Claim: Sarah Palin's years as Mayor and Governor show she has the experience to be Vice President Truth: Palin's record shows that she abuses power, mistrusts science, and is overly secretive

As full attention is now being paid to Sarah Palin's record as Mayor of Wasilla and later as Governor of Alaska, the picture that is beginning to form is that of an aggressively ambitious person who hires and fires people based more on loyalty than competence, who rewards campaign contributors with jobs or insider information, and who goes to great lengths to hide all of her office's internal communications from the public. Like George Bush and Dick Cheney, she ignores the findings of science when it does not fit with her worldview, and ignores the advice of subordinates when the don't agree with her wishes.

Throughout her political career, she has pursued vendettas, fired officials who crossed her and sometimes blurred the line between government and personal grievance, according to a review of public records and interviews with 60 Republican and Democratic legislators and local officials.

Palin ignores the findings of her state's own scientists, lies about it, and then tries to hide the evidence.

Rick Steiner, a University of Alaska professor, sought the e-mail messages of state scientists who had examined the effect of global warming on polar bears. (Ms. Palin said the scientists had found no ill effects, and she has sued the federal government to block the listing of the bears as endangered.) An administration official told Mr. Steiner that his request would cost $468,784 to process.
When Mr. Steiner finally obtained the e-mail messages — through a federal records request — he discovered that state scientists had in fact agreed that the bears were in danger, records show.
“Their secrecy is off the charts,” Mr. Steiner said.

Much has been made of Palin's interest in the possibility of banning books from the Wasilla library when she was Mayor. Though it is true that Palin never made an official request to remove any books--because the city's residents rose up in opposition when she tried to fire the librarian who said she would not do so--there is no question that she felt some books should be removed, even though she hadn't even read them.

But in 1995, Ms. Palin, then a city councilwoman, told colleagues that she had noticed the book “Daddy’s Roommate” on the shelves and that it did not belong there, according to Ms. Chase and Mr. Stein. Ms. Chase read the book, which helps children understand homosexuality, and said it was inoffensive; she suggested that Ms. Palin read it.
“Sarah said she didn’t need to read that stuff,” Ms. Chase said. “It was disturbing that someone would be willing to remove a book from the library and she didn’t even read it.”

Claim: Sarah Palin turns down federal money and is fiscally responsible
Truth: Under Palin, Alaska receives more federal dollars per resident than any other state
Truth: Alaska gives its residents $3,200 from oil revenues while still accepting federal funds
Truth: Palin even charges the state for meals she eats at her own house!