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.
