Recent Events Prove Sarah Palin Isnt Quite Done Yet

Sarah Palin is still making headlines, nearly two months after ABC News reported she would not run for president. The group known as Conservatives4Palin.com bought an ad in Iowa valued at $6,500 urging her to reconsider her decision. The move comes a month away from the Iowa caucuses of Jan. 3.

Here is what has been happening in the Palin family over the past week.

Stalking Case

Politico reported Nov. 25 that Craig Christy, 48, and his son Shawn Christy, 20, were changing their pleas from not guilty to guilty in a deal made with prosecutors over a harassment case. The men are from Pennsylvania and are attempting to avoid jail time and a hefty $250,000 fine. They are accused of making threatening phone calls to members of Palin's family and to her lawyers.

Instead of agreeing to the plea deal, the Associated Press reported Monday that U.S. District Judge Timothy Burgess in Anchorage, Alaska, delayed acting on the agreement. The next hearing for the case is scheduled for Dec. 14. Had the judge agreed to the plea bargain, the Christys would have been given five years probation instead of jail and a fine.

Hacker Sentence Resolved

The Associated Press reports convicted hacker David Kernell was released from prison Nov. 23 after spending 10 months in jail. The resident of Tennessee ! was conv icted on one felony count after he hacked into Palin's email and discovered personal information as she was a vice presidential candidate.

Kernell is the son of a state legislator in the Volunteer State. Members of Palin's family had to be flown to Tennessee to testify in the 2010 trial that saw only one of four counts lead to a conviction. The media scrutinized the case's expenses to federal government when it was discovered Palin's husband, Todd, was paid for a trip to Tennessee in which he didn't testify in court.

New Ad

Conservatives4Palin.com confirms an advertisement will run in Sioux City, Iowa, today on KCAU-TV. The one-minute spot features sound bites of Palin and shows her to be a populist choice for president in 2012. Her voiceovers repeat the message that President Barack Obama must be replaced. The spot is expected to reach as many as 71,000 adults in the television station's market and will run several times throughout the day.

Media outlets such as Human Events have pointed out that filing deadlines in many states have passed and it is far too late for Palin to! run as a Republican or even file as a third-party candidate. Palin expressed no desire to run as a long shot third party choice for president. John Hayward's article suggests the ad is a message to voters to find someone with Palin's ideals when considering political candidates Jan. 3 for the Iowa caucuses.

William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.