St. Paul’s (Minnesota), Sept. 3 : Alaska''s Republican governor Sarah Palin may just be a heartbeat away from the highest office in America, but it has emerged that she once supported a party that wanted Alaska, to break away from the rest of the United States.

This is the latest in an embarrassing series of disclosures that have cast doubt on John McCain’s judgment in selecting Palin as his running mate in November''s presidential election.

McCain''s selection of Palin was hailed as a smart move when he announced it last Friday, but each day since, has brought fresh controversies, suggesting that the selection was impulsive and not thoroughly vetted.

The revelation that Palin was a member of the secessionist Alaskan Independence party motto - "Alaska First" - sits awkwardly with McCain''s campaign slogan, "Country First" and will be controversial in a country whose oath of allegiance includes the phrase "one nation, indivisible".

The AIP believes that the 1958 vote, which led to the state joining the Union, was corrupt and wants a re-run, with the aim of eventual independence.

Party officials said yesterday that Palin had attended at least one convention before leaving in 1996 to join the Republicans. The McCain camp yesterday insisted she had been a registered Republican since 1982.

But a video of Palin''s address this year to the independence party''s convention while Alaska''s Republican governor also surfaced yesterday on YouTube. A smiling and gracious Palin wished the delegates a successful meeting, ending with the words "God bless you".

McCain, however, continues to insist that "the vetting of Palin was thorough".

Ten staffers have been dispatched to Alaska to help with the sudden influx of reporters, making queries about Palin.

Palin, 44, is popular with the convention delegates. She has the support of the convention. Christian evangelicals, the gun lobby and anti-abortionists swung behind her.(ANI)