Panel Finds Palin Abused Power (Troopergate)

Sorry for yet another Palin thread, but this is a long time coming, and serious potatoes.

The McCain campaign already released a report exonerating her – are they going to acknowledge this or just sling more mud at the panel?

Could this be the One True Fork that does them in?

I don’t suppose it will make a difference to Fox news watchers, but what about the crucial independent/swing vote? Has it been in the air long enough for Outrage Fatigue to have kicked in?

For those who want - linkee.

Will be called a Democratic kangaroo verdict. Won’t change any minds.

A longer article here.

If she abused her power as Governor of Alaska, why then are they saying that she broke no laws? Is abuse of official power, acceptable for elected officials in Alaska?

I don’t understand how it can be dismissed as a partisan investigation when it was started well before she became the Veep nominee.

Well, let’s hope she handles it as badly as she handles everything else. I wouldn’t have minded McCain too much, but I don’t want her anywhere near the White House.

Ditto. (bolding mine)

Except that most of that panel was composed of Republicans

But . . . but . . . but she’s a MAVERICK!

I don’t know.

It may have an impact on the Noonans out there.

Which in turn may have an impact on right-leaning undecided voters.

And of course there’s the right/left/center undecideds as well.

It does say it was a “contributing factor,” which may be sufficient wiggle room to concvince a lot of people to keep supporting her.

I doubt it’ll change the minds of many of the converted but it might convince others not to convert.

You betcha!

Interesting. I thought at one point she made a big deal about how she had cooperated.

Never let the facts get in the way of a good spin.

Someone can be unethical and not break any laws I guess.

Really though, most of the middle is already turned off on her and many are turned off on McCain as well. Those who see her as the new core of Conservatism in the GOP won’t let this stand in their way. Those who dislike Obama won’t like him any the more because of this. And the few who really want to vote for McCain will still want to vote for him.

It is going to be interesting to see how Republicans can justify voting for a new Spiro Agnew!

From the article:" A legislative committee investigating Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has found she unlawfully abused her authority in firing the state’s public safety commissioner. "

From the other article: “Palin abused power but didn’t break law in trooper case”

If she “unlawfully abused her authority” , doesn’t that, by definition, mean that she broke the law?

good grief that is one honking big report. the ones on the legis. table, look like 4" d ring binders. (from pic. in the moment by moment link in the pit thread.)

can’t say this is a surprise. i wonder if this will do something to the custody agreement, as the judge warned them about going after the exbrother in law.

Alaska Statutes.
Title 39. Public Officers and Employees
Chapter 52. Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act

She was going to (or at least said she was) until she was tapped for VP, then everything changed when McCain’s people took over.

There was an attempted bit of spin I saw yesterday evening, something about how “they didn’t even talk to her.” I think the spinmeister must have realized that that was just too seriously weak.

I got to consider that sloppy writing, and I’d expect to see it edited more clearly in later versions.

Prediction: Here’s the quote most likely to show up in Fox news reports and McCain campaign responses:

Of course, it does leave out “In spite of that” and the preceding sentence, but it does affirm that she did have the authority to hire/fire Monegan.

Link to the PDF