Tuesday, October 14, 2008

John Nichols: Alaska's Largest Paper Labels Sarah Palin "Orwellian"

Alaska's Largest Paper Labels Palin "Orwellian"
by John Nichols
The Nation

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin says that she was "vindicated" by the report on her firing of Walter Monegan, the state's Public Safety Commissioner she removed after he refused to intervene on the governor's behalf to dismiss her brother-in-law as a state trooper.

"I'm very, very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing, any hint of any kind of unethical activity there. Very pleased to be cleared of any of that," Palin said after the Alaska Legislative Council released the 263-page report on the inquiry.

"If you read the report you'll see that there was nothing unlawful or unethical about replacing a cabinet member," she continued. "You gotta read the report."

Actually, if you read the report that the Republican-controlled Legislative Council unanimously approved for release, it says -- in the words of Stephen Branchflower, the veteran prosecutor who conducted the probe -- that:

Branchflower writes:

"I find that Governor Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52 110(a)of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52 110(a) provides: The legislature affirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust."

So Palin is, um, well, lying.

But what kind of lie are we talking about here?

Alaska's largest newspaper, The Anchorage Daily News, says it's "Orwellian" in character.

The Daily News, a publication that has often (though not always) sided with the governor, and which has published the governor's columns over the years, is blunt in its dismissal of the "vindication" spin.

"Gov. Palin, read the report," the paper taunts. "It says you violated the ethics law."

To Read the Rest of the Report and The Anchorage Daily News Editorial

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