Geithner, Daschle, and Now Palin...Will The GOP Hold Her To The Same Standard of Accountability?

Curious whether all those Republicans and conservative commentators who argued that Tom Daschle's and Timothy Geithner's back-tax issues were so serious as to disqualify them from holding cabinet positions will stick to those beliefs when it comes to their Alaskan whack-job's presidential aspirations or even re-election?

Gov. Sarah Palin must pay income taxes on thousands of dollars in expense money she received while living at her Wasilla home, under a new determination by state officials.

The governor's office wouldn't say this week how much she owes in back taxes for meal money, or whether she intends to continue to receive the per diem allowance. As of December, she was still charging the state for meals and incidentals.

"The amount of taxes owed is a private matter," Sharon Leighow, Palin's spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. "If the governor collects future per diem, those documents would be a matter of public record."

Mark Nickolas is the Managing Editor of Political Base.