Until August 28, 2008, few people outside of Alaska had ever heard of Sarah Palin. After entertaining millions of people who saw her speech at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis Sept. 2, 2008, "Sarah Palin" has become a household name and the neocontrolled, warmongering, old man’s club suddenly has a pretty face. But the face is the only thing that’s pretty about Palin. To begin with, the speech that won Republicans’ hearts Sept. 2 was written by Matthew Scully—President Bush’s former speech writer.

As the days go by, more and more is being discovered about "Caribou Barbie." This woman has so little political experience and so many readily-discoverable skeletons that one must wonder why the Republican National Committee picked her as McCain’s running mate.

1. She has demonstrated severe fiscal irresponsibility as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska and as governor of the state. Wasilla was solvent when Palin took office and $22 million in debt when she left after raising government expenditures and taxes by 33 and 38 percent respectively. She borrowed to build roads, borrowed to build a sports center and borrowed to build a park. She reportedly had her mayor’s office redecorated more than once. While governor for the last 19 months, Alaska has been awash with surplus funds due to oil prices increasing from $30 a barrel to $140 a barrel. However, under Palin, the state is continuing to borrow/bond for infrastructure building and maintenance. Her apparently banker-influenced philosophy is to borrow for needs and spend surpluses on pet projects.

2. Those who know her say that "Sarah Barracuda" is a ruthless, vindictive politician with a habit of hiring her friends or pandering to their special interests while firing and otherwise punishing those who defy her. Others have reported that she is a racist and an elitist; her husband works for British Petroleum.

3. Perhaps most alarming is Palin’s association with the Wasilla Assembly of God church, into which she was baptized at age 12, attended until 2002 and has ties as current as August, 2008. The church is an extreme fringe of the American charismatic/Pentacostal/Dominionist/evangelical movement also known as the "Third Wave Movement," the "New Apostolic Reformation" or Joel’s Army. In essence, the religious doctrine in which the 44-year-old Palin has been immersed since age 10 believes that Christians must actively engage in politics as "soldiers in God’s army" who are willing to kill in the name of Jesus (the documentary "Jesus Camp" explores this cultish mindset).

(For a more complete look into Palin, go to www.engdahloilgeopolitics.com or send an SASE to The IO and a buck or two with a request for Engdahl’s article and background info on "Joel’s army).