to hold Washington accountable on this imperative national security issue.

Paul is a bold man! He deserves our support, so please join me in helping him help this great country. You can visit his website at www.gosarforcongress.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Colorado’s 3rd and Arizona’s 1st Congressional Districts are among the 20 districts that John McCain and I carried in the 2008 election, but they are currently represented by Democrats who voted in favor of Obamacare. Both Bob McConnell and Paul Gosar will work to repeal that mother-of-all-unfunded-mandates and replace it with real free market patient-centered health care reform. Let’s send these good men to Washington so they can get to work for all of us and put a united America back on track.

- Sarah Palin

- JP

Sarah Palin's speech at Magness Arena in Denver

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h/t: Palin TV:

Support Palin TV

- JP

Gov. Palin rallies crowd of 6,000 in Denver (Updated)

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Sarah Palin rallied a crowd of thousands to their feet in Denver Saturday night with a "red meat" speech criticizing President Obama and Congressional Democrats:

But Palin didn't mention any of Colorado's testy political fights.

In a speech to about 6,000 at the University of Denver, Palin criticized President Barack Obama and sounded classic conservative themes of smaller government and a stronger national defense.

What the outspoken conservative favorite didn't do was take sides or even mention politics in Colorado, where she's listed two House Democrats as targets for defeat, Reps. John Salazar and Betsy Markey.

Gov. Palin proved false the rumors being pushed by The Huffington Post that during her speech she would endorse Jane Norton over Ken Buck in Colorado's GOP primary race for the Senate:

Both Norton and Buck attended Palin's speech, but neither was on stage nor got a mention in Palin's remarks. Norton met privately with Palin before the speech.

Palin confined her remarks to national politics. She defended Arizona's immigration law. She said Obama's foreign policy was too weak against nuclear threats posed by North Korea and Iran. And she criticized the health care reform law and warned of peril caused by federal spending deficits.

"It's time for an awakening in America," Palin said.

The 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate was joined on state by Salem media talk show hosts Dennis Prager and Hugh Hewitt, who also spoke. The three participated in a brief question and answer session after the governor's address.

Here's how Fox 31 (KDVR) covered the event:



Update:In a published story on its webstite, KDVR listed three quotes ostensibly from the governor's Denver speech. But after reviewing a video of the address at The Right Scoop, it seems that two of them were taken from or paraphrased from other Palin speeches. Only the "America got snookered" quote was actually part of Gov. Palin's Denver speech. Thanks to the Palin staff's R.A. Mansour for being the first to catch that. And shame on KDVR for, as Gov. Palin says, "making things up."

More coverage from KUSA and the Denver Post.

- JP

KCNC-TV is live-streaming video of Sarah Palin Denver event

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Magness Arena is a full house tonight. Dennis Prager and Hugh Hewitt are the introductory speakers.

The CBS4 live stream is here.

- JP

Ken Buck is not in Denver. He's in denial.(Updated)

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Now that Ken Buck knows that Sarah Palin is not likely to endorse his primary opponent Jane Norton -- despite the swirl of rumors all week long that she would -- his campaign is desperately trying to back away from his "rude" remark:

Buck asserts: “Let me be clear. I did not say that Gov. Palin was ‘rude.’ In fact, I have tremendous respect for her, and have been looking forward to hearing her speak at Saturday’s event.”

But Denver Post opinion writer Chuck Plunkett transcribed the relevant segment of the interview:

Buck was asked if he would “prefer that Palin not come in and steal media – not just for you, but for the rest of Republicans and the grassroots for Colorado?”

His answer: “You know, it’s rude. It is frankly rude. People have worked for months to get out the caucus vote and to work towards this assembly and it’s unfortunate that if in fact that’s true, that someone would try to steal that show – Sarah Palin can come any day of the week after that and they can have their day in the sun. But for all those folks that have worked so hard to be heard and participate in the caucus process I think that it’s only fair that it’s their day.”

Not true, says Plunkett:

Interviews with event planners show the Palin event in Denver was set up months before Norton decided to skip the GOP Assembly – and long before he campaign started referring to it as a “backroom.”

The transcription leaves no doubt that Buck expressed his opinion that Gov. Palin should not appear in Denver on May 22. Buck, his campaign and his supporters were upset over Sarah Palin's scheduled appearance in Denver on Buck's big day at the state GOP assembly, even though the two events do not overlap. Whether the governor would endorse Norton or not seemed like a secondary consideration for them, though they would later try to use it for cover.

Plunkett concludes:

"...it was arguably poor politics for Buck to answer the question with a criticism of Palin. There’s just nothing to be gained by using the word 'rude' in this case."

Buck screwed up by dissing Gov. Palin, and he knows it. Rather than admit he was wrong and apologize, now he's trying to say that he didn't say what he said. Good luck with that.

Update: Acording to Denver TV station KUSA, a crowd of 6,000 is expected to turn out tonight at the University of Denver's Magness Arena for Salem Media's event featuring Gov. Palin.

- JP

Bender: Sarah Palin will not endose Norton at KNUS event

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In Colorado, as we reported yesterday, Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck recently said he thought it would be "rude" for Sarah Palin to visit his state Saturday to speak on the day of the Colorado GOP's nominating convention. Here's what Buck said:

"People have worked for months to get out the caucus vote and to work towards this assembly ... Sarah Palin can come any day of the week after that and they can have their day in the sun."

But what Buck rather conveniently failed to point out is that the Palin appearance at Magness Arena in Denver, an event organized by talk radio station KNUS back in November, will actually come hours after the state GOP assembly wraps up in Loveland. So if the KNUS event isn't stepping on the toes of the the Republican Assembly event, what is Buck's real beef with Gov. Palin?

The sad truth is that Buck apparently doesn't care about Sarah Palin raining on the Republican Assembly's parade Saturday (which she won't, as the two events don't overlap). What burns Buck's butt is that he's afraid the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate will rain on his parade -- or more accurately on his coronation, as Buck is sure to overwhelmingly dominate the event, capture the Assembly's nomination and get his name on the August primary ballot. Rumors have been circulating that Gov. Palin will endorse Norton at the Saturday night event. But KNUS' Nia Bender says that Sarah Palin will not do that.

Norton's campaign released a statement Monday saying that Buck was criticizing "one of the heroes of the conservative cause":

The statement, released by spokeswoman Cinamon Watson, likened the GOP assembly to a back-room deal. "Buck is proving to be the ultimate good ol' boy — trying to keep the 'back room' all to himself. As far as we're concerned, Sarah Palin is welcome in Colorado any time, any place," Watson said.

That last sentence may be much more than just campaign rhetoric. In a PPP survey (PDF) of likely Republican primary voters, Sarah Palin tops the field of likely GOP 2012 presidential candidates:

If the Republican candidates for President in 2012 were Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, and Mitt Romney who would you vote for?

Gingrich ………………………………………………….. 16%
Huckabee……………………………………………….... 18%
Palin………………………………………………………... 29%
Paul ………………………………………………………..... 9%
Romney …………………………………………………... 25%

Finally, from the Colorado Pols blog:

As much as the Norton campaign has suffered from its peccadilloes and in-party fighting..., a Palin endorsement is a positive shift in the right direction. Let us take, for example, the GOP primary race in which polls are presently opening; Rand Paul's trendline can be directly correlated to being endorsed by the Wasilla Wonder, and that race is most likely going to be Paul over Greyson as a result. Apologies to James Dobson, but no one can match Palin's endorsement in the activist crowd of the GOP.

[...]

If one of Norton's problems has been solidifying the party around her as conservative enough for the activist Right, the impact of the undisputed Queen of the Tea Party's nod cannot be overstated enough. In essence, the DeMint endorsement that all of us saw as so deleterious to the Norton campaign would be matched, if not nullified, by a Palin endorsement.

For the Buck people, this one is going to be tough to stomach; Buck's "rude" comment has already raised ire on the righty blogs, and he has no trump card if Palin decides to go through with the endorsement. He has seemed to relish the momentary (in my opinion) high ground, but no one can deny the indelible mark this will place on his campaign, especially if his tone starts moving from the mellifluous to the mercurial. Given the precedent shown by other GOP primaries, Palin's picks seemed poised for success, and for a campaign that many of us here at Pols saw as floundering at best, this is the beginning of a counteroffensive.

- JP

Will Sarah Palin Endorse in the Colorado primary?

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Speculation is running high among the chattering class about which candidate, if any, Sarah Palin will endorse in the Colorado GOP primary race for the U.S. Senate. The two leading candidates in the primary are Jane Norton and Ken Buck.

Norton served as Colorado's Lieutenant Governor during Gov. Bill Owens' second term. Owens had previously appointed her Executive Director of Colorado's Department of Public Health and Environment. She was a regional director in the US Department of Health and Human Services during the Reagan and Bush41 administrations. Norton also served the remainder of an unexpired term in the Colorado House of Representatives.

Buck is the District Attorney in Weld County, which is located in eastern Colorado and is comprised of the Greeley Metropolitan Statistical Area. Best known for his tough stance on illegal immigration, Buck narrowly defeated Norton in a March straw poll at the party caucuses. Running as the self-proclaimed "Tea Party candidate," Buck has been endorsed by conservative Senator Jim Demint of South Carolina.

According to Denver's 5280 Blog:

Coverage of a fundraising breakfast for antiabortion candidates by The Wall Street Journal and Politico has led to speculation that Sarah Palin will endorse Jane Norton in the Colorado race for U.S. Senate. Palin told the roughly 500 attendees at the Susan B. Anthony List political action gathering in Washington that the year “will be remembered for when commonsense, conservative women get things done for our country.” She put in a few plugs, including for former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton.

Erick Erickson hopes that the rumors that Gov. Palin will endorse Norton are just rumors:

"What I don’t get, and do hope the news is wrong, is why Jane Norton would push for Governor Palin to endorse her this Friday or Saturday. Doing so would put Governor Palin in the awkward position of ignoring Colorado’s Republican grassroots activists [CORA], the bulk of whom will be convening for the Republican Assembly this weekend. After the Fiorina endorsement caused a wave of muttering among grassroots activists, this would not be a good thing."

"Ken Buck has the grassroots in his corner. It’s readily apparent across the state. Consequently, Jane Norton is going to bypass the Republican Assembly this weekend and try to collect signatures to get on the ballot. But make no mistake about it, to change the narrative about Norton bypassing the grassroots, she is vying to get a Palin endorsement late this week."

Erick believes that Governor Palin is not aware of all the ins and outs of the political machinations going on in Colorado. The Republican Assembly, a gathering Norton will not be attending, takes place this weekend. Erick fears that the Norton campaign is setting Sarah Palin up "for a very awkward moment" which would steal the Assembly's thunder and "put the spotlight on Jane Norton" instead. By focusing national media attention on Norton at the expense of the Colorado GOP grassroots, Erick thinks that Gov. Palin would further anger the grassroots, some of whom are still seething over the Carly Fiorina endorsement.

Erick needs to give the governor credit for being politically astute enough to know what is going on behind the scenes in Colorado. And he should realize by now that Sarah Palin doesn't march to anyone's drummer but her own. Though Gov. Palin is committed to herding "a whole stampede of pink elephants" toward Washington this year, we would like to believe that she would not endorse a candidate strictly on the basis of gender. We tend to think that when the conservative candidates with the best chances of prevailing both in the primaries and the general election are women, she will endose them, but when the opposite is the case, she will endorse good conservative men as well.

The safe choice in Colorado would be to make no endorsement at all until after the Republican Assembly convenes over the weekend. But Sarah Palin isn't known for always taking the safe road to where she wants to go.

Update: Stacy Drake kindly furnished with the link to this article in the comments:

Republican Senate candidate Ken Buck said Monday that it's "rude" for the former Alaska governor to headline a Denver speech on Saturday, hours after the state GOP gathers for a statewide assembly in Loveland, about 50 miles from Denver.

We're trying to wrap our minds around how in the world Buck can figure that Gov. Palin giving a speech at an event that was planned at least weeks ago and scheduled to begin hours after the Assembly event ends could possibly be considered "rude." Um, Erick, Buck has only himself to thank for this one. Now the possibility of him getting an endorsement from Gov. Palin seems about as remote as the chance that she will offer Katherine Parker a job as her PR person.

Oh, well...

- JP

An Evening With Sarah Palin In The Rockies

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Early in march, Salem Media announced that Sarah Palin would be appearing at selected stops on the Salem Radio Network's "America Unplugged" tour. The first of those stops was revealed March 15 when Salem's Chicago affiliate WIND began to promote An Evening With Sarah Palin, set for May 12 at the Rosemont Theater.

Now another Salem station, KNUS in Denver, has disclosed details of its own Evening With Sarah Palin. The event is slated for Saturday, May 22 at the University of Denver's Magness Arena. Two of Salem's syndicated talk show hosts, Dennis Prager and Hugh Hewitt, will be special guests. Ticket information can be found here. More information is on the KNUS Facebook page here.

- JP