In a stinging editorial in today’s Anchorage Daily News, the newspaper claimed that Gov. Sarah Palin is hiding behind the hired guns of John McCain to avoid accountability and cooperation with the Troopergate investigation.
The newspaper asked why Palin isn’t accountable to her own constituents, “The governor who said, “Hold me accountable,” is hiding behind the hired guns of the McCain campaign to avoid accountability. Is it too much to ask that Alaska’s governor speak for herself, directly to Alaskans, about her actions as Alaska’s governor?”
The editorial wondered if Palin can’t handle her own defense, “Is the McCain campaign telling Alaskans that Alaska’s governor can’t handle her own defense in front of her own Alaska constituents? Way back when, before John McCain chose Palin as his vice presidential running mate, Palin promised to cooperate with the investigation. Now she won’t utter a peep about it to Alaskans. Nor will her husband, Todd, who definitely needs to explain his role in Troopergate.”
The editors pointed out that it is offensive to see an out of state politician muscle in on an investigation, “Instead, Alaskans have to sit back and listen to John McCain’s campaign operatives handling inquiries about what Alaska’s governor did while governing Alaska. Residents of any state would be offended to see their governor cede such a fundamental, day-to-day governmental responsibility to a partisan politician from another state. It’s especially offensive to Alaskans.”
This is the problem with the McCain campaign’s overly heavy handed response to the investigation. By trying to squash the investigation it makes it look like Palin has something to hide. They are creating a scandal where one might not have existed if the governor and her husband would have stuck to their original intent to cooperate. I think it would be offensive for the residents of any state if a presidential nominee and his campaign injected himself into a state investigation about a state incident.
If there really is nothing to Troopergate, then Palin should cooperate, and let the investigation run its course. If she did nothing wrong, then she should welcome the investigation as a chance to clear her name. By allowing the McCain campaign to do what they are doing, Palin is destroying her credibility as an independent voice, because Palin is accountable to the people who put her into office.
The McCain campaign is somehow managing to undo all of their publicity about Palin being a new kind of politician and a reformer, by responding as if she is nothing more than a guilty politician who abused her power, and now needs to cover her tracks. As usual with the McCain folks, they have found a way to turn a positive into a negative, and nothing is going to cost John McCain more that his campaign’s ability to consistently pick the wrong strategy.
Full Anchorage Daily News editorial
Yet again the McChicken campaign proves that it does not know how to win an election. Folly after folly they still push in the wrong direction, even Carl Rove has questions the wisdom of the McChicken campaign. From keeping Palin lock up from reports for two weeks, and repeating the same disproven lies everyday makes one wonder why not go in a new direction? But with no issues to talk about and issues they can talk about they are on the wrong side of. This campaign will go down in history, poly sci students will read about this self destructing campaign, dummy books will be written how not to run a campaign. In short everything the McChicken campaign does seems to be a mistake. However it is fun to watch a national campaign implode.
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When did it become a crime to be smart in this country? How many of the Republican lobbyists and campaign officials and lawyers, etc. went to the SAME schools and colleges as those they make fun of? When did it become a crime to understand the difference between foreign policy and “opinion” about a country you’re geographically close to? When did “opinion” beat everything out, include facts?
If these criminals win, there will be a fight. But it won’t be overseas…..it will be here.
So McCain claims he’s for real change, but then does EXACTLY what Bush has done for his whole term in office–hide in the bunker from any questions.
Palin claimed she wanted to see this through, that there was nothing to hide. The decision to go forward with the investigation was bipartisan in Alaska, before she was picked by McCain.
Now, there’s the 180 degree change to secrecy, blocking and dodging.
It’s the same old, same old. Where did the old/former John McCain go??? When did he completely sell his soul??? This is not the man I respected for years . . . not at all. I am ashamed of him and disgusted by these tactics. It’s Bush all over again.
John McCain is a BAD man. he follows in George W’s footsteps, and this Palin, is a total joke. Wake up America! If we vote in these people, we may as well pack up and move to Alaska. After all, SHE, the chosen one, will not be there. Good luck to us all. We gonna need it!
By refusing to cooperate in a state investigation into abuse of power, Palin shows just how contempuous she is of the law and of the citizens of Alaska. McCain and his “fixers” know that the truth will lose them a lot of voters, and so they are using dirty tricks to keep anyone from testifying until it is too late to use the information to decide who to vote for. Alaskan’s should return the disrespect she has shown them and vote agains’t her.