Sarah Palin lets the John McCain campaign run Alaska while she screws around

[Grimmlok]

Gov. Sarah Palin has surrendered important gubernatorial duties to the Republican presidential campaign. McCain staff are handling public and press questions about actions she has taken as governor. The governor who said, "Hold me accountable," is hiding behind the hired guns of the McCain campaign to avoid accountability.

Is it too much to ask that Alaska's governor speak for herself, directly to Alaskans, about her actions as Alaska's governor?

A press conference Thursday showed how skewed Alaska's relationship with its own governor has become.

McCain-Palin campaign spokesman Ed O'Callaghan announced that Todd Palin will not comply with a subpoena to testify about his role in Troopergate, the Legislature's investigation into whether Palin abused her power in forcing out former public safety commissioner Walt Monegan.

O'Callaghan also announced that Alaska's governor is "unlikely" to cooperate with the investigation by the Alaska Legislature about questionable conduct by Alaska's chief executive.

Monday, he and campaign sidekick Meg Stapleton stood before Alaskans and defended the official personnel decision by Alaska's governor to fire Alaska's public safety commissioner. ABC News reported that Gov. Palin's official press secretary, Bill McAllister, paid by the state of Alaska, didn't even know the McCain staffers were meeting the press to defend his boss.

Is the McCain campaign telling Alaskans that Alaska's governor can't handle her own defense in front of her own Alaska constituents?

Way back when, before John McCain chose Palin as his vice presidential running mate, Palin promised to cooperate with the investigation.

Now she won't utter a peep about it to Alaskans. Nor will her husband, Todd, who definitely needs to explain his role in Troopergate.

Instead, Alaskans have to sit back and listen to John McCain's campaign operatives handling inquiries about what Alaska's governor did while governing Alaska. Residents of any state would be offended to see their governor cede such a fundamental, day-to-day governmental responsibility to a partisan politician from another state. It's especially offensive to Alaskans.

O'Callaghan said Todd Palin objects to the subpoena because the Legislature's investigation "has been subjected to complete partisanship." That's the kind of dizzying spin that Washington has perfected. It is the McCain-Palin campaign that has worked overtime to politicize the entire matter in a transparent attempt to justify the stonewalling.

Futile as the request may be, we encourage Gov. Palin to stand up to McCain's handlers and be personally accountable for her administration's response to Troopergate. She is the governor of Alaska, not John McCain or Ed O'Callaghan.

BOTTOM LINE: Official state business -- like Troopergate -- should be handled by the governor of the state, not by McCain presidential campaign operatives.

Abdication by Palin: ADN Editorial | adn.com

Good lord

[lurkur]

If they didn't break the law before, why are they starting now?

[kingcap72]

And some people will still defend Palin as having 'executive experience.'

[Fluffy]

Every time I take a tour of a few Alaskan blogs, all I see is that they are fucking pissed that Palin has backed down on her multiple public promises to cooperate fully with the investigation.

Example:

But perhaps the most disturbing thing to Alaskans on a local level are the new tactics coming from the McCain campaign which are directed squarely at Walt Monegan, former Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety. Yesterday, McCain-Palin spokeswoman Meg Stapleton eviscerated him, saying he had a “rogue mentality” and accusing him of “insubordination,” “obstructionist conduct” and a “brazen refusal” to follow proper channels for requesting money.” Sounds like some good sound bites for those who have no idea what’s really going on.

Walt Monegan was, in a word, beloved. He was beloved by the troopers he lead, the people he served, and basically anyone who had the privilege of working with him. He cared about people, the important issues, and he was the real deal. There are many Alaskans today thinking, “Who do these people think they are to come here, and tear down the likes of Walt Monegan?” You have to remember, the rest of the country is “outside”. We are “inside”. That feeling defines Alaskans. We don’t like the government coming in here and telling us how to run things, dammit. And we don’t like outsiders ripping apart respected public servants in our town.

Palin has used every excuse in the book for dismissing Monegan, including (in roughly chronological order) - she just wanted someone to take the department in a “new direction”, Monegan wasn’t doing enough to address alcohol issues in bush Alaska, he wasn’t doing enough to recruit new troopers, he wanted too much money in the budget for frivolous things like domestic violence and sexual assault prevention. Through all of this flip-flopping and grasping at straws, Palin has never hit below the belt. Until now. When Monegan was employed, Palin praised him, and when he was dismissed, Palin adamantly insisted that this was not over personality issues. She knew how well-respected he was, and how it would affect Alaskans’ opinion of her if she slammed him. Now, she doesn’t have to worry about Alaskans anymore. We’re only 3 electoral votes. So now, she has stooped to the “rogue cop” defense.

And wait, there’s more. Remember when Sarah Palin filed an ethics complaint against herself in order to bully the Legislature into allowing a 3-person governor-appointed review board do the investigation? Well, she just asked for the case to be dismissed. That’s right, Palin’s lawyer Thomas Van Flein is asking the Personnel Board to find no probable cause for that ethics investigation. There are no words.

As the rest of the country is brought up to speed on Palin and all her shenanigans, Alaskans are seeing a side of her that many had not seen before. Her latest approval numbers may have been up because of the “Hometown girl makes good” factor, but these ugly Rovian “win at all costs” tactics will chip chip chip away at her support here.

I know this as sure as I know I’m going to need real studded tires soon.

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