The Sarah Palin Files, Pt. 6

Troopergate.

To me, second to Palin's complete lack of qualifications, this is the most stunning part of her selection - that she is currently embroiled in an abuse of power type of scandal. There are a number of reasons whyit surprises me that this did not take her out of the consideration. Here are the two most obvious:

1. Her "holier than thou" attitude toward government corruption. Part of her biography includes how Palin exposed graft and corruption in Alaska state government. Republicans love this of course, but their shouts turn to mumbles when it comes time to mention that it was corrupt Republican politicians that she turned on. But more to the point, if you are making your case based on your status as a "reformer" who has taken down corrupt politicians, it's more than a little hypocritical to be doing so as you're investigated for using the power of your office to enforce a personal vendetta against a family enemy.

2. The "Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before" factor. The Valarie Plame incident is in the nation's rearview mirror, but it isn't out of sight. Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said that there was a "cloud over the vice president" because Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby had obstructed justice. Only hard core right-wingers think that this kind of retaliation against one's political enemies is okay (of course, they'd be calling for impeachment had the shoe been on the other foot). For the rest of the nation, Palin's behavior in troopergate - and in particular her denials until evidence came to light that forced her to change her story - is going to be eerily reminiscent of the current occupants of the country's two highest offices. With Dubya's approval rating still in the low 30's (last I checked), why would you tap someone with Bush/Cheney-like tendencies to be your VP pick?

Anyway...

Thank god for Talking Points Memo. Here is a good summary of Troopergate. This saved me a lot of research and typing. This and this too. Check it out.

And furthermore, this appears that it is a pattern of behavior.