Anne Kilkenny probably didn't expect her email to go viral, but it did. NPR even did a story on her after the letter began its pinging journey around the nation, casting a shadow over Palin's already controversial persona. Many people quickly speculated that Kilkenny isn't real, but was created by the anti-McCain/Palin base to damage their campaign.

NPR went to Wasilla to prove that Kilkenny is real, and she is. She's also really earnest in her criticisms of Palin, and gamely accepting her role as a kind of citizen journalist, hoping to answer the question millions of people in the US and abroad are asking about McCain's surprising choice: Just who is this woman?

Kilkenny's email lays bare Palin's record as mayor of Wasilla, and articulately assesses her character. Naturally, much of her account is subjective, and there are sure to be others from Wasilla who would disagree with Kilkenny on some points. But the numbers she cites are objective, and her candid account of Palin's effect on the community of Wasilla should sound a few alarms on this newcomer to national politics.

[Image Credit: Pfc. Christopher Grammer, 50th Public Affairs Detachment]