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Sarah Palin's Wasilla Emails: Did She Violate State Law?
Sarah Palin made her bones as a self-proclaimed Republican reformer in Alaska when she turned on a Republican Party state chairman who had had been accused of wrongdoing. In 2003, that GOP leader, Randy Ruedrich, was one of three members of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission; Palin chaired the commission and served as its ethics officer. After the news broke that Ruedrich had hosted a Republican fundraiser with several oil company executives and had sent out an email notice for a different Republican fundraising event, critics demanded he resign.
Leading the anti-Ruedrich pack was Palin. She threatened to quit the commission unless Ruedrich resolved his conflicts. "It was a very simple issue," she said at the time. "It was black and white." And after Ruedrich was forced out, Palin, acting at the behest of state investigators, examined his computer files and found emails and documents showing that Ruedrich had used his state office to conduct partisan work for the Republican Party. The records Palin unearthed became evidence in a state investigation that led to a settlement under which Ruedrich paid a $12,000 fine.
Thanks to this episode, Palin became known as a Republican willing to take on a fellow Republican who had abused his office and misused state resources. But what was not known at the time was that a year earlier, Palin had used official resources for her own partisan purposes. In doing so, Palin, now the governor of Alaska and the Republican vice presidential nominee, might have run afoul of state law and the municipal code of Wasilla.
According to emails obtained by Andrée McLeod, a self-described independent government watchdog in Alaska, and shared with Mother Jones, in 2002, when Palin was in her last year as mayor of Wasilla and running for lieutenant governor in a Republican primary, she used her official city email account for campaign purposes. In a June 11, 2002 email to Randy Ruedrich--sent from her sarah@ci.wasilla.ak.us account--Palin asked if the state Republican Party would disseminate notices for her fundraisers. "I have a heckuva' lot of notices I would love to be distributed to all the [state party] lists because I'm not networked into all the valuable distribution lists that other candidates may be networked into," she wrote. "Can you do that for me?"
In a July 2, 2002 email to Ruedrich--with the subject line reading "right to life endorsements"--Palin complained that Alaska Right to Life, the state's leading anti-abortion rights outfit, had not endorsed her in the lieutenant governor's race. "Randy," she wrote, "I was allowed to 'vent' via [a] letter to the RTL Board re: their decision to not co-endorse pro-life candidates in the Lt. Gov. race. Man, I am disappointed." And the day before the Republican primary, in an August 26, 2002 email to Eddie Grasser, a leader of the Alaska Outdoor Council, a lobby for hunters and firearms owners, Palin expressed her disappointment at not receiving the AOC endorsement. She pointed out that she was a "lifetime member of the NRA" and a "recipient of its "Defender of the 2nd Amendment Award." In the email--which promoted her campaign positions--she objected to the process used by the AOC in endorsing one of her opponents in the Republican primary contest: "The AOC stated the endorsement was based on candidates' answers to the AOC's 'extensive questionnaire'...but in reality there was no questionnaire sent to Lt. Gov. candidates." She asked if she could "use the AOC's email address book to remind our members of my positions." And she encouraged Grasser to visit her campaign website. This email--also sent via her official Wasilla city account--was addressed to over 300 people in addition to Grasser. (In the GOP primary, Palin placed second in a field of five.)
Under Alaska state law, an officer of a municipality "may not use money held by the entity to influence the outcome of the election of a candidate to a state or municipal office." Asked whether this prohibition would cover a mayor using an official email account to promote and advance her own campaign, Holly Hill, the executive director of the Alaska Public Offices Commission, referred me to a decision issued by the commission this past July. The case involved a mayor of Unalaska named Shirley Marquardt. In 2007, she had sent an email to a city consultant and the city manager, noting who would be running against her for mayor. The commission ruled that this message had been more personal than political. But in its decision, the commission declared that the Alaska law prohibiting a municipal official from using public funds for partisan actions "covers a publicly-owned e-mail system."
The Wasilla municipal code also contains strict guidelines governing the use of electronic communications by city officials. Elected officials, according to the code, may not use the city's "electronic facilities" for "personal gain," to promote "political beliefs," or to "support or oppose any candidate for public office."
Palin is already involved in other email controversies. In response to an open records act request filed in June by McLeod, a registered Republican, Palin's gubernatorial office refused to release about 1100 emails received and sent earlier this year by Palin and her aides, citing what might be an iffy claim of executive privilege. McLeod has appealed that decision. And emails that were released to McLeod in July indicate that Palin, as governor, has used a private email account for her official duties.
As Palin and Republican presidential nominee John McCain sell themselves as a pair of reform-minded, no-business-as-usual agents of change, Palin has not yet answered questions about her email controversies. An email sent to Maria Comella, Palin's campaign spokesperson, requesting a comment for this story went unanswered.
UPDATE: In 2004, the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman published a story reporting that anonymous letters had been sent to the Alaska Public Offices Commission and several media outlets alleging that Palin had used her city e-mail account for campaign-related work, had held campaign-related meetings in her office, and had used her office telephone for calls regarding her campaign for lieutenant governor. The complaint cited the email she had sent to the Alaska Outdoor Council. Palin told the newspaper that this one particular email had been an isolated event. She blamed Randy Ruedrich supporters for launching an unfair attack on her; Ruedrich denied any knowledge of the letters. An APOC official stated at the time that the commission would not investigate the complaint because it was anonymous.
Is Trig at the Heart of Media's Reaction to Palin?
Mona Charen Tue Sep 9, 3:00 AM ET
There were basically two things known about Sarah Palin when her name was announced on Aug. 29 and the media sphere began to shudder and pulsate: She was a recently elected governor and the mother of five children including a handicapped infant. The scorn from the mainstream press and the left-leaning blog world was both intense and instantaneous. Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic immediately began circulating rumors that Trig was not the governor's baby ? that she had engaged in a huge charade to cover up her teen daughter's illegitimate child. The New York Times reported on the front page that Palin had been a member of the Alaska Independence Party. Eleanor Clift of Newsweek described the reaction of most newsrooms to Palin's elevation as "literally laughter." US Weekly rushed out a cover story picturing Palin holding her baby son with the headline "Babies, Lies, & Scandal."
And that was just the throat-clearing phase. NBC's Brian Williams wondered whether she could discharge her responsibilities with all those kids. Sally Quinn of the Washington Post asked, "Will she put her country first, or will she put her family first?" Mort Kondracke called her a "wacko right-winger."
Now it hardly needs mentioning that Brian Williams and company would sew their own lips closed before ever uttering such heresy about a liberal woman candidate. Nor would it even occur to them to question any male candidate's fitness because of the number of children he had.
How do the media poobahs explain it? They say (and to her credit, Sally Quinn has apologized for her comments) that it was Palin's inexperience that prompted their contempt. But aren't these the same people who had just the week before been defending Barack Obama's thin resume?
Something about Sarah Palin set them off before their own politically correct impulses ("Must Avoid Sexism") could inhibit them. By the ferocity of the response, you might have thought Palin was a secret member of a polygamous cult or had forced her daughter to give birth after a rape. But no, she was just the mother of five, hunting, fishing, NRA member, and governor.
I wonder if it was that baby.
Sarah Palin is no ordinary pro-lifer. She is an attractive, intelligent, ambitious, successful woman who has actually lived her convictions. Told that the baby she was carrying would be handicapped with Down syndrome, she and her husband made the only decision their consciences would permit ? to welcome this child with the same love they would give to any other. That decision is comparatively rare in America. Fully 80 percent of parents who receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome in their unborn children elect to abort. But it's not unusual at all among committed pro-lifers. I have met many in the course of speaking to pro-life audiences. And for every couple that has chosen life for a handicapped child, there are thousands and perhaps millions more who have abjured prenatal testing because under no circumstances would they abort their children. I cannot count the times I've amazed pro-choice people with the news that there are even waiting lists of couples who stand ready to adopt Down syndrome babies.
The example of people living their principles by embarking on the undeniably difficult path of raising a handicapped child is a hard one to dismiss. In fact, it's hard not to admire. Don't most of us, deep down, really think that the most humane and honorable thing is to treat all life as sacred? Even if you are not religious or have no belief in God ? doesn't it appeal to an enlightened humanism to give support and love to the handicapped? In fact, most pro-choice people probably treat the handicapped with terrific compassion and care. They doubtless support civil rights legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act, additional school spending, and generous Social Security benefits. They'd be the first to hold the door for someone in a wheelchair, and they'd be friendly toward anyone with obvious mental retardation.
But for themselves, they would abort. And there stands Sarah, Trig Palin in her arms, a beautiful ambassador for the path of humility, duty, honor, and grace. It's no wonder she was in their crosshairs from the get go.
To find out more about Mona Charen and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
Waxler, you sir, are an ibicile
Lets take a look at truth for once shall we?
I am posting it because you would not go to the website, it is not LEFTEST ENOUGH FOR YOU
Sliming Palin
September 8, 2008
Updated: September 9, 2008
False Internet claims and rumors fly about McCain's running mate.
Summary
We've been flooded for the past few days with queries about dubious Internet postings and mass e-mail messages making claims about McCain's running mate, Gov. Palin. We find that many are completely false, or misleading.
Palin did not cut funding for special needs education in Alaska by 62 percent. She didn't cut it at all. In fact, she increased funding and signed a bill that will triple per-pupil funding over three years for special needs students with high-cost requirements.
She did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time. The librarian has said Palin asked a "What if?" question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin's first term.
She was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States. She's been registered as a Republican since May 1982.
Palin never endorsed or supported Pat Buchanan for president. She once wore a Buchanan button as a "courtesy" when he visited Wasilla, but shortly afterward she was appointed to co-chair of the campaign of Steve Forbes in the state.
Palin has not pushed for teaching creationism in Alaska's schools. She has said that students should be allowed to "debate both sides" of the evolution question, but she also said creationism "doesn't have to be part of the curriculum."
We'll be looking into other charges in an e-mail by a woman named Anne Kilkenny for a future story. For more explanation of the bullet points above, please read the Analysis.
Correction: In our original story, we incorrectly said that a few of the claims we examine here were included in the e-mail by Kilkenny. Only one of the claims ? about the librarian's firing ? was similar to an item in that e-mail. We regret the error.
Clarification: The summary originally said that Palin "tripled" per-student funding. The bill Palin signed will triple per-student funding for what Alaska calls "intensive needs" students, but has not done so yet. We also reworded that sentence to make clear the tripling is for funding for special needs students with particularly high costs. Special needs funding overall increased as well.
Analysis
Since Republican presidential nominee John McCain tapped Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate, information about Palin's past has been zipping around the Internet. Several claims are not true, and other rumors are misleading.
No Cut for "Special Needs" Kids
It's not true, as widely reported in mass e-mails, Web postings and at least one mainstream news source, that Palin slashed the special education budget in Alaska by 62 percent. CNN's Soledad O'Brien made the claim on Sept. 4 in an interview with Nicolle Wallace, a senior adviser to the McCain campaign:
O'Brien, Sept. 4: One are that has gotten certainly people sending to me a lot of e-mails is the question about as governor what she did with the special needs budget, which I'm sure you're aware, she cut significantly, 62 percent I think is the number from when she came into office. As a woman who is now a mother to a special needs child, and I think she actually has a nephew which is autistic as well. How much of a problem is this going to be as she tries to navigate both sides of that issue?
Such a move might have made Palin look heartless or hypocritical in view of her convention-speech pledge to be an advocate for special needs children and their families. But in fact, she increased special needs funding so dramatically that a representative of local school boards described the jump as "historic."
According to an April 2008 article in Education Week, Palin signed legislation in March 2008 that would increase public school funding considerably, including special needs funding. In particular, it would increase spending for certain special needs students that Alaska calls "intensive needs" (students with high-cost special requirements) from $26,900 per student in 2008 to $73,840 per student in 2011. That almost triples the per-student spending in three fiscal years. Palin's original proposal, according to the Anchorage Daily News, would have increased funds slightly more, giving intensive needs students a $77,740 allotment by 2011.
Education Week: A second part of the measure raises spending for students with special needs [the intensive needs group] to $73,840 in fiscal 2011, from the current $26,900 per student in fiscal 2008, according to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.
Unlike many other states, Alaska has relatively flush budget coffers, thanks to a rise in oil and gas revenues. Funding for schools will remain fairly level next year, however. Overall per-pupil funding across the state will rise by $100, to $5,480, in fiscal 2009. ...
Carl Rose, the executive director of the Association of Alaska School Boards, praised the changes in funding for rural schools and students with special needs as a "historic event," and said the finance overhaul would bring more stability to district budgets.
According to Eddy Jeans at the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, funding for special needs and intensive needs students has increased every year since Palin entered office, from a total of $203 million in 2006 to a projected $276 million in 2009.
Those who claim that Palin cut special needs funding by 62 percent are looking in the wrong place and misinterpreting what they find there. They point to an apparent drop in the Department of Education and Early Development budget for special schools. But the special schools budget, despite the similar name, isn't the special needs budget. "I don't even consider the special schools component [part of] our special needs funding," Jeans told FactCheck.org. "The special needs funding is provided through our public school funding formula. The special schools is simply a budget component where we have funding set aside for special projects," such as the Alaska School for the Deaf and the Alaska Military Youth Academy. A different budget component, the Foundation Program, governs special needs programs in the public school system.
And in any case, the decrease in funding for special schools is illusory. Palin moved the Alaska Military Youth Academy's ChalleNGe program, a residential military school program that teaches job and life skills to students under 20, out of the budget line for "special schools" and into its own line. This resulted in an apparent drop of more than $5 million in the special schools budget with no actual decrease in funding for the programs.
Not a Book Burner
One accusation claims then-Mayor Palin threatened to fire Wasilla's librarian for refusing to ban books from the town library. Some versions of the rumor come complete with a list of the books that Palin allegedly attempted to ban. Actually, Palin never asked that books be banned; no books were actually banned; and many of the books on the list that Palin supposedly wanted to censor weren't even in print at the time, proving that the list is a fabrication. The librarian was fired, but was told only that Palin felt she didn't support her. She was re-hired the next day. The librarian never claimed that Palin threatened outright to fire her for refusing to ban books.
It's true that Palin did raise the issue with Mary Ellen Emmons, Wasilla's librarian, on at least two occasions, three in some versions. Emmons flatly stated her opposition each time. But, as the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman (Wasilla's local paper) reported at the time, Palin asked general questions about what Emmons would say if Palin requested that a book be banned. According to Emmons, Palin "was asking me how I would deal with her saying a book can't be in the library." Emmons reported that Palin pressed the issue, asking whether Emmons' position would change if residents were picketing the library. Wasilla resident Anne Kilkenny, who was at the meeting, corroborates Emmons' story, telling the Chicago Tribune that "Sarah said to Mary Ellen, 'What would your response be if I asked you to remove some books from the collection?' "
Palin characterized the exchange differently, initially volunteering the episode as an example of discussions with city employees about following her administration's agenda. Palin described her questions to Emmons as "rhetorical," noting that her questions "were asked in the context of professionalism regarding the library policy that is in place in our city." Actually, true rhetorical questions have implied answers (e.g., "Who do you think you are?"), so Palin probably meant to describe her questions as hypothetical or theoretical. We can't read minds, so it is impossible for us to know whether or not Palin may actually have wanted to ban books from the library or whether she simply wanted to know how her new employees would respond to an instruction from their boss. It is worth noting that, in an update, the Frontiersman points out that no book was ever banned from the library's shelves.
Palin initially requested Emmons' resignation, along with those of Wasilla's other department heads, in October 1996. Palin described the requests as a loyalty test and allowed all of them (except one, whose department she was eliminating) to retain their positions. But in January 1997, Palin fired Emmons, along with the police chief. According to the Chicago Tribune, Palin did not list censorship as a reason for Emmons' firing, but said she didn't feel she had Emmons' support. The decision caused "a stir" in the small town, according to a newspaper account at the time. According to a widely circulated e-mail from Kilkenny, "city residents rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew her termination letter."
As we've noted, Palin did not attempt to ban any library books. We don't know if Emmons' resistance to Palin's questions about possible censorship had anything to do with Emmons' firing. And we have no idea if the protests had any impact on Palin at all. There simply isn't any evidence that we can find either way. Palin did re-hire Emmons the following day, saying that she now felt she had the librarian's backing. Emmons continued to serve as librarian until August 1999, when the Chicago Tribune reports that she resigned.
So what about that list of books targeted for banning, which according to one widely e-mailed version was taken "from the official minutes of the Wasilla Library Board"? If it was, the library board should take up fortune telling. The list includes the first four Harry Potter books, none of which had been published at the time of the Palin-Emmons conversations. The first wasn't published until 1998. In fact, the list is a simple cut-and-paste job, snatched (complete with typos and the occasional incorrect title) from the Florida Institute of Technology library Web page, which presents the list as "Books banned at one time or another in the United States."
Update, Sept. 9: We have revised this section dealing with accusations that Palin wanted to ban books from Wasilla's library to include more detail about what transpired at the time.
Closet Secessionist?
Palin was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party ? which calls for a vote on whether Alaska should secede from the union or remain a state ? despite mistaken reports to the contrary. But her husband was a member for years, and she attended at least one party convention, as mayor of the town in which it was held.
The party's chair originally told reporters that Palin had been a member, but the official later retracted that statement. Chairwoman Lynette Clark told the New York Times that false information had been given to her by another member of the party after she first told the Times and others that Palin joined the AIP in 1994. Clark issued an apology on the AIP Web site.
The director of Alaska's Division of Elections, Gail Fenumiai, confirms that Palin registered to vote in the state for the first time in May 1982 as a Republican and hasn't changed her party affiliation since. She also told FactCheck.org that Palin's husband, Todd, was registered with AIP from October 1995 to July 2000, and again from September 2000 until July 2002. (He has since been registered as undeclared.) However, the AIP says Todd Palin "never participated in any party activities aside from attending a convention in Wasilla at one time."
There is still some dispute as to whether Sarah Palin also attended the AIP's 1994 convention, held in Wasilla. Clark and another AIP official told ABC News' Jake Tapper that both Palins were there. Palin was elected mayor of Wasilla two years later. The McCain campaign says Sarah Palin went to the 2000 AIP convention, also held in Wasilla, "as a courtesy since she was mayor." As governor, Palin sent a video message to the 2008 convention, which is available on YouTube, and the AIP says she attended in 2006 when she was campaigning.
Didn't Endorse Pat Buchanan
Claims that Palin endorsed conservative Republican Pat Buchanan for president in the 2000 campaign are false. She worked for conservative Republican Steve Forbes.
The incorrect reports stem from an Associated Press story on July 17, 1999, that said Palin was "among those sporting Buchanan buttons" at a lunch for Buchanan attended by about 85 people, during a swing he took through Fairbanks and Wasilla. Buchanan didn't help matters when he told a reporter for the liberal publication The Nation on Aug. 29: "I'm pretty sure she's a Buchananite." But in fact, she wasn't.
Soon after The AP story appeared, Palin wrote in a letter to the editor of the Anchorage Daily News that she had merely worn a Buchanan button as a courtesy to her visitor and was not endorsing him. The letter, published July 26, 1999, said:
Palin, July 26, 1999: As mayor of Wasilla, I am proud to welcome all presidential candidates to our city. This is true regardless of their party, or the latest odds of their winning. When presidential candidates visit our community, I am always happy to meet them. I'll even put on their button when handed one as a polite gesture of respect.
Though no reporter interviewed me for the Associated Press article on the recent visit by a presidential candidate (Metro, July 17), the article may have left your readers with the perception that I am endorsing this candidate, as opposed to welcoming his visit to Wasilla. As mayor, I will welcome all the candidates in Wasilla.
Palin actually worked for Forbes. Less than a month after being spotted wearing the "courtesy" button for Buchanan, she was named to the state leadership committee of the Forbes effort. The Associated Press reported on Aug. 7, 1999:
The Associated Press, Aug. 7 1999: State Sen. Mike Miller of Fairbanks will head the Alaska campaign chairman for Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes, campaign officials said. Joining the Fairbanks Republican on the leadership committee will be Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin, and former state GOP chairman Pete Hallgren, who will serve as co-chairs.
Still, after nine years, the truth has yet to catch up completely.
No Creationism in Schools
On Aug. 29, the Boston Globe reported that Palin was open to teaching creationism in public schools. That's true. She supports teaching creationism alongside evolution, though she has not actively pursued such a policy as governor.
In an Oct. 25, 2006, debate, when asked about teaching alternatives to evolution, Palin replied:
Palin, Oct. 25, 2006: Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both. And you know, I say this too as the daughter of a science teacher. Growing up with being so privileged and blessed to be given a lot of information on, on both sides of the subject ? creationism and evolution. It's been a healthy foundation for me. But don't be afraid of information and let kids debate both sides.
A couple of days later, Palin amended that statement in an interview with the Anchorage Daily News, saying:
Palin, Oct. 2006: I don't think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class. It doesn't have to be part of the curriculum.
After her election, Palin let the matter drop. The Associated Press reported Sept 3: "Palin's children attend public schools and Palin has made no push to have creationism taught in them. ... It reflects a hands-off attitude toward mixing government and religion by most Alaskans." The article was headlined, "Palin has not pushed creation science as governor." It was written by Dan Joling, who reports from Anchorage and has covered Alaska for 30 years.
Ann Coulter is like Alex Rodriguez; she swings a mean bat all season long, but when the Summer ends and things really start to count, she's all but AWOL. Aside from some comments she made to fringe media and on her website, she's been all but absent this election season. Let's not forget this when we have to endure a new eruption of her pollution 4 months from now in the mainstream media. Let's please remember to ask her why she decided to lay low silently in her cave, when, in theory, her "wisdom" was needed most.
It's not easy to find comments by Coulter regarding the appointment of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate. Think about it: a female conservative candidate, theoretically attractive, vitriolic, sharing all of Coulter's views, possibly soon a heartbeat from the presidency, and Coulter has nothing to say about Palin? surely her soul-sister? to the mainstream media? To me this is either a sign that Coulter herself realizes just how malignant she is, and is acting to censor herself to prevent damage to the Republican ticket, or she is being controlled and told to stay quiet. Either way, hardly the picture of an indispensable voice of a social movement.
This is what she had to say about Palin to Newsmax.com on September 7, 2008: "The feminists just figured out that Sarah Palin has debunked everything they've believed for the past 40 years. Plus, they're bitter dried-up hags and she's a major hottie."
Coulter is now calling herself a "Polemicist". Apparently she's trying to cloak herself in some sort of quaint, intellectual garbage--- the type of stuff she has made her career out of mocking in others? in order to convince people she has actually been carrying out some sort of noble intellectual tradition all this time. And you thought she was just a castrating she-devil. I'm delighted in this term Polemicist because I'm quite sure a large number of her adherents will take this to mean she supports having multiple spouses. Polemic Journalism has its roots in feudal Europe, by the way, (an era which is surely a great source of Republican thinking). It was pretty much done away with the advent of libel laws. So when someone tells you the Republicans are trying to take us back to the Dark Ages, well, you just say, "you ain't kidding."
Is Trig at the Heart of Media's Reaction to Palin?
Mona Charen Tue Sep 9, 3:00 AM ET
There were basically two things known about Sarah Palin when her name was announced on Aug. 29 and the media sphere began to shudder and pulsate: She was a recently elected governor and the mother of five children including a handicapped infant. The scorn from the mainstream press and the left-leaning blog world was both intense and instantaneous. Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic immediately began circulating rumors that Trig was not the governor's baby ? that she had engaged in a huge charade to cover up her teen daughter's illegitimate child. The New York Times reported on the front page that Palin had been a member of the Alaska Independence Party. Eleanor Clift of Newsweek described the reaction of most newsrooms to Palin's elevation as "literally laughter." US Weekly rushed out a cover story picturing Palin holding her baby son with the headline "Babies, Lies, & Scandal."
And that was just the throat-clearing phase. NBC's Brian Williams wondered whether she could discharge her responsibilities with all those kids. Sally Quinn of the Washington Post asked, "Will she put her country first, or will she put her family first?" Mort Kondracke called her a "wacko right-winger."
Now it hardly needs mentioning that Brian Williams and company would sew their own lips closed before ever uttering such heresy about a liberal woman candidate. Nor would it even occur to them to question any male candidate's fitness because of the number of children he had.
How do the media poobahs explain it? They say (and to her credit, Sally Quinn has apologized for her comments) that it was Palin's inexperience that prompted their contempt. But aren't these the same people who had just the week before been defending Barack Obama's thin resume?
Something about Sarah Palin set them off before their own politically correct impulses ("Must Avoid Sexism") could inhibit them. By the ferocity of the response, you might have thought Palin was a secret member of a polygamous cult or had forced her daughter to give birth after a rape. But no, she was just the mother of five, hunting, fishing, NRA member, and governor.
I wonder if it was that baby.
Sarah Palin is no ordinary pro-lifer. She is an attractive, intelligent, ambitious, successful woman who has actually lived her convictions. Told that the baby she was carrying would be handicapped with Down syndrome, she and her husband made the only decision their consciences would permit ? to welcome this child with the same love they would give to any other. That decision is comparatively rare in America. Fully 80 percent of parents who receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome in their unborn children elect to abort. But it's not unusual at all among committed pro-lifers. I have met many in the course of speaking to pro-life audiences. And for every couple that has chosen life for a handicapped child, there are thousands and perhaps millions more who have abjured prenatal testing because under no circumstances would they abort their children. I cannot count the times I've amazed pro-choice people with the news that there are even waiting lists of couples who stand ready to adopt Down syndrome babies.
The example of people living their principles by embarking on the undeniably difficult path of raising a handicapped child is a hard one to dismiss. In fact, it's hard not to admire. Don't most of us, deep down, really think that the most humane and honorable thing is to treat all life as sacred? Even if you are not religious or have no belief in God ? doesn't it appeal to an enlightened humanism to give support and love to the handicapped? In fact, most pro-choice people probably treat the handicapped with terrific compassion and care. They doubtless support civil rights legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act, additional school spending, and generous Social Security benefits. They'd be the first to hold the door for someone in a wheelchair, and they'd be friendly toward anyone with obvious mental retardation.
But for themselves, they would abort. And there stands Sarah, Trig Palin in her arms, a beautiful ambassador for the path of humility, duty, honor, and grace. It's no wonder she was in their crosshairs from the get go.
To find out more about Mona Charen and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
Waxler, you sir, are an ibicile
Lets take a look at truth for once shall we?
I am posting it because you would not go to the website, it is not LEFTEST ENOUGH FOR YOU
Sliming Palin
September 8, 2008
Updated: September 9, 2008
False Internet claims and rumors fly about McCain's running mate.
Summary
We've been flooded for the past few days with queries about dubious Internet postings and mass e-mail messages making claims about McCain's running mate, Gov. Palin. We find that many are completely false, or misleading.
Palin did not cut funding for special needs education in Alaska by 62 percent. She didn't cut it at all. In fact, she increased funding and signed a bill that will triple per-pupil funding over three years for special needs students with high-cost requirements.
She did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time. The librarian has said Palin asked a "What if?" question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin's first term.
She was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States. She's been registered as a Republican since May 1982.
Palin never endorsed or supported Pat Buchanan for president. She once wore a Buchanan button as a "courtesy" when he visited Wasilla, but shortly afterward she was appointed to co-chair of the campaign of Steve Forbes in the state.
Palin has not pushed for teaching creationism in Alaska's schools. She has said that students should be allowed to "debate both sides" of the evolution question, but she also said creationism "doesn't have to be part of the curriculum."
We'll be looking into other charges in an e-mail by a woman named Anne Kilkenny for a future story. For more explanation of the bullet points above, please read the Analysis.
Correction: In our original story, we incorrectly said that a few of the claims we examine here were included in the e-mail by Kilkenny. Only one of the claims ? about the librarian's firing ? was similar to an item in that e-mail. We regret the error.
Clarification: The summary originally said that Palin "tripled" per-student funding. The bill Palin signed will triple per-student funding for what Alaska calls "intensive needs" students, but has not done so yet. We also reworded that sentence to make clear the tripling is for funding for special needs students with particularly high costs. Special needs funding overall increased as well.
Analysis
Since Republican presidential nominee John McCain tapped Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate, information about Palin's past has been zipping around the Internet. Several claims are not true, and other rumors are misleading.
No Cut for "Special Needs" Kids
It's not true, as widely reported in mass e-mails, Web postings and at least one mainstream news source, that Palin slashed the special education budget in Alaska by 62 percent. CNN's Soledad O'Brien made the claim on Sept. 4 in an interview with Nicolle Wallace, a senior adviser to the McCain campaign:
O'Brien, Sept. 4: One are that has gotten certainly people sending to me a lot of e-mails is the question about as governor what she did with the special needs budget, which I'm sure you're aware, she cut significantly, 62 percent I think is the number from when she came into office. As a woman who is now a mother to a special needs child, and I think she actually has a nephew which is autistic as well. How much of a problem is this going to be as she tries to navigate both sides of that issue?
Such a move might have made Palin look heartless or hypocritical in view of her convention-speech pledge to be an advocate for special needs children and their families. But in fact, she increased special needs funding so dramatically that a representative of local school boards described the jump as "historic."
According to an April 2008 article in Education Week, Palin signed legislation in March 2008 that would increase public school funding considerably, including special needs funding. In particular, it would increase spending for certain special needs students that Alaska calls "intensive needs" (students with high-cost special requirements) from $26,900 per student in 2008 to $73,840 per student in 2011. That almost triples the per-student spending in three fiscal years. Palin's original proposal, according to the Anchorage Daily News, would have increased funds slightly more, giving intensive needs students a $77,740 allotment by 2011.
Education Week: A second part of the measure raises spending for students with special needs [the intensive needs group] to $73,840 in fiscal 2011, from the current $26,900 per student in fiscal 2008, according to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.
Unlike many other states, Alaska has relatively flush budget coffers, thanks to a rise in oil and gas revenues. Funding for schools will remain fairly level next year, however. Overall per-pupil funding across the state will rise by $100, to $5,480, in fiscal 2009. ...
Carl Rose, the executive director of the Association of Alaska School Boards, praised the changes in funding for rural schools and students with special needs as a "historic event," and said the finance overhaul would bring more stability to district budgets.
According to Eddy Jeans at the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, funding for special needs and intensive needs students has increased every year since Palin entered office, from a total of $203 million in 2006 to a projected $276 million in 2009.
Those who claim that Palin cut special needs funding by 62 percent are looking in the wrong place and misinterpreting what they find there. They point to an apparent drop in the Department of Education and Early Development budget for special schools. But the special schools budget, despite the similar name, isn't the special needs budget. "I don't even consider the special schools component [part of] our special needs funding," Jeans told FactCheck.org. "The special needs funding is provided through our public school funding formula. The special schools is simply a budget component where we have funding set aside for special projects," such as the Alaska School for the Deaf and the Alaska Military Youth Academy. A different budget component, the Foundation Program, governs special needs programs in the public school system.
And in any case, the decrease in funding for special schools is illusory. Palin moved the Alaska Military Youth Academy's ChalleNGe program, a residential military school program that teaches job and life skills to students under 20, out of the budget line for "special schools" and into its own line. This resulted in an apparent drop of more than $5 million in the special schools budget with no actual decrease in funding for the programs.
Not a Book Burner
One accusation claims then-Mayor Palin threatened to fire Wasilla's librarian for refusing to ban books from the town library. Some versions of the rumor come complete with a list of the books that Palin allegedly attempted to ban. Actually, Palin never asked that books be banned; no books were actually banned; and many of the books on the list that Palin supposedly wanted to censor weren't even in print at the time, proving that the list is a fabrication. The librarian was fired, but was told only that Palin felt she didn't support her. She was re-hired the next day. The librarian never claimed that Palin threatened outright to fire her for refusing to ban books.
It's true that Palin did raise the issue with Mary Ellen Emmons, Wasilla's librarian, on at least two occasions, three in some versions. Emmons flatly stated her opposition each time. But, as the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman (Wasilla's local paper) reported at the time, Palin asked general questions about what Emmons would say if Palin requested that a book be banned. According to Emmons, Palin "was asking me how I would deal with her saying a book can't be in the library." Emmons reported that Palin pressed the issue, asking whether Emmons' position would change if residents were picketing the library. Wasilla resident Anne Kilkenny, who was at the meeting, corroborates Emmons' story, telling the Chicago Tribune that "Sarah said to Mary Ellen, 'What would your response be if I asked you to remove some books from the collection?' "
Palin characterized the exchange differently, initially volunteering the episode as an example of discussions with city employees about following her administration's agenda. Palin described her questions to Emmons as "rhetorical," noting that her questions "were asked in the context of professionalism regarding the library policy that is in place in our city." Actually, true rhetorical questions have implied answers (e.g., "Who do you think you are?"), so Palin probably meant to describe her questions as hypothetical or theoretical. We can't read minds, so it is impossible for us to know whether or not Palin may actually have wanted to ban books from the library or whether she simply wanted to know how her new employees would respond to an instruction from their boss. It is worth noting that, in an update, the Frontiersman points out that no book was ever banned from the library's shelves.
Palin initially requested Emmons' resignation, along with those of Wasilla's other department heads, in October 1996. Palin described the requests as a loyalty test and allowed all of them (except one, whose department she was eliminating) to retain their positions. But in January 1997, Palin fired Emmons, along with the police chief. According to the Chicago Tribune, Palin did not list censorship as a reason for Emmons' firing, but said she didn't feel she had Emmons' support. The decision caused "a stir" in the small town, according to a newspaper account at the time. According to a widely circulated e-mail from Kilkenny, "city residents rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew her termination letter."
As we've noted, Palin did not attempt to ban any library books. We don't know if Emmons' resistance to Palin's questions about possible censorship had anything to do with Emmons' firing. And we have no idea if the protests had any impact on Palin at all. There simply isn't any evidence that we can find either way. Palin did re-hire Emmons the following day, saying that she now felt she had the librarian's backing. Emmons continued to serve as librarian until August 1999, when the Chicago Tribune reports that she resigned.
So what about that list of books targeted for banning, which according to one widely e-mailed version was taken "from the official minutes of the Wasilla Library Board"? If it was, the library board should take up fortune telling. The list includes the first four Harry Potter books, none of which had been published at the time of the Palin-Emmons conversations. The first wasn't published until 1998. In fact, the list is a simple cut-and-paste job, snatched (complete with typos and the occasional incorrect title) from the Florida Institute of Technology library Web page, which presents the list as "Books banned at one time or another in the United States."
Update, Sept. 9: We have revised this section dealing with accusations that Palin wanted to ban books from Wasilla's library to include more detail about what transpired at the time.
Closet Secessionist?
Palin was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party ? which calls for a vote on whether Alaska should secede from the union or remain a state ? despite mistaken reports to the contrary. But her husband was a member for years, and she attended at least one party convention, as mayor of the town in which it was held.
The party's chair originally told reporters that Palin had been a member, but the official later retracted that statement. Chairwoman Lynette Clark told the New York Times that false information had been given to her by another member of the party after she first told the Times and others that Palin joined the AIP in 1994. Clark issued an apology on the AIP Web site.
The director of Alaska's Division of Elections, Gail Fenumiai, confirms that Palin registered to vote in the state for the first time in May 1982 as a Republican and hasn't changed her party affiliation since. She also told FactCheck.org that Palin's husband, Todd, was registered with AIP from October 1995 to July 2000, and again from September 2000 until July 2002. (He has since been registered as undeclared.) However, the AIP says Todd Palin "never participated in any party activities aside from attending a convention in Wasilla at one time."
There is still some dispute as to whether Sarah Palin also attended the AIP's 1994 convention, held in Wasilla. Clark and another AIP official told ABC News' Jake Tapper that both Palins were there. Palin was elected mayor of Wasilla two years later. The McCain campaign says Sarah Palin went to the 2000 AIP convention, also held in Wasilla, "as a courtesy since she was mayor." As governor, Palin sent a video message to the 2008 convention, which is available on YouTube, and the AIP says she attended in 2006 when she was campaigning.
Didn't Endorse Pat Buchanan
Claims that Palin endorsed conservative Republican Pat Buchanan for president in the 2000 campaign are false. She worked for conservative Republican Steve Forbes.
The incorrect reports stem from an Associated Press story on July 17, 1999, that said Palin was "among those sporting Buchanan buttons" at a lunch for Buchanan attended by about 85 people, during a swing he took through Fairbanks and Wasilla. Buchanan didn't help matters when he told a reporter for the liberal publication The Nation on Aug. 29: "I'm pretty sure she's a Buchananite." But in fact, she wasn't.
Soon after The AP story appeared, Palin wrote in a letter to the editor of the Anchorage Daily News that she had merely worn a Buchanan button as a courtesy to her visitor and was not endorsing him. The letter, published July 26, 1999, said:
Palin, July 26, 1999: As mayor of Wasilla, I am proud to welcome all presidential candidates to our city. This is true regardless of their party, or the latest odds of their winning. When presidential candidates visit our community, I am always happy to meet them. I'll even put on their button when handed one as a polite gesture of respect.
Though no reporter interviewed me for the Associated Press article on the recent visit by a presidential candidate (Metro, July 17), the article may have left your readers with the perception that I am endorsing this candidate, as opposed to welcoming his visit to Wasilla. As mayor, I will welcome all the candidates in Wasilla.
Palin actually worked for Forbes. Less than a month after being spotted wearing the "courtesy" button for Buchanan, she was named to the state leadership committee of the Forbes effort. The Associated Press reported on Aug. 7, 1999:
The Associated Press, Aug. 7 1999: State Sen. Mike Miller of Fairbanks will head the Alaska campaign chairman for Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes, campaign officials said. Joining the Fairbanks Republican on the leadership committee will be Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin, and former state GOP chairman Pete Hallgren, who will serve as co-chairs.
Still, after nine years, the truth has yet to catch up completely.
No Creationism in Schools
On Aug. 29, the Boston Globe reported that Palin was open to teaching creationism in public schools. That's true. She supports teaching creationism alongside evolution, though she has not actively pursued such a policy as governor.
In an Oct. 25, 2006, debate, when asked about teaching alternatives to evolution, Palin replied:
Palin, Oct. 25, 2006: Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both. And you know, I say this too as the daughter of a science teacher. Growing up with being so privileged and blessed to be given a lot of information on, on both sides of the subject ? creationism and evolution. It's been a healthy foundation for me. But don't be afraid of information and let kids debate both sides.
A couple of days later, Palin amended that statement in an interview with the Anchorage Daily News, saying:
Palin, Oct. 2006: I don't think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class. It doesn't have to be part of the curriculum.
After her election, Palin let the matter drop. The Associated Press reported Sept 3: "Palin's children attend public schools and Palin has made no push to have creationism taught in them. ... It reflects a hands-off attitude toward mixing government and religion by most Alaskans." The article was headlined, "Palin has not pushed creation science as governor." It was written by Dan Joling, who reports from Anchorage and has covered Alaska for 30 years.
Ann Coulter is like Alex Rodriguez; she swings a mean bat all season long, but when the Summer ends and things really start to count, she's all but AWOL. Aside from some comments she made to fringe media and on her website, she's been all but absent this election season. Let's not forget this when we have to endure a new eruption of her pollution 4 months from now in the mainstream media. Let's please remember to ask her why she decided to lay low silently in her cave, when, in theory, her "wisdom" was needed most.
It's not easy to find comments by Coulter regarding the appointment of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate. Think about it: a female conservative candidate, theoretically attractive, vitriolic, sharing all of Coulter's views, possibly soon a heartbeat from the presidency, and Coulter has nothing to say about Palin? surely her soul-sister? to the mainstream media? To me this is either a sign that Coulter herself realizes just how malignant she is, and is acting to censor herself to prevent damage to the Republican ticket, or she is being controlled and told to stay quiet. Either way, hardly the picture of an indispensable voice of a social movement.
This is what she had to say about Palin to Newsmax.com on September 7, 2008: "The feminists just figured out that Sarah Palin has debunked everything they've believed for the past 40 years. Plus, they're bitter dried-up hags and she's a major hottie."
Coulter is now calling herself a "Polemicist". Apparently she's trying to cloak herself in some sort of quaint, intellectual garbage--- the type of stuff she has made her career out of mocking in others? in order to convince people she has actually been carrying out some sort of noble intellectual tradition all this time. And you thought she was just a castrating she-devil. I'm delighted in this term Polemicist because I'm quite sure a large number of her adherents will take this to mean she supports having multiple spouses. Polemic Journalism has its roots in feudal Europe, by the way, (an era which is surely a great source of Republican thinking). It was pretty much done away with the advent of libel laws. So when someone tells you the Republicans are trying to take us back to the Dark Ages, well, you just say, "you ain't kidding."
Drip drip drip
The more we know. . .
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Palin is a rinky-dink religious fanatic who couldn't point out Icehockeystan in the former USSR on a globe of the world even if it had a glowing puck glued to it.
There is no reason why the mayor of any small town in America, including my own, is LESS qualified than her to BE PRESIDENT.
That's right, filling potholes and trimming trees from power lines is on equal par with negotiating with North Korea, deciding a separation of church and state issue, and ordering a nuclear strike. Just ASK PALIN.
-Wexler
Charlie Gibson did ask her, and look what happened: "a blizzard of words" and no clear answer, no clear grasp of anything from the Bush doctrine to the Pakinstan question.
Good job. I expect the right will find some way to rationalize this whole issue along with other hypocritical stances.
Ho ho. Icehockeystan. I love it.
Seriously, could she name five of the six countries that border Iraq?
Can she define the differences between Shi'a, Sunni, Kurds?
Does she endorse the Bush doctrine of NUCLEAR first strike?
If she did capture a stray dog in Wasilla would she know where the dog pound is?
Did she fire the animal control officer because he "wasn't a team player"?
McSame said Palin was fully vetted. Apparently not. Great story David. Now stand by for the spin...
The Bush Administration has proven that it is above the law. Palin has no worries about any scandal or corruption she has been involved with because now that she is McCain's running mate--she will also be above the law. I believe McCain (with Rove's direction) will win the presidency and we will have a Bush for life presidency. Bush may not be in the WH but his policies and agenda will be carried on thru McCain/Palin.
When Nancy Pelosi took impeachment off the table she gave the Republicans confidence that they are above the law and they need not worry about moral values because the voters dont care as long as they get their tax cuts and conservative judges.
Palin's email scandal, troopergate, lies about the bridge to nowhere, etc., won't bother the right wing voters--they dont care about values of their candidates, they care that their candidates will carry out their agenda.
Palin is simply a Conservative prop playing to the fears and ignorance of the American people. Lies, half truths, hidden agendas, tactics employed by Bush during the last two cycles. McCain's campaign is loaded with the same 'operatives' and advisers.
We really should be concerned about the comment that she made regarding the unprovoked Russian attack on Georgia. Unprovoked? Where does she get her information? How could she get this so totally wrong?
Hey, Sarah! You can check it out. It was in all the papers! It was on broadcast news shows!
I weep for our country.
This women talks as if she had been brainwashed by experts. If elected and on becoming president, as probabilities are numerous, Bush may be milder in comparison.
As an unfortunate resident of the clueless state of Alaska, I could not agree more that Sarah "aren't I pretty" Palin will most likely come out of all these investigations purer than driven snow. I truly cringe at the thought that any Alaskan could ever be voted into the White House. They're dangerous enough in the Senate and House.
All I can say is that any purportedly educated person lacking the intelligence to assimilate the facts of basic biology into his or her world view is not qualified to lead a pack of Cub Scouts, let alone (quite possibly) the entire Free World. This reckless reaping of dullards has savaged our political system and our standing around the world, not to mention the cost in actual human lives. With the choosing of Action Klondike Barbie doll, the bar has not just been lowered, it has been thrown into the sea. Where do we go from here?
...one thing's for sure. Obama certainly knows the difference between sunni, shia, etc.....
His muslim background certainly qualifies him for the Whitehouse....
Give her a break. You guys are obviously voting democrat. That's cool. You don't have to demonize an overachiever like Palin. She's so ordinary. I guess McSame should have picked you. But then he didn't. Guess you were over-qualified! lol
So many hypocrites.
Sure glad none of us never used the computers at work for personal business.
She should burn at the stake.
YOu say, "Yeah, but she went after others for doing what she was personally guilty of."
My point exactly. How does that make her any different than the criticism in these posts?
I shudder to think if Palin becomes vice president, but worse, if McCain passes on and she picks condi rice.
is this the best dirt we can dig up on her? using email for campaigning? Not too big of deal for me, and even less of one for the public. Her stance on the environment and hunting is atrocious. doesn't look good for the dems if this is all we got. she sounds like a really good extreme republican.
Playing Gipetto to the press's Pinnochio, the GOP has taken what appeared to have been a serious tactical error and turned it into a triumph. Regardless of your political bent, how can any (remotely) sentient being consider Palin as President? Therein lies the end of the world. Klaatu barada nicto.
Their is nothing smart and fearless about this article it is garbage. Can't you do any better than this?
Who cares? All this does is prove that she is qualified to fill any position in the republican party. Lie, cheat, suspend the constitution.... whatever it takes. Don't be surprised when she and McSame get elected by the ignorant voters in America who don't even know that they are being screwed.
nikto
about the bush doctrine,it actually is the wolfowitz
doctrine prepared by neo- think tank.then revised in 2000 and rewritten as the Bush doctrine. the doctrine
calls for striking any nation the pres. thinks is a threat to our security even if they have to make up false threats.
just google WOLFITZ DOCT.
point 2
the carl rove machine picked
IMPALEM.just watch her body lang. and you can see she is very twisted.
GOD HELP US
TAKE BACK AMERICA iN 2008
AND Put the UNITED BACK IN THE UNITED STATES.
Dane, Obama isn't a Muslim. It is apparent you are a Republican who cannot filter between facts and fiction. Perhaps, you should go to work on the McShame camp and tell the people that he really voted for a bill to teach Kindergarteners about sex instead of sex preditors. Or defend Palin because she had no clue what the Bush Doctrine was, or is amoral. Granted 95 percent of voters cannot tell us what the Bush Doctrin is, but then again they are not running for VP.
election year caveat:
"Truth is useless in the face of fantasy"
Good stuff. But you know what? If you want an Obama president you focus on McCain and not Palin. Feels a bit like some Rovian strategy - that's working at this point. Palin Bad? Very Much Yes. VPs swing an election? Let's not let this be the first time.
I believe democrats should assign a blond really good looking nobody as democrat's energizer VP and drain her impact.
Answer a gimmick with a gimmick
Can you all think of some one that can be our energizer VP
Thanks for the referral to StateDemocracy.org! They also let you download FREE widgets so your website can offer the opportunity to register voters, obtain absentee ballots and find local polling places -- for any jurisdiction nationwide.
Dane you are a fsck for attempting to perpetuate the "Obama was a Muslim" lie. If you actually believe it, then you're also an ignorant fsck.
Folks, this isn't the ONLY dirt dug up ... just the only dirt in this one article.
And Bob: How appropriate.
How many Republican mayors in USA. What are Palin,s qualification to be numero uno, America's Rovian Mayor?
She is certainly a palin in the rear. Ouch, that screeching voice!
The Bush Economic Policy is "The Project For The New American Century". Here is the url: http://www.newamericancentury.org/
That is the size of it in a nutshell. Republicans have a war plan to economically destroy Social Security, Medicare, Employment compensation, etc. anything that helps the common population get back on their feet to keep the average American subject to their obedience. The Republicans and the DLC want strictly 2 cultures in the United States, the HAVES and the HAVE NOT'S. NO MIDDLE CLASS, other than the DLC that will help the Republicans control the common population's have nots. No member of the common population should be a member of the Republican Party.
On topic, Palin's (a) use of the email system for politicking, (b) denial of such and (c) use of "executive privilege" to refuse access to said emails are all right in line with the current administration's views. McCain picked someone who has already demonstrated her willingness to continue the policies of the previous administration. No maverickiness, there.
Let me be as straight forward as I can be about Gov. palin, Dhe is a psycopath. a dangerous psychopath
TWO LINKS THAT IMPALEM SHOULD HAVE READ! READ AND SEE FOR YOUR SELF WHY THESE
ASSHOLES BELIVE THE LAW
Bush doctrine - SourceWatch More accurately attributed as the "Wolfowitz doctrine", and detailed in the National Security Strategy Document (National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass ...
www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bush_doctrine
http://work.colum.edu/~amiller/wolfowitz1992.htm
I had a drag on some mary hoping to see a glowing hokey puck and all I saw was dirty socks chasing me down a dark alley. What the puck????
On one hand, I absolutely want to cheer for any dirt digging that exposes corruption under this anti-corruption platform Palin is running.
On the other hand, my politics and my gut tell me that emails are private, and I have to stand by that. There are issues of privacy that are suspended for public officeholders that I agree with, but email isn't one of them. She shouldn't have gone after someone based on his emails, but neither should anyone else. Sorry, Mother Jones, but this disappointed me a bit.
RIGHT ON BROTHER! Your comment
has become my new personal mantra......I shall pass it on.........
Mrs.Palin is nothing but a manikin to the GOP to sell John McCain to America.and she can't even be trusted to STEER a fishing BOAT.She was inteviewed yesterday & she was asked a question about G.Bush's doctrine....Ooops ! Carl Rove DID NOT mention anything about it ?? But she answered the question any way
but the way she answered it ,I can't help but to remember somebody else's similar question & here it is :
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oh5R1blCqlc
I think Sarah Palin should watch her favorite network,
"FIXEDnews"and she might know
WHO IS to blame & FOX was FOXED by the guests !
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5idQm8YyJs4
She didn't answered because she's not real.she's a spoon fed what to say & how to say it and our politicians don't care as longer as their man is going to win ! I do feel that I live in two different countries ! one is Democtat and the other is Republican and none of them care about America or its people & no body to blame but the American people themselves who keep sending these CLOWNS
back to Washington to speak on their behalf !!!!!
To bahman,I think the Democrats might do just that,
by replacing Joe Biden with hillary Clinton.
The worst thing to happen to women in politics is that Sarah Palin was chosen by McSame. She is the best example of "any woman will do." Instead of "the right woman at the right time," which would have applied to HRC or "the right man at the right time," like Obama.
Ok Sara Palinis a fully vetted Republican now----she has all the qualities we've come to recognize as "Republican". She has demonstrated a total lack of morals, shown a willingness to lie with conviction, is very willing to "work" any system for unfair advantage, is religiously insane, and generally is a traitor and scumball!
How do we stop her? Democrats might have started by standing up for clean and honest elections in our nation---LIKE BACK IN 2000 AFTER THE REPUBLICANS STOLE THAT ELECTION!
IT'S TOO DAMN LATE FOR 2008!!!!!
Sarah Palin does not want to save the planet, and neither do most Republicans that I've heard comment on these blogs. They laughed at the Democratics for wanting to do so. They chant drill,drill, drill and continue to feel deserved of the lion's share of the world's resources. They say :"country first" which also says "everyone else in the world comes second". How can anyone want a leader that does not respect others? It isn't about emails, its about whose agenda do we want to follow for the next four years to work together to solve global problems. Unless they have a plan to transport future generations to another planet to survive, why do we let them laugh at those that want to clean up this one? Is that funny to you???? I'm certainly not laughing.