Just Gonna Beat This Drum

downtown Wasilla, where all this might have worked

Governor Palin was elected to her office in part because she promised the citizens of Alaska that government corruption would not be a part of her administration. She campaigned endlessly on the phrase "open and transparent government." Hey, it got her the job. With her ethics scandal she has decided that isn't what she meant exactly.

In an interview with the Anchorage Daily News two days ago Palin's Communication Director, Bill McAllister, defended the administration's abandonement of their "open and transparent government" promise by saying it didn't really apply to everything.

"Open and transparent government was something that came up during the campaign and was largely in reference to the stranded gas act versus the AGIA concept under Governor Palin."

Is that what she meant?

From andrewhalcro.com:
First go to the State of Alaska website and search the terms "Open and transparent." No fewer than 5 pages appear with soundbites from Governor Palin about her commitment to open and transparent government while speaking about different initiatives.

Second, simply look at history. Time and time again, when Palin has invoked the words open and transparent, there is no mention of the stranded gas act or AGIA as McAllister claims.

In November of 2006 on her campaign website she promised voters, "Sarah will open the door wide to transparent and accountable government."

On November 1, 2007 after the indictment of Vic Kohring, Palin's press release stated, " Public trust and integrity are the foundation of good government. This reaffirms my commitment to conduct the people’s business in an open and transparent fashion.”

On March 28, 2006 in a press release regarding putting the state's checkbook online she said it was part of implementing her mandate for more open, transparent government.

All of this comes up ,of course, because she doesn't want to release the communication records regarding the scandal. According to Andrew Halcro she was able to get her Attorney General to rule that state employees have a right to privacy while using state issued communication equipment. He issued the ruling because, according to Halcro, Palin and her staff have been using their state issued Blackberrys and computers to conduct acts of personal retribution, and the attorney general is covering for them.

That's how absurd this little coverup has gotten.

Palin is about to discover she's playing in the big leagues and not Wasilla anymore. There are much more intrepid, national reporters on her story now - not the local boys. They will find out that all that character assasination she did regarding her ex brother-in-law involved nothing more than a typical episode of Judge Judy. That, for example, bitching about him shooting a moose out of season is a little disingenous when she was standing next to him when he did it; when she felt so bad about the criminal act that she offered her garage for him to quarter it; that she was so offended by the vile act she took half the meat for her freezer.

All this crap probably worked in Wasilla - she had pull, she knew everyone, but once she got to the Governor's office she was out of her league. And now she's in way over her head.