From the moment she was selected as McCain's running mate, she was preparing for the debate and anyone aware of that fact knew she would probably survive ninety minutes with Joe Biden. While the McCain campaign put in all that time cramming her full of talking points, they have also been hard at work trying to stall the justice system in Alaska. McCain lawyers have done all they can so that the truth about Palin and her trooper-gate fiasco does not make its way into broad daylight. Even worse than that, if the report due out next week is bad enough, it'll go to the State House for a possible impeachment inquiry. Despite the GOP's best efforts, justice is slowly but surely staying on course.
From CBS News:
So the real, impeach and convict stuff won't come until Barack Obama is in office, but the report will still be significant. Republicans will cry about partisanship no matter how independent the commission is, but voters will see through their whining. What counts is Palin's reputation and what the undecided public wants to do about that. She has been tanking ever since she stepped out on stage with McCain. While last night helped stem the bleeding, a report showing that she abused the Governor's office for her own personal vengeance will open that wound up quicker than a vat of blood thinners.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) An Alaska judge on Thursday refused to block a state investigation into whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power when she fired her public safety commissioner this summer.
Judge Peter Michalski threw out the lawsuit filed by five Republican state legislators who said the investigation had been tainted by partisan politics and was being manipulated to damage Palin shortly before the Nov. 4 presidential election.
''It is legitimately within the scope of the legislature's investigatory power to inquire into the circumstances surrounding the termination (of) a public officer the legislature had previously confirmed,'' the judge wrote in his decision.
The probe is looking into whether Palin, who is the Republican vice presidential candidate, and others pressured Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan to fire a state trooper who was involved in a contentious divorce from Palin's sister, and then fired Monegan when he wouldn't dismiss the trooper. Palin says Monegan was ousted over budget disagreements.
The five Republican lawmakers had argued that the legislative body that ordered the investigation exceeded its authority. Their attorney, Kevin Clarkson, said the political bias was demonstrated by the plan of the Legislature's independent investigator to issue a report by Oct. 10 although the full legislature won't consider until reconvening in January.
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