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PITTSBURGH,PA –Sarah Palin sat down with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity this evening and responded to the report that the RNC spent over 150,000 dollars on her and her family’s clothing. This is the first time she has responded to the report since the Politico broke the story two days ago.

“The RNC spending money on clothes–those clothes are not my property. We had three days of using clothes that the RNC purchased. If people knew how Todd and I and our kids shop so frugally. My favorite shop is a consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska called Out of the Closet and my shoe store is called Shoe Fly in Juneau, Alaska. It is not a you know–it is not 5th Avenue type of shopping.” Palin said, “But RNC purchasing some clothes that are either returned or they are going to charity It is not my property.
It is unclear what Palin meant about using the clothes only for three days. Palin has been dressed in the clothes bought early on in the campaign–many in Minneapolis where the RNC was held–throughout the two months since she has been a candidate.

She also defended a report that the state of Alaska spent over 20,000 dollars on travel for her children, even when they were not invited to attend events with her.

“Every governor has traveled with family when it is a first family function and it has always been charged to the state that’s part of the job. What I did was sell the governor’s jet so that we could fly commercial and save the state a heck of a lot of money, which we have. We cut the state’s travel budget by about 400,000 by flying commercially. It’s nothing that–it’s not unprecedented.”

Hannity asked Palin about recent comments that Pennsylvania representative John Murtha made where he referred to his constituents as both “racist” and “rednecks.” She responded that “we love Pennsylvania” and “there is nothing redneck or backwoods about any of this.”

The topic of voter registration fraud also came up and Palin repeated her claim for the Democratic nominee to “disavow” ACORN, “It would bode well for Barack Obama if he would stand strong on this one. Have a backbone and disavow that group.”

Hannity also asked the GOP Vice-Presidential candidate if she was excited for Election Day, only 12 days away, and Palin acknowledged that she is “anxious for the 4th.”

CINCINNATI –-

In the same week that Sarah Palin did her first press conference with her traveling press, she also appeared twice on Fox News Channel in interviews with both Greta Van Susteren and Sean Hannity. Greta asked John McCain’s running mate what was the hardest decision she ever had to make and the most agonizing one.
As for her most agonizing decision she ever made as Governor, “Whenever an issue has to deal with personnel, whether to keep someone on, or whether to ask them to step aside so someone else can come in and take their place. Because, you know, sometimes it gets personal, sometimes it gets political.” Palin said, “But replacing someone in a cabinet, sometimes that is agonizing. But you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. Putting the people who hired you first, you’ve got to make sure you have the right team around you so that you can best serve them.”

Although she did not mention it directly she could have been referring to the investigation known as “Troopergate,” which is examining whether Palin abused her power to fire her public safety commissioner. The report is scheduled to be released today, but the campaign put out its own pre-emptive analysis clearing the Alaska governor of any wrongdoing.

As for her hardest decision she said she did not know, but offered her best one, “The best decision was about five weeks ago, though, when being asked if I wanted join Senator McCain in this opportunity, a challenge, a responsibility, but an opportunity to get to affect positive change that this country is due,” Palin said. “Americans are craving this, they’re deserving this, and we’re committed to being on their side.

Greta also asked Palin about her recent attacks on Barack Obama where she attempts to link the Democratic nominee to 1960’s radical Bill Ayers. Greta asked if it was her job to hammer the link and she answered in the affirmative, “This association is pretty significant and it’s kind of telling regarding someone’s judgment that they would working with, associated with a domestic terrorist who had campaigned to bomb the United States Senate and our Pentagon and this is an unrepentant domestic terrorist. That’s the scary part about it!”
Palin went on to question Obama’s “truthfulness and judgment” as she has been on the campaign trail.

Palin was also asked about Obama’s connections to Reverend Wright and she said that was for the top of the ticket to bring up, “That’s John McCain’s call on that one also, though, whether he wants to discuss that association and some of things that that reverend has said about our great country.”

Greta asked Palin about mistakes the Bush administration has made. She blamed Congress as well, but did say that “government growth” was “too rampant” and “too aggressive.”

In Palin’s interview with Sean Hannity her running mate joined her. She accused both members of the Democratic ticket of flip flopping on alternative sources of energy, “All of a sudden saying that we need clean coal and we need to offshore — he’s so on record as having opposed, and Senator Biden also, having opposed those.” Palin said, “I think Barack Obama was drilling for votes. I don’t think that he’s too keen on drilling for those sources of energy that we need.”

John McCain told Sean that he would visit the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and possibly reconsider changing his stance on drilling there because Palin has been “so persuasive” on the topic. The Alaska governor supports drilling in ANWR.

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SEDONA, Ariz. — Sarah Palin took a break from debate prep to do an interview on Sean Hannity’s radio show today. She gave a preview of how her preparations for Thursday’s debate in St. Louis are going and said she has been researching Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s voting records, “Everything is going well and I’m out here in Arizona getting some fresh air even as we are studying up and reading a lot of voting records and realizing how extremely liberal the other ticket is so this is a good time to be here and I so look forward to tomorrow night getting to speak to Americans about the very, very clear choice they are going to have on November 4th.”

Palin has been at her running mate’s ranch here attending a debate crash course surrounded by both her and John McCain’s top advisors conducting mock debates outside.

She went after the Democratic ticket on several issues, but when asked about the economic recovery bill she said Barack Obama “was phoning it in” and “refused to take a stand on the bill” while her running mate “was leading this charge towards a bipartisan effort that could help reform Wall Street.”

The GOP Vice Presidential nominee often accuses Obama of raising taxes and Palin made it clear to Hannity that she will continue that line of attack on Thursday night,  “When Obama talks about raising taxes on the rich he doesn’t tell Americans that 85 percent of small businesses will be impacted by the tax increases that’s going to cost jobs,” Palin said.  “That’s why I look forward to tomorrow night also. Getting to speak directly to Americans without that filter of mainstream media trying to I think maybe censor some of my comments as we lay out those contrasts between these two different tickets.”

It’s not clear which one of the limited amount of interviews she has done since her selection where she felt censored, but she continued her critique of the press saying  that “the state of journalism has changed a bit since I received my degree” and hit the media for wanting to “get more news out there on the air regardless of the truth” adding that it was “kind of sad.” The Alaska governor said she does care about the freedom of the press she just wants more accountability.

The conservative talk radio host also asked Palin about the controversy surrounding the moderator of Thursday’s debate, Gwen Ifill. She is writing a book scheduled to be released in January called “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.” Palin said she is “not going to let it be a concern” and that it just makes the GOP ticket “work harder.”

Sean Hannity also hosts Hannity and Colmes on the Fox News Channel at 9pm eastern –- check it out tonight for more of Sean’s interview with Gov. Palin.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. –- Sarah Palin sat down for her second television interview yesterday with Sean Hannity. When Palin walked into the room at a hotel in Cleveland she shook hands with everyone introducing herself as Sarah to the crew and producers.

Hannity asked if she met with her family before making the decision to take the job as McCain’s number two, “It was a time of asking the girls to vote on it, anyway. And they voted unanimously, yes. Didn’t bother asking my son because, you know, he’s going to be off doing his thing anyway, so he wouldn’t be so impacted by, at least, the campaign period here.” Palin said, “So ask the girls what they thought and they’re like, absolutely. Let’s do this, mom.”

Palin is referring to her son, Track in the 1st Stryker Brigade who will be deployed to Iraq some time this month.

The Palins have said that they told their children that they were going to Dayton, Ohio—where McCain rolled out Palin as his Veep pick—to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Keeping the announcement a secret even from their children. The campaign says both stories are true and Palin had this conversation with her daughters once they arrived in Ohio. At this point, Palin had obviously already said yes to McCain making it a very good thing her children didn’t disagree with her decision.

Hannity also asked about McCain’s comments that the “fundamentals of the economy are strong” on the day of the Wall Street financial crisis. The Obama campaign attacked McCain for his statements. Palin responded defending her running mate, “Well, it was an unfair attack on the verbiage that Senator McCain chose to use because the fundamentals, as he was having to explain afterwards, he means our workforce, he means the ingenuity of the American. And of course, that is strong and that is the foundation of our economy,” Palin said. “Certainly it is a mess though, the economy is a mess. And there have been abuses on Wall Street and that adversely effects Main Street.”

Palin laid responsibility on the crisis squarely on the financial institutions, “I think the corruption on Wall Street. That’s just to blame. And that violation of the public trust. And that contract that should be inherent in corporations who are spending, investing other people’s money, the abuse of that is what has got to stop,” Palin said. “And it’s a matter, too, of some of these CEOs and top management people, and shareholders too not holding that management accountable, being addicted to, we call it, OPM, O-P-M, other people’s money.”

In a lighter moment, Hannity asked Palin if she caught Tina Fey’s impression of her on Saturday Night Live. The campaign already told the traveling press corps that she had seen the show noting that she thought it was funny, especially because she had dressed up as TIna Fey for Halloween once.

But, Palin told Hannity that it was just the visual she thought was funny, “I watched with the volume all the way down and I thought it was hilarious. She was spot on. “

Grand Rapids, MI—

Sarah Palin will get her first chance to answer voter questions this evening at her first joint town hall with John McCain. But, at a diner in Cleveland today Palin greeted patrons and also reacted to the AIG bail out.

“Dissapointed that taxpayers are called upon to bail out another one,” Palin said, “Certainly AIG though with the construction bonds that they’re holding and with the insurance that they are holding very, very impactful to Americans so you know the shot that has been called by the Feds it’s understandable but very, very disappointing that taxpayers are called upon for another one.”

At Karl’s diner, Palin and her husband Todd greeted customers introducing herself as “Sarah” as she apologized for “interrupting their meal.”

Palin was also told that her traveling press corps–which follows her from stop to stop and sits in the back of her plane—were getting lonely. Palin answered, “Are you getting lonely? Gee, yeah, come on up then!”

Palin did her second television interview today with Sean Hannity airing tonight on Hannity and Colmes, but she has yet to hold a press conference. Her first interview was last week with ABC News’ Charlie Gibson. Today was the first time she answered impromptu questions from a reporter, which she seemed happy to do, but clearly worried her staffers. The traveling press corps is definitely planning on taking Palin up on her offer—hopefully on our next flight.

Columbus, OH–

The McCain veepstakes talk continue this evening with the candidate telling Sean Hannity that he has not made a final decision on his running mate. So, Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty don’t forget to send flowers to Sedona this weekend!

Hannity asked McCain what he is looking for in a number two, “Someone who shares your priorities. Your principles, your values and I’ve got to also say priorities. One of the toughest decisions the president makes is setting priorities. And so, that has to be those obviously important characteristics. And one of them of course is, someone who can take your place immediately,” McCain then chuckled about his age, “That’s maybe the advice almost even more important in my case.”

McCain was supposed to meet with Louisiana governor, Bobby Jindal tonight– another much talked about Vice-Presidential choice, but the campaign cancelled the trip due to approaching Hurricane Dolly.

Jindal told Fox and Friends this morning that he does not want to be considered for the Vice-Presidential slot saying he has the job he wants, but he will help McCain get elected.

While campaigning in Pennsylvania today the presumptive Republican nominee had kind words for Jindal and Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, “He’s a great, fine person. Re-elected in one of the toughest re-election years in the history of the Republican Party,” McCain told reporters, “He has pretty successfully been able to work across the aisle in Minnesota with the Democrats. And I think he is, he, Bobby Jindal and a number of governors, I think are the future of the Republican Party. The next generation of leadership.”

Erie, PA—

Mitt Romney gave his first post-exit interview to Sean Hannity today revealing new thoughts on the vice-presidency and a new hair-do. It’s hard to know what was more shocking. . .

After saying at least twice on the stump that he would not be John McCain’s number two he seems to have changed his mind saying he would accept the vice-presidency if it was offered to him:

“I think any Republican leader in this country would be honored to be asked to serve as the vice presidential nominee, myself included. Of course this is a nation, which needs strong leadership. And if the nominee of our party asked you to serve with him, anybody would be honored to receive that call,” Romney told Hannity.

done

The former Massachusetts governor mentioned that he’s sure McCain already has a long list of “terrific people” on his V.P list, but he would do anything to help him win:

“I will do whatever Senator McCain asks for me to do in his campaign to help out in any way that I can. I want to make sure that we have conservative leadership guiding our country,” Romney said, “Now is the time for us to come together and support his candidacy.”

He went after Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, specifically attacking their experience—perhaps positioning himself as McCain’s attack dog (no pun intended):

“I mean, listening to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama talk about experience in a national security crisis is like listening to two Chihuahuas argue about which is the biggest dog,” Romney said, “When it comes to national security, John McCain is the big dog, and they are the chihuahuas. And I think as we talk more and more about their battle with one another, focused on the fact that neither one has real experience in dealing with the issues of our time, that that will only aurgur for his benefit.”

Romney was also asked if he may run again and he was very vague saying, “Who know what the future holds” and he is “not going to close the door.”

And for everyone wondering what Romney has been doing since I stopped following him around—he’s been spending time with his grandchildren.