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Palin: Guilty
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Anonymous
A Republican led committee voted UNANIMOUSLY to release a report stating that Gov. Palin UNLAWFULLY abused her power in firing Monegan. I guess she does not see America the way you and I see America, or the way a Republican-dominated committee does, even in an election year 
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27105917/ |
Anonymous
| Don't get me wrong. I really dislike Sarah Palin. But my understanding of the report is that it concluded that she had abused her power, but had not violated any laws. I know that sounds a bit schizophrenic, but if you're a lawyer it actually makes sense. It a perverse kind of way. |
jsteele
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You must be watching CNN. She actually did break laws: "Investigator Stephen Branchflower, in a report by a bipartisan panel that investigated the matter, found Palin in violation of a state ethics law that prohibits public officials from using their office for personal gain." http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PALIN_TROOPERGATE?SITE=NDBIS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT |
Anonymous
| Aw c'mon Jeff. That was just a state *ethics* law. That's not like it is a *real* state law. |
Anonymous
| I think it's great news... |
Anonymous
What was the political party breakdown on the committee? In the cited pieces, they mention a dissenting Republican and they don't say that the committee was Republican-led. I also thought I had heard the guy leading the investigation was a Democrat. Don't get me wrong. I'm definitely enjoying the fact that our so-called "reformer" was caught throwing her weight around. I love how her attorney says it's only unethical if there's any financial gain and there was no financial gain to be had here. My, my, splitting hairs a bit, aren't we? I guess it's okay to be unethical in firing personnel as long as you don't make any money off of it. But I'm curious now as to whether Republicans outnumber the Democrats on the committee and whether the other Republicans (besides the person mentioned in the article) are on board with this. Anyone know? If the Republicans voted against it, this will just be labeled another Democratic conspiracy. |
Anonymous
| Oh excuse me, I saw that you said it was a unanimous vote. I'm up past my bed time, sorry! |
Anonymous
|
Have read part of the report:
http://download2.legis.state.ak.us/DOWNLOAD.pdf It's really quite something. The 40 pages I've read so far do not paint a pretty picture of this family. Funny, one reason I was opposed to Obama picking Hillary for v.p. is because Bill would be a problem. But this report also paints a portrait of Todd Palin as something of a gatekeeper to the governor. Hard to sort out. After all, I rely on my spouse for advice. And political wives are generally involved beyond pouring tea and serving cookies even if some of them like us to think that that's all they do. And Hillary was obviously involved in governing when Bill was president. But the way in which it appears that Todd Palin may have controlled access to his wife makes me uncomfortable. Would he expect to do this if she is elected vice president? |
Anonymous
|
The committe had a Republican majority. It voted unanimously to release the report, but at least one of the Republicans believes there are problems with the report. As I read it, she violated ethical statutes, but it is not clear she broke any laws. I do not quite understand the distinction, and may not have stated that correctly.
Here is a response from the McCain/Palin campaign: "Today's report shows that the Governor acted within her proper and lawful authority in the reassignment of Walt Monegan. The report also illustrates what we've known all along: this was a partisan led inquiry run by Obama supporters and the Palins were completely justified in their concern regarding Trooper Wooten given his violent and rogue behavior. Lacking evidence to support the original Monegan allegation, the Legislative Council seriously overreached, making a tortured argument to find fault without basis in law or fact. The Governor is looking forward to cooperating with the Personnel Board and continuing her conversation with the American people regarding the important issues facing the country." Given that their slant on Ayers is that Ayers himself is a washed-up 60's radical who is not very important, and the issue is Obama's evasiveness and unwillingness to come out with the whole truth, I think it would make a lot more sense for Palin to have a news conference, admit to mistakes made because her love for her sister clouded her judgment. She could add that, just as McCain's poor judgmetn in the Keating case had led him to become one of the Senate's greatest reformers, she would bend over backwards in the future not to let her personal feelings cause her to misuse the powers of office. Given her power over the camera, I bet she'd end up even more of a heroine to her supporters. |
Anonymous
Wow, like I said, only read 40 pages but the report gives a very different impression. I mean, Monegan could have been lying about how many times Governor Palin, Todd, and four other associates/staffmembers of hers called him about her ex-brother-in-law. But if he wasn't lying, it appears that there were many calls/contacts about this. This wasn't just about having one or two conversations which led to a misunderstanding. This was at least six people pressuring Monegan and telling him how crappy this trooper was. Even if no one said "Fire him," it's hard to imagine how you come to any other conclusion. |
Anonymous
| This says a lot about the charachter of people representing the Republican party...all what you hear about them in the last 6-7 years is abuse of power, misrepresentation of truth, mismanagement and dirty tricks, I am not sure how you can put a straight face on these and stand up for them..I think this coming election gives us all a chance to redeem ourselves. |
Anonymous
Most state and federal "ethics laws" actually take the form of regulation. I have seen statutes authorizing agencies and states to enact ethics regulation, but I have not seen specific ethics provisions enacted by statute. The report also said that Palin's personal reasons for wanting her brother-in-law fired were a "motivating factor" rather than the substantial cause for her ethics violation. But yes, I heard it on CNN first. |
Anonymous
I wrote that and, believe it or not, she ignored my advice and denied all wrongdoing. You'd think the running mate of John McCain, who admits cracking under torture, shameful behavior in the breakup of his first marriage, and terrible judgment in the Keating case -- and is respected for accepting blame where deserved -- would have backed my advice. |
Anonymous
| The Palins were clearly obsessed with getting their ex-BIL fired. The constant pressure lasted more than 3 years for crying out loud. It's very clear that she violated her public office and trust. And yes, she did do this for personal gain; she wanted revenge. What a fabulous "Christian" woman. |
Anonymous
| I would like to state that even if you don't agree with his politics, I feel it goes beyond human decency to criticize John McCain for "cracking under torture"(12:22 post). How dare anyone judge him for what happened in that prison all those years ago. I weep for all former POW/MIAs who are judged in this way. |