Quick!  Cover it up!  We don't want no October surprise! 

Republicans in the Alaska state legislature are scrambling to make sure "troopergate" doesn't do any harm to the Republican presidential ticket.  But the details of Palin's effort to get her ex-brother-in-law fired are out there, like it or not.  She did, for sure, fire Walter Monegan, the public safety commissioner.  From the LA Times:

"Palin, who was elected governor in 2006, continued to seek Wooten's firing.

"In recent interviews, Monegan said that Palin repeatedly insisted that Wooten was not fit to be a state trooper.

"'I felt I was being pressured to fire him,' Monegan told CNN on Friday.

"He added she was 'constantly asking questions' about Wooten and told him 'this is not the kind of trooper we want.' Monegan did not respond Friday to calls to his home.

"Palin has said she fired Monegan because she wanted to go in a 'new direction.'

Several legislators on Friday said the governor's vagueness in explaining Monegan's firing was why they were investigating whether she may have abused the powers of her office.

"'She created her own mess by giving us a soundbite rationale,' [Democratic state representative] Gara said.

"Although the legislators looking into Monegan's firing have different takes on how to proceed, lawmakers from both parties insisted the investigation must proceed.

"'The issue at hand is very serious,' said Ramras, the Republican legislator, 'how the chief executive of our state is handling herself and how her government comports itself.'"

According to reporters who have migrated to Alaska during the past week, they are not the only newcomers.  As lower-48 Republicans are referring to their ticket as "Palin-McCain uh I mean McCain-Palin," Republican party functionaries are rushing to Alaska, trying to cut off leaks of any potentially damaging information about Palin.  The campaign is building a wall between Palin and questions from the media.   But the damage is done:  McCain is seen as being a secretive and capricious hot-dogger all too similar to George W. Bush and angry political polarization is now a part of the McCain campaign.  Then there's the prospect of  Sarah Palin stepping into Dick Cheney's shoes and into an office of considerably expanded power.  Some Democrats, however, are keeping their sense of humor.

Comments

[Dan]

It's amazing how dumb they are being about all this - keep her walled off from reporters so they have nothing to do but...go to Alaska and dig harder!

[PW]

I think they're being smart and very Rovian. Whatever Tom Hamburger or other top reporters find out, they will be condemned as part of a conspiratorial left wing media. The campaign is not averse to fanning the flames of distrust and anger, the anger so omnipresent on the right.

What struck me today is how Obama has gone back to be a reactor -- stuck in the groove he got into at one point in the run-up to nomination -- in which he found himself reacting to Hillary jibes rather than developing proactive positions and statements.

[Will Divide]

Protecting Palin only makes it a campaign issue, which maybe Ol' John will be asked about starting tomorrow. Maybe.

Once upon a time blocking the press like this might have worked, but the Anchorage paper is on the case and now anyone can read it online. I think it's coverage will end up shaming the lower 48 Fourth Estate to try a little harder.

On the informal poll front, comments at this LA Times blog post regarding her no show on the Sunday news shows are running about 100% against her. I kept waiting to read someone defending the decision to keep her under wraps, but apparently no one, even in Orange County, has the nerve to do so.

Add in Obama's looong visit with Bill-O', and the McCain camp might be looking very small to a legion of conservative independents and pissed-off Republicans by Monday.

[PW]

Ah shor dew hope you're right, Will!