"Watch Out Boy, She'll Chew You Up"

You all remember that Hall & Oates hit from the '80s, Maneater, right? Kind of describes Sarah Palin, don't you think? I wouldn't if I were you/I know what she can do/She's deadly man, she could really rip your world apart/Mind over matter/The beauty is there but a beast is in her heart.

Today comes David Talbot's Salon feature about the Governor of Alaska, called "Mean Girl." Stripped away of her titanium-frame glasses and up-swept hairdo, she's a ruthless political predator. (By the way, fantastic photo accompanying the story: a backlit profile -- all shadow.) Behind her lay a trail of former political friends whom she eventually defeated and/or betrayed as she pursued her political path.

But she has had no problem cozying up with the "old boys network" she so proudly claims to have taken on, especially when they suit her needs. She maintained a close friendship with Wasilla mayor John Stein, gratefully accepting his mentorship as she ran for City Council. Then, she decided to run against him, and their friendship evaporated. She injected religion and moral values into a low-key job where religion had nothing to do with the town's needs. She circulated word that she'd become Wasilla's first Christian mayor, suggesting that Stein, who was Protestant (just not Evangelical), was Jewish. Other whispers suggested that Stein and his wife, who did not take his name, were not legally married. Palin and her husband had been family friends with the Steins and she knew the truth, but that didn't matter. The Steins were actually forced to produce their marriage certificate. Damage done. First victim of many.

In fact, Palin has used every member of the "network" to her advantage until they no longer suited her needs, then trashed them like a used tissue. The big lie here, however, is that while she has "taken on" the network, she was never successful at dismantling them or reducing their influence in the state.

Says Anchorage radio talk show host Andrew Halcro, who ran against Palin in the 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary:

When Palin takes credit for knocking off the old-boy network in Alaska, it drives me crazy. Sarah certainly availed herself of that network whenever it was expedient. ... The idea that Sarah shook up the state's old-boy network is one big fantasy, it's complete bullshit. She got all this public acclaim for throwing people who backed her under the bus -- but she only did it after they became expendable, when she no longer needed them. The good old boys in Alaska are still the good old boys -- they're alive and kicking. [State GOP Chairman] Randy [Ruedrich] is still running the Republican Party -- he wasn't happy about being turned into a national poster boy for corruption, but he went along with the program. Ted Stevens is still running for reelection. And [scandal-tainted Alaska Rep.] Don Young is, too. So where's the new era of change that Palin supposedly brought to Alaska?

Stevens won his primary for reelection. But if circumstances worsen for him, Palin will publicly distance herself from him, and he'll go down in flames just like the others who got in her way.

If you want to see how Governor Palin is viewed by a great many Alaskans, view this video.