Legislative panel: Palin abused authority

[Vesayen]

There is something seriously wrong in a country where a moron like Palin can make it this far, then is confirmed to have betrayed the public interest for personal gain and is still beloved by many.

[DaShi]

Originally posted by Velociryx
Well I, for one, am thrilled to have been given a sneak peek at the "reforms" the Straight Talk Express has in mind for us, should they win the election next month!

Go Mavericks!

-=Vel=-

The Fightin' Marvericks!

[Riesstiu IV]

Originally posted by Vesayen
There is something seriously wrong in a country where a moron like Palin can make it this far, then is confirmed to have betrayed the public interest for personal gain and is still beloved by many.

It doesn't surprise me any more. Look at Bush. I mean his approval rating is still what... around 25 - 30%? Bush could start punching babies and there would still be people who love him.

[DaShi]

And people who say it doesn't matter. Don't leave out the stupid.

[Velociryx]

Hey, don't blame me because you guys can't fathom the baby punching thing....it was NECESSARY to punch those babies...a matter of national security, you see.

Had to waterboard a couple of 'em too, but don't tell!

-=Vel=-

[Chemical Ollie]

Alaska is the south of the north

[Guynemer]

Philadelphia Flyers fans roundly boo Sarah Palin when she drops the puck at tonight's game:




Seriously, who in the McCain campaign thought this was a good idea? In Philadelphia?! These are the same fans that, legendarily, booed Santa Claus and cheered Michael Irvin's career-ending injury...

[Asher]

Philly

[Kirnwaffen]

A new Alaska legislative report finding that Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power and violated state ethics laws spells new trouble for the McCain campaign. Special counsel Steve Branchflower's report could lead to fines or legislative action to censure Palin. It also directly challenges the vice presidential candidate's credibility on key points related to the "Troopergate" controversy. Palin has said she fired Walt Monegan, Alaska's public-safety commissioner, last summer solely because of budget disputes and "insubordination" by Monegan. But Branchflower found that a likely "contributing" factor was Palin's desire to fire state trooper Mike Wooten, her ex-brother-in-law. While Palin had the right to fire Monegan, Branchflower found that she allowed her husband and top aides to put "impermissible pressure" on subordinates to "advance a personal agenda." The report also questioned Palin's public contention that her family "feared" Wooten, noting that shortly after she took office she ordered a sizable reduction in her personal protection detail.

McCain campaign spokeswoman Meg Stapleton dismissed the report as the product of "a partisan-led inquiry run by Obama supporters." But there could be more land mines ahead. Some weeks ago, the McCain team devised a plan to have Palin file an ethics complaint against herself with the State Personnel Board, arguing that it alone was capable of conducting a fair, nonpartisan inquiry into whether she fired Monegan because he refused to fire Wooten, who had been involved in a messy custody battle with her sister. Some Democrats ridiculed the move, noting that the personnel board answered to Palin. But the board ended up hiring an aggressive Anchorage trial lawyer, Timothy Petumenos, as an independent counsel. McCain aides were chagrined to discover that Petumenos was a Democrat who had contributed to Palin's 2006 opponent for governor, Tony Knowles. Palin is now scheduled to be questioned next week, and the counsel's report could be released soon after. "We took a gamble when we went to the personnel board," said a McCain aide who asked not to be identified discussing strategy. While the McCain camp still insists Palin "has nothing to hide," it acknowledges a critical finding by Petumenos would be even harder to dismiss.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/163465

Can you say...oops?

[Velociryx]

D'oh!

Man that's gotta suck...

-=Vel=-

(fortunately, it won't sting for too long a time....)

[DinoDoc]

Looks a big d'oh. Out of curiosity though if this report is true, why wasn't the trooper in question fired as a matter of course before Palin even started pressuring people?

edit: spelling

[Darius871]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
Looks a big d'oh. Out of curiosity though if this report why wasn't the trooper in question fired as a matter of course before Palin even started pressuring people.

[Wooten] has been married and divorced four times.

That says it all right there doesn't it?

[DaShi]

Divorced 4 times!?? He shouldn't have been fired. He should have been hung.


This place is getting dumber. DD can you post less please?

[Darius871]

Originally posted by DaShi
Divorced 4 times!?? He shouldn't have been fired. He should have been hung.

This place is getting dumber. DD can you post less please?

I didn't say he should be fired for being a chronically failed husband, but you can if you like. I just think that fact lends more credence to the well-publicized allegations of physical abuse and/or threats thereof.

As a general proposition, do I think any person guilty of repeated domestic violence isn't fit to wear a badge (regardless of whether a relative happens to be a governor)? You bet your ass I do. Don't you?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Lemme guess, Dashi didn't actually read the linked article.

In case you are incapable of clicking on links:

Wooten recently gave his union permission to release the entire investigative file, all 482 pages and hours of recorded interviews.

"The record clearly indicates a serious and concentrated pattern of unacceptable and at times, illegal activity occurring over a lengthy period, which establishes a course of conduct totally at odds with the ethics of our profession," Col. Julia Grimes, then head of Alaska State Troopers, wrote in March 1, 2006, letter suspending Wooten for 10 days. After the union protested it, the suspension was reduced to five days.

She warned that if he messed up again, he'd be fired.

"This discipline is meant to be a last chance to take corrective action," Grimes wrote. "You are hereby given notice that any further occurrences of these types of behaviors or incidents will not be tolerated and will result in your termination."

Troopers eventually investigated 13 issues and found four in which Wooten violated policy or broke the law or both:

• Wooten used a Taser on his stepson.

• He illegally shot a moose.

• He drank beer in his patrol car on one occasion.

• He told others his father-in-law would "eat a f'ing lead bullet" if he helped his daughter get an attorney for the divorce.

Beyond the investigation sparked by the family, trooper commanders saw cause to discipline or give written instructions to correct Wooten seven times since he joined the force, according to Grimes' letter to Wooten.

Those incidents included: a reprimand in January 2004 for negligent damage to a state vehicle; a January 2005 instruction after being accused of speeding, unsafe lane changes, following too closely and not using turn signals in his state vehicle; a June 2005 instruction regarding personal cell phone calls; an October 2005 suspension from work after getting a speeding ticket; and a November 2005 memo "to clarify duty hours, tardiness and personal business during duty time."

All of those are gone into more detail in the rest of the article. The drinking and driving part is especially interesting for a trooper... especially while on duty.