Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Wednesday denied rumors that she is a “diva” who made unreasonable demands on the McCain campaign during her time as a vice presidential candidate.

But her claim may not stand up to scrutiny if reports that her shopping spree with campaign money was even worse than the reported $150,000, as is being reported by Newsweek.

Mrs. Palin, speaking to TV reporters in Phoenix, said the many rumors of tension between her and Republican nominee John McCain and members of his staff were “absolutely false.”

“Certainly there is absolutely no diva in me. In fact we laugh about that criticism,” Mrs. Palin said. “If only people could come on out and travel, travel with us and see this diva lifestyle that I supposedly live or would demand, because it’s just false.”

“But again, not going to participate in any of the negativity. Some people may choose to go there, but it would be based on false allegations if that was a criticism, that ever there were demands on my part or my family, or my supporters’ parts, that were unreasonable or that would hurt the campaign.”

But Newsweek is reporting in their special report on the election – prepared in advance on the condition that none of it will appear until after results are in – that “Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported.”

“While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy,” Newsweek will report in the issue that hits newsstands Thursday, according to Politico’s Mike Allen.

“One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family — clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards.”

Newsweek will also report that Mr. McCain “rarely spoke to Palin during the campaign.”

I wrote about Mrs. Palin’s prospects for keeping a national profile in today’s paper.

Senior McCain campaign officials were quoted anonymously in the days before the election saying she was a “diva” who was “going rogue” in an attempt to promote herself at the campaign’s interests. One campaign official was even quoted calling her a “wack job.”

Mrs. Palin said that she was going back to Alaska Wednesday evening and “anxious to get back into a more normal routine with the kids and school, and with the Anchorage office and the Juneau governor’s office also, ready to receive more attention there.”

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