Hundreds line up for Palin's autograph on 'Going Rogue'

The crowd packed more than 700 deep at the Chapel Hills Mall as locals packing a copy of the $30 book penned by former vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin waited for a brush with fame.

People who waited all day for their moment with Palin at a Borders book-signing said the mix of celebrity looks and hardline GOP politics makes the former Alaska governor worth it.

“We love her, and she’s one of us,” said Fela Hopkinson of Colorado Springs whose quest for Palin’s signature started before dawn.

Palin was popular in the Republican stronghold of Colorado Springs during the 2008 campaign. The Republican ticket of Arizona Sen. John McCain and Palin drew 160,000 votes in El Paso County, easily topping the 109,000 for Obama.

Many in the throng spent the day in lines talking conservative politics, praising Palin and lamenting the fact that President Barack Obama won the White House.

“It’s fun visiting with like-minded people,” said Kent Pound, of Colorado Springs.

Mall cops worked overtime to control the crowd, ordering them into the store by color-coded groups. An enterprising vendor circulated selling refreshments.

Palin was tucked away upstairs at the store with her husband, Todd, and several relatives. Photographers were allowed to document her visit, but reporters were kept a floor away, eliminating even shouted questions.

In deference to the frigid weather and the large crowd, Palin started inking her name on books before 6 p.m., more than an hour earlier than planned.

Palin has taken her book tour nationwide, and the publicity has brought strong sales. A spokeswoman for publisher Harper Collins in New York said a million copies were snapped up within two weeks of the autobiographical tome’s release.

Fort Carson Spc. Ryan McLaughlin said he became intrigued by Palin while he was serving in Iraq during the 2008 campaign.

“She seems different from most politicians,” he said. “Kind of like hometown, folksy. You can relate to her.”
After they got their books signed, veterans of meeting Palin seemed in Awe.

“She’s so sweet,” said Jane Sheehan, of Colorado Springs.

“She thanked me for being a veteran,” said John Davis, who was sporting a hat attesting to service in Vietnam.
Davis also was given a “vets for Palin” button, a sign that her political ambitions likely haven’t faded. The veteran wants to see her on the 2012 presidential ballot.

“Last time, I voted for her and not McCain,” Davis said.

Robert Delany, of Denver, who left home at 5 a.m. to line up for a chance to get his book signed by Palin, said he won’t even read it.

“I got the audio book,” he said. “I’m not a reader.”

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