Sarah shares with home newspaper

Media outlets throughout the nation, and world, have been vying to get interviews with vice-presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin and only a few have been successful. In that respect, the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman is now counted among the elite.

In a phone conversation late last week, Palin told me, “The Frontiersman has been a part of my life since I was 2 years old,” and it was important to her to talk to us. She was upbeat and excited about the time she’s spent on the campaign trail with Sen. John McCain. She talked about the nation’s energy dilemma and the role Alaska can play in resolving it.

The phone call was just like hundreds of other conversations I’ve had with Sarah Palin over the years, only it wasn’t.

It was the same in that she sounded just like the person I’ve come to know, talking with the same confidence and resolve about the issues she clearly cares about. The conversation flowed as easily discussing energy issues as it did talking about family, friends and the impact her VP announcement has had on the Valley. It was different in that she is the Republican candidate for vice president of the United States, although this fact didn’t appear to have changed the way she talked to me.

Due to schedule and time zone conflicts, the questions posed to Gov. Sarah Palin that appear in today’s newspaper were submitted to her by e-mail, and her responses were returned the same way. Although not the preferred interview method, it worked this time for us. The responses from the governor have not been edited and appear as we received them. We asked her about issues specific to Alaska, questions that have been recently raised about issues during her tenure as mayor, and questions related to her VP nomination.

As Palin prepares for the vice presidential debate on Thursday with Sen. Joe Biden, where it’s certain national and foreign policy issues will be raised, I hope our readers enjoy reading about her responses to questions with more local relevance.

Kari Sleight is publisher of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.