Taylor Griffin, a McCain campaign spokesman in Anchorage, insisted that Palin "has a policy that she does not meet with lobbyists. As governor, she has hundreds of meetings and, as she concedes, occasionally a lobbyist slips through."
But the policy "was never clearly articulated," a former senior aide said. "It didn't get applied consistently."
Though some veteran lobbyists have complained about being effectively barred from Palin's office, Reed and several others said Palin's aides were aware before the meetings that lobbyists would be coming.
"My personal experience is they've always welcomed discussions," Reed said.
In several cases, registered lobbyists met with Palin and returned for second sessions.
Robert A. Evans, a veteran lobbyist in Anchorage, and several Safeway supermarket executives met with Palin on April 17, 2007. Eight days later, Evans returned to her office with a team of executives from Agrium, an ammonia and fertilizer operation.
Lisa Parker, an Agrium executive who also is a registered lobbyist, was among them. Evans confirmed the meetings but otherwise declined to comment.
The Times obtained Palin's calendar under a Freedom of Information Act request. The governor's office turned down a similar request for calendars and schedules pertaining to her husband, Todd Palin, who reportedly has played a prominent role in her decision-making.
Gov. Palin's office said her husband does not keep a calendar.
In addition to meetings with big business and lobbyists, Palin's calendar indicates that she filled her daily schedules with dozens of media interviews.
That access seems a far cry from her recent complaints that the national media has "filtered" her message as a vice presidential candidate.
According to aides, Palin wooed reporters in Juneau with plates of brownies and telephone calls on their birthdays.
Courting the Alaska press proved to be a key component of her soaring popularity in the state -- long before she struggled during interviews with national television anchors Katie Couric and Charles Gibson.
"She craved publicity and the poll ratings that came with it," said Larry Persily, a former Alaska journalist who worked for Palin in Alaska's state office in Washington until earlier this year.
The calendar also details Palin's frequent stays at her home in Wasilla, Alaska -- which became a source of controversy when it was learned that she collected per diem allowances while away from the governor's mansion in Juneau.
