Where's Palin? Big bucks for speech in Hong Kong

By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press Writer Matthew Daly, Associated Press Writer – Sat Sep 26, 9:30 am ET

WASHINGTON – Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin emerged from a two-month absence from public view with a private talk, heavy on foreign policy, to a group of investors in Hong Kong.

Her 90-minute speech Wednesday at an investment conference touched on issues from financial markets to health care, Afghanistan and U.S-China relations. It was generally considered more moderate in tone than those Palin delivered during her 2008 campaign for vice president as Republican John McCain's running mate.

Still, a Democratic congressman chastised Palin for criticizing U.S. foreign policy during her first visit to Asia.

"Leaving aside the propriety of criticizing the president while on her first trip to Asia, the assertion that the United States is ignoring areas of disagreement with China is flat wrong," said Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The administration regularly discusses a range of issues with Chinese officials, Berman said.

Palin, who stepped down as governor July 26, is widely believed to be pondering a run for president. In a straw poll this month, she finished in a four-way tie for second-place among religious conservatives, trailing former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Palin was paid an undisclosed amount, said to be in the low six figures, for the 90-minute speech. She has said one of the reasons she resigned was to pay legal bills that have topped $500,000. The speech was closed to reporters, but Palin later posted lengthy excerpts on her Facebook page.

"This speech had very little to do with advancing her political career and more to do with advancing her financial career," said former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.

Fleischer, press secretary under President George W. Bush and a self-described Palin critic, gave the speech generally good marks.

"She's fortunate that she can have a soft landing like this and figure things out from here," he said. "She can take care of her financial future — which she's entitled to do — and figure out policy later."

In her speech, Palin urged China to "rise responsibly" and said the United States "cannot ignore areas of disagreement" as the two countries move forward.

Before she quit with more than a year left in her first term as governor, Palin promised to keep her fans updated on the social networking site Twitter, but so far there have been no messages. Palin updates her Facebook page — which has about 900,000 followers — once or twice a week, with items that alternately criticize President Barack Obama's health care policy or offer praise for Constitution Day or the Jewish high holidays.

But mostly Palin operates from behind a veil. Her spokeswoman won't even say what state she's in. The Washington Post reported that Palin spent a month in California working on her book but has since left. Spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton declined to comment.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

I say good for her.

Yet another joining the rank and file of the never ending idiots. When they say "The country has gone to dogs" that is an insult to dogs

900,000 followers..hummmmm

Same sh-t--different day!

Yeah, Bill Clinton never made a dime doing speeches after his presidency.

Its just part of what politicos do when they are out of office to make money.


WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton earned nearly $6 million in speaking fees last year, almost all of it from foreign companies, according to financial documents filed by his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The documents obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press show that $4.6 million of the former president's reported $5.7 million in 2008 honoraria came from foreign sources, including Kuwait's national bank, other firms and groups in Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico and Portugal and a Hong Kong-based company that spent $100,000 on federal lobbying last year.


Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/27/bill-clinton-made-million_n_161424.html

Jan 2009

Could be another way for media and Corporations to get another dud elected who will do their bidding.
If we are offered Palin as one choice and some other dud, the other dud will win.
Like how Hussein got elected.
Ya'll go ahead and get manipulated.
I will vote for the on the media hates.

I hope she does run for president. She is very entertaining like going to the circus. If she runs that will insure Obama a victory she might as well just hand it over to him. I could have tolerated Mccain if he had gotten in not wanted to though. If he had died and her running country would scare the living daylights out of me. Not because she is a woman. I do not think she is presidential material to be nice about it.