Sarah Palin

This is from an article written today by, CNS News senior editor, Susan Jones.

Who is She?

Palin was born Feb. 11, 1964, in Idaho, but her parents moved to Alaska shortly after her birth to teach. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987.

The Palins have five children: Track, 19; Bristol 17; Willow 14; Piper, 7, and Trig, who was born in April with Down syndrome. Track enlisted in the Army in 2007 on the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and has been assigned to Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks.

In just two years, Palin has moved from suburban hockey mom and small-town mayor to governor and vice presidential contender, the Associated Press reported.

She is the first woman to appear on a Republican presidential ticket. She is Alaska’s first female governor, and she ran on an anti-corruption, ethics platform.

During her first year in office, Palin distanced herself from the powerful old guard of the state Republican Party, even calling on Sen. Ted Stevens to explain to Alaskans why federal authorities were investigating him, the Associated Press reported.

However, the Alaska Legislature last month voted to hire an independent investigator to look into allegations that Palin abused her office by trying to get her former brother-in-law fired from his job as an Alaska state trooper.

Palin has said she welcomes the investigation: "Hold me accountable," she said. She denies allegations that she pulled strings in an attempt to get her sister's ex-husband fired.

She also successfully took on the oil industry, leading to a tax increase on oil company profits that have swelled the state's treasury.

Bumper stickers and blogs have proclaimed Alaska and Palin: "Coldest State, Hottest Governor." Last year, the former beauty queen posed for a photo shoot in Vogue, the Associated Press reported.

She lives in Wasilla, a town of 6,500 about 30 miles north of Anchorage, with her husband, Todd, a North Slope oil worker who competes in the Iron Dog, a 1,900-mile snowmobile race. He is part Yup'ik Eskimo.

Her previous political experience consisted of terms as Wasilla's mayor and councilwoman and a stint as head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

She is solidly pro-life, reports say, and is expected to have strong appeal to social conservatives.