Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin by Frank Bailey Review

Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin by Frank Bailey Review

Without revealing my political leanings, I, like many people, find Sarah Palin to be an intriguing enigma. Is she as self-serving as she seems? What's her favorite type of running shoe? Will she ever run for president -- and could she win?

It’s with these questions in mind that I eagerly await Tuesday’s arrival of Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of Our Tumultuous Years by Frank Bailey. The former Palin aide has written what the Associated Press calls “a scathing tell-all” that claims, among other things, that Palin hated being Alaska’s governor, had an obsession with the media and an “empathetic void,” at times for even her family. Sounds like a page-turner, no?

But my curiosity about the book doesn’t stem from a place of disdain for the woman; instead, more so of what new -- and more sympathetic -- details it may ultimately reveal about her.

As a journalism major in college (of which Palin is also a disciple) I was taught to always consider the source. With that in mind, how could you not question Bailey’s motives? Not only does a tell-all book reek of opportunism, Bailey is, after all, a man.

And I’m not alone in my skepticism of Bailey, as these two points were not lost on members of the iVillage community when we first posted the story “The 3 Most Damaging Details in the Palin Tell-All” back in February. “Let me start by saying I am no fan of Palin's” wrote iVillage member bordwithyou. “Quite the opposite. However, I am less than shocked that she hated her job, at least at times, and that somebody thinks she's a bad mom. Honestly, isn't that charge leveled at just about every WOH at some time? Any woman with a demanding career who sometimes has to say to her spouse, ‘Hey, you deal with little Johnny this time, I have to catch a plane,’ is open to criticism for being neglectful…The Palin kids have two parents. If the couple has decided that Sarah will be the politician and Todd will be the one taking the kids to their medical and therapy appointments, it's okay by me.” To which I, like many women, say “Amen, sister!”

For his part, Bailey “dismisses any suggestion he’s disgruntled or bitter,” the AP notes, but instead is “sad at a lot of wasted potential.”

Say what you will about Palin, but I happen to think she’s made quite a name for herself since she first came on the scene in 2008, and has quite a lot of potential left in her. Now whether or not you believe that potential is for better or worse is between you and the commenting function on this article below. All of this just leads me to believe that we women know there is more to Palin's "faults" than meets the eye, and that we shouldn’t be so quick to judge a book by its cover.

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