Palin Investigation Stalled By McCain Campaign, State Legislator Says

ABC News reports:

Is the McCain campaign afraid of an 'October surprise' involving vice-presidential pick Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska?

The Alaska state senator running an investigation of Gov. Palin says the McCain campaign is using stall tactics to prevent him from releasing his final report by Oct. 31, four days before the November election.

"It's likely to be damaging to the Governor," said Senator Hollis French, a Democrat, appointed the project manager for a bi-partisan State Senate Legislative Counsel Committee investigation of claims that Palin abused her office to get the Alaska public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, fired.

An Anchorage Daily News story suggests that Palin's lawyer is helping stall the investigation. He's trying to get the probe into the hands of a governor-appointed board:

The state has hired a private lawyer to represent Gov. Sarah Palin's office in the Legislature's investigation into the firing of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. The lawyer already has challenged whether lawmakers even have authority to oversee the inquiry.

...

Van Flein said the investigation should be handled by the state Personnel Board, not the Legislature, because it's "statutorily mandated" to handle ethics cases. The three-member Personnel Board is appointed by the governor.

And he's making it difficult for Special Counsel Steve Branchflower to interview Palin:

Branchflower hasn't been able to set up an interview with Palin. French said the state will fly Branchflower to wherever Palin is on the campaign trail if needed.

"Clearly the governor's new political role will make it more challenging for her to make time for this investigation," French wrote. But Palin needs to be interviewed sometime in September, he said.

Van Flein said the investigation is "bad timing" in the middle of a presidential campaign. He said he couldn't guarantee her availability this month.

If witnesses don't become available, French says, he'll ask for subpoenas.

Comments

[SoCalNick]

And I quote, “Only in Republican America would a black man with a law degree from Harvard, 12 years in politics, four years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and manager of one of the most impressively flawless and forward thinking presidential campaigns ever not be ready for the presidency while a white female evangelical with 19 months in national politics and a bachelors in journalism is considered ‘ready on day one’.”

[TheFoolkiller]

Socalnick You get my Foolkiller Truth Telling Award.

Great Post

[Shea4O]

Applause! Can I use your post? (hehehe)

[kimk3]

don't forget she was a tv sportscaster!

[hexham]

Quote of the Day. That one was read out loud to my family. Thanks.

[mayflowerbvb]

Please know that racism is alive and well in America and a huge number of media pundits lead the parade. Hence all the obligatory praise of such a questionable candidate. Very interesting.

[LemonMeringue]

And the McCains know it.

Where is their adopted daughter from Bangladesh? Why has she been cut out of family portraits and hidden from view since this campaign started?

[Sergeantsmom]

"Only in Republican America would a black man with a law degree from Harvard, (A PROFESSOR OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW), 12 years in politics (WITH IMPRESSIVE BI-PARTISAN LEGISLATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO HIS NAME), four years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and manager of one of the most impressively flawless and forward thinking presidential campaigns ever not be ready for the presidency while a white female evangelical with 19 months in national (SORRY-- STATE-LEVE­L....AND DID I MENTION WHAT STATE?) politics and a bachelors in journalism (WHO BOTCHES THE TERMINATION OF A STATE EMPLOYEE & MAKES IT A CIVIL RIGHTS HARASSMENT SUIT) is considered "ready on day one"."

(FRIENDLY AMENDMENT)

[ppp1604]

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense, make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves­.”
— Jesus Christ, Matthew 23: 14-15

What part of John McCain do we not get? McCain-Kennedy, McCain-Feingold, McCain-Lieberman, McCain-Edwards — among other socialist, anti-speech, open-borders, enviro-Marxist measures he’s co-sponsored with the hardcore left of the Democratic Party over the years.

[whitenoise007]

You need to take a closer look and understand what you're quoting here. In the first instance, Jesus is talking about the lowest form of hypocrisy, aka "taking the Lord's name in vain." Much like we've seen in the last 8 years where Christianity is prostituted to win votes (even one of bush's "faith based initiative" designers wrote a book about it, that's how bad it was!); where "evangelical" has become a two issue political party, condemning everyone who disagrees with them and the idol in the white house whom they worship, to hell, as if THEY and not GOD had that power to judge!

The second quote you misuse here refers again to an abuse of religion for power, not for worship of and obedience to God; what's worse, is they corrupt others along with them, making them believe that their hypocrisy is God's truth, much like we see with the "evangelical" political party, which corrupts others by preaching that all 66 books of the Bible are about abortion and gay marriage, while warmongering and corporate welfare are God's will.

As for the relation of these two quotes to McCain's past work, whatever point you're attempting is illogical. What does bipartisan compromise, which is essential in a democracy, have to do with taking the Lord's name in vain? Why are Republicans so afraid of democracy? And why is the "evangelical" wing of that party so ignorant of the Bible? Are they reading the Book of Mormon?

[ppp1604]

"We renew our call for replacing 'family planning' programs for teens with increased funding for abstinence education, which teaches abstinence until marriage as the responsible and expected standard of behavior," the platform says.

"Abstinence from sexual activity is the only protection that is 100% effective against out-of-wedlock pregnancie­s..."

so much for the REPUBLICAN Platform!

It is entirely fitting that the headliner for this masquerade is a feeble looking 72-year-old white guy who doesn't know how many homes he owns.

It's more than symbolic that when a million Americans are losing their homes to foreclosure, the Republican candidate for president has lost track of his holdings.

[LAB10]

Stalling? So Mac concedes she's guilty of abusing executive power. This is a plus for the repubs, no doubt.

[plooger]

Saw this one coming. No way were the Republicans going to let that report come out before the election.

And it sure puts into contrast McCain assertions of his confidence that she'll be vindicated.

[ptomama]

This is a REAL reason to be concerned about her ability to be POTUS in the event that something happens to McCain. Her and her husband's membership in a sessionist party is another reason. Using her God's will as an excuse or reason for a war is another reason. Seriously, for any of these reasons, she is not qualified to govern Alaska, never mind the be next in line as POTUS. Why is it that the only talk I'm hearing on Sarah Palin in the MSM is about her pregnant daughter????

[Sergeantsmom]

I second the motion!!!!!
But wait....Wh­y is the MSM all excited the 17-yr-old is pregnant, but NOT A WORD about why she missed the second semester of her junior year? Has she dropped out of high school? Did she get pregnant while she was home in bed with mono?
Like, nobody can keep an eye on their daughter 24/7, but most of us consider it our responsibility to see that she gets a high school education.

[JLopez]

I am taking bets.

I say she will step down by week’s end. Anyone want to predict?

[sherbug]

No, if a mother can hang her own daughter out for the whole world to ridicule, then she ain't backing down from a little bad publicity. Only way she moves is McCain moves her and he doesn't have the balls. I think Sarah will have to dragged off kicking and screaming.

[LemonMeringue]

I sure hope not.

She'll sink McBush like a stone. He's drowning anyway.

[Sergeantsmom]

I canvass for Obama.
And I can't tell you how many voters have been pushed off the fence & into the Democratic camp by the spectre of Ms. Palin.

[SMP]

Wont matter....­the National Inquirer is in Alaska digging...­..........­..........­.....no matter what you personally think of that paper.....­......they will find the truth and find a way to leak it early.....­..........­......the proof will be in the pudding...­moose pudding..L­OL




ps...the McCain camp going there to stall investigative proceedings tells us all she IS guilty and McCain never fully vetted her.......­.....15 min coversation wont tell ya chit about a person

[LemonMeringue]

Journalists need to do their jobs, so Americans can vote with the truth.

How ironic the National Inquirer has done it better than the MSM lately.

[BaltimoreSteve]

How long before Sarah says: I cannot comment on that since it is under investigation, followed by, I cannot comment on an ongoing grand jury, followed by, I cannot comment on an ongoing trial?
Anyone who thinks she's tuning up her foreign policy knowledge is wrong. She's learning the top level obfuscation playbook.

[danelle1]

Seriously, if these allegations are true then this is a repeat of The Bush Administration, zero accountability. I would hope that Americans are tired of seeing elected officials getting away with violating their oath, office and their nation.

For McCain who seems to be trying to distance himself from the current administration, he sure is utilizing the current administration’s playbook.

[CindyM2008]

But I thought she said she is cooperating fully, that she has nothing to hide???

[whozit]

Someone please tell me, just what is Mr. McCains "Executive Experience"?

[mesut]

he has none!! Funny how that's never been fully asked or answered by the media either. So it's just assumed he has it. Not based on leading anything with substance, mind you.

[4wehttam]

If the prospect of this person being our VP or POTUS wasn't so frightening, I'd be laughing my freaking head off by now.

[LemonMeringue]

There could not possibly be anything left to uncover about this woman.

She's only been a governor for a year and a half! She must have set some kind of record for scandals per years of service.

[MyAudacity]

Why would you select a Veep with pending legal problems? Why? Why?

[DoctorDoctor]

because the laws don't apply to well-placed republicans. just look at the "findings" to that effect put on almost every piece of legislation bush signed.