Sarah Palin emails: Obama gave a 'great speech' on energy

By Kim Geiger

June 10, 2011 12 AM PT

In August 2008, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama “gave a great speech” on energy, Sarah Palin wrote to staffers just weeks before John McCain tapped her to be his running mate.

In the speech, Obama reversed his position against tapping the national stockpile of crude oil and said he would support doing so to cut gasoline prices.

“We need to take advantage of this a [sic] write a statement saying he’s right on,” she wrote. “(Glad he’s flipfloppin on [Outer Continental Shelf] too. Joe – could you help crank this quick statement out as our ‘reaction’ to some of Obama’s good points this morning?”

RELATED: Read the Palin emails

Staffer Joe Balash responded, saying he had been “monitoring the ‘net to see what he says today.”

“He did say ‘yay’ to our gasline,” Palin said. “Pretty cool. Wrong candidate.”

Palin and Balash then exchanged a series of emails crafting a response to Obama’s speech. The content of those emails was redacted as “privileged or personal material.”

“He gave a great speech this morn in Michigan -- mentioned Alaska,” Palin wrote. “Stole out [sic] Energy Rebate $1000 check idea, stole our TC-Alaska gasline talking points, etc.”

“So…we need to take advantage of this a [sic] write a statement saying he’s right on,” she wrote.