Round 2 Of McCain Troopergate Stall: Part Karl Rove, Part Laurel & Hardy

Since Monday the McCain camp has stepped up its personal attacks against Alaskans. They've continued their D.C.-style tactics against neighbors in this small state. The game plan is to find an excuse to stop our Legislature's Troopergate investigation, and hide evidence McCain's folks really don't want to surface before November's election. It's been a little Karl Rove, and parts Laurel and Hardy. How else can you explain the following?

Friday the Attorney General's office promised state witnesses would comply with subpoenas the Legislature issued last week. Tuesday the Governor's Attorney General flip flopped, and announced that state witnesses wouldn't comply because, well, and I'm paraphrasing here - - he's changed his mind. And in what has to be an idea hatched after a 4th Martini at Chilkoot Charlies, Governor Palin's attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss the ethics claim she filed against herself two weeks ago. Yup. She really filed a complaint against herself. Tuesday she said she's discovered, after a thorough investigation of herself, that she's done nothing wrong. Does anyone know how to get a hold of Jon Stewart and Tina Fey?

It's silly season up here in the far north, but this week's moves are aimed at one thing: John McCain's effort to find cover for being disingenuous. See, before Governor Palin's nomination for the Republican VP spot, she did the honest thing. She admitted the evidence -- of roughly 20 contacts between her staff and husband with Public Safety officials, seeking the firing of Governor Palin's former brother-in-law -- might lead a reasonable person to the conclusion that the she misused her office to fire a state employee. So when Alaska's Republican-led Legislature called for an investigation, she did the honorable thing and said she and her staff would comply. She denies any wrongdoing.

Things changed on August 29 when Governor Palin was added to the McCain ticket. Since then his handlers have told her she can't testify. They don't want the evidence in this case to come out. They don't want her to testify under oath. They don't want other witnesses to testify under oath. So they have engaged in daily maneuvers to attack, as disloyal to the McCain campaign, anyone who wants the investigation to move forward. They've now attacked two well respected prosecutors, and perhaps the state's most highly regarded law enforcement official -- the Public Safety Commissioner she hired, and then fired, Walt Monegan.

Every day this week McCain operatives have sung the same tune. Today a guy with an East Coast accent, who knows nothing about Alaska, stood in front of a McCain-Palin banner to lead the attacks against people he doesn't know. At press conferences on Monday and Tuesday campaign staffer Megan Stapleton spit vitriol to repeat her argument that this investigation is really a "Democratic" attack on Governor Palin. See, that's easier than just saying their VP has reneged on her promise to testify. It's easier than just saying they don't want anyone testifying before the November election. It's easier than admitting they are stonewalling a legislative investigation. Oh -- and I know they hate partisan stuff. Yesterday 5 Republican legislators -- all allies of Governor Palin, all supporters of the McCain campaign, filed a lawsuit against the Legislature to stop the investigation.

Here are a few things MCCain's operatives failed to say. There are a few small facts that make it hard to style this as a Democratic investigation. One is that Alaska is a Republican State. We have a Republican Governor and a Legislature of 34 Republicans and 26 Democrats. This summer the Legislature's Legislative Council voted 12-0 (8 Republicans and 4 Democrats) to hire an investigator, and appointed Democratic Senator Hollis French, a well-respected former prosecutor, to find an investigator.

Governor Palin stated she and her employees would comply with the investigation. French then hired Steve Branchflower, a former DA who most recently was hired by legislative Republicans to run the state's Office of Victims rights. And on Friday the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 (2 Democrats and 1 Republican in favor); and the House Judiciary Committee issued a 7 - 0 (5 Republicans, 2 Democrats) advisory vote, to issue subpoenas to witnesses the McCain camp had previously stopped from testifying.

Over the last two days McCain's outside operatives have vilified former prosecutor Hollis French -- as an Obama supporter who must have called this investigation to hurt the McCain ticket. But French was appointed to oversee the investigation by a 12 - 0 Legislative Council vote, and is probably the state's most respected legislator -- by Republicans and Democrats alike. He's so popular the Republican Party couldn't find anyone to run against him this year. They've called former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan -- a Native Alaskan who has served Republican and Democratic Administrations with honor, and put his life on the line in uniform- - "insubordinate." Odd, given that when Governor Palin fired him she offered him a different job. I guess being "insubordinate" was a job requirement for the new position. And they've challenged the independence of an investigator and former DA, who has no animus anyone can find.

Those Swift boat ads taught the McCain folks that if you say something untrue enough times, it can stick. My favorite moment of the week came when Governor Palin's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss Palin's ethics complaint against herself. Stay with me. Her attorneys have been buying the peyote, not me. See, on August 29 they needed to find a way to stop the Legislature's investigation. They tried asking the Republican leaders to call it off, and take one for the team. But the Senate President and others honorably said no. So they came up with an argument that the State Personnel Board -- 3 people appointed by Governor Palin and her Republican predecessor Frank Murkowski - had "exclusive jurisdiction" to investigate wrongdoing by the Governor.

The Legislature wasn't amused. So Governor Palin then filed a complaint against herself. That, they said, put "jurisdiction" in the hands of their friends at the Personnel Board. They argued that since the Personnel Board was now proceeding with an "investigation," the Legislature couldn't. To put icing on the cake, on Monday the Governor's attorneys moved to dismiss the Governor's case against herself. They said, and I loosely paraphrase again -- that they tried really hard and just couldn't find any evidence that the Governor did anything wrong. OK. I can't believe I just wrote that. And I wish it weren't true.

These are the things you have to do when your presidential candidate doesn't want his VP to honor a promise, and doesn't want evidence to come out before an election. These are the things you have to do if your folks aren't going to comply with a subpoena. That's because without spin the headline might read: "McCain Interferes With Investigation Palin Agreed To." How easy it is to re-write a headline. They learned that during the Swift boat campaign too.

All we can hope for is that members of the press will abide by what's taught in journalism school. Not to repeat the spin of political operatives without reporting the truth. Not to write "he said she said" stories, and pretend the truth is somewhere in the middle. But to report the facts. No matter how you spin it, Governor Palin promised to comply with this Legislative Investigation. McCain's folks got her to change her position. And the Legislature that voted for the investigation did so on a bi-partisan basis. End of story. End of headline.

Over the next few days McCain's folks will try to get local legislators to step in line, out of party loyalty, and reverse their vote to investigate Troopergate. But many local Republicans, like Senate President Lyda Green, have so far refused to play those politics. Stay for more from McCain's Campaign for "Change." They've tried to change the truth. They've succeeded at changing Governor Palin's promise to comply with this investigation. Let's see what they'll change next.

Rep. Les Gara, Anchorage, Alaska

Comments

[Audrey85]

This is simply more of the SAME slick politics that RULED over the American People for almost 8 years. You people are worried about Obama's patriotism, and you aren't concerned about the current Patriotic Whitehouse that thinks it is above the law. That hasn't issued one apology for taking America to war on lies for oil. That has yet to apologize to the many American Families who have lost loved one who sacrificed as the swore to do in a war based on LIES. That has yet to apologized for the many physical and mental disabilities caused by this war. That is still criticizing Russia, and other countries for following America's lead into a lie. Who barked at the United Nations when they voted against the war. He was out of control and said we don't need anybody's permission to go to war. Still you want more of the same with an Air head very lucky Alaskan from Idaho who is married to her separtist husband who says we will go to war with Russia if necessary a major nuclear power. Our stock markets are crumbling, America's very infrastructure is failing, housing market, oil, credit, jobs, the list goes on, you want 4 more years of the same? I think America's economy trumps RACE.
From: http://www.zcommunications.org/zspace/viewCommentary/3618/1

[Jeff8462]

hey brain surgeons of the left- was Officer Wooten talked too about the investigation? Noooooooooo this is a smoking gun - research this yourself. Boston Hearld, Sept 16th- nearly six weeks into the investigation, Wooten told The Associated Press yesterday that he has not been contacted by the Legislature’s investigator, former Anchorage prosecutor Stephen Branchflower.

"I have not been contacted by him, nor will I contact him," Wooten said. "If he wants to talk to me, I will cooperate 100 percent with him, but he has not contacted me"

Oh by the way Mr Wooten felt the need to Taser his 11 year old step son- I'm sure the left would be up in arms if it was a baby seal or whale.... the step son was Palin's nephew- I think Obama would have tried to get someone fired if that happened to his daughters.. what you think?

[karela]

Tasing a kid is bad. Even though the kid apparently wanted to know what it felt like and asked. Wooten didn't use a regular taser. He used a training taser with far less power. Still bad. HOWEVER, there is a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things and Palin did it the wrong way. She goes after personal enemies under the cover of her political office. Todd Palin also called the republican Speaker of the Alaskan House and tried to coerce him into firing the guy he hired as his chief of staff after Palin had already fired him from her staff. The reason for the firing and the follow up? The guy fell in love with the wife of one of Palin's friends. The couple have since married. Apparently the Governor of the state of Alaska thinks that it is within the power of her office to insure that the couple never find work in their home state again. (The Speaker didn't fire the guy and is therefore now also on the Palin list.) Palin abuses the power of her office. If she'd do it as the Governor of Alaska, she'd do it as the Vice President of the United States. This country can't withstand another Dick Cheney. And even if you don't mind slimey politicians, the rest of us are fed up with crooks, liars and thieves. The country deserves to know what it's getting.

[4TJefferson]

Isn't this what we have been dealing with for the past 8 years? C.Y.A., blame, coverup etc. The press may have actually got a pair now.

[JBS]

Don't count on it.

[RedKnuckles]

The press still doesn't have any balls, this is a state rep doing the blogging here. It's a sad day when our public servants have become our best journalists.

[TheQuestion]

Sometimes I wonder if the conservatives are'nt so thick that a guilty plea might not be enough to sway them from the canidates line.

[johnqeniac]

'must announce'? Why? To mollify a bunch of ditsy 'pumas' who now opt for a treasonous, dimwitted, dottering, warmongering repub over an intelligent dem? forget it. Everyone should vote their conscience this time. If they do that obama annihilates mccain. If not, then no matter how many bribes obama offers he can't beat the corrupt insanity. no promises on appointments.

[Amazed42]

well written and well said, thank you for telling the truth...

[LeonBNJ]

Your insulting the genius of Laurel & Hardy.

[JacklynD]

Guilty.

[limerica]

The Troopergate scandal is far from through,
It has the Republicans singing the blues.
Monegan claims
Palin’s to blame.
He better not stand next to a caribou.

[BigHeadTodd]

Wow. Thanks, Les!

The real Greek tragedy here is that is sounds like the McCain operatives are more worried about the public relations of having this inquiry go forward. The reality would seem, to my casual knowledge of the case, that it would ultimately produce a muddled batch of evidence that would result in a no-decision against Palin early in October. She could then take the pious stance of saying "I filed a complaint on myself, dammit. And there is no clear evidence against me."

Instead, like Bush-Cheney, they dig themselves in the foxhole of a dogmatic plan that they aim to stick with come hell or highwater.

I sincerely hope she IS the nation's "most popular governor" and that she is returned safely to that job on November 5th. My apologies to Alaskans who might not have known they had another snake in the grass.

[karela]

They're worried about the emails. They were so cocky about their power that a whole bunch of people close to Palin sent emails. Wooten kept them and other people have seen them. That is indeed proof. Also, her unofficial/official email got hacked yesterday and she knows what was there to find. She really doesn't think she did anything wrong because she thinks that if SHE does it, it's right by definition.

[arthur2008]

The rule of law doesn't apply to mavericks.

[Phoenixredux]

See, they're acting presidential already!

[flabingo]

Palin, Roe VS Wade, other wedge issues don't count, these are serious times and the choice is obvious. McCain does not have the intelligence, character, or temperment to be President.

[Kache]

Not to mention - he also doesn't have the VP to be President.

[Snerdgronk]

Mr Gara:
I don't know if you read these comments, but regardless, I wish to concur with all the other rave reviews,

This is a red meat article, well cooked in a rich sauce ... an example of what journalism was and could be again. Tasty mouthful after tasty mouthful!

Finally someone who is able to convey the "a-Palin" state of the NeoCon movement and the political "dis-coarse" it has perpetuated ... or rather be 'allow' to perpetuate.

Snerd

[karela]

Ya know what's really sad? In order to get around the trooper gate thing, she said yesterday that she fired him because: A: He tried to get funding for helping homeless runaway teens get off the street after Palin cut the funding. B: He tried to get funding to investigate and prosecute Sex offenders. Alaska has the highest incidence of sex crimes in the country, but Palin doesn't see it as an area to spend money. She has the $71 million left from the bridge to no where that she never gave back, but she's still hoping to build a bridge so that people don't have to take a fifteen minute ferry ride. She also has a couple hundred million in ear marks coming yet for all kinds of buildings. But brutalized women aren't a priority. When she was mayor of Wasilla, she fired the chief of police because he didn't want a law to pass that would have made it legal for people to carry guns in banks and bars and he wanted to move bar closing from 5am to closer to 2am. What kind of person wants to make it legal for a drunk to carry a gun in a bar at 4 o'clock in the morning? What kind of police chief wouldn't want to keep the crime down. The town only had 5,000 people at the time. This woman surely doesn't have the values of the small town where I live.

[Mugzi]

Yeah, she's a real humanitarian...she makes rape victims pay for their own rape kits, can be up to $1200, yet her kids fly free courtesy of the Alaskan taxpayer....haven't we had ENOUGH of these bozo's???

[luvienne]

What's the matter Palin? scared of the justice system.

[CL696]

There is no justice system...just ask the Clintons

[doug108]

We have to keep this twisted hack out of the WH at all costs. Reformer my ass.