Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin: a true-false guide

US Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ) looks on as his vice presidential running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R) gestures to the crowd at a campaign event in Dayton, Ohio August 29, 2008. REUTERS/John Gress (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA) less US Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ) looks on as his vice presidential running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R) gestures to the crowd at a campaign event in Dayton, Ohio August ... more Photo: John Gress, Reuters Photo: John Gress, Reuters Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin: a true-false guide 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The blogosphere is buzzing with rumors about the Republican vice presidential nominee - some true, some half-true and some false. Here's a sampling:

She called the Iraq war "a task from God." TRUE

Palin told congregants at her evangelical church in Wasilla in June that the Iraq war is "a task that is from God" and part of "God's plan." She also urged congregants to pray for a $30 billion natural gas pipeline project she wants to build.

She's a member of the Alaskan Independence Party. FALSE

Members of the Alaskan Independence Party - which wants Alaskans to vote on seceding from the union - say she was a member briefly in the mid-1990s. The McCain camp produced records showing she's been a registered Republican since 1982. But she did offer a brief video greeting at this year's AIP convention. Her husband, Todd, was an AIP member between 1995 and 2002.

She wants creationism taught in public schools. TRUE

She's in favor of teaching both creationism and evolution in the public schools. "Teach both," she said in a 2006 gubernatorial debate. "Don't be afraid of information." McCain believes the issue should be decided by individual school districts.

She opposes abortion in all cases. FALSE

Palin makes one exception - if the life of the mother is threatened. But she opposes abortion in cases of rape. Asked at the 2006 debate what she'd do if her daughter were raped and became pregnant, she said, "I would choose life." McCain supports a rape exception.

She doesn't believe global warming is man-made. TRUE

Palin said in an interview with NewsMax magazine published last week, "I'm not one, though, who would attribute it to being man-made." Her view is at odds with McCain, who has championed legislation to address climate change.

She's challenged members of her own party. HALF TRUE

She ousted the Republican state party chairman from a key commission, challenged GOP Gov. Frank Murkowski and won, and recently endorsed a rival to Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska. But from 2003-2005, she served as a director of an independent expenditure committee that raised money for Alaska GOP Sen. Ted Stevens, who is currently facing corruption charges. Stevens endorsed her and appeared in a TV ad for her during her 2006 race for governor.

She didn't give birth to her fifth child, son Trig. FALSE

This false rumor, circulated on liberal blogs, was debunked, but forced the McCain campaign to acknowledge that Palin's 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is five-months' pregnant with a child conceived with her 18-year-old boyfriend, Levi Johnston. Sarah Palin delivered Trig, who has Down syndrome, in April.

She is being investigated for dismissing the state police commissioner. TRUE

Her firing of the state public safety commissioner who refused to dismiss a state trooper involved in a nasty divorce from Palin's sister is under investigation by the Alaska Legislature. Palin has admitted that a member of her staff phoned the trooper's lieutenant in an effort that could have been perceived as pressure, and that her husband and other officials also had contacted the commissioner about the trooper. She has insisted, however, that she did not authorize the phone call and was not aware of it.

Palin's pick to replace the police commissioner resigned two weeks later over sexual harassment allegations. TRUE

Palin appointed a replacement on July 11, the same day she fired the veteran commissioner. According to the Anchorage Daily News, the appointee came under scrutiny from the governor after he acknowledged at a press conference a 2005 sexual harassment complaint while he was chief of Kenai police resulted in a letter of reprimand from the city. The governor learned of the reprimand from that news conference. Before then, she had thought the complaint was unsubstantiated, the paper reported.

She opposes earmarks. FALSE

She opposed one earmark - the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" - after initially supporting it. But her administration in February sent Stevens a 70-page memo asking for $200 million in earmarks. And, as mayor of Wasilla, she hired a lobbying firm and got $27 million in earmarks for a town of 6,500 residents.

Source: Chronicle research