Palin and "Troopergate"

[Vaelahr]

I personally think Palin has redefined "hot" to a new all-time low. Big-boned as a moose with a snoz to go with it.

What Troopergate says about Palin
In a nutshell, that she's a disaster.

You mean the investigation run by the democrats in Alaska??? An investigation led by Obama supporters who found no real direct evidence Gov. Palin broke the law. She wanted an incompetent person fired and the situation with her brother-in-law wasn't the deciding factor in that decision. Those are the actual findings not my own words.

Her husband was the one who actually pursued the issue... that evil man... wanting to protect his family. Shame on him! I mean wanting to fire a drunken abusive sociopath that is making death threats against your family and stalking your sister and tazering your 10-year old nephew is the pinnacle of corruption and exactly what we don't need in this country!

It is so much worse than hanging out with Ayers who think it was OK to bomb government offices and commit acts of treason and terror. So much worse than representing and funding a non-profit organization that threatens our most basic right, the right to vote, by falsifying thousands upon thousands of voter registrations. It is far, far worse than having association with America-hating zealots like Rev. Wright and Rev. Meeks and corrupt and criminal individuals like Tony Rezco.

Goddamn Sarah Palin and goddamn America is what I say!

[Swift]

First, unless every single news media source is wrong, it was a bipartisan panel that did the investigating. That means there were republicans involved, and still found that shit was off.

Second, everyone was happily co-operating with the investigation until Palin was tapped for VP, then suddenly it turned into an evil witch hunt by Obama and the Democrats. Aside from that, even though she was implicated in very little, it still doesn't paint a pretty picture of the ship she was in control of.

Edit: I cant wait to see Mulu point out line by line how much douchebaggery is in your post

[Veilan]

You mean the investigation run by the democrats in Alaska??? An investigation led by Obama supporters

Actually, a bipartisan panel that unanimously concluded the behaviour to be an unethical abuse of power?

As I said in the other thread... facts don't matter, either side will spin this according to the shirt they wear.

It's depressing, really .

[Kest]

from what i hear the panel consisted of 10 republicans and 4 democrats

Unable to find a reputable source though, so take that with a grain of salt.

[Grand Fromage]

First, unless every single news media source is wrong, it was a bipartisan panel that did the investigating. That means there were republicans involved, and still found that sh*t was off.

The majority of the panel was Republican.

[Kest]

OP needs to use :gape: more often imo, it suits him

[Burt]

Vaelahr fails at intelligence.

[Mulu]

I'll be more direct than the above.

You mean the investigation run by the democrats in Alaska???

Liar.

An investigation led by Obama supporters

Liar

who found no real direct evidence Gov. Palin broke the law.

Liar. She did violate the law, she violated an ethics law. The termination wasn't an unlawful termination but that just means the guy can't sue her.

She wanted an incompetent person fired

Well, incompetence is subjective, but I've seen no evidence of it. She certainly isn't someone to accuse another of incompetence, given her record.

and the situation with her brother-in-law wasn't the deciding factor in that decision.

But it was a substantial factor, and that's enough to violate the ethics statute.

Her husband was the one who actually pursued the issue

With her permission, from the governor's office, and she did too at first.

a drunken abusive sociopath that is making death threats against your family and stalking your sister and tazering your 10-year old nephew

Isn't that the Republican base?

It is so much worse than hanging out with Ayers who think it was OK to bomb government offices and commit acts of treason and terror.

He blew up a couple of toilets. Kids blow up toilets. Anti-abortionists blew up abortion clinics and murdered doctors. Who are the real domestic terrorists? And that was a lot more recent than the 60's. Also, plenty of conservative Republicans "hung around" with Ayers as well on that same non-profit board. Are they terrorists too?

So much worse than representing and funding a non-profit organization that threatens our most basic right, the right to vote, by falsifying thousands upon thousands of voter registrations.

The only valid accusation I've seen against Acorn is that they submitted some applications that had errors. Do you know what the error rate is for tax returns done by individuals? Unsophisticated people don't fill out forms well. Heck, even professionals make errors. What is Acorn's error rate? In other words, even though they made several thousand errors, if they submitted several hundred thousand applications, that's a single digit error rate.

The actual point of the linked article was that Palin's actions throughout troopergate showed her to be small-minded, petty, vindictive and to have no concept of the boundaries that public officials are supposed to act within. Yeah, she's a stellar pick for VP.

[Veilan]

For the party that is supposedly the more religious and devout one, its supporters seem to be awfully quick to deny other people a chance of redemption.

[sgould72]

I detect high levels of pwnd-ism emanating from this thread.

[mxlm]

What's awesome is they can't even do a proper cover-up.

Some weeks ago, the McCain team devised a plan to have Palin file an ethics complaint against herself with the State Personnel Board, arguing that it alone was capable of conducting a fair, nonpartisan inquiry into whether she fired Monegan because he refused to fire Wooten, who had been involved in a messy custody battle with her sister. Some Democrats ridiculed the move, noting that the personnel board answered to Palin. But the board ended up hiring an aggressive Anchorage trial lawyer, Timothy Petumenos, as an independent counsel. McCain aides were chagrined to discover that Petumenos was a Democrat who had contributed to Palin's 2006 opponent for governor, Tony Knowles

[Vaelahr]

I'll be more direct than the above.

You mean the investigation run by the democrats in Alaska???

Liar.

An investigation led by Obama supporters

Liar

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/20 ... a-backers/

It was an investigation run by democrats! Namely one Hollis French and one Kim Elton. You think all republican politicians in Alaska are fans of Palin? No matter how you spin this, it's a political witch hunt to get rid of the bitch who took out a sitting republican governor. She upset the ole' boys network and pissed a lot of people off. Most Alaskan politicians outside of her administration hate her because she's a reformer. But the people of the State she serves certainly love her (80% approval rating).

[Kest]

lol

[Veilan]

lol

[Mulu]

The legislative panel was bipartisan. That is not an investigation "run by the Democrats."

The investigation was led by an independent investigator with 27 years of prosecutorial experience. I have seen no evidence that he is an Obama supporter.

Also, Monegan, the guy she fired, is a former Marine and a former cop, not exactly the enemy of conservatives. I'm sure he's highly conservative himself.

Now I will admit that French was an idiot to say the outcome would be an October surprise, but the outcome was determined by an independent investigator, not French.

Now, let's see what at least one Alaskan conservative is saying about troopergate:

You really can't experience the full effect of Monday's news conference featuring Palin spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton unless you hear it for yourself. Stapleton passionately attacked former Commissioner of Public Safety Walt Monegan. Her rhetoric was plain, desperate, and obvious. Her tone, pure shrill.

With intensity, urgency, and alarm in her voice, Stapleton described Monegan's behavior as commissioner as egregious insubordination, full of obstructionist conduct and a brazen refusal to follow instructions.

Did Walt Monegan, former Marine, and lifetime crime fighter deserve this? Of course not.

But history has proven, get in the way of Sarah Barracuda's political ambition, and you won't know what hit you.

If anyone should be on the hot seat, it's not Monegan, but Palin for her inconsistencies.

The governor has given so many different reasons for firing Monegan I've lost count. From the "we need new direction" and "new energy" to "he wasn't hiring enough cops," to "he wasn't doing enough about alcohol in the bush" to "he lobbied for budget increases" to the latest version, which is a doozy; Monegan displayed "egregious rogue behavior."

The governor also originally said that neither she, Todd nor anyone from her administration pressured Monegan regarding Trooper Wooten. Palin then was forced to admit there was serial contact once the Frank Bailey tape surfaced. But she insisted she was just learning of it. But e-mails have surfaced detailing Palin complaining to Monegan about Wooten.

The governor also originally said an investigation was needed and promised to cooperate. Then she instructed her employees not to talk to the investigator and has herself refused to be interviewed.

Palin can't constantly change her story and expect us to believe her each time she does.

Meanwhile, this Palin VP thing has Alaskans all stirred up? Much like Palin divided the Republican party, she has managed to divide the state over her national candidacy.

Clearly most Alaskans choose to ignore the facts of the Troopergate scandal. They want Palin to make it to the national stage.

Republicans scold me all the time, "You don't want Obama to win do you? Stop criticizing Palin!"

My question to my conservative friends is simple. Does the truth still matter?

Truth is at the very heart of the conservative movement. Isn't it true that smaller government, self empowerment, and personal responsibility are worth fighting for? Isn't it true that promoting a culture of life and defending marriage will keep us strong as a nation?

But some Republican leaders are abandoning truth and closing ranks to help Palin cover up her scandal by attacking the investigation.

Representative John Coghill has been especially disappointing on this.

And so has Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell. He called the investigation a "complete farce."? Parnell said, "I'm disappointed by the complete hijacking of what should be a fair and objective process,"

Parnell knows eight Republicans along with four Democrats voted to launch this independent investigation.

Contrast Sean "Captain Zero" Parnell with Republican Senator Charlie Huggins. Palin would have gotten away with shutting down the investigation if it were not for Huggins.

His swing vote allowed for subpoenas. Huggins put the quest for truth above his party. He said, "Let's just get the facts on the table, the sooner the better,"

But too many in my party are not interested in the facts. They want Palin to win -- at all cost.

I want McCain and Palin to win too. But with Palin's refusal to cooperate with the independent investigator and her transparent delay tactics, Americans deserve to know what Palin is trying to hide before we vote her a heartbeat away from the leader of the free world.

My fellow conservatives, remember how frustrating it was when Bill Clinton committed perjury and liberals looked the other way.

As conservatives, we are no better unless we demand full disclosure from our governor when it comes to Troopergate.

No politician is so popular and charismatic that they should be above accountability and telling the truth. Not even Sarah Palin.

Wiki nailed her pretty good.

ntent to cooperate
On July 18, Palin said "we would never prohibit, or be less than enthusiastic about any kind of investigation."[130]
On July 21, Palin said that said she welcomed an investigation. "I've said all along, hold me accountable," Palin told reporters.[131]
On July 24, Palin said "I have absolutely nothing to hide … I'm happy to answer any questions between now and when they [the legislature] do conduct an investigation also. … I'm happy to comply, to cooperate. … No problem with an independent investigation."[132]
On July 29, Palin's spokesperson said "the governor has said all along that she will fully cooperate with an investigation and her staff will cooperate as well."[133]
On August 13, an official press release stated "Governor Palin has directed all of her staff to cooperate fully with Branchflower."[134]
On August 29, Palin's attorney wrote to Branchflower: "Please know that we intend to cooperate with this investigation … I would like to review our calendars to schedule depositions of witnesses."[135]
On August 30, the McCain campaign said "Governor Palin is an open book on this -- she did nothing wrong and has nothing to hide. … she has been happy to cooperate fully in the inquiry of this matter. … The legislature and Attorney General are both currently reviewing the circumstances of Walt Monegan’s departure … and the Governor is fully cooperating with those inquiries."[136]
On August 30, the Washington Times reported that Palin knew Branchflower by reputation, and welcomed the investigation: "I know he's a prosecutor, probably a heavy duty prosecutor, and so that kind of puzzles us why we are going down that road when we are very, very open to answering any questions anybody has of me or administrators … But I think this process will bode well for the state of Alaska and our administration, having a review committee of those experts in public safety, in the trooper organization."[70]
On September 4, the Anchorage Daily News noted that Palin had made repeated public statements that she would cooperate, and reported that Palin's attorney had said that hadn't changed.[137]
[edit]Intent not to cooperate
On September 1, Palin requested that the Personnel Board review the matter.[138] That same date, her lawyer, hired in late August, asked the state Legislature to drop its investigation, saying that by state law, the Personnel Board had jurisdiction over ethics issues.[110]
On September 2, Palin's attorney wrote to Branchflower: "It appears that the [Personnel] Board has jurisdiction over this matter … [therefore you should] suspend your investigation pending the outcome of the Personnel Board investigation."[139]
On September 5, French and Ramras made this joint statement: "This week, seven key witnesses informed Mr. Branchflower through their attorneys that they would not provide depositions. Their depositions, which had been agreed to and scheduled earlier with Mr. Branchflower, were cancelled within the last 72 hours."[78]
On September 13, Palin said "we've said all along that … the personnel board is the appropriate agency or board to inquire."[140]
On September 16, a McCain spokesperson said "the governor is not going to cooperate with that [Branchflower] investigation."[93]

BTW, the personnel board is technically beholden to her, as she has hiring and firing authority over them, but they apparently went and hired some hot shot attorney to investigate her as an independent counsel. Hot damn, she's going to be found guilty twice! Maybe even before the election! What a moron, she deserves two guilty verdicts for the same conduct.