Articles/Highlights about Sarah Palin

Found Around the Internet

Under investigation...in less than 20 months

The Alaskan legislature is currently investigating Palin for allegedly trying to get her ex brother-in-law fired, and when that didn't work firing his boss.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washingtonpostinvestigations/2008/08/monegan_to_palin_maam_i_need_t.html

Apparently Shares McCain's Inappropriate Sense of Humor

Gov. Sarah Palin really stepped in it when she appeared recently on the show hosted by two admiring radio personalities, Bob and Mark of KWHL.

Bob used the b-word to describe Sen. President Lyda Green, who is no friend of the governor. Instead of saying she objected to her supporter's making such a juvenile and inappropriate insult, she giggled nervously.

Gov. Palin's gaffe made her an easy target for her detractors. She came off looking immature herself, almost high-schoolish. It was conduct unbecoming a governor. She should have thought twice about appearing in such a sophomoric venue. Not much good can come of it.

http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/293639.html

Anti-environment

Sen. John McCain's choice of a running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, favors drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, questioned the science behind predictions of sea ice loss linked to global warming and opposed a state initiative that would have banned metal mines from discharging pollution into salmon streams.

Earlier this month, the state of Alaska under Palin's guidance sued Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne in an attempt to reverse his decision to list polar bears as a threatened species. Palin said that scientists' predictions that global warming will eliminate the ice where the bears live in summer were unreliable.

The Anchorage Daily News reported in May that the head of the marine mammals program for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and two other marine mammal biologists on his staff agreed with nine studies the federal government cited to justify listing polar bears as a threatened species.

http://searchalaska.adn.com/sp?eId=20&ecId=25781159&rNum=10&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adn.com%2Fnews%2Falaska%2Fstory%2F510758.html

No Understanding of Science

Palin argued that we should teach creationism along side of evolution in science classes.

"Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. "Healthy debate is so important and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both. And you know, I say this too as the daughter of a science teacher. Growing up with being so privileged and blessed to be given a lot of information on, on both sides of the subject -- creationism and evolution. It's been a healthy foundation for me. But don't be afraid of information and let kids debate both sides."

Note, we are NOT talking about Intelligent Design, which at least pretends to drape itself in scientific thought.  No, we are talking "God made the world in 6 days and that is a fact" Creationism.

http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/elections/story/8347904p-8243554c.html

But Palin isn't just misguided in her understanding of science.  She's a devout Charismatic Christian.  Obviously, her desire isn't just to "show all theories" but to push her own brand of religion into the schools.  After all,  many Charismatics read the Bible as historical fact, and therefore believe it trumps science.

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/08/more-about-sarah-palins-religi.html

Run-over by her own party:

A House budget subcommittee Monday sliced more than $1 million out of Gov. Sarah Palin's proposed budget for Head Start and other early education programs, a move that incensed Democrats who say the state's kids desperately need such schooling.

Gara said he and other lawmakers went to Palin recently and asked her to add money to her budget for Head Start and early learning.

Palin obliged last week by adding the money, and now Meyer's subcommittee has cut it out, he said.

Federal funding for Head Start has been flat and state funding also has remained static for several years as costs have risen, Gara said. Meantime, Head Start classrooms have closed in 19 communities around Alaska, he said.

Democrats went to Palin and asked her to help fund the HeadStart program, so she agreed to add it to the budget on her own power.  Then her own party cut it out of the budget.  Palin never commented on the issue, apparently just shrugged her shoulders and moved on to other things.  While you can't fault her for the committee cutting the funding, you can fault her for not opening her mouth and fighting for it.

http://searchalaska.adn.com/sp?eId=20&ecId=25781453&rNum=5&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.adn.com%2Fnews%2Falaska%2Fstory%2F319143.html

Looking out for Alaska's, Not America's Interests?

She went on to say that she hoped the needs of her state would be addressed in Washington. "I talk about involvement by Americans having a say in where the nation is going to go," she said. "This is an exciting day. And for Alaska, you know, I hope we register on somebody's radar screen."

http://newsroom.mtv.com/2008/08/29/sarah-palin-republican-vice-presidential-nominee-plugs-romney-paul-but-not-mccain-in-mtv-interview/

Hey, Sarah.  Newsflash.  Alaska has historically taken home more federal tax dollars than any other state in the Union!

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-03-22-earmarks_N.htm

Doesn't Know what the VP does?

But as for that VP talk all the time, I'll tell you, I still can't answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does everyday? I'm used to being very productive and working real hard in an administration. We want to make sure that that VP slot would be a fruitful type of position, especially for Alaskans and for the things that we're trying to accomplish up here for the rest of the U.S., before I can even start addressing that question.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/25970197

She undermines almost all of the Republican attacks against Obama

Did drugs in her youth.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/29/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4397109.shtml

Surely, the many months of John McCain charging Barack Obama with not being ready to be president will likely gain wide play on editorial pages on Saturday, following his choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate. But there's also the matter of GOP leaders previously mocking Obama for even considering less-than-fully-experienced candidates for vice president.

Appearing on CBS's Face the Nation less than three weeks ago, for example, Republican strategist Karl Rove singled out Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, who was on Obama's short list.

"With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he's been a governor for three years, he's been able but undistinguished," Rove said. Palin has been governor -- of a much, much smaller state -- for less than two years.

Rove also said: "I don't think people could really name a big, important thing that he's done. He was mayor of the 105th largest city in America." Palin was formerly mayor of a town that must be ranked about 15,000th biggest in America.

He added, "So if he were to pick Governor Kaine, it would be an intensely political choice where he said, `You know what? I'm really not, first and foremost, concerned with -- is this person capable of being president of the United States?'"

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003844467

She's already Lying

Well that didn't take long. The first brazen lie of Sarah Palin's campaign as John McCain's VP nominee came just moments into her speech accepting his invitation to join the ticket. From the Washington Post's transcript of her speech:

And I championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress -- I told Congress, "Thanks, but no thanks," on that bridge to nowhere.

(APPLAUSE)

If our state wanted a bridge, I said we'd build it ourselves.

But Brad Plumer at the New Republic blog puts the lie to that claim. He quotes her answer to a question about that "bridge to nowhere" in the Anchorage Daily News during her 2006 campaign for governor:

5. Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?

Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now--while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.

http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2008/08/well_that_didnt_take_long.php

WOW.  This is going to be a fun ten weeks, ain't it?