By Michelle Malkin • December 9, 2009 12:24 AM
We had frigid weather and several inches of Goreflakes on the ground here in Colorado Springs, but Sarah Palin lit up the town for a Borders signing earlier this evening that drew yet another massive crowd on her nationwide “Going Rogue” book tour.
My family and I had the great honor and pleasure of meeting the governor, her husband Todd, adorable baby Trig, her lovely parents, relatives, and friends from near and far. Sarah’s energy is boundless and her ability to connect is unparalleled with any public figure I’ve met in covering politics over the last 17 years. I spoke, for example, with the first family in line for the book signing. They arrived at 4:30am with four kids in tow. Sarah, the father of the family told me, had written a personal letter sending prayers and good wishes for one of their children battling cancer. On the way out, I ran into a soldier in BDUs rushing through the door with Palin’s book in hand. Breathless, he asked: “Do you think there’s any hope I’ll get my book signed?” Given the special attentiveness Palin’s staff paid to military and their families (several Blue Star families got VIP access), I’m sure he got his autograph. There are countless stories like this in every single city she has visited.
The governor and I talked briefly about Copenhagen (here’s her latest piece in the Washington Post calling on President Obama to stay home in the wake of ClimateGate), left-wing attacks on conservative politicians (Michele Bachmann is the latest target of specious ethics complaints), and the blessings of living outside the Beltway. Most of all, I’m glad I got a chance to simply say “Thank you” in person — for her strong conservative voice, for her relentless optimism in the face of unrelenting attacks, and for her public service as a defender of life and advocate of the American dream.
