McCain VP pick Sarah Palin's ethics scandal

John McCain picked a fellow "maverick" for a running mate: Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

Josh Marshall explains:

As mentioned earlier, Gov. Palin is embroiled in her own trooper-gate scandal up in Alaska. In short, she's accused of using her pull as governor to get her ex-brother-in-law fired as a state trooper. The brother-in-law is embroiled in an ugly divorce and custody with Palin's sister. And after his boss wouldn't fire the brother-in-law, she fired the boss. Palin originally insisted there was nothing to the story. More recently, she was forced to admit the one of her top deputies had pushed to get the guy fired.

Here's one our recent reports on the story.  And we'll be bringing you an updated report shortly.

Palin initially claimed that no one in her administration pressured anyone to fire her ex-brother-in-law's boss. Now, she admits that one of her staffers made a call, trying to get the boss canned:

At least Barack Obama had the good sense not to pick Eliot Spitzer as his running mate.

Comments

[Daniel]

But Obama didn't have sense enough not to pick Biden, who is up to his elbows in dealing with corrupt lobbyists such as his own son and brother, who are embroiled in lawsuits, accused of defrauding investors in hedge funds.

http://richard-wilson.blogspot.com/2008/08/joe-biden.html

Senator Biden thought that his son Hunter should get out of the lobbying business, lobbying the federal government, you know, where his dad works. Made over 1 million a year. Good money. But with Biden's presidential (now VP) ambitions, it wouldn't look too good having family so involved in lobbying the federal government, would it now? So ol Joe tells young Hunter to get involved in the hedge fund business. Lots of money there. Joe should know. He receives lots of donations from Wall Streeters, private equity and hedge funds. Well out of his easy element, young Hunter couldn't go too far without ripping somebody off. Ah, but this is just minor stuff. Not worth commenting on I suppose.

[Eric Jaffa]

Sarah Palin lied to the American people about the "Bridge to Nowhere."

She said today "And I've championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress thanks, but no thanks, on that 'Bridge to Nowhere.'"

In reality, she wanted Congress to fund the Bridge to Nowhere:

Q: Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?

Sarah Palin: Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now--while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.

[Eric Jaffa]

Daniel -

If we're going to judge politicians by their sons, the son of George H.W. Bush got the US into a war in Iraq which will cost more money than Vietnam.

[lookilu]

MCAIN MET HER ONCE. THEN OFFERED HER THE JOB AT THE SECOND MEETING. WHERE'S THE DEPTH IN THIS DECISION MAKING.
I'm scared...if he wins that's how irresponsibly we'd end up in the next set of wars he's salavating over to start....did I say ...scared...I mean terrified for him to win!

[Daniel]

Keep it up with the "experience" meme. There are at least 50,000 men and women in this country who could competently serve as chief executive. Select any cohort of 6000, there is at least one citizen of that cohort who can do the job competently, honestly, effectively. Sarah Palin is one of them. And, truth be told, so is Barak Obama. Take your picke, that's all.

You lefties are all into "experience" and "credentials" because you spend so much of your life pursuing these vanities. MA or MFA here, Ph.D there...A course off succession through some pointless track. Who cares. Sarah Palin got on with life. She took it as it came: educated herself, married, had children, became involved, got fed up with incompetency and venality, reached, now she is selected for a role which she will have no difficulty managing. She is a good choice.

[Alon Levy]

"You lefties"? Right now it's McCain who pushes the "I'm old, therefore I should be elected" line.

[Margalis]

It's kind of funny to see Republicans squirming to explain how Palin is qualified after months of saying that Obama wasn't, especially given that Palin doesn't seem to know or care at all about foreign policy.

[mitchell porter]

On Troopergate, ran across this description:

http://www.windsofchange.net/archives/a_post_baby_boom_presidential_ticket.php#c5

"The guy fired shot [sic] a cow moose (out of season), was driving a squad car while drunk, and hit his 11-year-old son with a Taser.

The concern amongst the aides who pushed for the firing was not revenge on behalf of the governor's sister, but the appearance of protecting a rogue cop *because* there was a connection to the governor."

[cfrost]

Keep it up with the "experience" meme

Amazing, how fast you righties can shift gears.

Granted, ante Cheney, a VP's duties amount to cutting ribbons and attending funerals, but she'll be one blown gasket away from the Big Time and we don't know how many engine hours the old McCain scow has left.

Experience and academic degrees might not count for everything, but I'd be looking for both if I were say, wanting for someone to remove my gall bladder or defend me in court. I don't doubt that there are some inexperienced and uncredentialed people out there who know anatomy or law well enough to do the job, but . . .

Perhaps a promising pitcher on the Juneau high school baseball team is ready for the major leagues, maybe a newly broken colt can win the Kentucky derby; pardon my doubt however.

[Cass]

Leave it to the Republicans: you've got C.T. Whitman, Kay Hutchison and Elizabeth Dole on your team, but you bypass them all for a former beauty queen with no qualifications whatsoever. Granted, they're trying to mobilize the legion of boot-licking fundamentalists once more, the usual Rove strategy of polarization resulting in (hopefully) 50.1% of the vote. (Inexperience or slow-wittedness doesn't matter to the true believers; if you're pure in heart, God, they believe, will show you the way.) For my part, what's every bit as alarming as her inexperience is the fact she believes the world is 5,000 years old, and is a fan of the apocolyptic-porn series "Left Behind". A rank incompetent in achieving conservative domestic goals is fine by me; a fanatic in charge of our foreign policy is something else.

[Norman Costa]

Daniel,

Phil Gramm, Ph.D. in economics: "There ain't no recession. Anyone who thinks so is a baby and a whiner."

Newt Gingrich, Ph.D. in modern European history: "You can't trust a president that lies to his wife. Trust me."

Condoleezza Rice, Ph.D. in political science: "I never heard of Osama bin Alladin's lamp until he blew up the Twin Towers."

Lynne Cheney, Ph.D. in 19th century British literature: "My husband is a selfless patriot who would gladly give your son's life for this country."

Daniel: "I don't need no advance decree. I got my wisdumb."

[Gina]

BREAK THE GLASS CEILING !!!
WOW ... What a great pick!!! America should elect
McCain & Palin for the Whitehouse in November,
for a return to wholesome American values.
An experienced Governor for V.P. vs. a
community organizer for President ... I pick Palin.
No Wright, no Farrakahn, no Ayers, no Rezko,
no mean Michelle, NOBAMA

[The Phantom]

Lindsay, you're trying to hard to be the doctrinaire talking points Democrat with this post.

If the concern is really about corruption in politics, why no comments about how convicted felon and Chicago macher Tony Rezko subsidized the house Barack Obama lives in?

Other than as a response to discussions already started ( ie Spitzer ) do you ever attack wrongdoing by your Democratic allies?

You have strong talents. Don't waste them by going down the road of Olbermann/Schecter hackdom. You're better than that.

---

I fear that this appointment is an error. Her resume is Obama-thin, and that's a real weakness.

But she has a record as a reformer who has attacked and defeated bigwigs in her own party. It takes both character and courage to do that. That counts for something.

[Eric Jaffa]

The Phantom -

Exactly what did Obama do wrong when he bought his house?

[The Phantom]

Eric

See this

That's how its done in Chicago.

[Cass]

"Lindsay, you're trying to hard to be the doctrinaire talking points Democrat with this post.
"If the concern is really about corruption in politics, why no comments about how convicted felon and Chicago macher Tony Rezko subsidized the house Barack Obama lives in?
"Other than as a response to discussions already started ( ie Spitzer ) do you ever attack wrongdoing by your Democratic allies?
"You have strong talents. Don't waste them by going down the road of Olbermann/Schecter hackdom. You're better than that."

Phantom, this is the silliest and most condescending bit of concern-trollery I've read in quite a while. We are all, Lindsay included, quite aware of the gross deficiencies of of our Democratic represenatatives; our country wouldn't be in such a desperate situation without them. But pleading that Republicans and Democrats are somehow equally corrupt is just desperate. Your Glorious Leader started a fraudulent that has killed hundreds of thousands of innocents, and destroyed the lives of millions more. To the fawning assent of conservatives everywhere, he's claimed near-dictatorial powers for himself, and suggested those who oppose him are bordering on treason. Republicans have jailed a Democratic governor they couldn't defeat at the polls. While people were abandoned to their fate in New Orleans, their press flacks were infesting the airwaves, tryiong to turn a massive tragedy to their political advantage. They've never hesitated to appeal to the worst parts of our character- cowardice, paranoia, racial and sexual hatred, fawning servility- to get their way. They've ransacked the treasury in favor of the most priveleged, sentencing our children (and many of us) to sky-high tax rates in the future. And finally, with the North Pole within five years of ice-free summers now (and the north of Gov. Palin's state turning into muck) they're fiddling while the world burns. Spare us, please, your Broderian lament over the decline of Olympian detachment; you're full of shit.

[The Phantom]

Cass

Blow it out your ass.

I'm not going to debate Iraq here, it is pointless.

But the Democrats are if anything MORE corrupt than the Republicans. And NY state which last time I looked is a fairly major state is rife with corruption of every stripe, unaddressed here.

The local Dems are not even discreet about it either. ( More links upon request)

I attack the Republican talking points guys all the time, in their house.

I will here ask Lindsay-do you only care to attack Republican corruption? Do you have an equal zest in attacking Democratic/left/union corruption?

Lets say it like it is.

[Cass]

"I'm not going to debate Iraq here, it is pointless."

According to the judges at Nuremburg, an unjustified war was a species of corruption that qualified as the worst war crime imaginable, and warranted a trip to the gallows. That's pretty bad. The eventual end of our civilization on a parboiled planet is quite a bit worse. But you can't debate these things, Phantom, without risking the end of fantasies that are obviously very precious to you; and fantasy is all the conservative movement has to run on anymore.

[The Phantom]

Cass

The war in Iraq has had many good effects too. Are you even aware what they are?

History will not rate Bush as a great president, but it will be far kinder to him that you guys are.

But back to corruption. I think you guys are perfectly acceptable with any kind of corruption, so long as it is corruption or borderline stuff from Obama, Clinton, Harry Reed, Charlie Rangel, Rep. Jefferson, or the NY State Senate delegation. Democratic culture of corruption is good, Republican culture of corruption, bad. Got it.

[TB]

OK, so Palin doesn't believe that global warming is man made, thinks creationism should be taught it schools, loved and supported Ted Stevens bridge to nowhere, got 10% of her campaign funding from oil companies, and hasn't even served two years as a first term governor and has ZERO foreign policy experience.

Sure, she seems qualified to be a heartbeat away from from taking over the presidency from a 72 year old two time cancer survivor who's a violent reactionary.

Once again, McCain shows his sterling judgment.

[Alon Levy]

The war in Iraq has had many good effects too. Are you even aware what they are?

The US can't launch a similar invasion of Iran?

[The Phantom]

Alon

Very funny!

--

( a cut and paste from a comment on the transatlantic right wing but very free speech A Tangled Web )

from Ross

Mark Styne summed it up best:

First, Governor Palin is not merely, as Jay describes her, "all-American", but hyper-American. What other country in the developed world produces beauty queens who hunt caribou and serve up a terrific moose stew? As an immigrant, I'm not saying I came to the United States purely to meet chicks like that, but it was certainly high on my list of priorities. And for the gun-totin' Miss Wasilla then to go on to become Governor while having five kids makes it an even more uniquely American story. Next to her resume, a guy who's done nothing but serve in the phony-baloney job of "community organizer" and write multiple autobiographies looks like just another creepily self-absorbed lifelong member of the full-time political class that infests every advanced democracy....

... Sarah Palin and Barack Obama are more or less the same age, but Governor Palin has run a state and a town and a commercial fishing operation, whereas (to reprise a famous line on the Rev Jackson) Senator Obama ain't run nothin' but his mouth. She's done the stuff he's merely a poseur about. Post-partisan? She took on her own party's corrupt political culture directly while Obama was sucking up to Wright and Ayers and being just another get-along Chicago machine pol (see his campaign's thuggish attempt to throttle Stanley Kurtz and Milt Rosenberg on WGN the other night).

[Cass]

"The war in Iraq has had many good effects too. Are you even aware what they are?"

I'm aware that Donald Rumsfeld is off of our TV screens, and men in Damascus can get underage Iraqi girls now for cheap. Shi'ite fanatics have gone from living in terror under Saddam to imposing some terror of their own.

Hitler's pre-emptive invasion of Poland set off some positive effects as well: America was lifted out of the Depression, racism and anti-Semitism eventually became unfashionable, we developed jet airliners, moon rockets, and Abstract Expressionism earlier than we would have otherwise. That doesn't address the question of whether the war was fraudulent or not.

[The Phantom]

Well, that's silly too

How about

-No Saddam Hussein in power

-No expansionist Iraq government that will attack neighboring countries

--Oppression of the Kurds has completely ceased

--Minority rule by the Sunni brought to an end

--An imperfect democracy established, in a government elected by Iraqis

These are undeniably good things, that even a Cass would presumably admit in her lucid moments

We know the horrible things that happened during the Saddam reign, and the horrible things that happened during the war.

The "Bush is the devil" crowd pretends that all would have been peachy over there had there been no US led invasion. History indicates otherwise, though there is no convincing some people.

Things are rapidly improving inside Iraq, and no neighbor country fears Iraq's intentions today. No matter how you bullshit your way around an argument, you can't deny that.

[TB]

Ah, The Phantom Homer, out of his depth again and thrashing away, copy & pasting RNC talking points as if they were is own "thoughts".

Barack has done LESS than a 20 month governor?

The only people that think that are the same dead-enders that the Iraq invasion was justifiable and McCain is a maverick, both of which are factually inaccurate.

Jesus, even Charles Krauthammer, Noah Millman, Ramesh Ponnuru, David Frum, Mark Halperin, Lyda Green and Kathryn Jean Lopez think you're wrong The Phantom Homer. Kathryn Jean Lopez!

The choice of Sarah Palin, setting new lows even for an organization as corrupt as the republican party, comes pre-packaged with her own corruption scandal already underway.

Sarah Palin shows good judgment on McCain's part?

Hardly ... it shows desperation and cynicism, and, yet again, it shows that John McCain doesn't have the brains or the leadership to run even a half-assed campaign, let alone be trusted to govern this country.

Why the hell did he pick Palin, was Harriet Myers unavailable?

All McCain has to do now is start off his acceptance speech by jumping a motorcycle over a tank full of sharks.