Over at Kos, they're saying

Jesus was a Community Organizer, Pontius Pilate was a Governor

Posted at September 4, 2008 6:24 PM in response to Fired Commissioner: Palin Hasn't Been Truthful on Trooper-Gate

In case you were wondering, here's a photo of Wasila City Hall.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/129/319098225_e3fb99541f.jpg?v=0

Palin remodeled the Mayor's office twice during her tenure.

Wasila is also a Town Manager form of municipal government. This means there's a professional civil servant who runs the city's finances. The Mayor is more of a figurehead, much like the Governor of Texas.

Posted at September 4, 2008 1:31 PM in response to Fired Commissioner: Palin Hasn't Been Truthful on Trooper-Gate

Two foreign countries. Russia and Canada. I'd love to hear her thoughts on border security with Canada.

Posted at September 4, 2008 9:51 AM in response to Palin As Reformer? Not Quite...

The Palins also have a number of real estate holdings in Big Lake, AK co-owned by Debbie and Scott Richter. The properties are organied as "Richter Investments LLC." The Richters also own a portion of the Palins residence in Wasila... (Assuming the Palins live rent free right now in the Governors' Mansion in Juneau).

Interestingly, Debbie Richter was Palin's campaign treasurer. Richter was awarded a job as the Director of the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend Division for her service. For those who don't know, the State of Alaska gives its citizens "free money" checks every year out of this fund. This "free money" comes from oil royalties collected and investments. The Fund is currently worth $35 billion.

Would you choose the Governor's campaign treasurer - and property co-owner - to honestly hand out oil royalties? Under her leadership in 2006, all Permanent Fund claims from residents (you have to make a claim for your check) were lost in a computer data entry failure...

Posted at September 4, 2008 12:39 AM in response to Palin As Reformer? Not Quite...

May I suggest you read former Alaska State Representative Andrew Halco's personal website for dirt on Sarah Palin?

It's a storehouse of scandal on the Palin Administration. And I think it was the source of the early rumors about Bristol Palin's pregnancy.

Here's a very interesting article on her husband Todd's oversize influence in state meetings. The guy's like Dick Cheney - got his fingers in everything...

http://ww.andrewhalcro.com/shadow_governor

Other lawmakers have shared similar stories and were shocked at how inappropriate Todd's presence was at meetings with the governor. Yesterday on the Dan Fagan Show, Representative Jay Ramras mentioned that Todd was working lawmakers offices during the ACES debate.

But more importantly, Todd's fingerprints on trying to impact personnel decisions appear to go beyond the current scandal revolving around State Trooper Mike Wooten.

Consider the story of one of Governor Palin's former trusted advisors, John Bitney...

Apparently Todd and Sarah have a well established habit of getting anyone fired that gets in their way.

Be sure to read the comments too.

Posted at September 4, 2008 12:06 AM in response to Palin As Reformer? Not Quite...

GOP lawyers have been at the scene of every crime.

Remember 2000 in various election offices in South Florida? Ben Ginsburg? The RNLA? GOP lawyers.

Remeber the 2004 vote and stolen election? Mark F. "Thor" Hearne, II? Jill Holtzman-Vogel? Jason Torchinsky? GOP Lawyers.

Is anyone up in Juneau, Anchorage and Wasila who can provide a list of these lawyers and just what they're up to?

Posted at September 3, 2008 6:22 PM in response to Palin Aide Dodges Trooper-Gate Deposition

Another name to watch is Mike Tibbles.

Tibbles was Palin's Chief of Staff as Governor - until he abruptly resigned in May 2008 to "spend more time with his family."

Tibbles family apparently didn't want him around, though, because now he's Ted Stevens' campaign manager.

Tibbles has been named in Troopergate as one of her aides who was pressuring state officials for the firing of Palin's brother-in-law.

Maybe he saw the writing on the wall?

Posted at September 3, 2008 5:35 PM in response to Palin Aide Dodges Trooper-Gate Deposition

It's not a question of who, it's a question of "where" and "with what?"

White House Appropriation funded-employees (aka White House advisor/staffers) do not face the same constraints as Schedule C appointees do.

The Appropriation employees can generally ignore most Hatch restrictions.

The one they cannot ignore is USE OF GOVERNMENT FACILITIES FOR ELECTIONEERING. Which is exactly what Bush did.

Exceptions have been carved out for use of Air Force One and Marine One (where campaigns pay the US Government a "reimbursable rate" for political travelers) because those are the only secure conveyances the President can use.

On the other hand, the President CAN GIVE A SPEECH ANYWHERE. There are no security concerns that say he can only, ever, speak from the White House. There is no White House building exception.

What he did while in the White House facilities was not legal under Hatch.

Unfortunately, there's no one out there to enforce it. But there's no Presidential exception.

Remember why the Bushies set up the sepereate RNC email system to communicate among White House aides? They said it was "in an abundance of caution" so they wouldn't use government resources for political activities. Same frickin' thing.

Posted at September 3, 2008 2:44 PM in response to Did Bush break the law in his speech to the RNC?

Mishandling codeword-classified top secret national security documents (and having that mishandling be documented in a government report) should be enough to disbar Gonzales.

Who wants to write the letter?

State Bar of Texas
1414 Colorado St.
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 427-1463

That should get him off of his "assistant to the Special Master" case right quick.

Posted at September 3, 2008 2:33 PM in response to OIG Report May Indicate Gonzales Perjury

This is actually an infraction.

Bush delivered his political speech from the State Floor of the White House (an area called "Cross Hall").

He used a White House Communications Agency Supplied podium.

He used a White House Communications Agency Presidential Seal.

This is use of both a government building as well as government resources on a non-reimbursable basis for political activity. This is expressly prohibited by the Hatch Act.

It will go unprosecuted because that's how things go in Bushworld. But its a very clear infraction.

As others have mentioned, Al Gore got grief for the fundraising calls he made from his office as Vice President. The act of making the call from inside the building was illegal - not the fact that he made a call.

Posted at September 3, 2008 12:57 PM in response to Did Bush break the law in his speech to the RNC?