Spendthrift Sarah

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/2008/view/2008_10_26_Sarah_Palin_spends__50G_on_remodel_jobs/srvc=home&position=also

Sarah Palin spends $50G on remodel jobs


By Laura Crimaldi
Sunday, October 26, 2008
http://www.bostonherald.com
2008 Campaign

GOP vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin spent more than $51,000 in taxpayer funds to remodel the governor’s Anchorage office suite and spruce up her mansion and office in Juneau, a Herald review of expense records shows.

Palin spent most of the funds, $45,137, in April to build and furnish three offices inside her suite at the Robert B. Atwood Building in Anchorage, records show.

In June 2007, Palin spent $5,380 for labor and materials on a 72-inch wooden display case in her Juneau office. The case houses a football and basketball signed by players from championship high school teams, native artwork, a Klondike Trail mug and other items, said gubernatorial spokesman William D. McAllister.

Another $1,205 was spent in February 2007 on blinds for an arched window and stairwell at the governor’s mansion in Juneau.

The McCain-Palin campaign said it would characterize the remodeling expenses as “routine.”

“Gov. Palin has a long record of cutting wasteful spending, using her veto pen to eliminate nearly a half-billion dollars from the budget,” said Jeff Grappone, New England communications director. “She sold the state’s luxury jet, scrapped the governor’s personal chef and got rid of the personal driver.”  ( She kept the chef and the personal driver.  She vetoed such things as funds that help unwed mothers to independence. -ed.)

On the campaign trail, Palin has touted that record.

“I came to office promising to control spending by request if possible and by veto if necessary,” she said in her convention address.

The money spent for remodeling has not been previously publicized. Alaska government watchdogs said it did not change their opinion of the governor, who is well-regarded in a state infamous for its profligate pols.

“The lady’s literally done a good job up here,” said Donna Gilbert, president of the Interior Taxpayers’ Association in Fairbanks, who noted a mayor in Fairbanks once spent $50,000 on a bathroom.

However, state Sen. President Lyda Green - a Republican who has clashed with Palin over policy - said the cost to remodel the Anchorage offices was “extravagant.”

“As far as I am concerned, that’s excessive to spend that much on four cubby holes,” Green said.

The work on the Anchorage site created new offices for Kelly Goode, Palin’s legislative director, and Roseanne Hughes, director of external communications, McAllister said. The third office is reserved for “traveling staff,” who divide their time between Anchorage and Juneau, which are located 571 miles apart, McAllister said.

A Palin staffer said the Juneau mansion’s new blinds were installed to provide privacy.

“The residence manager determined that the blinds were necessary to prevent observation from the street of the family members,” administrative director Linda J. Perez said in an e-mail.

Mike McBride, past president of the Alaska Voters Organization, did not take issue with the expenses. “It’s not a tremendous amount of money. Things in Alaska cost substantially more than they do in other parts of the country,” McBride said. “It’s not an unreasonable number.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/2008/view.bg?articleid=1127815

McCain campaign says Palin is a diva

http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/8FA457D4F9DE5612652574EE002519B8?OpenDocument

New York, Oct 26 (PTI) With US Presidential elections barely 9 days away, long brewing tensions between key advisers of Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin have escalated so much that they have spilled out in public.


With McCain trailing behind his Democrat opponent Obama in the polls as per the recent surveys, recrimations have started between his key advisers and Palin. The Cable News Network (CNN) here quoted at least one adviser suggesting that Palin has gone 'rogue.' Another McCain source claimed that she appears to be looking out for herself more than the campaign, according to the CNN, playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party.

"She's no longer playing for 2008; she's playing 2012," Democratic pollster Peter Hart said. "And the difficulty is, when she went on 'Saturday Night Live,' (a satirical TV show) she became a reinforcement of her caricature.... And at the end of the day, voters turned against her both in terms of qualifications and personally." Several McCain advisers were quoted by the CNN as saying they are becoming increasingly frustrated, but an associate of Palin told the network that she is simply trying to "bust free" of what she believes was a damaging and mismanaged roll out.

Pointing towards the Alaska Governor's recent spate of disregarding the orders from the advisers, a McCain source cited an instance in which she labelled robocalls -- recorded messages often used to attack a candidate's opponent -- "irritating" even as the campaign defended their use.

Also, they pointed to her telling reporters she disagreed with the campaign's decision to pull out of Michigan.

"She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone," said a McCain adviser. PTI

Anchorage Daily News: Obama for President

http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/567867.html


Obama for president

Palin's rise captivates us but nation needs a steady hand
(10/25/08 19:37:58)

Alaska enters its 50th-anniversary year in the glow of an improbable and highly memorable event: the nomination of Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. For the first time ever, an Alaskan is making a serious bid for national office, and in doing so she brings broad attention and recognition not only to herself, but also to the state she leads.

Alaska's founders were optimistic people, but even the most farsighted might have been stretched to imagine this scenario. No matter the outcome in November, this election will mark a signal moment in the history of the 49th state. Many Alaskans are proud to see their governor, and their state, so prominent on the national stage.

Gov. Palin's nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency -- but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.

Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain.

Since his early acknowledgement that economic policy is not his strong suit, Sen. McCain has stumbled and fumbled badly in dealing with the accelerating crisis as it emerged. He declared that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" at 9 a.m. one day and by 11 a.m. was describing an economy in crisis. He is both a longtime advocate of less market regulation and a supporter of the huge taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailout. His behavior in this crisis -- erratic is a kind description -- shows him to be ill-equipped to lead the essential effort of reining in a runaway financial system and setting an anxious nation on course to economic recovery.

Sen. Obama warned regulators and the nation 19 months ago that the subprime lending crisis was a disaster in the making. Sen. McCain backed tighter rules for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but didn't do much to advance that legislation. Of the two candidates, Sen. Obama better understands the mortgage meltdown's root causes and has the judgment and intelligence to shape a solution, as well as the leadership to rally the country behind it. It is easy to look at Sen. Obama and see a return to the smart, bipartisan economic policies of the last Democratic administration in Washington, which left the country with the momentum of growth and a budget surplus that President George Bush has squandered.
On the most important issue of the day, Sen. Obama is a clear choice.

Sen. McCain describes himself as a maverick, by which he seems to mean that he spent 25 years trying unsuccessfully to persuade his own party to follow his bipartisan, centrist lead. Sadly, maverick John McCain didn't show up for the campaign. Instead we have candidate McCain, who embraces the extreme Republican orthodoxy he once resisted and cynically asks Americans to buy for another four years.

It is Sen. Obama who truly promises fundamental change in Washington. You need look no further than the guilt-by-association lies and sound-bite distortions of the degenerating McCain campaign to see how readily he embraces the divisive, fear-mongering tactics of Karl Rove. And while Sen. McCain points to the fragile success of the troop surge in stabilizing conditions in Iraq, it is also plain that he was fundamentally wrong about the more crucial early decisions. Contrary to his assurances, we were not greeted as liberators; it was not a short, easy war; and Americans -- not Iraqi oil -- have had to pay for it. It was Sen. Obama who more clearly saw the danger ahead.

The unqualified endorsement of Sen. Obama by a seasoned, respected soldier and diplomat like Gen. Colin Powell, a Republican icon, should reassure all Americans that the Democratic candidate will pass muster as commander in chief.

On a matter of parochial interest, Sen. Obama opposes the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but so does Sen. McCain. We think both are wrong, and hope a President Obama can be convinced to support environmentally responsible development of that resource.

Gov. Palin has shown the country why she has been so successful in her young political career. Passionate, charismatic and indefatigable, she draws huge crowds and sows excitement in her wake. She has made it clear she's a force to be reckoned with, and you can be sure politicians and political professionals across the country have taken note. Her future, in Alaska and on the national stage, seems certain to be played out in the limelight.

Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time.

Copyright © Sun Oct 26 12:02:29 PDT 20081900 The Anchorage Daily News (www.adn.com)

Charles Manson-Obama linked at Republican rally

Setting:


Duluth Sportsmen for Coleman political rally

Cast of characters:

Norm Coleman, U.S. Senator from Minnesota

Todd Palin, husband of Sarah Palin, Republican candidate for Vice President

Props:

Hand-lettered sign reading "Charles Manson Was a Community Organizer"

I thought at first that the First Dude was holding this sign.  But it was a member of the audience. 

You say, well it wasn't Todd.  I say I am sorry for making that mistake. 

However, entry to Republican events is TIGHTLY CONTROLLED to a degree that surprises most people.  That sign could not have made it to the front of the rally unless those in power wanted it there. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Of course, John McCain shouldn't be held responsible for the outrageous behavior of his supporters-- hey, wait a minute...

Palin's fans speak

Having been around since the first SNL broadcast. Just like some old rock bands cannot capture the mood of the old days, SNL writers just don't get that more than 50% of their stuff does not cut it. I would have hoped Sarah Palin would not of waist her time on the show. Take all the liberal shows and biased comedy hours and you realize - black and white, cats and dogs, men and women, mars and venous. Likw night and day - polorized !! There is an extreme lack of communication between liberals and us conservatives that I wish could improve. Maybe McCain should have said, when I am president I will have you on my cabinet, just like Hilary said Obama could be her VP. Now that would prove McCain is the better moderate. That would shake it up and probably be what you needed to change the voting polls. Something other than attack attack attack for someone who is such a moderate. What ever happened to revers psychology.

McCain is the little tug that could.
 
****
to rick4484: spoken like a true elitist. Don't choke on your latte. The truth about Obama may just burn your mouth. Obama's true social agenda has its roots in eugenics. Sounds like you're in that mix. If the Republicans win the election it will be the will of the majority of the people. Obama wants a redistribution of wealth. That IS socialism. Most Americans don't want that. What is the failed experiment, democracy or capitalism? My identity as an American does not rest on who is in the White House or what other countries think about us. If, heaven forbid, Obama wins we will all be no less Americans at least initially but we may become a French colony.
 
****
 
Obama's made a fool out of himself more than a few times also, but I'll just link to the YouTube vid in the interest of time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap2Cg_FDRy4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5R6kVry4_c

Frankly, I love liberals who say what Bill Ayers did in the 60s doesn't matter because BO was only eight years old...LOL If Palin had her political coming out party in the home of a radical right winger who had bombed abortion clinics when she was a little girl the liberals at CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC wouldn't shut up about it.

I can't wait till you libs count the votes and see that the Acorn's fraud didn't overcome the Bradley effect and the chosen one and the human gaffe machine have failed. Next time, vote for Hillary Clinton, at least she'd have a real shot.

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE49G6ZE20081019?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=10112&sp=true

****

I think I get the whole Sarah Palin fan base now.  None of them can finish sentences, and neither can Sarah.

Among Rock-Ribbed Fans of Palin, Dudes Rule

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/us/politics/19palin.html?th&emc=th

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

October 19, 2008
Among Rock-Ribbed Fans of Palin, Dudes Rule
By MARK LEIBOVICH
BANGOR, Me. — It is not unusual for fans of Sarah Palin to shout out to the Alaska governor in the midst of her stump speeches. It is noteworthy, however, that the crowds are heavily male.


“You rock me out, Sarah,” yelled one man, wearing a red-checked hunting jacket as Ms. Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate, strode into an airplane hangar here on Thursday. He held a homemade “Dudes for Sarah” sign and wore a National Rifle Association hat. Kenny Loggins’s “Danger Zone” blared over the loudspeakers, and the man even danced a little — yes, a guy in an N.R.A. hat dancing in a hangar, kind of a Sarah Palin rally thing.

“I feel like I’m at home,” Ms. Palin said, looking out at a boisterous crowd of about 6,000. “I see the Carhartts and the steel-toed boots,” she said, the first reference being to a clothing brand favored by construction workers and the burly types who make up much of the “Sarah Dude” population. “You guys are great,” she said while signing autographs.

Guys think Ms. Palin is great, too, or at least many of those who come to hear her. They sometimes go to extraordinary lengths. “I woke up at 2 a.m. so I could get my work done before 6 and get here by 7,” said Mike Spencer, a chef from Dexter, Me. Mr. Spencer waited in the chilly hangar — in a “Nobama” T-shirt — for almost three hours.

At the height of Palinmania, soon after she made her national debut in September, Ms. Palin’s popularity among men was striking. Her favorability ratings were higher among men than women (44 percent to 36 percent), according to a New York Times poll, even though she was chosen in part because of her expected appeal to women. Since then, Ms. Palin has endured a tough month politically, and her favorability ratings have dropped among both sexes, but more so among men (down 13 points, to 31 percent in the latest Times poll.)

She has been widely attacked, even by a growing number of conservatives, as being essentially unserious and uncurious. “She doesn’t think aloud. She just ...says things,” the Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan wrote Friday. “She does not speak seriously but attempts to excite sensation.”

All the while, Ms. Palin’s stoutest defenders are often the Joe Sixpacks in her crowds, who shrug off her critics, ridiculers and perceived adversaries in the news media. They say they appreciate Ms. Palin for, above all else, how “real” and “like us” she is.

“Katie Couric and Tina Fey are going to do their thing, but it doesn’t bother me at all,” said Rob McLain, an insurance agent from Avon, Ind., who attended a packed Palin rally at an amphitheatre in Indiana on Friday night. Mr. McLain wore a “Proud to be voting for a hot chick” button and was joined by his wife, Shannan (“Read my lipstick” button on lapel), and his 6-week-old son, Jaxon (“Nobama” button on beanie).

“The criticism is part of the process,” Mr. McLain said, adding of Ms. Palin, “Who can’t trust a mother?”

The testosterone flows at many of her events. Head-banging guitar chords greet her: she entered a fund-raiser in North Carolina on Thursday to the decidedly un-dainty chords of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.” “That was kinda cool,” she marveled from the stage. Everyone laughed. The event raised $800,000.

While there are plenty of women, including wives and daughters of male fans, at Ms. Palin’s appearances, they acknowledge they are outnumbered. “This is not a ladies campaign,” declared Linda Teegan at a rally in Weirs Beach, N.H., on Wednesday. She was taking a crowd snapshot. “There seem to be lots and lots of guys here,” she said. “I’d guess 70-30, maybe 65-35, men to women. It’s quite noticeable to me.”

The dudes tend to make themselves noticed. “You tell ’em baby,” a man yelled out at a rally Wednesday night on a high school football field in Salem, N.H.

And Ms. Palin tells ’em, peppering her rallies with references to guy-themed stuff — hunting, fishing, hockey. She introduced her husband, Todd, as Alaska’s First Dude.

“He is a guy who knows how to work with his hands,” she said to loud applause.

Her recent events drew scruffy high-schoolers in backward baseball caps, tank-topped bikers in bandanas and long-bearded veterans in berets. They crashed the rope line for photos and autographs. “Marry me, Sarah,” a man implored in Weirs Beach, N.H., while Ms. Palin held up a tow-headed toddler and patted his little chest. She ignored, or didn’t hear, the proposal, but signed the dude’s ratty baseball cap.

Yes, some men come to ogle the candidate, too. “She’s beautiful,” said a man wearing a John Deere T-shirt in Weirs Beach. “I came here to look at her,” he said, and his admiration for Ms. Palin’s appearance became more and more animated. Sheepish over his ogling, he declined to give his real name (“Just call me ‘John Deere’ ”).

But some male fans do seem to feel a deeper connection to Ms. Palin. To a surprising degree, they mention the unusual nature of her candidacy, the chance to make history, break the glass ceiling.

“They bear us children, they risk their lives to give us birth, so maybe it’s time we let a woman lead us,” said Larry Hawkins, a former truck driver attending a rally late Thursday at Elon University in North Carolina. Mr. Hawkins said he would rather vote for Ms. Palin than for “McCain and Obama combined.”

Men have done plenty to mess up the country, he said. “The sexual drives and big egos of male leaders have gotten in the way of politics in this country.” Mr. Hawkins said he talked to fellow truckers, and a lot of them feel the same way. “They think it’s time for a woman, too,” he said. “This one. Palin is our kind of woman.”

There is a kind of “conservative feminism” here, and several men cite the appeal of Ms. Palin as a can-do caretaker. She can be glimpsed lugging an overstuffed bag of books, papers and baby supplies onto her plane and bottle feeding her infant son, Trig.

“I love the idea of someone like her being allowed into the White House,” said Matt Cude, who drove three-hours to Weirs Beach from Jericho, Vt. It would be “absolutely fantastic,” he said, both for women and for the country.

Mr. Cude brought along his teenage daughter, Kate, who was holding a copy of National Review, with Ms. Palin on the cover. Kate made her way to the front of a rope line and asked Ms. Palin to sign it. Ms. Palin did so, signing her name in large letters across the headline, which said, “The One.”

Massive Palin Scandal Brewing

Whoa! It's the Alaska right-wing criminal conspiracy! How cute. They are all in bed together.

Not that Democrats are immune from charges of helpin' out their buddies...it's just not INSTITUTIONALIZED as it is for the Republicans.


http://plaidlemur.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/massive-palin-scandal-brewing/

Monegan's Fears for Job

Page 22

Mr. Monegan testified about his thoughts on the drive back to his
office following his meeting with Mr. Palin:
MR. MONEGAN: Well, on the drive back, as I was reflecting on the meeting -- drive back to the office, I was thinking that in essence, they certainly didn't like the idea that Wooten was still employed. And they wanted severe discipline, probably termination, and that -- and if this was going to build, I had this kind of ominous feeling that I may not be long for this job if I -- if I didn't somehow respond accordingly.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: So your career you thought might be in jeopardy unless you took some decisive action that might result in Trooper Wooten's dismissal from the force; is that your testimony? MR. MONEGAN: Yes. And -- but the flip side of it, I also got to augment with that that having been a police officer, I certainly believe in rules and regulations and laws and whatnot. And there is a certain part that you will not step over. So I was -- I felt that if there is a term where you start to feel pressure, you are between laws and selfpreservation, so to speak."

Monegan's First Meeting with "The First Gentleman"

Page 18

MR. BRANCHFLOWER: What were they pictures of?
MR. MONEGAN: What I recall, one looked like a moose and -- that had been shot. There may have been others, but I just glanced through them while I'm, again, trying to pay attention to Todd talking to me about Trooper Wooten.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: Well, what -- what did he tell you about Trooper Wooten? MR. MONEGAN: Well, he told me that this particular trooper had -- had gone through a divorce with Molly, which is one of the sisters of the governor, and that it was -- this particular individual wasn't and shouldn't have been a trooper, that he didn't model himself well as a trooper, that they had filed complaints. They had worked with Colonel Grimes, and actually went to her office and talked to them about Trooper Wooten. And the allegations included the taking of a moose illegally, tasering an 11-year-old stepson of Wooten's, drinking while driving in the patrol car, having a beer while he was driving his patrol car. And there may have been a couple of others, but the details on that, I don't recall.
MR. BRANCHFLOWER: And did he say that he and the governor
had met with the folks who handled that matter in the prior
administration?
MR. MONEGAN: I believe he kept using the term "we." We went to
go talk to, we, we. And so I assumed it was he and Sarah, of course.

The First Gentleman

Pages 14 & 15

MS. BYRNE: Sure. I believe it was either Janice Mason or Sunny Cayce
that called and said that the First Gentleman would like to have a meeting
with Commissioner Walt Monegan. At that time I was not familiar with the
Branchflower Report to the Legislative Council
Page 15 of 263
October 10,2008
Vol. One - Public Report
term "First Gentleman" or didn't hear her correctly, so I kept asking her
"who?" and she eventually said "Todd Palin". I said, "Oh, okay" so we set
the time and the place, which was the Governor's Office in Anchorage, and
that was how the appointment was set was that phone call.

Palin Praises Monegan

Pages 13 and 14

In her November 28, 2006 press release, Governor-elect Palin praised Monegan and said:
Walt Monegan is a familiar name to many in South central and rural Alaska. Monegan recently retired after 32 years in law enforcement with the Anchorage Police Department - the last five as the Chief of Police. Monegan oversaw a staff of 574 employees and an $80 million budget. Starting as a patrol officer and rising steadily through the ranks, Monegan has experience in every facet of public safety, including internal affairs, crime prevention, communications, emergency operations, training, antigang efforts, school/youth liaison and Crime stoppers. Monegan is credited
Monegan transcript page 8, line 23.
Monegan transcript, page 10, line 22.


Branchflower Report to the Legislative Council
Page 14 of 263
October 10,2008
Vol. One - Public Report
with enhancing police effectiveness by installing mobile computers in police vehicles; implementing advanced 91 1 service to Alaska's largest municipal population; writing plans to address gang and youth violence; supporting the establishment of professional standards for village public safety officers; establishing a Citizens Police Academy and resurrecting police traffic units to address drunken driving. Monegan has a bachelor's degree in Organizational Administration from Alaska Pacific University and an Associate's degree from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. His advanced professional education includes senior government executive training at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, the FBI's National Executive Institute and the National Crime Prevention Institute. He and his wife, Terry, have four adult children and one grandchild. Monegan lives in Anchorage. "Chief Monegan will bring to the Department of Public Safety the perspective of a career professional peace officer and administrator with a proven record of using resources effectively to address the changing public safety needs of Alaskans," said Palin. "As an Alaska Native from the Lower Kuskokwim village of Nyac, he understands the special public safety on a statewide basis. We are fortunate to have such an experienced and well-rounded police professional heading the Department of Public Safety.

Sarah Palin refused to cooperate

Page 8

Out of deference to her position, no subpoena was issued for Governor Sarah
Palin. However, she was requested to cooperate with the investigation by providing a sworn statement. She has not done so. Governor Palin's sister Molly McCann was requested by me to give a deposition; she declined through her attorney.

John McCain's Rage is a National Security Concern

From Robert Greenwald, Brave New Films. Colleagues, military, private citizens describe McCain's volatile temper and instability.

Demand access to McCain's psychiatric records!



McCain's You Tube Problem: over 6 million views!
McCain contradicting himself, evading when confronted with evidence.



McCain responds, "I know challenges of space even though I wasn't an astronaut." when asked about his healthcare coverage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHcPXfgD4jM&NR=1

Sarah Palin Issues Report, Clears Self

This article appeared on Yahoo News on Friday, October 10. The content of the link has since changed, but fortunately I captured it before the change. Yahoo often changes content on its links. That's not a good idea. Memory hole, anyone?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081010/ap_on_el_ pr/palin_troopergate

"But Todd Palin said he never pressured anyone, including his wife."

By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer

1 minute ago

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Trying to head off a potentially embarrassing state ethics report on GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, campaign officials released their own report Thursday that clears her of any wrongdoing. Sen. John McCain's running mate is the subject of a legislative investigation into whether she abused her power as governor by firing her public safety commissioner. The commissioner, Walter Monegan, says he was dismissed in July for resisting pressure from Palin's husband, Todd Palin, and numerous top aides to fire state trooper Mike Wooten, Palin's former brother-in-law.

Lawmakers are expected to release their own findings Friday. Campaign officials have yet to see that report — the result of an investigation that began before she was tapped as McCain's running mate — but said the investigation has falsely portrayed a legitimate policy dispute between a governor and her commissioner as something inappropriate."The following document will prove Walt Monegan's dismissal was a result of his insubordination and budgetary clashes with Governor Palin and her administration, " campaign officials wrote. "Trooper Wooten is a separate issue."Monegan said Thursday that he doesn't know what to expect from the legislative panel's own report."I just hope that the truth is figured out," Monegan told The Associated Press on Thursday. "That the governor did want me to fire him, and I chose to not. You just can't walk up to someone and say, 'I fire you.' He didn't do anything under my watch to result in termination. "

Palin's critics say that shows she used her office to settle family affairs. "When you're the governor, you leave your household hat at home and you become governor," said state Senate President Lyda Green, a Republican who has frequently clashed with Palin.McCain spokesman Taylor Griffin, who distributed the campaign's report, said it was written by the McCain-Palin campaign staff and based on public filings and Todd Palin's affidavit. The report blames former campaign opponent, Andrew Halcro, who has a blog, of conspiring with Wooten to pin Monegan's dismissal on the family's dispute with Wooten. Three days after Monegan was fired, they say, Wooten told his ex-wife, Palin's sister, that: "You guys are going down. Get ready for the show."

Two days after that confrontation, they say, Halcro and Wooten met at a hotel bar in Anchorage for more than three hours — and that evening, Halcro posted the first accusations on his blog that Monegan had been fired because of a vendetta against Wooten by the Palin family. "It is tragic that a false story hatched by a blogger after drinks with Trooper Wooten led the legislature to allocate over $100,000 of public money to be spent in what has become a politically driven investigation, " the 21-page report concludes.

Although the report describes Wooten as a separate issue, the McCain campaign goes into great detail about the "rogue" trooper and his "long history of unstable and erratic behavior." The campaign describes allegations of violence, including threatening Palin's family and shooting his stepson with a stun gun. The report also includes allegations that Wooten cheated the workers' compensation system. Todd Palin has said he had numerous conversations with government officials about why Wooten was allowed to stay on the job. "The Palins make no apologies for wanting to protect their family and wanting to bring attention to the injustice of a violent trooper keeping his badge and abusing the workers' compensation system."

But Todd Palin said he never pressured anyone, including his wife. The McCain campaign says the investigation has become "muddied with innuendo, rumor and partisan politics."

I have more Foreign Policy Experience Than Sarah Palin

http://www.laprogressive.com/2008/10/11/good-grief-i-have-more-foreign-policy-experience-than-sarah-palin/ Go here to read the entire article from The Progressive Curmudgeon

Sarah Palin’s “Foreign Policy” Experience: 12 Hours Over 19 Months

Jan 19, 2007 – Palin meets with Fentie for 30 minutes, with Lloyd for 30 minutes, and with Bell for 30 minutes. She does not attend the PNWER dinner hosted that night by the Canadian government for Alaskan officials and business leaders.

Feb 24, 2007 – In Washington, DC, for a National Governors Assn. meeting, Palin attends a reception at the Italian embassy. She stays for 30 minutes before leaving for a dinner hosted by the Republican Governors Assn.

Mar 10, 2007 – Palin hosts the annual Fur & Ice reception in Fairbanks for about 30 diplomats and international tourism representatives. A Palin news release issued before the event noted, “Governor Sarah Palin will welcome members of Alaska’s diplomatic corps to Fairbanks to view the ice carvings of Ice Alaska’s 2007 World Ice Art Championship.” Following the afternoon reception, Palin attends the NCAA rifle championships.

Mar 19, 2007 – Palin meets with 10 foreign exchange students.

April, 3, 2007 – Palin spends 15 minutes filming a short video message for a trade show in China.

April 4, 2007 – In Juneau, Palin meets with British Columbia’s premier Gordon Campbell and several of his aides for about 90 minutes.

April 16, 2007 – Palin meets with Taiwanese officials for an hour.

May 15, 2007 – Palin holds a “brief courtesy” meeting with Martin Uden, then the head of the British consulate in San Francisco. The calendar notes, “He’ll be visiting Juneau today off of one of the Cruise Ships.”

July 23-26, 2007 – Palin visits Kuwait to meet with members of the Alaska National Guard. (After Palin was selected as McCain’s running mate, her aides, referring to this trip, said she travelled to Ireland, Germany, Kuwait and Iraq. But on this visit, she did not go beyond the Kuwaiti-Iraq border and her “visit” to Ireland consisted of a refuelling stop.)

Aug 27, 2007 – David Akov, Israeli consul general for the Pacific Northwest, pays a 30-minute “courtesy call” on Palin.

Sept 12, 2007 – Palin holds a 15-minute-long “courtesy” meeting with Hideo Fujita, the new chief of Japan’s consulate in Anchorage.

Sept 13, 2007 – Palin holds a 15-minute long “courtesy” meeting with Peng Keyu, the head of the Chinese consulate in San Francisco.

Oct 15, 2007 – Palin meets Iceland’s president, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, for 30 minutes. Grimsson is in Alaska to attend the Arctic Energy Summit Technology Conference. (After she became McCain’s running mate, she was asked if she had ever met with a world leader. She said, no — forgetting this meeting.)

Jan 4, 2008 – Palin holds a 10-minute-long phone conversation with Canadian Minister of Industry Jim Prentice. Her calendar also refers to “Canadian officials phone calls” that day.

Jan 21, 2008 – Palin is schedule for a brief “stop by” visit with Joe Balash, a Palin aide, and Brian Mason, a member of the legislative assembly of Alberta, Canada. The calendar says, “Balash Office would like a picture w/GOV.”

March 8, 2008 – Palin welcomes guests to the 2008 Fur & Ice reception for the diplomatic corps. Diplomats from the Philippines, South Korea, the Slovak Republic, South Africa, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Poland, Finland, Germany, and Egypt attend. Her calendar lists no separate meetings with any of them.

May 22, 2008 – At 7:15 am, Palin calls Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie; for ten minutes they discuss news that her administration will ask the state legislature to award a license for a 1,715-mile-long natural gas pipeline to TransCanada. (Her administration has turned down bids from other conglomerates, including ConocoPhillips.) Later, she has a five-minute-long phone call with Canadian Minister of Industry Jim Prentice.

Aug 11-12, 2008 – Palin attends a reception and delivers welcoming remarks for the 8th Conference of Arctic Parliamentarians which includes delegates from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. This year, it holds panels on human health in the Arctic region, Arctic marine policy, adaptation to climate change, and energy resources in the Arctic. After welcoming the delegates, Palin leaves to attend a “dedication and blessing ceremony” for a cultural and visitors center in Fairbanks.

No Magic From the GOP Version of Penn and Teller

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/10/AR2008101002555_pf.html

By Dana Milbank
Saturday, October 11, 2008; A03




"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."


-- Franklin D. Roosevelt, March 4, 1933




"We'll get through this deal."


-- George W. Bush, Oct. 9, 2008



President Bush peeked out the window of the Oval Office yesterday morning at the crowd awaiting him in the Rose Garden, then went back to pacing. He had little reason to be enthusiastic about the task at hand.

It was the 20th time in recent days that he had tried to calm the markets, according to a CBS News tally. The previous 19 times, the market ignored him and continued its downward plunge. And this time would be no different.

A few minutes before he walked into the Rose Garden to say that "the American people can be confident in our economic future," the Dow Jones industrials were trading as high as 8530. A few minutes after his speech, the index was at 8224.

His chore of reassuring the markets thus completed, Bush turned to more pleasant tasks. He hopped on Air Force One and flew down to Florida for the first of the day's two fundraisers. He had some urgent work to do on the Republican Party's liquidity crisis.

The country desperately needs strong leadership now, but there's none to be found at the White House. The president is voicing the right sentiments, even if his words (Thursday's "we'll get through this deal") are characteristically clumsy. He's even affecting the right demeanor, between concern and confidence. But nobody seems to care.

Maybe it's his approval rating, now trading at pennies on the dollar. Maybe it's because his credibility was shot by his administration's previous claims about Saddam's nukes and yellowcake and cakewalks and being greeted as liberators and mission accomplished. Either way, White House press secretary Dana Perino had some difficulty explaining the president's role as she briefed reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Florida.

"What's the communications strategy for the president on this crisis?" asked the Associated Press's Deb Riechmann. "I mean, we've heard from him almost every single day since the bailout was announced, yet every time he talks, the Dow goes down."

"That's not true, Deb," Perino replied, but she allowed that "the Dow has gone down every day for several days in a row."

"So you think it helps if he is talking about it all the time?"

"If he wasn't talking all the time, I can guarantee you the questions from the media would be to me, 'Why is the president not talking?' " the piqued Perino parried, adding that "it is important" that Americans "know that the leader of the free world has his full attention focused on helping solve this problem."

Except, of course, when he's raising $2 million for the GOP at the home of a Miami developer and on an island resort off South Carolina.

Even John McCain's presidential campaign manager was moved to remark on Bush's ineffectuality.

"There's very little a candidate for president -- and, after watching today, very little a president -- can say about what's happening in the stock market," Rick Davis told reporters after the president's Rose Garden statement, as a way to explain McCain's silence on the market plunge.

But maybe Bush isn't getting enough credit for his performance in the economic crisis. For years, his critics have scolded him for failing to come up with a global warming plan and an energy policy, but now he has achieved both. With the economy crashing, gas prices are down sharply on recession fears. And with industry collapsing, carbon emissions are bound to be lower.

The White House tried to add some frills to the bully pulpit for yesterday's attempt at market calming. They brought out the presidential lectern and placed it at an angle that would make the Oval Office the backdrop. The arranged planting boxes full of bronze mums framed the podium, and an aide scurried over to remove a clump that had fallen a few minutes before the speech.

Bush skipped the happy talk that has discredited so many of his war speeches and gave a frank assessment. "We have witnessed a startling drop in the stock market -- much of it driven by uncertainty and fear," he said. "This has been a deeply unsettling period for the American people."

His emotions seemed to swing with his words. He allowed himself a slight smile as he promised to "restore stability to our markets," and he shifted his feet as he warned that "anxiety can feed anxiety."

There were moments, of course, when Bush was being Bush. He accidentally said "we are exercising" the rescue plan before making that "executing," and White House stenographers saw fit to add a "sic" when he said the Treasury was doing many things "to help bank rebuild capital." He threw in the obligatory heck-of-a-job praise for his advisers ("we have an outstanding economic team carrying out this effort"), and the usual assertion that his views are unassailable ("it is the right plan").

But he avoided his tendency to sugarcoat. "Our system of credit has frozen," he said, and "key markets are not functioning." And he eschewed his bring-'em-on bravado as he pledged: "We know what the problems are, we have the tools we need to fix them, and we're working swiftly to do so."

The president turned to go, ignoring a reporter's question about whether the government could sustain its intervention in the markets. Only when Bush got to Coral Gables for his fundraiser did the market begin to trim its losses.

These people ignored subpoenas

Branchflower Report, Page 4

Note that Todd Palin is now complaining that they did not talk to him before they issued the Report. ~Ed.

Subpoenas Issued
A number of subpoenas were issued by the Senate Judiciary Committee on
September 12 and 19, 2008. The subpoenas commanded those persons subpoenaed to
appear a week later before the committee to give sworn testimony in this matter. The
following individuals were properly served [either personally served by a process server
or whose attorney accepted on their behalf], and the person failed to appear:
1. Dianne Kiesel - Director, Personnel and Labor Relations - State of Alaska
Department of Administration;
2. Annette Kreitzer - Commissioner of Administration - State of Alaska
Department of Administration;
3. Nicki Neal - Director of Personnel - State of Alaska Department of
Administration;
4. Brad Thompson - Director, Division of Risk Management, State of Alaska
Department of Administration;
5. Michael Nizich - Acting Chief of Staff to Governor Palin;
6. Ivy Frye - Special Assistant, Constituent~External Affairs for Governor
Palin;
7. Kris Perry - Director of Governor Palin's Anchorage Office;
8. Janice Mason - Governor Palin's Scheduler and Executive Secretary
9. Todd Palin - The First Gentleman;
10. Randy Ruaro - Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Palin.
Also subpoenaed was Frank Bailey, who complied with his subpoena by providing
a copy of his sworn deposition, given in this matter to counsel for Governor Palin and
Todd Palin Mr. Thomas Van Flein on August 26, 2008. His attorney was medically
unavailable to accompany Mr. Bailey for his appearance before the Judiciary Committee
on September 26,2008.

Now Can We Legalize Pot?

Bill Maher comments on Troopergate and other political believe-it-or-nots

The Branchflower Report: Reports of Palin's Innocence are Exaggerated

Branchflower Report, State of Alaska website, Page 12.

Todd Palin's call to John D. Glass about Trooper Wooten

Veteran Alaska law enforcement officer John D. Glass received a call from Todd Palin on November 8, 2006, four days after Sarah Palin was elected Governor of Alaska.

Mr. Palin wanted to talk about Mike Wooten. At the time Glass was the Chief of Police for the Wasilla Police Department. He was appointed Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety by Walt Monegan a short while later. At the time he received the call from Palin, Chief Glass had two vacant police officer positions on his police force.

Chief Glass testified:

MR. GLASS: Todd had basically told me that he did not want Wooten
hired as a City police officer, that Wooten was a very bad trooper and
needed to be fired from his job as a trooper, and that Wooten should not be
considered at all as a City police officer.

The Branchflower Report: Reports of Palin's Innocence are Exaggerated

Branchflower Report, Page 12.

Todd Palin's call to John D. Glass about Trooper Wooten

Veteran Alaska law enforcement officer John D. Glass received a call from Todd Palin on November 8, 2006, four days after Sarah Palin was elected Governor of Alaska.

Mr. Palin wanted to talk about Mike Wooten. At the time Glass was the Chief of Police for the Wasilla Police Department. He was appointed Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety by Walt Monegan a short while later. At the time he received the call from Palin, Chief Glass had two vacant police officer positions on his police force.

Chief Glass testified:

MR. GLASS: Todd had basically told me that he did not want Wooten
hired as a City police officer, that Wooten was a very bad trooper and
needed to be fired from his job as a trooper, and that Wooten should not be
considered at all as a City police officer.

Sarah Palin’s Feminine Wiles Fall Short

http://www.laprogressive.com/2008/09/28/sarah-palins-feminine-wiles-fall-short/

by Sharon Kyle –

Shortly after the Katie Couric-Sarah Palin interview, a slew of reports hit the Internet assessing the VP candidate’s performance. Try as I might, I was hard pressed to find a single report that looked favorably on Palin’s delivery. Slate’s Christopher Beam said that Palin resembled, “a high-schooler trying to BS her way through a book report.” New York Times reporter Bob Herbert said “the idea that the voters of the United States might install someone in the vice president’s office who is too unprepared or too intellectually insecure to appear on, say, “Meet the Press” or “Face the Nation” is mind-boggling.” He then likened the election of Palin to “putting an unqualified pilot in the cockpit of a jetliner.

So when I watched the Palin-Couric interview, I wasn’t completely surprised to see Palin fumbling. I suspected this would surface sooner or later. Why else would the McCain campaign shield her from the media for so long? Just two days earlier when Palin was to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, campaign aides told reporters they could not go into the meetings but the photographers and video camera crew were invited in. When a couple of major news outlets reportedly threatened to remove their camera crews altogether, campaign spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt was quoted as saying the reporter ban was a miscommunication.

Still, when watching the events of that day on CNN and MSNBC and reading about them in other media, it was impossible to get a grasp of the dialogue exchanged between Palin and Karzai or any of the other foreign leaders she met that day. The average citizen is still left wondering — who is Sarah Palin?

But as I sat through more of the interview with Couric, Palin’s ability to stay on point was even worse than I’d imagined. Couric seemed to rattle Palin, zooming in on hard-hitting questions while staring with a blank face — looking directly and unwaveringly at Palin as she stumbled and bumbled to find a coherent answer. Palin squirmed in her seat as an apparent uneasiness seemed to rise from within but Couric refused to offer up a smile or a nod. While watching this exchange, it occurred to me that maybe the problem was that one of Palin’s tools was rendered ineffective with Couric.

The Alaskan Governor is an attractive woman – perhaps she is adept at using her charm and beauty to distract from other possible shortcomings. Couric didn’t seem to be biting and Palin was clearly operating outside of her comfort zone.

To see if I was on to something with this theory, I went to YouTube and replayed the Palin interview with Charles Gibson of ABC, carefully observing the way she handled Gibson. Within the first 7 or so minutes into day 1 of the first interview, Sarah Palin addressed Charles Gibson as “Charlie” no less than five times. At one point, when they were on the grounds of her home in Alaska, she touched his arm. These are subtle gestures that can easily be dismissed as personal style but when compared to the way she interacted with Katie Couric, I’m not so sure. In replaying the Couric interview, I never heard Palin refer to Couric as “Katie”. Theirs was a strictly professional exchange and this did not seem to work in Palin’s favor.



According to a recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, “ 62 percent of men questioned have a favorable opinion of the Alaska governor, nine points higher than women.” The poll also indicated that there is a gender gap when it comes to whether Palin is qualified to serve as president. Fifty-seven percent of male respondents said Palin was qualified, 14 points higher than women. I don’t doubt the McCain camp chose Palin for this very reason. In a piece written by Mary Lyon entitled, “Advantage Biden“, Lyon points out that the CNN audience meters showed that “men were somewhat more taken with the pretty lady at the podium.”

In a piece entitled, “Desperately Searching for Sarah,” NBC National Journal Reporter Carrie Dann asserts that web searches say something about what we really want to know. NBC News uses an online research company, Hitwise, to compile and analyze what people are searching for on the web. According to Dann, “Palin” searches caused web traffic to spike to almost 30 times that of any other candidate by the date of Palin’s convention speech.

Dann says volume fell almost as quickly as it rose but added that searches containing the keywords “Sarah Palin legs”, “Sarah Palin Vogue”, and “Sarah Palin sexy photos” have outranked searches for legitimate policy positions such as earmarks investigation since Palin entered the race. Dann claims that NBC believes that what people search for says a lot about how the campaigns are making their message stick. I don’t know what the Palin searches say about the message the McCain campaign is sending but it seems to say something about how a large percentage of men are thinking.

But, although the polls indicate that Palin is favored by men, it is not all men. Even conservatives such as George Will are saying enough is enough. Fareed Zakaria has asked that she step down and Jack Cafferty’s exasperation over the spector of a Palin presidency can only be given justice by providing you with the video to watch for yourself (see below).



This takes us to the question of how Palin handled the vice presidential debate. Although most pundits and viewers gave it to Biden, Palin did not make a fool of herself. When asked who was more captivating and engaging, most said it was Palin. This piece was originally written before the debate. In the unedited version I predicted that unlike McCain with Obama, Palin would not have trouble making eye contact with Biden. She set the tone by walking right up to Biden and asking if it would be okay if she called him “Joe”. Kind of like when she talked to “Charlie”.

Palin Sued for Private E-Mails About State Business

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/04/palin_sued_for_private_e-mails.html

This is a much larger issue than "Troopergate." Although we know that Palin fires people simply for disagreeing with her, it's not as serious a violation of the public trust as using private email for government business. Public business must be conducted under the gaze of the public!

If this is what Palin means by running an open government, she must have taken her lessons from Dick Cheney.

Deb

Palin Sued for Private E-Mails About State Business
By Matthew Mosk
ANCHORAGE -- In a lawsuit filed in Alaska Superior Court, a Republican activist seeks to force Gov. Sarah Palin to produce copies of official correspondence she sent and received on private e-mail accounts.

Andrée McLeod filed the suit Wednesday and publicized it in a news release today. "Rather than using her state e-mail account, throughout her two-year tenure as Governor of Alaska, defendant Sarah Palin, as a matter of routine, has used, and, on information and belief, continues to use, (at least) two private e-mail accounts... to conduct official business of the State of Alaska," the suit alleges.

The suit is the latest front in a battle McLeod is waging over Palin's e-mail. In June, she filed an open-records request and received four boxes of redacted e-mails. But more than 1,100 others were withheld, an action Palin justified by claiming executive privilege. McLeod appealed that claim last month before going to court last week.

McLeod has questioned whether Palin was using private e-mail accounts to conduct state business in a manner that would skirt open-records laws. In one notable e-mail, a Palin aide apologized for discussing state business on a public account. "Whoops!" Palin aide Frank Bailey wrote, after addressing an e-mail to the governor's official state address. "Frank, this is not the Governor's personal account," a secretary reminded him.

A spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign has acknowledged the use of private accounts. "As a champion of government accountability and transparency, Governor Palin was exercising an abundance of caution to ensure that all state and personal business matters were being kept separate," Meghan Stapleton said recently. "Governor Palin is committed to serving with the highest regard toward ethics."

But McLeod said she believes the Palin administration fostered a "culture of corruption" in Alaska where neither she nor her top aides were accountable to rules of transparency in government.

"The extent of the use of these private e-mail accounts demonstrates the extent of deception that the governor is operating under," McLeod said in an interview today. "The process is corrupt. The overall question now becomes, how did it become so broken that nobody could tell her, 'Don't do that.' That's why I'm going to the courts."

Palin had routinely used a Yahoo e-mail address until abruptly abandoning it after hackers penetrated the account on Sept. 17 and posted screen-captures from its inbox on the Internet.

Last week, The Washington Post reported that Palin maintained an additional private e-mail account, which she used to communicate with a small circle of staff members outside the state government's secure official e-mail system, according to sources at the Wasilla company that established the system.

McLeod, a former state employee who once was close to Palin, has also filed an ethics complaint against the governor and others, citing e-mail traffic that appeared to show that her office improperly helped a Palin fundraiser obtain a civil service position.

Joe Biden Explains the Relative Dangers of Corn Syrup and Terrorism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj_icg26N0I

Katie Couric RILLY annoys me!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/03/palin-on-fox-news-couric_n_131655.html

Appearing on a friendlier news outlet, Gov. Sarah Palin said she was "annoyed" with the way Katie Couric handled their interview and complained that the CBS Evening News host failed to give her the opportunity to take a proverbial axe to Barack Obama.

In a portion of her sit-down with Fox News correspondent Carl Cameron, Palin claimed that Couric's questions -- which produced a series of staggeringly embarrassing responses -- put her in a lose-lose position.

"The Sarah Palin in those interviews was a little bit annoyed," she said. "It's like, man, no matter what you say, you are going to get clobbered. If you choose to answer a question, you are going to get clobbered on the answer. If you choose to try to pivot and go to another subject that you believe that Americans want to hear about, you get clobbered for that too."





For the record, Couric asked her, among other things, what type of news sources she turns to for information, which Supreme Court decisions she disagreed with, why Alaska's proximity to Russia gave her foreign policy experience, her opinion of the bailout package for Wall Street, and where she thought Vice President Dick Cheney erred. Which one of those questions was designed to trip her up (as opposed to, say, give viewers a better sense of her character and views) is tough to ascertain.

Later in her interview with Cameron, Palin offered a sense of what she thinks would have been a fairer set of questions. Unsurprisingly, they all would have provided her the opportunity to rail against Obama.

"In those Katie Couric interviews, I did feel that there were lot of things that she was missing in terms of an opportunity to ask what a VP candidate stands for, what the values are represented in our ticket. I wanted to talk about Barack Obama increasing taxes, which would lead to killing jobs. I wanted to talk about his proposal to increase government spending by another trillion dollars. Some of his comments that he's made about the war, that I think may, in my world, disqualify someone from consideration as the next commander in chief. Some of the comments that he has made about Afghanistan -- what we are doing there, supposedly just air raiding villages and killing civilians. That's reckless. I want to talk about things like that. So I guess I have to apologize for being a bit annoyed, but that's also an indication of being outside the Washington elite, outside of the media elite also. I just wanted to talk to Americans without the filter and let them know what we stand for."