Alaska's Republican Governor Palin Faces Probe* (GOP rising star)

[Wretched Excess]

*(headline enhanced in thread title by WE.  although the WSJ plays up her party affiliation in the top of the story -- so much so, in fact, that they don't even get to the root of the allegations until the bottom of the story  -- they didn't put it in the headline. I did.  it's a much more significant story in the context of our forum knowing from the outset that she is a bright light in the republican party)


alaskan politics must be a real cesspool.  the committee that voted 12-0 to investigate the allegations was bipartisan, but she has pretty much butted heads with old school republicans in the legistlature, as well as dems.  the cliff's notes version of the story is;  she is alleged to have pressured the director of public safety to fire the former husband of her sister during a nasty divorce.  the former husband was merely suspended.  she fired the DoPS some time after that, and he alleges that it was in retaliation.

oh, and the committee that voted to investigate the charges has a member that has subsequently been forced out because of a federal indictment on bribery and conspiracy charges.  he was chairman of the committee until recently.

oh, and she is a hottie.

Alaska's Palin Faces Probe

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- When Sarah Palin was elected governor as a Republican outsider in 2006, she didn't just take on an incumbent from her own party. She took on Alaska's Republican establishment.

Ms. Palin vowed to clean up a long-cozy political system that had been sullied by an FBI corruption investigation. She endeared herself to Alaskans by making good on her reform promises and showing homey touches, like driving herself to work.

Now, one of the bright new stars in the Republican Party has suddenly become tarnished. The state legislature this week voted to hire an independent investigator to see whether Ms. Palin abused her office by trying to get her former brother-in-law fired from his job as an Alaska state trooper.

"This is a governor who was almost impervious to error," says Hollis French, a Democratic state senator. "Now she could face impeachment, in a worst-case scenario."

The allegations against Ms. Palin are less serious than -- and entirely separate from -- those that have been leveled against a number of Alaska's most prominent politicians since 2006, when a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into influence peddling by oil-field contractor VECO Corp. came to light. Since then, five state legislators have been sentenced to prison or face prosecution on corruption charges. On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens was indicted on criminal charges related to the case. Mr. Stevens says he is innocent.


Much more

[Wretched Excess]

a follow up with a story from the local press for some background and local texture.  I have no doubt that the MSM will pounce all over this story, so I got very interested in knowing the particulars.

our "fair use" policies really don't do this particular story any justice, basically because it's not very well written.  but the 5 paragraph limitation really sort of chops this story short.  there is a ton of background at the link that you have to know before this story begins to make sense.

Hired help will probe Monegan dismissal
$100,000: Legislators vote to have independent investigator look into controversial firing.

JUNEAU -- Alaska legislators on Monday voted to spend up to $100,000 to investigate Gov. Sarah Palin's controversial firing of former state Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.

The decision came from the Legislative Council, a bipartisan panel of state senators and representatives.

The committee itself will not conduct the probe. Rather, it will hire an independent investigator to explore whether Palin, her family or members of her administration pressured Monegan to fire an Alaska state trooper involved in a rough divorce from Palin's sister.

Monegan contends he did feel such pressure, and the question for the investigator will be whether Monegan might have lost his job for failing to dismiss trooper Mike Wooten.

Palin has denied applying any pressure or otherwise abusing her power as governor.

Much More

[Ptarmigan]

Please note that ptarmigans were not involved in this. It was the rabbits and hares that are corrupting politics in Alaska. The Easter Bunny has REALLY DEEP POCKETS.

[Jim]

oh, and she is a hottie.

she really is

[THA HOUSTON PIMP IS IN DA HOUZ!]

 

[Jim]

now I really want her on the ticket.  this could make this campaign worth watching ! 

AND she's conservative without baggage !

[Wretched Excess]

she sounds incredibly interesting.  mother of 5, husband is an oilfield worker, she travels around the state in the
family station wagon, her nicknames in the state are "saint sarah" and "sarah barracude", for different reasons,
obviously . . . . I had a ton of links googled up about her this morning.  I will look them back up.

[Jim]

she sounds incredibly interesting.  mother of 5, husband is an oilfield worker, she travels around the state in the
family station wagon, her nicknames in the state are "saint sarah" and "sarah barracude", for different reasons,
obviously . . . . I had a ton of links googled up about her this morning.  I will look them back up.

seriously... hope she gets this distraction behind her.  I hadn't really given her much thought before but she really does have potential.

Of course Mitt really fills the economic hole McC has.  Could always tap him for Tresury or something.

[Wretched Excess]

she was interviewed on kudlow last night.  among other things, the subject of the investigation came up, and
she totally dealt with it.  I was 100% against her as VP nominee even before the investigation broke, because
I just didn't see what a newbie governor of alaska, which is going republican in november no matter what happens,
could bring to the ticket.  but after seeing her in action last night . . . . wow . . . this lady is magic.

for example, her response to the VeeP question:

But as for that VP talk all the time, I’ll tell you, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does everyday? I’m used to being very productive and working real hard in an administration. We want to make sure that that VP slot would be a fruitful type of position, especially for Alaskans and for the things that we’re trying to accomplish up here for the rest of the U.S., before I can even start addressing that question.


here is the opening, and a link to the transcript:

My Interview with Alaska Governor Sarah Palin   [Larry Kudlow]

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has exactly the high energy, political toughness, and conservative reform message that would boost Sen. John McCain’s presidential run if Big Mac were to put her on the ticket. In an interview last evening on CNBC, Palin was very clear on her drill, drill, drill message for Alaska and the rest of the U.S., along with her strong supply-side tax-cutting and free-market economic views. She did not shirk from questions about an investigation of her firing the state’s safety commissioner. She told us she has nothing to hide — let them bring it on.

Palin is dealing with Alaska’s culture of corruption by supporting all manner of reform and investigation. She basically dissed Ted Stevens, calling him a distraction. She then talked about cleansing the Republican party of all the pork-barrel corruption that cost it the congressional election of November 2006.

Palin’s response to all the vice-presidential talk is fascinating. It was a point of view I have never heard before and it underscored her independence. I have interviewed all the veep prospects, and I still have Gov. Palin at the top of my list.

I hope readers will enjoy this interview:

Transcript