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McCain and Palin Go Their Separate Ways, in Separate Ways

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November 05, 2008 9:15 PM

ABC News' Imtiyaz Delawala and Bret Hovell report: One day after conceding the presidential election to Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin have gone their separate ways, both departing Phoenix today after two months on the campaign trail as the Republican presidential ticket.

Palin left the Arizona Biltmore hotel Wednesday afternoon in a motorcade stretching more than a dozen vehicles, flanked by a dozen more cops on motorcycles. She was joined by some 18 family members and friends who had made the trip from Alaska to Phoenix to watch Election Night returns.

In contrast, John McCain drove himself in his own gold Toyota Sequoia SUV -- with friend and Senate colleague Lindsey Graham riding shotgun -- from his condo in Phoenix to his secluded compound in Sedona for a few days of rest there.

The separate departures seemed a striking metaphor for the two who together sought the White House: one the party elder, not expected to run for president again, back on his own after the pomp and circumstance died down; the other a rising star in the Republican party, whose political celebrity is now nearly as big as the president-elect’s.

To be sure, McCain had resisted the Secret Service when he gained his party’s nomination, and was likely anxious for them to conclude their protection of him, preferring to drive to his Sedona ranch on his own.

Palin, on the other hand, was still 2,500 miles away from her home in Wasilla, Alaska, and was traveling with her large contingent of family and friends returning home, as well as three staff members and a full secret service detail who will continue with her for a few more days as she transitions back to her life in Alaska – where Palin drives herself to work every day.

While McCain did not speak with the press at any point today, Gov. Palin fielded questions from reporters for a second time as she departed the Arizona Biltmore hotel for the Phoenix airport, where her plane took off shortly after 4 p.m. mountain time for the nearly six-hour flight back to Alaska.

As she did this morning, Palin declined to speculate on her own future political ambitions, saying she was looking forward to returning to the governor’s office in Alaska.

But she said she plans to stay on the national scene by pushing the new Obama administration on energy policy – the issue she focused the most passion and detail on during her two months on the national campaign trail.

"I see my role as the governor of Alaska allowing our nation to become energy secure," Palin said to reporters before leaving her Phoenix hotel. "Alaska can lead this effort, and as governor I wanna be there on the forefront helping to make this nation more secure."

"So we’ll reach out to Barack Obama and to the people who he surrounds himself with," Palin said of her desire to work with the new president-elect on the issue. "A united effort that we certainly will be making here in order to secure our nation and allow us to be more prosperous."

While she had often served as the attack dog on the campaign trail, Palin expressed pride in the election of Obama as the first African-American president, and in her own historic run as the first female Republican vice presidential nominee.

"It’s been an honor and I feel like it’s just been such a blessing to have the opportunity to represent women who work hard all across this nation every single day, as they too balance that life/work balance that needs to be struck, and just being able to represent women," Palin said, while holding her six-month-old son Trig in her arms, while her seven-year-old daughter Piper and husband Todd stood at her side. Palin was dressed casually in black sweatpants and a blue sweatshirt with the words "Alaska Grown" on it -- looking more like the Alaska "hockey mom" she often touted in campaign speeches.

"It says all good things about our country, and the progress that we have made and the barriers that have come down," Palin added. "I couldn’t be more proud of where we are today, you know, this minority status now being kind of propelled to the forefront, that’s healthy."

Palin declined to engage in any criticism of her campaign, saying the experience had been "entirely positive and refreshing and energizing," and adding that the day should instead belong to President-Elect Obama and his historic election win.

"I have absolutely no intention of engaging in any of the negativity because this has been all positive for me for what I believe in, the values that I represent and the progress that I wanna see America be able to make," Palin said when asked about post-election finger-pointing. "Just absolutely no time for the pettiness. And that’s kinda just the way I’m wired. I don’t have time for that."

"This is an historic moment. Barack Obama has been elected president," Palin added. "And God bless Barack Obama and his beautiful family and the new administration coming in. It is time that we all pulled together and worked together and America’s going to reach her destiny."

November 5, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (854)

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Unite Now stated, "Palin could contribute much to this nation's energy policy, and I believe Obama is wise - and he will turn to her for input."

Do you really believe she's an energy expert just because John McCain said so during the campaign? Remember, it was Sarah Palin who spewed the following gibberisih at a town hall meeting:

"Oil of coal, of course, is a fungible commodity and they don't flag, ya know, the molecules where, where it's going to, where it's not, but and in the, in the sense of the Congress today they know our very, very hungry domestic markets that need that oil first. So I believe that what Congress is going to do also is not to allow the export bans to such a degree that it's Americans who get stuck holding the bag without the energy source that is produced here, pumped here; it's gotta flow into our domestic markets first."

Posted by: Fungible Molecule | Nov 6, 2008 7:10:26 AM

Its funny that the angry bitter Obama supporters are still telling the McCain/Palin supporters to shut up. They won: what do they care what other people think?

Posted by: tina | Nov 6, 2008 7:12:18 AM

The woman has ZERO subtance. Sorry, she was an embarrassment to everyone. I am glad Sar-Duh is gone home to the Outside!

Posted by: Michael | Nov 6, 2008 7:12:24 AM

For all who trash Palin for bringing up Rev. Wright, Ayers, Rezzo, it's nothing that hadn't been brought up before by Hillary Clinton during the Dem. Primary elections. Something the press never questioned Obama enough about or challenged his weak answers. Hillary won every major state and printed a blue print on how to beat Obama, she just ran out of time and states and should have started her strategy earlier. It's not Palin's fault that McCain was too dumb to follow Hillary's Blue print, she tee'd it up. You also trash Palin for her international experience but Obama had plenty of gaffs, his response to the Russian invasion of Georgia, he said that the Security Counsel should write a declaration of condemnation, but he didn't know that Russia was a member of the Security Counsel and would veto his very suggestion. You trash her for clothes and travel expenses, what about the Obama's expenses, who paid those and how much did he spend, what about the $700K spent on a stage of fake Greek columns and props for a 40 minute speech. The hate towards this women and the double standard is pathetic.

Posted by: Retro | Nov 6, 2008 7:12:46 AM

It's just amazing how cruel some of you people can be! She (Sahra Palin) loves this country as much as you or I. She just looks at it a little differently than some of you. The race is over! Obama won! Leave it be!

Posted by: Ted | Nov 6, 2008 7:22:16 AM

Ted, she looks at the country quite differently. As it turns out, she apparently doesn't even know that it's part of North America.

Watch the video on the home page at Fox News.

http://www.foxnews.com

Posted by: WWW | Nov 6, 2008 7:28:35 AM

Though I did not vote for John McCain, I do have some sympathy for the Sarah Palin. She was plucked from relative obscurity with little vetting and very little preparation. Despite the odds stacked against her and her limited national experience, she at times proved to be an adept politician, and her speech at the RNC was impressive. Now the McCain camp, in the last throes of a sinking ship, are excoriating her publicly despite the fact that THEY are the ones who chose her. Despicable really.

Having said this, I thank god she is not our VP. She was in no way, shape or form ready to lead this country if McCain became incapacitated. Her lack of knowledge was stunning, and her interviews with Katie Couric were rambling messes. In my own personal opinion, there is no way she can recover from this debacle enough to mount her own presidential campaign in 2012. I will make my own 2012 presidential prediction now-Palin will not be at the top of the Republican ticket-guaranteed.

Posted by: jc0221 | Nov 6, 2008 7:35:01 AM

It looks like stevens will get re-elected. If he has to step down, can palin appoint herself as senator of Alaska?

Posted by: pt | Nov 6, 2008 7:39:30 AM

Retro, whatever gaffes that obama made on international questions cant compare to Sarah Palin. Fox news just released a video with mccain staff saying that she didnt know that africa is a continent and not a country. She also thought south africa is the southern part of africa the country.

All i can say is Wow. I have seen americans usually not knowing much about countries outside but i just cant get why a politician wouldnt know it and even more as to why all these are not important issues. When Mccain thought spain is in south america and didnt know if it was a friendly country i was really really surprised.

Posted by: dheep | Nov 6, 2008 7:49:55 AM

Good-bye
Good luck
Good riddance

Posted by: Douglass | Nov 6, 2008 7:58:20 AM

hope she dont take her loss out on the moose population.

Posted by: rodney | Nov 6, 2008 8:02:36 AM

Frankly, as a woman, I'm very worried about the hatred and anger against women that has been rife and allowed during this campaign. No one arrested the people who put up the Palin effigy either. Hopefully I'm not the only one that notices the phenomenon that's morphing day by day online, on tv, and even just at the stores. I am concerned about the future in this regard. I'm for unity and will respect our new Prez. With this great new progress it seems as if women have now been shoved out of the way and forced to remain two steps back. So in order to respect and laud our new Prez and progress we are encouraged to insult and disparage women even more right? Otherwise, let me understand this one, if we don't we're unpatriotic, rascist, etc? No way, uh uh. Good Luck Sarah Palin, hope you come back in 2012 or sooner.

Posted by: awoman2008 | Nov 6, 2008 8:04:44 AM

Now that the thugs who call themselves Republican have had their @sses handed to them they scream for civility. I laugh in your general direction. Republicans are to be shown nothing but derision and scorn. They earned every bit of it. Their implosion is good for the country. I'll be there to help it along.

Posted by: boz | Nov 6, 2008 8:05:18 AM

dheep sure,

but..first these reports are all hearsay...get that person on in person on the record. Enough with leaks and secondhand conversations...there were gaffs all around..how about when Biden talks about FDR coming on TV after the 1929 crash to speak to the nation. Just brillant, and he's a smokers failed bypass away from the Precidency?

Here's my position. To come aboard in August in the heat of the elections, be
unproven, get up to speed and campaign for just 2 months is asking a lot for anyone. MMQB, it was the wrong choice, but then again she drew a hell of
a lot of crowds for him. I hate that all the dirt is coming out now, it is useless. Focus on McCain and his choices and not the gossip of what's being leaked..

Posted by: Retro | Nov 6, 2008 8:09:05 AM

Most telling of the lefticles: Palin steps down with respect to the opposition, her head high, and the snide jackals can't stop being spiteful jerks. That is MOST telling.

I see a single term for their golden boy already.

Posted by: Matt | Nov 6, 2008 8:11:39 AM

What a mistake McCain made was evident
the first time Sarah opened her mouth.
She proved she was not really intelligent about the world and her
use of the english language was like one would use in a bowling league.
Too bad, so sad the Republican heirarchy
made such a mistake with McCain.

Posted by: DonM75 | Nov 6, 2008 8:12:16 AM

didnot know if mccain was running for pres. or just starting some kind of side show---sure was getting funny.

Posted by: rodney | Nov 6, 2008 8:13:08 AM

You haters are now left to wallow in your misery. Palin will still be a winner/Governor, and you will still be losers. Obama can't do 1/10 of the millions of things you all want. For you simpletons to suffer for your stupidity truly makes me happy.

Posted by: mark | Nov 6, 2008 8:17:37 AM

Thank goodness we dodged a bullet on that one.HEY sarah u should just go and join the cast of snl permanently. GO OBAMA. "MY PRESIDENT IS BLACK"

Posted by: Remy

==========================================

Sorry, but YOUR President-elect is not BLACK. He is multi-racial and multi-ethnic. Frankly, I would prefer that he refer to himself as an American and stop using a hyphenated word as a self-description, especially if he intends to be any kind of symbol of unity.

He should also keep in mind that he only won by 6 percent, which means that he has no mandate to do as he pleases. Contrary to the opinion of many, he is neither our Emperor, our "Messiah", nor "the One". As all men do, he still puts his pants on one leg at a time.


Posted by: Yavo Lem | Nov 6, 2008 8:20:03 AM

ha ha ha ha ha ha --the repubs are still kicking and screeming-----next they will want a recount----.but the people have spoken--and the people rule----bunch of sickos.

Posted by: rodney | Nov 6, 2008 8:25:32 AM

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