No surprise to me. When they said she was expected to announce she would not seek reelection, I was suspicious about how early it is. I knew there had to be more to it.
I think her handlers have built her up in her own mind...she needs to stay out of the national elections.
~~life isn't about how to survive the storm but how to dance in the rain~~
When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends. Japanese Proverb
This message has been edited by susanklmr on Jul 3, 2009 3:43 PM
I could be wrong, I have been wrong before...methinks there might be something else brewing. Just my suspicious, cynical mind at work when it comes to politicians, possibly.
After hearing her speech just now, breathless as it was, I hear her saying she's going after something much more important, doing something about the big government takeover. She also brought up the issue of "political bloodsport", raising a couple of media report, one being involving her son, Trig. IMO, she's had enough of the bloodsport and intends to put her energies into making a difference for her state and the country now, not later. I wish her well in her endeavors. Maybe she'll make a difference for the entire country. Lord knows someone should do something to take us in a different direction at this juncture. She might just be that person, working on national interests versus a single state.
If the reports coming out of the McCain camp are valid, she would have a lot to learn before making much of a difference.
But then maybe not when they tried to prep her for interviews and debates she is reported to have gotten impatient. Maybe she already has all the answers.
I think something big is about to break. Anyway she's out...Life is good.
***********************************
I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and
all the less important ones just never go away.
And the real pains in the ass are permanent.
I think something big is about to break. Anyway she's out...Life is good.
No life isn't good. PObama is still spending like a drunken sailor and Palin would have been cutting spending. But if you think the government provides bread and circuses then you have arrive in Rome.
Sorry, Maw, but this is not the last you'll see or hear of Sarah Palin. Quite the contrary.
You love having her around. Admit it.
I mean, she loves her husband and he loves her, she chose to honor a life by having a DS baby instead of an abortion, she's a shrewd steward of state treasure as evidenced by her performance, she's good looking, she has deep religious values, she draws crowds, she hunts, she's conservative. What's not to love about her?
The icing on the Sarah Palin cake is that she drives Democrats nuts.
*****
We'll be friends until we're old and senile. Then we'll be new friends.
-Anon.
Alaskan Sarah Palin authority (and occasional BRAD BLOG guest blogger) Shannyn Moore, who broke the news at HuffPo today, tells me she believes, with good reason, that there is an "iceberg scandal that's about to break. She's doing damage control."
She says Palin is "resigning as part of damage control" due to a scandal that is "not of a family nature." ...
"The governor would not be able to continue her job when it comes out," she told me on the phone just now, before adding: "Why would Mark Sanford not resign, but Sarah Palin did? Her family didn't even know about the resignation until they were standing with her by the lake" when she made her announcement.
Yes. It seems another shoe, apparently a big one, will indeed be dropping, likely within the next week or so. Perhaps earlier now that everyone will be poking around up there.
Personally, I hope for her sake, for her family's, and for the Republican party, she exits politics and becomes deeply involved in children's issues, i.e., something like Special Olympics or similar. She will never be anything but a lightning rod as far as politics is concerned.
But I am curious to the "shit" that's going to hit the fan involving her.
***********************************
I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and
all the less important ones just never go away.
And the real pains in the ass are permanent.
"The icing on the Sarah Palin cake is that she drives Democrats nuts."
Well, she does drive some of them nuts, and it's a very short trip!
***********************
What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom "to" and freedom "from." ~Marilyn vos Savant, in Parade
This message has been edited by barbhardi on Jul 3, 2009 7:47 PM
Thank you Sarah Palin for taking away the headlines on MJ, even if for just a short time.
***********************************
I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and
all the less important ones just never go away.
And the real pains in the ass are permanent.
Well, I dunno. It can hardly be considered a shrewd political move. The only postive spin I've seen on this is from the cult-like conservatives4palin.com .. And, they are far more fawining on Sarah than 90% of the so-called "Obamites" are about Barack. Even the WSJ is saying this is dumb move, unless of course, Dear Sarah means it. I mean, leaving politics altogether.
Palins Resignation: Shrewd Move or Political Suicide?
Susan Davisreports on politics.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palins decision to not only opt out of running for re-election but to resign as governor at the end of the month underscored the Republican lawmakers commitment to no more conventional politics as usual, as she said today in her announcement.
But if Palin is serious about a 2012 presidential bid against President Barack Obama, how smart of a decision was it to bow out of the only public office shes ever been elected to before the end of her first term?
In her lengthyand at times ramblingstatement today in Alaska, Palin said she didnt want to focus any more of her time or the states tax dollars in fighting off ethics complaints as her main reason to resign.
Its pretty insane, she said, My staff and I spend most of our day dealing with this instead of progressing our state now.
From that starting point, it will be hard to make the case that she is ready to lead a country if she is incapable or unwilling to face her political enemies.
On the other hand, Palin has been unable to carve out a serious role for herself on the national landscape since the 2008 campaign ended. While she has remained in the spotlight, her notoriety mostly involves ongoing public spats with the media, as seen with her recent fight with David Letterman.
Republicans are getting tired of the constant drama that surrounds her family, says Republican strategist Ron Bonjean, a former congressional leadership aide. To win over mainstream Republicans and independents, Palin will need to start talking about important ideas and solutions instead of creating or reacting to tabloid issues.
Stepping back from public service may be just want Palin needs to repair her image as a prospective national candidate and allow for her lagging poll numbers to rebound. Palin offered no hints today to her long-term intentions, but the overwhelming belief among Republicans and Democrats alike is that she is laying the groundwork for a 2012 bid.
But maybe shes not.
Palins biggest strength is her enduring popularity among the Republican base. A recent Pew Research Center poll showed that while she remains divisive among the general public, some 84% of white evangelical Republicans, and 80% of conservative Republicans, give her high marks.
If she were to choose the role of conservative activist over public office, she would be welcomed with open arms among the Republican base, where she continues to draw fund-raising dollars and large crowds.
Ill work hard for others who still believe in free enterprise and smaller government, strong national security for our country and support for our troops, energy independence, and for those who will protect freedom and equality and life, she said today, Ill work for and campaign for those proud to be American, and those who are inspired by our ideals and wont deride them.
If one thing was clear from her announcement today, its that Palin intends to remain a fixture on the national political scene.
Readers:What do you think about Palins decision to resign from office?
Well, I finally saw the whole resignation speech and it was a pretty weird rambling thing. I have to say that after seeing that, I definitely think shes doing it preemptively because of something that's about to break.
I wonder if it's either painful or confusing, or both, when a hyena's top teeth slam unexpectedly into nothing but it's bottom teeth? *chortle*
**************************
I gotta wonder what you mean gus. Here is how I actually think about this situation:
1) I'm glad that she is soon to no longer be our governor, she has been disengaged with governance since at least last August 29th, and probably longer.
2) Sean Parnell, our new governor, is pretty conservative, but he has lots of state political experience, I suspect he will do much better than his predecessor.
3) On the national stage? I doubt Sarah can increase her popularity beyond the 15% - 18% who would follow her into the bowels of Hell in any case.
She has done Alaska no favors at least since last August. And, as I've said before, her main antagonists in this state are mostly Republicans and other conservatives. That has been true since before her election in 2006.
The Moose Queen was a VICE presidential candidate, putz....she could have done NOTHING about cutting spending whatsoever had McCain/Palin been elected.
FURTHER UPDATE: Okay, I've now been able to get independent information from multiple sources that all of this precedes what are said to be possible federal indictments against Palin, concerning an embezzlement scandal related to the building of Palin's house and the Wasilla Sports Complex built during her tenure as Mayor. Both structures, it is said, feature the "same windows, same wood, same products." Federal investigators have been looking into this for some time, and indictments could be imminent, according to the Alaska sources.
The BRAD BLOG has not been able to receive confirm from any federal sources on this. Our information comes from local Alaskans who follow Palin, and who have been keeping an eye on this for some time, while keeping it quiet at the request of federal investigators.
Sarah Palin's holiday-eve decision to resign as governor blindsided TV commentators and bloggers who scrambled to come up with an explanation. The Daily Beast's presents a round-up of insta-reactions.
THEORY 1: VANITY FAIR HURT HER FEELINGS Palin locks horns with the media on a regular basis, and the most recent addition to Americas Palin-bashing oeuvreTodd Purdums 10,000-word Vanity Fair was a doozy. Palins closest colleagues ridiculed her with nicknames like Little Shop of Horrors, accusations of incompetence and a personality disorder, and leaked personal emails. Alluding to Palins notoriously thin skin when it comes to media criticism (last week, an amateur blogger named Celtic Div" Palin to ask for the president to intervene), Talking Points Memos Josh Marshall Palins resignation speech as a colossal sulk an effort on her part to ingeniously combine anti-liberal media bias agitation with Christianist politics by portraying herself as having been crucified by the liberal media.
And really, what better way to screw the media than making such a huge announcement on a holiday weekend? Gripes Politicos Ben Smith: So much for today being a slow news day.
THEORY 2: SHES RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT When Palin first announced she would not seek re-election, the conventional wisdom was that she would be running for president in 2012. As recently as last week, the governor was aggressively for her political action committee, SAt least some members of the Palin 2012 crowd pounding their drums. And hey, Barack Obama never finished his first term as senatormaybe its a new trend?
THEORY 3: SHES NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT MSNBCs Andrea Mitchell floated the notion that Palin isnt aiming for the White House or any other office. She genuinely hates politics, Mitchell on television moments after Palins speech:
She has told some of her biggest backers that she is free to choose other candidates for 2012... She told some of her top backers that she'd had it and was out of politics. She does not want to seek elected office... Sarah Palin will remain unpredictable but... as far as we know she will not be running for president.
THEORY 4: SHE'S PREGNANT AGAIN Shortly after Palin's speech, a flummoxed Rich Sanchez started possibilities, to correspondent Candy Crowley's chagrin:
Sanchez: There have been a couple of other, ah, situations that might cause someone to feel a lot of stress... and the one thing that's still left out there is, Hey! Could she be pregnant again? Crowley: Well, I certainly don't know the answer to that last thought.
THEORY 5: SHES SICK OF ALASKA CNNs John King reported that a source close to Palins political team said the resignation was a calculation related to her book deal and other issues that were causing a lot of friction up in Alaska. In her resignation speech, Palin said she can do as much good for Alaskans outside of office as she can in itbut is it actually the lower 48 shes after? CNN reports:
Another source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Palin "thinks she has accomplished goals she has set forward. She sees what a positive influence she has had on people's lives from traveling the country in the last year.
THEORY 6: IT WAS A WHIM Talking Points Memo notes that in the moments before her resignation speech, Palins twitter may have suggested that she hadnt decided yet on resignation. Palins blithe tweet referred to her decision not to seek re-election, but nothing else:
Well soon attach info on decision to not seek re-election this is in Alaskas best interest, my familys happy it is good, stay tuned.
Politicos Glenn Thrush that Palin met with colleagues all week and gave no indication that she was quitting.
THEORY 7: THE ETHICS POLICE WERE ABOUT TO NAB HER In her resignation speech, Palin said she refused to stand by while Alaska wasted taxpayer money investigating her, presumably referring to the states ethical inquiries into Palins behavior in the so-called Troopergate scandal. Earlier this week, the Anchorage Daily News that the bill for the Troopergate inquiry had neared $300,000; on the same day as Palins resignation, ADN rthat Alaskas Dept. of Health and Human Services Chair, Beverly Wooley, says Palin unfairly forced her out of office because Palin felt she wasnt in step on social issues. Meanwhile, The Daily Beast's Max Blumenthal that Todd Palin's snowmobile sponsor, Spenard Building Supplies, may have been mixed up in questionable political and Palin family business.
THEORY 8: SHES UNSTABLE Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse issued a statement characterizing Palins resignation as bizarre behavior:
"Either Sarah Palin is leaving the people of Alaska high and dry to pursue her long shot national political ambitions or she simply can't handle the job now that her popularity has dimmed and oil revenues are down. Either way, her decision to abandon her post and the people of Alaska who elected her continues a pattern of bizarre behavior that more than anything else may explain the decision she made today."
THEORY 9: HER HANDLERS ARE INCOMPETENT Could Palins resignation shocker simply be the product of poor handling? Republican strategist and CNN contributor Ed Rollins said Palin looks terribly inept:
I think everyone is shocked by this, and I think to a certain extent everyone is going to assume there's another story. You don't just quit with a year and a half to go. You certainly don't do this as a stepping stone to run for president. You finish the job that you're in, and obviously she's not doing that. You don't quit on the Friday of a three-day holiday. If you are going to do this, you think it through, you give a good speech
THEORY 10: SHES ANGLING FOR A TV SHOW Longtime Palin detractor Andrew Sullivan burst into a series of stunned yet not surprised at all posts on his blog at The Atlantic, and that she could always pull a Huckabee and parlay her political cred into a career on the small screen:
Once the klieglights hit, it was only a matter of time before she imploded or exploded or some gruesome combination of the two. The librul media will be blamed for everything on her inexorable path to becoming a Fox News celebrity. Maybe a reality show? Someone hire her for The View!
THEORY 11: SHE HAS A GOD COMPLEX In his controversial Vanity Fair profile, Purdum noted that multiple Alaskans who worked closely with Palin accused her of having Narcissistic Personality Disorder. While some that Palins attention-seeking qualities were de rigeur for politics, the governors resignation speech a desire to avoid a drop in relevance during her lame duck session:
Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional Lame Duck status in this particular climate would just be another dose of politics as usual, something I campaigned against and will always oppose.
The BRAD BLOG has not been able to receive confirm from any federal sources on this. Our information comes from local Alaskans who follow Palin, and who have been keeping an eye on this for some time, while keeping it quiet at the request of federal investigators.
Umm...With no disrespect to Mr. Blog, I'll wait on some other outlets...
In 49 BC, Julius Caesar led his army across the Rubicon River. As he did so, he reportedly muttered the phrase "Alea iacta est" - "the die is cast". It was the point of no return.
Sarah Palin has crossed the Rubicon today. It's a gamble of incredible proportions. None of us saw it coming, and we're the most dedicated political junkies you will find anywhere. It took our breath away.
I wish I had the eloquence of RAM, but for now it's fallen to me. All of us in the Palin camp have found quicksand beneath our feet today. Nobody knows what to think.
I'm a man of the world. As most people here know, I'm a military veteran who has flown in three wars. Been in dozens of countries and most states of the Union. I can curse and blaspheme with the best of them. Politically, I'm a libertarian and haven't voted for a GOP presidential candidate since the 80s (aside from an exception I made in November of last year.) I love Robert Heinlein and Ayn Rand. And Sarah Palin.
I'm also a Catholic - my people fled Ireland and came to this country because they were starving and dying - but they brought their faith with them, and despite my worldly cynicism I can't shake it. I was taught to never stop speaking up about your beliefs by my parish priest, who had been imprisoned by Nazis, beaten within a inch of his life over and over again until his body was nothing but scar tissue, and still never gave up exhorting against tyranny.
My political faith in Governor Palin was shaken today - I'm ashamed to say it, but it happened. So I did what this worldly, secular, guy rarely does unless he wants something - I took a knee and said a prayer.
And guess what - I found my rock. For me, it was an overwhelming feeling that I should look to Exodus, always my favorite book of the Bible. (Maybe it's because The Shawshank Redemption is my favorite movie - yeah, I'm hopelessly corrupted by pop culture.) Wherever it came from, I got out my Old Testament and re-read Exodus.
Don't get me wrong. I don't think Sarah Palin is Moses. But, as with so many things, I found a useful analogy in God's word to clarify my thinking. I won't spin off a full-fledged sermon (will leave that to Pastor Rob, or to RAM, who is so much better than me at spiritual matters). But I did see an analogy. Moses was set loose on the waters, and found by Pharoah's daughter. And he lived with them, as one of them, until he could no longer abide the evil that he saw. So he slew the overseer and fled into the desert, building a life for himself and his family until it was necessary for him to return to free his people.
Take from that what you will. Castigate me as some kind of holy roller, but I stand by what I say unashamed.
In any case, Palin has crossed the Rubicon and made her stand clear. She gave us a hint before when she said "Politically, if I die, I die." I think this was her equivalent of alea iacta est. She will now be the anti-Obama, standing up for her personal beliefs, free of the constraints the Alaskan people have placed on her. She is now free of them, and they of her - though I think they will be the ones to regret it first.
As for me, my feet are wet. Because I just waded across the Rubicon, too.
Umm... no, without your link, I would never have known it existed. You Lefties do that a lot.(*chortle*) And as well as I know how it clashes terribly with your alternate-reality comic book characterization, I don't frequent Conservative web sites, unless "Drudge" counts. Knowing as well how you will pedantically refuse to believe that, I will be equally shocked on both counts.
Umm... no, without your link, I would never have known it existed. You Lefties do that a lot.(*chortle*) And as well as I know how it clashes terribly with your alternate-reality comic book characterization, I don't frequent Conservative web sites, unless "Drudge" counts. Knowing as well how you will pedantically refuse to believe that, I will be equally shocked on both counts.
**************
no, I believe it. Drudge rhymes with "sludge" ... and you immerse yourself into both. Drudge takes the least of us, and tries to make it iconic. You probably don't realize that.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin might not be providing more insight into her surprise decision to resign, but she's wasted no time reacting to the reaction. In a message to supporters posted on her Facebook page, Palin expanded slightly on her rationale, and used the opportunity to attack establishment Washington and the press for the response to her announcement.
From the message:
First, I want to thank you for your support and hard work on the values we share. Those values led me to the decision my family and I made. Yesterday, my family and I announced a decision that is in Alaskas best interest and it always feels good to do what is right. We have accomplished more during this one term than most governors do in two and I am proud of the great team that helped to build these wonderful successes. Energy independence and national security, fiscal restraint, smaller government, and local control have been my priorities and will remain my priorities.
For months now, I have consulted with friends and family, and with the Lieutenant Governor, about what is best for our wonderful state. I even made a few administrative changes over that course in time in preparation for yesterday. We have accomplished so much and theres much more to do, but my family and I determined after prayerful consideration that sacrificing my title helps Alaska most. And once I decided not to run for re-election, my decision was that much easier Ive never been one to waste time or resources. Those who know me know this is the right decision and obvious decision at that, including Senator John McCain. I thank him for his kind, insightful comments.
The response in the main stream media has been most predictable, ironic, and as always, detached from the lives of ordinary Americans who are sick of the politics of personal destruction. How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; its about country. And though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make. But every American understands what it takes to make a decision because its right for all, including your family.
She even got the quote wrong that she attributed to General MacArthur (it was General Oliver Smith) ... Now, isn't that special?
Jim..
Quitters Never WinIn Sarah Palin's GOP, the leaders keep quitting and the troubles don't.
By Bruce ReedPosted Saturday, July 4, 2009, at 1:12 AM ET
"It may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down [and] plod along," Sarah Palin said Friday, in an attempt to suggest that serving her full term as governor would add to the nation's apathy. "That's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out." Sarah Palin is no quitter. That's why she's quitting.
She's not the only one. For the past six months, about all that Republicans have been doing is resigning. On Friday, Sarah Palin said she was stepping down because "only dead fish 'go with the flow.' " But far from swimming upstream, she's the latest proof that for Republicans in government, the tide is out.
Look at the 2009 toll so far. One 2012 Republican wannabe, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, announced he would not seek re-election next year. One of the top woulda-beens, Utah Gov. Jim Huntsman, quit his job to join the Obama administration and left the country and the hemisphere.
Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter quit the party. Last month, Nevada Sen. John Ensign had to resign his Republican leadership post to spend more time with his sex scandal. South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford resigned as head of the Republican Governors Association. After this week's disastrous AP interview, Sanford soon may have to step down as governor as well. As his Argentine mistress said, you can't "put the genius back in the bottle."
When did the GOP become such a bunch of quitters? What ever happened to the party of Larry Craig and his you'll-never-take-me-from-this-stall-alive spirit?
Some Republican strategists insist that resignation has its virtues. Mary Matalin told the New York Times that Palin's "brilliant" move will free her to camp out alongside Mitt Romney on the campaign trail. Certainly, we can all relish the next two years of watching the Romney and Palin broods go five-on-five across the heartland. But Romney himself is proof that quitting is no way to win. In 2006, he passed up a second term so he could campaign full-time in Iowa and New Hampshire. He lost them both.
The fallacy that successful presidential candidates are too busy to govern dates back to Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, who won the presidency as former governors. Yet neither Carter nor Reagan were quitters. Carter couldn't run for re-election in 1974 because in those days, Georgia governors were limited to one term. Reagan served two full terms as governor of California.
In the last 20 years, perseverers have prospered while quitters withered. Bill Clinton won a fifth term as governor of Arkansas before launching his 1992 campaign. George W. Bush won a second term in Texas two years before running for president in 2000.
Compare that with the dismal track record of strategic quitters. In 1986, Gary Hart chose not to run for a third Senate term and went on to meet Donna Rice. In 2004, John Edwards passed up a second Senate term and went on to meet Rielle Hunter.
Bill Bradley's decision not to seek a fourth term in 1996 helped cost him the Democratic nomination in 2000 to Al Gore, whose slogan was "stand and fight." Bob Dole's spectacular resignation from the Senate after he clinched the Republican nomination in June 1996 earned his campaign a few days of good press. But when his White House bid was over, Dole no longer had the Senate job he had loved.
Time after time, quitting has turned out to be the "worthless, easy path" that Sarah Palin insists it isn't. What makes her sudden resignation especially troubling, though, is not the flawed strategy so much as her jubilation and relief in putting the statehouse in her rear mirror. Palin's resignation is a symptom of what's crippling the Republican Party of late: Governing has become an unwelcome distraction.
Like Sanford's fatal press conference, Palin's bitter statement reads like a cry for helpan all-caps plea for someone to rescue her from the messy business of running Alaska. She passes up running for re-election because she doesn't need a title "to HELP people," then says she'll pack it in altogether rather than "milk" her lame-duck status by traveling to the Lower 48. Like Sanford, Palin snuck away to visit a distant land and fell in love with a siren she cannot bring home or leave behind. Her fatal attraction was the national spotlight.
Palin closed her statement with words she attributed to Gen. Douglas MacArthur: "We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction." Right war, wrong general: The man who said those words was Oliver Smith, who helped his men escape annihilation at the Battle of the "Frozen Chosin" Reservoir in Korea. She should be so lucky. For Sarah Palin, avoiding disaster continues to be a losing battle.
Bruce Reed, who was President Clinton's domestic policy adviser, is president of the Democratic Leadership Council and editor-in-chief of Blueprint magazine.E-mail him at thehasbeen@gmail.com. Read his disclosure here.
Palin attorney warns press on 'defamatory material'
Ratcheting up her offensive against the news media, Gov. Sarah Palins attorney threatened Saturday to sue mainstream news organizations if they publish defamatory stories relating to whether Palin is under federal investigation.
In an extraordinary four-page letter, Alaska-based attorney Thomas Van Flein warns of severe consequences should speculation that until now has largely been confined to blogs about whether Palin embezzled funds in the construction of a Wasilla, Alaska, sports arena find its way into print.
This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law, Van Flein warned, citing Alaska liberal blogger Shannyn Moore.
Much like Palin did in her Facebook statement Saturday, Van Flein savages the news media in his letter.
Just as power abhors a vacuum, modern journalism apparently abhors any type of due diligence and fact checking before scurrilous allegations are repeated as fact, the Anchorage attorney wrote.
Neither the Times or the Post made any mention of the embezzlement rumors in their Saturday editions, but sources close to Palin consider the letter a warning shot to stay away from the topic.
In the letter, Van Flein writes: "'The Alaska Constitution protects the right of free speech, while simultaneously holding those "responsible for the abuse of that right.' These falsehoods abuse the right to free speech; continuing to publish these falsehoods of criminal activity is reckless, done without any regard for the truth, and is actionable."
Still, the decision to issue a public statement reciting all the facts in the case now all but ensures that there will be mainstream media accounts of the situation.
While the Federal Government has a process to follow, and that process sometimes takes time, we can categorically state that we are not aware of any federal investigation that has been pending for the last seven years, Van Flein wrote. We are aware of no subpoenas on [the Wasilla supply company that supplied equipment for the construction of the sports arena and Palin home] regarding the Palins .To be bluntthis story was alleged during the campaign, evaluated then by national media and deemed meritless. Nothing has changed.
Scores of left-leaning blogs posted speculation in the wake of Palins surprise announcement Friday and among the most common theories was that she was on the verge of federal indictment over the 2002 construction of the sports arena.
Making the case for his client, Van Flein writes that Palin, then the Mayor of Wasilla did not oversee the Steering Committee tasked with running the project.
While her public support of this project was deemed pivotal by many, the actual construction, bidding, financing and other day-to-day management of the project was not in her scope of authority as Mayor, Van Flein writes.
Van Flein also notes that the project was publicly bid and therefore Palin had little control over construction.
The attorney also addressed another of the bloggers claims: that Palin purchased building materials to build her own home from the same supply store as was used by those who built the arena.
Prior to the construction of Lowes and Home Depot within the last few years in Wasilla, Spenard Builders Supply was the primary building supply company in Wasilla, Van Flein writes. It can hardly come as a surprise that it would sell materials to small homeowners or that it would also bid to supply commercial contracts.
As for how the Palins financed their home on Wasillas Lake Lucille, Van Flein says they used a combination of personal savings, equity from the sale of their prior home, and conventional bank financing to build the house like millions of American families. The deeds of trust are recordable public records. Basic journalism and fact checking would confirm this.
Palin attorney warns press on 'defamatory material'
Good luck with that. She's a public figure. She'd pretty much have to prove that the story is fabricated and the reporters participated knowingly in that fabrication.
It is unlikely that there was any graft or corruption with the building of the Wasilla Sports Complex and the Palin's home. It really doesn't make sense, and most people in Alaska are saying "pffffttt" to that particular speculation.
But, for this lame brain attorney to lay it at the foot of Dems/leftists, etc, is just pure bullshit. The loudest critics of Sarah have been Republicans in this state... even those who have not been incarcerated or indicted. Including our Senior Senator, Lisa Murkowski.
Neither the Times or the Post made any mention of the embezzlement rumors in their Saturday editions, but sources close to Palin consider the letter a warning shot to stay away from the topic.
Why would they pick those two specific targets for a "warning shot?" Could it be that they learned those papers have stories in the works?
The Brad's Blog link was posted for Jim's sake after he made this comment, "But, for this lame brain attorney to lay it at the foot of Dems/leftists, etc, is just pure bullshit. ."
As the attorney said, the facts are available for journalists who still believe in due diligence and place value on remaining reputable. Bloggers like Brad and those at HuffPo have no ethics. They just shoot from hip and care only about the 'hits' received on their counters.
She can make a ton of money using her popularity - lots of avenues open to her. And it might not last forever so she could just be trying to be sure she maximizes her return. And like she indicated she didn't want to shortchange Alaska and draw her salary while pursuing other interests.
"...Maybe it is just an economics issue. She can make a ton of money using her popularity - lots of avenues open to her. And it might not last forever so she could just be trying to be sure she maximizes her return. And like she indicated she didn't want to shortchange Alaska and draw her salary while pursuing other interests..."
Well, I agree and I would go a step further: Just take her at her word for what's she's doing in the short term.
This will probably make you ill, but what's happening is the flood tide of good will for Sarah Palin across the country has made her a true People's spokeswoman. This phenomenon gave her immense freedoms of choice.
Lucky, lucky girl. (That's one reason I don't believe the stories of rancour between the McCain and Palin camps. Palin knows she owes McCain an imperial debt of gratitude, and would never risk that relationship.)
*****
We'll be friends until we're old and senile. Then we'll be new friends.
-Anon.
She scares the leftist to death!..(no matter how they try to attack her and/or spin it...the more vicious the attacks the more proof of the depth of their fears! and it's very, very deep!)
The language of priorities is the religion of Socialism.....Aneurin Bevan
I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and
all the less important ones just never go away.
And the real pains in the ass are permanent.
You make the point young bimbo...I guess not having one of your own is a family trait.
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Aside from your crass bullshit answer; tell me this, why has it been Republicans and conservatives in Alaska who have been most critical of Sarah Palin? Or, is anyone who disagrees with you, and/or Sarah, automatically "leftists" in your mind?
Maybe it's as simple as .... she can't stand the sight of her own blood.
Huckabee: "Oh, it's politics. I mean, that's what politics is about. I tell people that, if you can't stand the sight of your own blood, don't run for anything, just buy a ticket and watch it from the stands. Because this is a full contact sport. No doubt about it."
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