Emails show Palin was eyeing VP slot

Earlier that summer, Palin and her staff began pushing to find a larger audience for the governor, wedging her into national conversations and nudging the McCain campaign to notice her.

Palin and her staff talked excitedly on June 19 about plans to repeal Alaska’s fuel tax. Ivy Frye, a longtime Palin aide and friend, said she would send details to McCain staffers when they became available. “They’re going to love it!” Frye wrote. “More vp talk is never a bad thing, whether you’re considering vp or not. I still say President Palin sounds better tho...”

The glimpse into Palin came in more than 24,000 pages of emails released on Friday from her first 21 months as governor. They showed Palin involved closely in the day-to-day business of the state while trying to cope with the increasing pressures that came with her rise from small-town mayor to governor to national prominence.

They also revealed that Palin, as the newly minted Republican vice presidential nominee, was dismayed by the sudden onslaught of questions from reporters, especially one about whether she believed dinosaurs and humans existed at the same time. She also dealt with death threats, and at least once, she prayed for strength.

The emails cover the period from the time she took office in December 2006 to her ascension to GOP vice presidential candidate in August and September 2008. They were first requested during the 2008 White House race by citizens and news organisations, including The Associated Press, as they vetted a nominee whose political experience included less than one term as governor and a term as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

The emails provided details about how Palin was involved in various gubernatorial duties, including priorities like a natural gas pipeline from far northern Alaska to ship natural gas to the Lower 48. But some of the more intriguing details centered on her rise to the national stage.

Random supporters around the country began suggesting Palin as a potential vice presidential candidate as early as April. Then, after she appeared on Glenn Beck’s programme in early June, she received a string of flattering emails from conservatives looking for a fresh face to run alongside McCain.