Palin May Have Fired Aide Over Affair

The Wall Street Journal reports on another Sarah Palin firing -- one that sheds light on the way she mingled personal and political business:

Sarah Palin and John Bitney go way back. They were in the same junior-high band class. Mr. Bitney was a key aide in Gov. Palin's 2006 gubernatorial campaign. When she took office, she gave Mr. Bitney a job as her legislative director, and a few months later stood beside him at a news conference and praised his work.

"Whatever you did, you did it right," she told Mr. Bitney and his team.

Seven weeks later she fired Mr. Bitney for what her spokeswoman now describes as "poor job performance."

What happened in between? According to Mr. Bitney, Gov. Palin got a call from another old friend, Scott Richter, informing her that his wife, Debbie Richter, and Mr. Bitney were having an affair. Mr. Bitney had kept that secret from the governor, even as he told her of his divorce, he said.

...

When Gov. Palin was notified by Mr. Richter in July 2007, she called Mr. Bitney into her office. She already knew he was going through a divorce, and, Mr. Bitney said, he had "led her to believe there weren't going to be any more surprises."

Mr. Bitney said the governor "indicated to me that she was hurt, disappointed and upset, and that she didn't know what she wanted to do."

A few days later, Gov. Palin's chief of staff "indicated to me that I needed to leave the governor's office," Mr. Bitney said.

The Politico has more:

While Palin's office framed the departure as an "amicable" mutual decision, Bitney told Politico that Sarah and Todd Palin "were upset with me about my divorce and who I was dating, and they didn't want that in the governor's office. I wanted to stay with the governor and support the governor -- we're talking about someone who's been a friend for 30 years -- but I understood it, and I have no ax to grind over the whole thing."

Still, Bitney took a line from the "Seinfeld" character Elaine, deeming Palin "a bad breaker-upper."

Palin also fired, according to the Politico, "a campaign adviser whose mother-in-law fought Palin's legislative agenda, a local political mentor who she felt represented the "old boys' network," a police chief who she said tried to intimidate her with "stern look[s]" and a state commissioner who refused to fire her sister's ex-husband."

Comments

[ilovemydoggy]

I'm not surprised. Palin is not a calm, rational leader.

Baby boomer views: http://www.Vaboomer.com

[JLopez]

STOP Talking or blogging about this women, that is what they want us to do. Stick to the issues.

Wait, they dont have any..

[Bubba Gump]

Correction: Did you know John McCain was a P.O.W. 35 years ago?

[geminiboy521]

WOW...she will definitely help this country win friends and support aboard with her "my way or no way" attitude..­.She will truly lead this country to "a bridge to nowhere...­"

[Manchurian]

"My way or the highway to nowhere."

[AmericanVoice]

Well, I am glad to see someone covering this story, as again it points to the sorted lifestyle of revenge & pay back mentality. So again, we have character & leadership issues at question. I have included a few of my favorite links, to be examined by our informative public, these links will summarize exactly why I will not be voting for this ticket come November.

http://www.aiipowmia.com//testimony/hrdlicka1.html

http://www.aiipowmia.com//testimony/benge910tst.html

http://www.andrewhalcro.com/july_2_palin_and_her_widening_leadership_gap_does_it_really_matter

[Sharischul]

I see----and this woman could possibly be our president should Sen. McCain have the unmitigated nerve to die. The worse part is that Sen. Mc Cain is so proud of his choice...b­ut then again, he did have a choice.

[Vote For America]

Obama 278, McCain 260
http://voteforamerica.net/electoral.aspx

Republicans Stealing Democrat's Blue Brand
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=47&ArticleName=GOP+Stealing+Democrat%27s+Blue+Brand

Will the Real Palin Please Stand Up
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=46&ArticleName=Will+the+Real+Palin+Please+Stand+Up

[UrbanInterloper]

I'm sure the good governor will contact the press and go on air at once to clear all this up. Oh, right.

[kylennblack]

Meanwhile Sarah was (allegedly *ahem*) banging her husband's business partner. Typical.

[NinerTener]

I would love to hear the real story about Palin's alleged affair. The media won't pursue it. Maybe the National Enquirer will do their job, as they did with the Edwards affair.

The Repubs are supposed to be the "family value" guys.

We should be hearing more about McCain and his philandering ways. I saw a clip of him as a POW, telling his (first) wife that he loved her. It only took a bad car accident and Cindy's millions for him to forget his vows, his wife and his kids. Family values?????

[BobsNotWorking]

John Dean once said, "If you can't get laid in Washington - you can't get laid." Just imagine Sarah Palin trying to ride herd on all the White House hanky panky. I'm starting to wonder if she ever thinks about anything else. She's starting to seem like a high school girl to me. Pretty judgmental too!

[Bubba Gump]

With that in mind, the GOP needs to get Sarah up-to-speed on John & Cindy's affair during John's first marriage..­..

[GloriaY]

This woman is a dictator, even meddling in the private lives of her 'surrogates" Woe betide us if she becomes the vice. All those who plan to vote for , PLEASE TAKE NOTE . She will DESTROY you if you do not shape up, regardless of whom you are. She is DANGEROUS. She uses the big stick method and that is called DICTATORSHIP. America, look, listen and learn. Not another Dick , please.

[SadiSays]

Let's stand up and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T9xFN66GhQ

[cbStr]

Me thinks that the big O (B. Diddy Obama) and the Big "Oh no" (biden) are imploding. At least all of american can see their true colors. change and hope?? hogwash!

[rinpochet]

Speaking about hogs ....and wash!!

[mari2JJ]

I can tell you that polls are not even contacting the young, newly registered Democrats who only have cell phones, so try not to count your chickens before they hatch. Further, I would say Palin's lies are catching up with her so her padded record is falling apart. I guess some Republicans can take a big liar just so they are not for individual rights for women.

[Bubba Gump]

Palin fires at-will anyone of moral compromise but hooks up with McCain, who cheated on his first wife? Yet you say Obama and Biden are imploding? Are you even paying attention to your own words? If the GOP had any dignity left, they'd have picked someone like Mike Huckabee.

[QWERTY007]

Headlines:
Palin may have fired aid over bad hair;
Palin may have fired aid over food choices;
Palin may have fired aid over shoe style;
Palin may have fired aid over parking slot;
Palin may have fired aid over alien abduction;
BLAH, BLAH, BLAH

[kylie]

Palin's hair, it is pretty bad!

Wonder where the story went on Palin's affair with her husband's business associate--where does that fit in the "family values"? Another reason for the "lipstick on a pig" diversion.
Whatever the reason, issues that are left unanswered or unaddressed by the McCain campiagn, steal the naive public's attention. McCain and Palin get cover.

[mari2JJ]

You missed the truth one: Palin fires anyone she thinks does not live up to her conservative religious convictions, all the while telling lies right and left.

[longislandlol]

This is why we all need union protection against types like her in our work places--- especially our public schools-- where if you come in with a bad hair day-- Miss my way or the highway can fire---

[realitybase]

She is a PIG. No, no dishonor to pigs. I am speechless at these republicans, they ARE idiots. Palin is at best a major diversion to the real issues and taking up media time. If we are fortunate enough to have an Obama administration, it will be time to CHANGE THE MEDIA.

[cbStr]

We should not be so desparate. I am surprised you would fall back to advocate the government somehow "change" the media. Dont get me wrong, I think the state of the media in this country is horrid. But I also think any infringement of the right to free press is unconstitutional. In short, they (the media) are who they are because that is the way they want to be. Real journalism? Nope, all we get is non-stop political horseraces and brittney spears...J­ournalism is a dead industry in this country.

[HillbillyBob]

We do not have a 'free' press it is all owned by a handful of republicans and dinos.
so in essence it is the propaganda arm of Greedy Oligarch Party. Wholly owned and operated subsidiary of same.
The Government regulatory responsibility was to over see the 'Fairness Doctrine" that the benighted Ronnie Raygun snuffed along with his union busting, savings and loan deregulation. All of a piece, the corporate rule over us peons, in truth theft of the tax payers free speech, treasury and our other rights supposedly guaranteed by the Constitution they have used for TP for years and years.

[edgarallenpoe]

Off with their heads! Off with their heads! Show me deference and respect!

[SoCalM]

Where's Sarah?