From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Tea
Party faithful are paying a high price for admission -- more than
double the cost of other similar national political conventions -- to
hear former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speak at next month's Tea Party Nation Convention in Nashville, Tenn.

The $549 per person price tag for the sold-out
Feb. 4-6 event -- which is closed to all but a "select"
group of media friendly to the movement -- has angered some activists.
But they began to raise questions when it was revealed that, unlike
those similar national events, the organizer of the convention
registered the group behind the event -- Tea Party Nation -- as a "for profit" corporation.

The little-known organizer is Judson Phillips,
a self-described "small-town lawyer." He is a former assistant district
attorney now in private practice, specializing in
driving-under-the-influence and personal-injury cases. He is organizing
the convention with his wife, Sherry, his sister-in-law, and a handful
of other volunteers.

A background check of various public records
databases raises questions about how he has handled money in the past.
The search shows that Phillips filed for Chapter 7 personal
bankruptcy in 1999 and during the past decade, he has had three federal
tax liens against him, totaling more than $22,000.

In an interview with NBC News, Phillips
admitted to the financial difficulties. He declined to comment on the
bankruptcy, but said the federal tax liens have been paid off.

"I work for myself," he said. "Sometimes you have a good year; sometimes you have a bad year; sometimes you get a little bit behind; the government files a lien. They've been paid off. There's millions of small businesses in this country that probably one time or another have had a tax lien filed against them. All it is is a legal mechanism to make sure that the government gets paid. And they've gotten paid. Case closed."

Phillips, who said he ran in a Republican primary for a seat on the Williamson (Tenn.) County Board of Commissioners in 2002, denied that his personal finances have any bearing on his ability to be a responsible steward of Tea Party funds.

"That question is so-- that question is not asked about NBC with its advertisers or anything else," Phillips charged. "We are putting on an event that is a convention. People are paying for their attendance. It's a private event. People who are coming to it are private; people who are participating in it are all private citizens. It's not really any of anybody else's concern."

At least two public officials, however -- Congresswomen Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee -- are slated to speak. And Palin, of course, is a former governor and vice-presidential candidate. Both Bachmann's and Blackburn's congressional offices reaffirmed their intention to speak at the event in interviews with NBC News. They largely sidestepped questions of the appropriateness of the for-profit designation and Phillips' financial history. Both, instead, praised the Tea Party movement in general.

"Over the past year," Bachmann spokeswoman Debbee Keller wrote in an e-mail, "Tea Parties across the nation have shared a common goal of restoring fiscal discipline and individual liberty back into the legislative process. Unfortunately, Washington has ignored their voices by belittling their values and opinions. Congresswoman Bachmann is honored by the invitation to speak at the upcoming Tea Party Convention and looks forward to working along side so many fellow Americans to achieve these fundamental principals."

Blackburn spokesman Claude Chafin said, "We always viewed the Tea Party Nation speaking request as an acknowledgment that Marsha has a long record of fighting for the issues that are important to tea party activists: fiscal responsibility, reducing the size of government, and ending Washington's first right of refusal on your paycheck. The tea party movement in all its manifestations -- from Tea Party Nation to the tens of thousands of Americans who traveled to Washington this fall -- is energizing the Conservative cause. Congresswoman Blackburn sees this resurgence of constitutional passion as a positive development for our nation and she is excited to lend her efforts to the cause." 

With regard, specifically to the for-profit aspect of the event, Chafin added, "We're flattered that you think of the hometown girl as a 'draw' equal to the party's vice-presidential nominee. If this was the only tea party event she had ever addressed, it might be an issue, but she has spoken at rallies in DC and across Tennessee."

Meghan Stapleton, Palin's spokeswoman, has not responded to an e-mail request for response.

'Not about making money'
Despite Phillips' registration of Tea Party Nation as a for-profit corporation, he denies that he's one in a line of people trying to profit off the movement.

"This is not about making money," Phillips said. He derided what he described as non-profits' "begging for money" with fundraising letters and e-mail solicitations. There are also limitations, for example, on non-profits' political activities."A for-profit corporation is not subject to any of those restrictions," he added, "so, for me, it was simply a no-brainer."

Asked if he hopes Tea Party Nation will be profitable, and he can take a salary, he said, "I'll be happy if we don't lose money. I don't think we'll lose money; I don't think we're going to make a whole lot of money. But we're not going to lose money."

Why would the convention be at risk of losing money with the price of admission and a sold-out event?

"There are costs involved in this," Phillips said, "because we're trying to throw together a first-rate convention. We want to make this a particularly good convention for the people who come here."

He identified his biggest costs as food for guests, banquet space rental (the posh Opryland Hotel in Nashville), transportation for speakers, and advertising.

Soon after Palin was named keynote speaker, rumors circulated that the admission price would go toward defraying the cost of her hefty speaking fee. Palin, who since resigning as governor, reportedly commands $100,000 per engagement and is a client of the Washington Speakers Bureau. But Palin quashed the rumors Tuesday night when she told Bill O'Reilly -- in her first interview since being named a Fox contributor -- that she would not be taking a fee for the event. 

'An ax to grind'
Phillips also said he liked the idea of the "for-profit" designation, so he could be able to "generate revenue. … We can sell a product or a service."

One way of doing that is selling Tea Party merchandise. But that is something that has been its own source of controversy. Former Phillips associate, Kevin Smith -- a Web designer who helped design the Tea Party Nation Web site -- had a falling out with Phillips over the decision to make Tea Party Nation "for-profit." 

Smith alleged in a scathing online account of his time with Phillips that Phillips linked a PayPal account for the merchandise to his wife's bank account.

"That's completely false," Phillips said. "There's a PayPal account that goes for the corporation. The money goes into a corporate account that is held in the name of Tea Party Nation, Incorporated."

He added, "It's very obvious Kevin has an ax to grind. He's got a motive for doing this."

But, as a result of Smith's account, one major sponsor, the American Liberty Alliance, pulled its support from the convention on Wednesday.

"To be clear, the for-profit model has its place in the movement," Eric Odom, executive director and co-founder of the alliance, wrote on the group's Web site. "Many, MANY groups in the movement operate this way. But these groups should always have boards and oversight, and should never, ever process donations through personal PayPal accounts. In this particular case, it's entirely possible that those involved are operating in a fair way. But when we look at the $500 price tag for the event and the fact that many of the original leaders in the group left over similar issues, it's hard for us not to assume the worst."

Phillips said that thinking is unfortunate and hasn't heard back from ALA -- despite his requests for an explanation.

Out of step
Nonetheless, Phillips' designation of Tea Party Nation as "for-profit," as well as his largely shutting out the press, is out of step with other similar major national political conventions.

The Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, and its liberal counterpart Netroots Nation are both non-profit entities -- and welcome the media. Phillips, who readily admits he is not a "professional" organizer, said he was overwhelmed and surprised by the worldwide media interest in his event. Phillips says that he's had so many requests for credentials that many journalists will not get in, but is working to make the event more accessible.

The organizers of those events question the Tea Party Nation's "for-profit" tag.

Raven Brooks, executive director of Netroots Nation, called the "for-profit" designation a "red flag." He said his group aims to "break even and keep everything as accessible as possible." The admission price per person for Netroots Nation is upwards of $200. There are discounted student rates and additional funding is made available to cover costs for 40 selected individuals through the liberal group Democracy for America, Brooks said.

"It seems like a lot of the groups that are doing this [Tea Party events] -- whether they are consultants or organizers are for-profit," Brooks said. "It seems like they're just trying to capitalize financially on this trend out there right now. … This [particular event] feels very profit-driven.

"Sarah Palin is there, these people are charged up, and they'll cash in."

While the conservative Tea Party Nation is a natural ideological target for liberal activists like Brooks, that's not the case for CPAC. CPAC attracts many of the same people who attend Tea Party events.

Glenn Beck will keynote CPAC this year. Beck famously championed his 9/12 Tea Party project; Rush Limbaugh keynoted it last year. Palin, however, chose not to attend CPAC this year, and has never attended -- despite the confab being a regular stop for Republicans looking to burnish their conservative bona fides and appeal to activists. CPAC, this year, takes place two weeks after the Tea Party Nation Convention.

(It was reported that Palin chose not to speak at CPAC because of questions surrounding David Keene, CPAC's and the American Conservative Union's chairman. Keene allegedly solicited more than $2 million for his groups from FedEx in order to shore up support for legislation that would have favored the shipping giant over rival UPS. Keene has also been critical of how Palin dealt with the press during her 2008 vice-presidential run as well as her subsequent abrupt resignation as governor.)

Like Netroots, CPAC, which has a policy of not paying speakers, charges approximately $200 and up to attend. But the goal, organizers said, is to make the event as accessible as possible to draw young people.

"CPAC has never been a 'profit-making' or 'money-driven' enterprise," Keene said in a written statement. "I always tell the story about when Ronald Reagan leaned over to me at dinner after his election and said that the reason he would always come to CPAC is that it was the one place that activists could afford to get together, hear the people for whom they work in campaigns, exchange ideas, etc and said the one thing he hoped he could ask of us was that we'd never change that; that we'd keep it affordable so that it would never be limited to the wealthy. That was a promise I made him."
 
Ultimately, though, whether it is appropriate for Tea Party Nation to be "for profit" is a "question for the people attending the event and what they think about it," said Fred Wertheimer, president of the watchdog group Democracy 21. "There's no outside set of rules or parameters." He added, "The idea that someone's around trying to make money off something is not a new concept. The test here is if people know about it, and they want to attend the event, that's their call. It is important, however, that people are made aware that this is a for-profit operation before deciding whether to attend the event."

Sarah Palin, when asked by Glenn Beck who her favorite founding father was, said "all of them" before Beck interjected with, "Bullcrap, who's your favorite."

She then settled on George Washington, because, she said, "he was the consummate statesman; he served; he returned power to the people -- he didn't want to be a king -- he returned power to the people, then he went back to Mount Vernon, he went back to his farm." (Hat tip: Talking Points Memo.)

From NBC's Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is now scheduled to make three relatively high-profile appearances in the next three months. In February, she'll keynote the Tea Party national convention in Nashville; in March, she'll speak to the Ohio Right to Life in Columbus (hat tip: Ben Smith); and in April, she'll make an appearance at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference GOP cattle call.

These three events all create the impression she's running for president; we're still not convinced that does.

All three events continue her practice of only speaking to the conservative base. At some point, if she's really interested in becoming president, she has to broaden her appeal beyond the Tea Party movement and pro-life groups, right?

Then again, that base might be enough to win the GOP nomination...

According to audio on USA Today's Web site, Sarah Palin said the following in a phone interview about President Obama's Nobel speech: "I liked what he said. In fact, I thumbed through my book this morning to say wow, that that really sounded familiar, because I talked too in my book about the fallen nature of man and why war is necessary at times. And history's lessons when it comes to knowing when it is that we engage in warfare, and a couple of the other things he said were I thought wow good those are nice, a broad message, so broad that I just wrote about those and a lot of Americans are getting to read. Also my, my take on when war is necessary."
 
She continued: "Personally, of course, as a Blue Star mom, I, and so many other Blue Star families we worry about the safety of our soldiers. But my son and tens of thousands of other young men and women in America have made the right decision to put some things on hold at this point in their lives so that they can serve something grater than self. I'm so extremely proud of him and all of our troops. And personally of course I'm on my knees more than ever praying for his safety along with all of his fellow troops. And of course war is the last thing any American I believe wants to have to engage in, but it's necessary. We have to stop these terrorists over there. We've learned our lesson from 9/11. George Bush did a great job of reminding Americans every single day that he was in office what that lesson is. And by the way, I'd like to see President Obama follow more closely in the footstep of George Bush and his passion for keeping the Homeland safe, his passion for respecting, honoring our troops, and yeah, I, I, certainly believe that the mission is necessary right now both in Iraq and the surge strategy that's needed in Afghanistan.
 
"For Palin, that view strikes close to home: Her eldest son, 20-year-old Track, is an Army infantry member who recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. 'I'm on my knees more than ever praying for his safety along with all of his fellow troops,' Palin said. 'Of course, war is the last thing any American, I believe, wants to have to engage in, but it's necessary. We have to stop these terrorists over there.'"

From NBC's Joey Bell
FAIRFAX, Va. -- Neither the first snow of the winter nor the slushy, untreated roads could deter hundreds of fans from coming here Saturday morning to get a copy of "Going Rogue" signed by it's author, Sarah Palin. The BJ's in the Fair Lakes Shopping Center welcomed hundreds of people to line up and wait for hours to meet the former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate.

People came prepared to withstand the elements. Winter coats, umbrellas and most importantly plastic shopping bags, protected their books from the chunky, wet falling flakes. Some cuddled an armful of books for their favorite hockey mom to sign.

The lines stretched down the sidewalk outside BJ's and continued across the street into the parking lot. That part of the line zig zagged multiple times giving the appearance of everyone waiting to experience the newest attraction at an amusement park.

Police and store employees were strategically placed outside to direct traffic and ensure crowd safety. Brian Watson works at the BJ's in Fredericksburg, VA, and was brought to the Fair Lakes store to help with the big event. He was notified about the book signing about a month ago and has been part of the preparation ever since. Watson arrived at 6 a.m. that morning to see dozens of people already in line. He said the very first person got in line the day before at noon, camped out overnight and continued to wait until the signing began that morning at 10 a.m.

Beatriz Garcia and Betty Hall are friends from nearby Chantilly, VA, who got in line at 6:30 a.m. They initially planned to drive four hours to Roanoke, VA, for a book signing there. They changed their minds upon finding out about this one scheduled for Fairfax. Both women have the utmost respect for the way Palin has weathered the criticism she's had to endure during the 2008 campaign and since. They identify with Palin's pursuits in life as a wife and mother with professional ambitions. 

Garcia is a registered Democrat who voted for the McCain-Palin ticket because of Palin.

"She's refreshing," Garcia said. "She's a good image for a lot of people."

This, coming from a woman who initially supported Hillary Clinton. Garcia shifted her support immediately over to Palin after Clinton bowed out of the 2008 race for the White House.

Hall noted that Palin may be "rough around the edges," but, like everyone, "has their quirks." This only seems to make Palin more human and relatable to fans like Hall. She was impressed that Palin, her husband and father, took the time to talk to everyone. Meeting the family left Hall with a warm feeling reminding her of another family -- the Reagans.

When asked if she stood in line for hours to see and meet the former vice-presidential candidate, the author, or the future potential presidential candidate, Hall simply responded, "Yes."

From NBC's Ali Weinberg
Conservative blogger Erick Erickson warns of side effects that a Republican "purity test" resolution, proposed by RNC Committeeman Jim Bopp, would have on the party's 2010 chances. The test would deny RNC funding to any GOP candidate who disagreed with more than two of the resolution's ten policy positions. Erickson cites the precedent of Dede Scozzafava, a moderate Republican who Erickson said received undue conservative bona fides by signing a no-new-tax pledge from the group Americans for Tax Reform. "Conservatives in the RNC, however well meaning they may be, risk giving liberal candidates easy opportunities to get conservative endorsements simply by checking the box without ever meaning it," Erickson writes.

The New York Times Caucus blog points out this "tiny point" with Erickson's post: "Mr. Erickson kicks off his post with a neat line suggesting that if Rome no longer sells indulgences, why should conservatives? Well, believe it or not, the Vatican has revived its indulgence policies, with bishops explaining that sinners need all the help they can get these days."

FLORIDA: Marco Rubio amps up his conservative creds with a shout-out from Rush Limbaugh, during the talk show host's appearance on a local radio show, according to liberal blog Talking Points Memo. "I like Rubio," said Limbaugh, in a guest appearance on a local Florida radio show. "I've never met him, nor have I met Crist, but I know that there's a sea change brewing and effervescing in this country." Rubio posted the interview clip on his website.

ILLINOIS: Chicago's CBS 2 News reports that State Treasurer and candidate for President Obama's former Senate seat Alexi Giannoulias says he will release copies of his income tax returns today. In question is Giannoulias' share of a $70 million dividend his family took from the Broadway Bank it owns."Heavily involved in real estate loans, it's now ranked as one of the weakest financial institutions in the state of Illinois." When asked by CBS 2 about his role at the bank, Giannoulias said, "When I left the bank, it was a well-capitalized financial institution. That was four years ago. And I think at the end of the day, people want to hear what I've done as state treasurer."

MISSOURI: "Add another candidate to the bulging roster of Republican candidates running for the southwestern Missouri district Rep. Roy Blunt (R) is leaving open to run for the Senate," CQ Politics reports. "Michael Wardell, a businessman and retired Marine, has filed candidacy paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to formally organize a campaign in Missouri's 7th district, which includes Springfield and Joplin." Blunt's 7th District, where 63% of voters supported John McCain in the 2008 election, will "surely" remain Republican, according to CQ.

PENNSYLVANIA: Sarah Palin continues to factor in 2010 races for both Democrats and Republicans, most recently in a new web ad from Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak, The Hill reports. The ad "Going Rogue's Missing Chapter," features images of then-Republican Specter standing with Palin at McCain rallies interspersed with text reading: "He campaigned for me" and "he still believes in me."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Kelly Paice
NBC's Andrea Mitchell interviewed Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.

Here is some of what Steele had to say about Sarah Palin. A clip is below with text after the jump.

HERE'S THE FULL VIDEO.

STEELE: I don't know what her decision-making is or what 2012 or 2014 or any year looks like for her. She'll make that decision and when she does we'll all kind of go, 'Oh, that's interesting.' Or not, ya know? I think what you see now are people having a chance to tell the rest of the country how they feel about her. And she's someone who's going to be a part of our political future as a party and I think that's a good thing.

STEELE: I still am mystified by the fact that people look at this woman who was a successful mayor, a successful energy person for Alaska, a successful governor and think that she doesn't have the gravitas to do it.

STEELE: I find it offensive that, you know, she steps down for what I think is a good reason and, 'Oh, she quit!' like that's a bad thing.

STEELE: You know, give the woman a break. She has been under an enormous amount of scrutiny. The disrespect shown to her, I don't think we've ever seen in politics before -- certainly for a female candidate. And I think people really need to check themselves when they come to Sarah Palin.

STEELE: She beat back the political system in that state which is, which is...

MITCHELL: Well, she did quit after half a term as governor...

STEELE: Oh, please.

MITCHELL: She did quit...

STEELE: Yeah, I mean she did the smart thing in stepping down because she became more of the focus for her state -- a distraction because of what folks were trying to say and write about her, and it interfered with her ability to lead.

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Sarah Palin released the second leg of her "Going Rogue" book tour yesterday, including a stop in Fort Hood.

"I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in every stop on the tour, but I'm especially looking forward to meeting our brave men and women in uniform at Fort Hood," Palin said on her Facebook page. "I'm joining the efforts of many others by donating my royalties from the book sales during our stop at Fort Hood to the families of the victims whose lives have been forever changed by the tragic events of November 5th. I am humbled to be able to join the larger effort called 'Community Response to 11/5,' which was established by the Central Texas-Fort Hood Chapter of the Association of the US Army (AUSA)."

Yesterday, Palin said, "I think that there were massive warning flags that were missed all over the place and I think that it was quite unfortunate that, to me, it was a fear of being politically incorrect to not -- I am going to use the word -- profile this guy -- profile in the sense of finding out what his radical beliefs were. … Now, because I used the word 'profile' I am going to get clobbered tomorrow morning. The liberals, their heads are just going to be spinning. They're going to say 'she is radical, she is extreme.' "

Palin did not specify what she meant by "profile," widely and generally believed to be a reference to focusing on groups of people by race, religion or otherwise. There certainly was seemingly enough evidence that Army Major Nadal Hasan was not a competent psychiatrist without "profiling" him. But, NPR reported, that Hasan's religion may have been a factor in him being passed – despite his poor marks. And the FBI has said it was aware of Hasan's communications with a radical Imam prior to the shooting, but deemed them not necessarily evidence of so-called radical views.

Hardly "liberals," Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen gave differing views than Palin on profiling.

"[I]n a nation as diverse as the United States the last thing we need to do is start pointing fingers at each other, particularly when there's no basis in fact for it," Gates said, summarizing the Bush administration's stance on the subject.

Mullen: "My message to all those in uniform, including Muslims in uniform, is how much we appreciate their service, the difference that they make; that the -- I have for my entire career -- the diversity of our force is one of its greatest strengths. And that not unlike what the secretary said, that no one should draw any rapid conclusions. And we need to ensure that we treat everybody fairly -- I mean, before this incident and after this incident, everybody fairly. And there are procedures that exist in all the services to -- to look our people and our programs and evaluate ourselves routinely. And I am sure that leaders are doing that."

The United States has a long and, at points, embarrassing history of profiling -- notably with the sequestering of Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II and more recently with police profiling black drivers.

Fuller Gates/Mullen remarks, as well as the rest of Palin's schedule after the jump:

QUESTION: Sir, what is your advice to, say, an Army family right now going in and out of Fort Hood or another base that is now perhaps looking at their neighbors with suspicion? What are you telling them? What should they be watching?

GATES: Well, I think that -- you know, I remember being on the outside of the government after 9/11 and the cautions that President Bush and others in the government exercised against identifying certain categories of people as -- as potentially suspicious.

And -- and the thrust of their remarks was that in a nation as diverse as the United States the last thing we need to do is start pointing fingers at each other, particularly when there's no basis in fact for it.

So until all the evidence is in, I think that the comments about how we treat each other still ought to apply. And I know this is an issue that's of concern to the services.

MULLEN: I would add to that that it doesn't take this kind of direction to have leaders recognize the challenges that are associated with this. Every base, every unit literally -- leaders have, I think, immediately grabbed this to look within, to, kind of, see where they are, and to look at what -- whether there's potential or not, and to reassure members and families that -- that not only do we take it extremely seriously, we are looking at it, and to really come together in what is -- you know, what was certainly a tragic, tragic incident and a reminder of the times in which we live, and that leaders are, in fact, taking action, literally before this guidance to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

QUESTION: (inaudible) message to the Muslim community in uniform, because they are very -- they're caught by this incident?

MULLEN: My message to all those in uniform, including Muslims in uniform, is how much we appreciate their service, the difference that they make; that the -- I have for my entire career -- the diversity of our force is one of its greatest strengths. And that not unlike what the secretary said, that no one should draw any rapid conclusions. And we need to ensure that we treat everybody fairly -- I mean, before this incident and after this incident, everybody fairly.

And there are procedures that exist in all the services to -- to look our people and our programs and evaluate ourselves routinely. And I am sure that leaders are doing that.

Palin's schedule:

Nov. 30
RICHLAND, WA
TBD

Dec.1
PHOENIX. AZ
Costco
1445 West Elliot
Tempe, AZ 85284
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

ROSWELL, NM
Hastings Books
1705 N. Main Street
Roswell, NM 88201
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Dec. 2
SPRINGFIELD, MO
Border's Books & Music
3300 S. Glenstone Avenue
Springfield, MO 65804
10:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Dec. 3
FAYETTEVILLE, AR
Sam's Club
3081 North Highway 112
Fayetteville, AR 72704
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
Hastings Books
2300 West Main Street
Norman, OK 73069
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Dec. 4
DALLAS, TX
Legacy Books
7300 Dallas Parkway
Plano, TX 75024
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

FORT HOOD, TX
AAFES
Main Exchange, Building 50004
Clear Creek Road
Fort Hood, TX 76544
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Dec. 5
FAIRFAX, VA
BJ's
13053 Fair Lakes Shopping Center
Fairfax, VA 22033
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Dec. 6
SIOUX CITY, IA
Barnes & Noble
4400 Sergeant Road
Sioux City, IA 51106
12:00 PM - 3:00 PM

SIOUX FALLS, SD
Barnes & Noble
3700 West 41st Street
Sioux Falls, SD 57106
6:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Dec. 7
MINNEAPOLIS, MN
Barnes & Noble
Mall of America
118 East Broadway
Bloomington, MN 55425
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Dec. 8
BILLINGS, MT
Borders Books & Music
2833 King Avenue West
Billings, MT 59102
12:00 PM - 3:00 PM

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
Borders Books & Music
1710 Briargate Boulevard
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Dec. 9
SALT LAKE CITY, UT
Costco
1818 South 300 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
12:00 PM - 3:00 PM

RENO, NV
Costco
2200 Harvard Way
Reno, NV 89502
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Dec. 10
COEUR D'ALENE, ID
Fred Meyer
560 West Kathleen
Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815
12:00 PM - 3:00 PM

SANDPOINT, ID
TBD

Dec. 11
HOME TO ALASKA!

From NBC's Mark Murray
John McCain today picked up the phone and called Reuters to defend Steve Schmidt and Nicolle Wallace -- who worked for him in the last year's presidential campaign -- from the charges that Sarah Palin has made about them in her book.

"There's been a lot of dust flying around in the last few days and I just wanted to mention that I have the highest regard for Steve Schmidt and Nicolle Wallace and the rest of the team ... and I appreciated all the hard work and everything they did to help the campaign," he said.

"I think it's just time to move on," he said.

[snip]

"Campaigns are high-pressure situations. The only more high-pressure situation that I've been in is combat and prison," said McCain, a Navy flyer shot down during the Vietnam War and held prisoner for 5 1/2 years.

"But you know, I'm proud of Nicolle and Steve and (senior campaign official) Rick Smith [sic] and (senior adviser) Mark Salter and I'll always have great affection for them," he said.

McCain, who has largely kept silent in the high-profile run-up to Palin's book release and tour, said he remained proud of Palin, whom he plucked from obscurity as governor of Alaska last year to join him in his campaign.

"I'm still really proud of her and the campaign she ran and I think it's pretty obvious that she has a substantial base and interest out there," McCain said.

*** UPDATE *** Reuters has since corrected its version -- with Rick Davis, not Rick Smith.

From NBC's Mark Whitaker
Sarah Palin hardly needs defending. She prides herself on being a supportive hockey mom, but she can lace on skates and deliver hard checks into the glass with the best of them. Still, while watching and listening to a lot of the media discussion of the rollout of her book, I can't help noting that some of the coverage is more than a little selective, and hypocritical.

Still, the widespread suggestion in some of the media commentary that she simply isn't qualified enough to be considered a viable presidential candidate is ridiculous.

NBC's Mark Murray on Palin's rough year. and Palin timeline here.

For male politicians, it's always been a rule of thumb in politics and the media that once you were on a presidential ticket, you were automatically elevated onto the short list of contenders for future races. If George H.W. Bush had lost in 1988, does anyone think Dan Quayle would not have been talked about as a potential candidate for 1992, even with all the political flaws he revealed in that race? Would the media have taken John Edwards as seriously in 2008 if he hadn't been John Kerry's running mate in 2004?

Call it sexism or what you will, but why should the media only compare ambitious women to impressive men, when so many ambitious but underwhelming men get so far in this world? Is she qualified to be President? If she decides to run, that's a judgment for voters to make, not us in the media.

For the full story, click here.

Mark Whitaker is NBC News' Washington Bureau Chief. 

From NBC's Andrea Mitchell
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- More than 1,500 people camped out overnight outside the Woodland Mall here for the chance to return later and get a book signed by Sarah Palin -- the first stop on her book tour.

People had driven for hours to get in line for an orange wristband and instructions to return and line up later. Palin is expected to be signing books from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Mall operators say she'd have to sign one book every 15 seconds to get through everyone with a wristband so far.

Those lined up here in battleground Michigan are hard-core Palin fans. Many are women who say they relate to Palin because "she's an ordinary person."

Another told me that she's "inspired by a woman who started from nothing."

"She means what she says, says what she means."

People were wrapped up in blankets, a few had strollers, and some elderly people had walkers. Some dads had secured a place in line and were later joined by the rest of the family. Many people said they'd made it a holiday, taking a motel room nearby. Two students, both young women, came from Michigan State. One said she viewed Palin as a celebrity better qualified to host a talk show than to be president. But most of the others in line were unqualified political supporters, who said they wanted to see Palin in the White House.

Many were sporting 2008 buttons and stickers from the McCain-Palin campaign.

From Michigan, Palin goes to Indiana tomorrow for another signing.

Oprah Winfrey's much-anticipated interview with Sarah Palin aired yesterday, featuring the former vice presidential candidate's musings on politics, pregnancies, and porn. Speaking about her handlers on the campaign trail with John McCain, Palin said, "If I were to respond to a reporter's questions very candidly, honestly -- for instance, they say, 'What do you think about the campaign pulling out of Michigan?' And I think, 'Darn, I wish we weren't. Every vote matters. Can't wait to get back to Michigan,' and then told afterwards that, 'Oh, you screwed up. You went rogue on us, Sarah.'"
 
On resigning from her governorship in July: "It was a point where my state, the state that I so dearly love -- it is my home, it is where I will be buried. My state of Alaska was being hampered by my presence there, being shackled behind a governor's desk. I wasn't able to get out there and talk about issues that were important to me, or an ethics violation would be filed."
 
On her daughter Bristol's pregnancy: "If we had been given that allowance to deal with the issue in a more productive way, we perhaps could have sent a better message about "this is not to be glamorized." It's not to be emulated. It is a tough, tough challenge, and it is a problem in America, so let's try to deal with it." Palin also touched on her own struggles when pregnant with Trig, to the point when abortion crossed her mind. "It was easy to understand why a woman would feel that it's easier to just do away with some less-than-ideal circumstances, to do away with the problem," she said.
 
And although Levi is invited to Thanksgiving dinner, Palin said she might have to call him a different name: "I hear he goes by the name Ricky Hollywood now. So if that's the case, we don't want to mess up his gig he's got going. Kind of this aspiring--aspiring porn, some of the things that he's doing. It's kind of heartbreaking."

By the way, John McCain himself says the $50,000 bill Palin was so appalled the campaign wouldn't pay was for the "Troopergate" scandal and NOT for vetting her. 
 
Conservative Rich Lowry: "Harry Truman gave them hell. Sarah Palin gives them agita… It's September 2008 all over again. All the same players are lining up to put a good hate on Palin. She's like an isotope designed to course throughout our politics and culture, lighting up press bias, self-congratulatory liberalism, Christianity-hating secularism and intellectual condescension wherever they are found."
 
But the Boston Globe's editorial page doesn't hold back: Palin "claims victim status for herself. Her narrative requires that she be a neophyte in perpetual war with the political pros. Kicked around by the vicious media (for her family!), straitjacketed by the McCain campaign, forced to wear fancy duds, Palin is the Pitiful Pearl of her tale. This would all be fascinating if it were reality TV, not reality politics. 'Going Rogue' has the audacity to disguise its attempt to launder Palin's image as an exercise in truth-telling. People who are disgusted with Washington, who yearn for an authentic outsider, should take their business elsewhere."