Real Palin begins tweeting, so does fake Young

ANCHORAGE - Two of Alaska's most recognizable politicians - Gov. Sarah Palin and U.S. Rep. Don Young - are newcomers to Twitter, but in Young's case, it's not a happy introduction to the social networking site.

An impostor had been posing as the veteran Republican congressman this week, while the real Palin is doing the tweeting on her page.

The messages on the Young impostor's site ranged from silly to preposterous and the congressman's aides said they were working with Twitter to take down the page. The site was removed Thursday afternoon.

"Can anything top a peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich?" one posting asked. Another stated, "Just received a memo from the White House: either I sign a loyalty oath to Obama, or 'my life will be difficult.' Insane. (I won't!)"

Young was frustrated and upset when he heard about the site, spokeswoman Meredith Kenny said Thursday. Young's office received calls from reporters and others wondering if the poster was really the congressman, known for making occasional colorful statements.

"We just want to nip this in the bud and make sure people know it's not him," Kenny said before the page was removed. "Identity theft is a concern. This isn't him."

Palin's Twitter feed was launched Wednesday and had more than 10,000 followers a day later. Among the followers are Republican Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Rick Perry of Texas and Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Palin's Twitter bio proclaims, "Creating New Energy for Alaskans as governor of the 49th state!" Among messages posted Thursday, Palin said Alaska still had not reported cases of swine flu. She urged residents to be vigilant against the disease by washing their hands and watching for flu-like symptoms.

Palin decided to become a tweeter herself "for the same reason many other politicians are: to get out timely, unfiltered messages," said spokeswoman Sharon Leighow. Palin is providing the content herself, according to Leighow.

Asked if Twitter could be viewed as a tool to reach potential voters, Leighow said "Undoubtedly, someone will view it that way. But this is just another form of communication, and communication is part of the governor's job."