Most reporters were not expecting anything particularly explosive; instead, they were looking to gain a better sense of how Palin interacted with her colleagues and the public.
That's apparently all they got.
The New York Times reported that Palin's governing style was not necessarily an either-or proposition. "Sometimes she seemed to be everything all at once," they wrote.
Palin was dealing with the sometimes mundane day-to-day work of being Alaska's chief executive one day, and with little to no warning, rocketed to the national stage as John McCain's pick for vice presidential candidate.
The vetting process appears to have taken just a few scant days, the Times wrote.
The Washington Post meanwhile focused on Palin's hostility towards big oil, how she pushed for higher taxes on the industry and was at times dismissive towards executives.
Emails show she cancelled a meeting with Exxon leaders, to instead read to kindergarteners.
"What a great choice," wrote a supporter.
It all caused a brief stir on the national scene. Back home – few Alaskans seemed to take notice.
“I just think it's kind of silly. Her time is over as governor and it's time to move on. But of course I’m a Palin supporter,” said Linda Hill, while she fed the ducks at Cuddy Park in Anchorage with her grandchildren.
“I saw the headlines on the news, but I didn't even bother to read them. I have too many other things going on -- too much fun going on in the summer time to read those,” said Tonia Burrough, an Anchorage resident.
It's possible there's something else in the emails that would've gotten more attention, but thousands of pages were redacted. Significant portions of some messages were blocked out, out of privacy and legal concern, leaving many to wonder what it was the state did not want the public to see.
