Follow BeltwayBlips on Twitter
Right On Time
Talking Points Memo —
... At TPMMuckraker we've been on the Palin/Trooper-gate story for a while. And we've just reported that the investigation by the state legislature is scheduled to report its findings in the first couple days of November. ...
Sarah's Soap Opera
Taylor Marsh —
... it’s a hail Mary pass. Desperate, in fact. But after getting so much
traction on focusing everything on Obama in a year where the Republican brand
is in the crapper, why would McCain risk it all by nominating Sarah Palin, which
results in all the scrutiny to be turned on his pick of her? Especially when she comes with real baggage
that could have people talking all next week about her ethics
issues and the investigation
currently underway.
TPMMuckraker
has the rundown of the story: ...
The Washington Post Trumps Up Palin "Scandal"
Weekly Standard Blog —
Following the lead of hackish lefty bloggers, the Washington Post has published a shoddy report on an alleged scandal involving John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin.
In a nutshell, Palin faces allegations that she pressured a political appointee, public safety commissioner Walt Monegan, to fire state trooper Mike Wooten, who was involved in a messy divorce and child custody fight with Palin’s sister. Last month, Palin fired public safety commissioner Monegan. She has said the firing wasn’t about trooper Wooten, ...
Forgetting Sarah Palin--It's McCain's CHARACTER, Stupid!
Open Left - Front Page —
... who leads the state Senate's Legislative Counsel Committee.
French's committee unanimously authorized an investigation into the dismissal of the state's public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, who claims he balked at pressure to remove Trooper Mike Wooten, who had an acrimonious divorce from Palin's sister.
The ethics complaint is here (PDF). Talking Points Memo has a timeline here, and a good overview of the story, with links, here.
The headline of the last story is quite telling, as a way of further ...
SUNDAY ROUNDUP
News —
... bloggers are circulating an Anchorage Daily News story saying Palin ran on a build-the-bridge platform in 2006 despite her said opposition to the bridge, The Page writes. TPM's Will Thomas says that Palin's shift on the bridge only seems consistent with her desire to join the national political stage. FROM THE BLOGS: [image] Palin Attacks Counterproductive - Michelle Malkin [image] Bush & Cheney Will Miss Too -Todd Beeton, MyDD [image] Probe May Spell Problem for Palin - TPM [image] Obama: Compete with China, Turn off TV - ...
Kid Gloves Watch
Talking Points Memo —
... with her last week. The investigator, Steve Branchflower, is charged with finishing his investigation by October 31st, which means he must depose Palin sometime over the next 8 weeks, presumably much sooner than later. So is she currently in contact with Branchflower, will she be returning to Alaska for the deposition, and when? ...
Palin (and McCain) in Loads of Trouble...
The BRAD BLOG —
... week, much less the General Election. Even with that lock, I still don't see how she ultimately survives at this rate.
(Though Dem partisans might be careful what they wish for, as a second shot at it will almost certainly bring a more sensible, and palatable, pick.)
The most salacious of the concerns (so far) came today, as 1) the admission that Palin's unwed teenage daughter is pregnant and 2) she's now lawyering up in Alaska to fight the "TrooperGate" investigation.
And then there are all the other concerns and questions, ...
