2008 Presidential Elections

[Toad]

Just on CNN - yes. Sarah Palin.

African-American & old white dude VP vs. Old white dude & female VP.

This should make an interesting matchup for all the moderates and independents to chose between.

[Toad]

Wow. She's only 44 years old. 5x kids, the youngest only about 6 months old.

I suppose since McCain's age has been called into question, her youth is a counter weight?

[Aplomb]

McCain hasn't even made the announcement yet, and CNN is already trying to trash her. "An investigation, ...allegations, ...important because we are all trying to get more information about her, ...using power inside her administration to have a trooper fired, ...we'll see how much of an issue"...

[Ryan Ruck]

All one needs to do is do even a minimal amount of reading into this "Troopergate" "scandal".

The trooper in question tasered Mrs. Palin's 11 year old nephew, has been reported by a bar to leave and drive drunk, consumed alcohol in his cruiser, and threatened to shoot Mrs. Palin's father in the head. I think it is pretty safe to say this trooper should be stripped of his badge and that this "scandal" is nothing but an attempt by AK Dems to bogger up her chances at this VP pick.

[Toad]

Ahhhh... politics. No longer about issues, ideas, policies, accomplishments. It's chess moves in the media.

[American Patriot]

Ahhhh... politics. No longer about issues, ideas, policies, accomplishments. It's chess moves in the media.

I have to disagree somewhat.

McCain's pick for VP is a good looking woman, talking with a BEEHIVE hair-doo, and GLASSES. Gosh, she's HOT! Her husband is a good looking guy, lots of accomplishments and they have five children. One with Down's Syndrome. She's a life long member of the NRA.

McCain got my vote now........ even if I was reluctant, I'm no longer reluctant.

He made a fantastic choice for VP.

[American Patriot]

McCain Taps Alaska Governor Palin as Vice Presidential Running Mate
ABC News ^ | Aug. 29, 2008 | By GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS and ED O'KEEFE The 44-year-old Palin brings working class roots and appeal to female voters, becoming only the second female vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket and a first for the GOP.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...

[American Patriot]

FRREEEPPP THIS POLL!
msnbc ^ | 8/29/08 | MSNBC
Posted on Friday, August 29, 2008 10:59:25 AM by illiac
Currently the poll is 42% right choice.......54% wrong choice

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...

[American Patriot]

Senator Fred Thompson Praises Senator McCain’s Vice Presidential Pick
Received via email | Aug 29, 2008

Posted on Friday, August 29, 2008 11:11:05 AM by Jim Robinson

Senator Fred Thompson Praises Senator McCain’s Vice Presidential Pick


(Nashville) – U.S. Senator Fred Thompson issued the following statement:


"I am absolutely delighted by this selection. Once again, John McCain has shown that he is an independent thinker who paints in bold strokes. Sarah Palin is a conservative reformer with executive experience who will bring a breath of fresh air to Washington. She will be an ideal running mate for John McCain, and will make a major contribution to our country's future."

[Ryan Ruck]

I have to disagree somewhat.

McCain's pick for VP is a good looking woman, talking with a BEEHIVE hair-doo, and GLASSES. Gosh, she's HOT! Her husband is a good looking guy, lots of accomplishments and they have five children. One with Down's Syndrome. She's a life long member of the NRA.

McCain got my vote now........ even if I was reluctant, I'm no longer reluctant.

He made a fantastic choice for VP.

I've got to agree here. I would now be voting FOR a McCain led ticket rather than AGAINST Obama.

Sarah Palin is a real small government Conservative that has done more than talk to demonstrate that. Hell, she got rid of the Alaska Governor's jet and State Trooper security detail. She also drives herself around. She comes from a real down to Earth background. As I said in chat yesterday, McCain would have a winning ticket with a proven Conservative like Bobby Jindal, Duncan Hunter, or Sarah Palin. It is good to see the right choice was made.

[Toad]

She is a lifelong NRA member and avid hunter as well.

[Malsua]

Huzzah! I can now vote for McCain without holding my nose. Lets hope McCain gets elected, has a non life threatening health issue and steps down after 2.5 years. Then we'll have a real conservative in the White House, eligible for 8 more years too!

Oh and I freeped that poll...but really, who cares about MSLSD?

[Aplomb]

2 cents from a woman: Our American little girls need some heroes like this to emulate. I am speaking from the conservative position that there are all pluses w/ this Sarah Palin v.p. choice. She comes across down to earth, wholesome, and w/ enough grace to balance her fighting spirit with maturity. Excellent presentation to common American people. And she has not spoken empty words but has actively demonstrated that she will fight with integrity for what she believes in. Let me be the first person to state that watching her speak is like looking at "wonder woman". I don't mind if you laugh.

Hillary was cheated, betrayed even. She knows she was and so do her supporters. And so do those of us women who vote Republican. Do I think "choice" is going to be the deciding factor as to where those 18 million supporters are going to go between Obama or McCain? Yes. I do think it will matter to a great deal of them. But I think about it this way. Being female is NOT synonomous with being pro-choice. Especially after the upcoming debate with Biden, what is going to matter more is that the hypocricy of the left will confirm what was suspected when Hillary was not selected for the v.p. pick--and as a result, will be left behind by many of her supporters at that point. Heck, I wouldn't even be surprised if Hillary Clinton votes for McCain/Palin come November 4th. Because what it all comes down to is what is the best thing for America. And that won't be for women to be used and then treated like dirt. What is best for America is not for abortion, same sex marriage, and peace and tree huggers interests to come before our nation's security and home life and national pride. This woman has put her money where her mouth is. That is what is going to matter. There will be memories of how Obama stood up and claimed to care about every single interest that every single person in the United States finds dear and important. And I don't care how stupid you are, you KNOW that he is not the savior of humanity and nobody can deliver all of that even if you raised taxes to over 50% of your income. Already the Obama campaign spoke out against her with a lie of ommission leaving out the fact that she is a Governor of one of our states. Women do not take kindly to those who do not acknowledge our accomplishments and successes. We are also done with empty promises. I believe that McCain has just won this election. And I am very proud to have this kind of a woman as America's Vice President.

[American Patriot]

Lifestyle
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Picture This: McCain's VP pick beats Obama's speech on Google Hot Trends

Ian Lamont08.29.2008
Categories

• co:google
• Lifestyle
• people:barack obama
• people:john mccain
• Picture This
• Politics
• product:Google Trends

Comments 3



The morning after a major speech by the Democrat's presidential nominee, I expected Google's Hot Trends to be filled with Obama-related search terms, as people who missed the speech searched for information. Not so. The list was dominated by search terms relating to Republican John McCain's as-yet-unnamed VP pick, with Alaska Governor Sarah Palin taking up seven of the top 10 spots ("palin," "sarah palin", "governor of alaska," "mccain palin", etc.). Obama first showed at #31, with "obama speech transcript":

More news, commentary, and predictions from The Industry Standard:

[American Patriot]

McCain's Bold VP Pick: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

08/29/08 - 12:52 PM EDT
http://www.thestreet.com/s/mccains-b...FREE&cm_ite=NA

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Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) may turn 72 today, but the old dog still has a few tricks up his sleeve. He shocked many pundits Friday by naming Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, introducing her to the public at a press conference in Dayton, Ohio.
Palin becomes only the second female vice-presidential candidate in U.S. history, following in the footsteps of former Democratic Rep. Geraldine Ferraro of New York. Palin is 44 years old.


McCain's bold move could prove a game-changer in several ways. The surprise selection could ignite a media firestorm and overshadow the well-received acceptance speech Sen. Barack Obama (D., Ill.) delivered just last night. McCain also has worked to attract women dissatisfied with the loss of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D., NY) in the Democratic primaries. Palin has a reputation as an outsider and a government reformer, qualities that could help differentiate McCain from President Bush.


In recent days, the media and many insiders had determined former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney or Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty would be McCain's running mate. Both had been constant surrogates for McCain in the media, and Romney had helped McCain with his struggling fundraising.


While Palin comes as a surpise, she's no stranger to Republicans. She has a strong conservative resume: she's a devout Christian and takes a stand against abortion. She is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association and a proponent of small government.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

On a personal note, Palin married her high school sweetheart, Todd. She attended college at the University of Idaho and majored in journalism. She is the mother of five children. Her oldest son, Track, joined the army and will be deployed to Iraq in September. Her youngest son, Trig, was born with Down syndrome. She has three daughters: Bristol, Willow and Piper.

[American Patriot]

« Countdown To THE SPEECH | Main
McCain Chooses Palin for Vice President

The presidential tickets are finally set: running this fall will be Obama/Biden, and McCain/Palin. It has emerged that John McCain has chosen Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, as his choice for vice president. The formal announcement will likely come during a speech that McCain will make in Dayton later today, three days before the GOP kicks off its convention in the Twin Cities.

Palin, who is the first female governor of Alaska, is an out-of-the-box pick for McCain. The mother of five should shore up McCain’s credentials among the conservative base of the Republican Party. Governor Palin is an avid hunter and lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. Her son, Track, an infantryman in the U.S. Army, will be deployed to Iraq in September (the same time that Joe Biden’s son, Beau, will be sent out). Palin’s political experience is limited, which could pose some problems for the McCain camp, which continues to point out Barack Obama’s inexperience.

The governor is in the second year of her first term. After serving as mayor of Wasilla, she defeated incumbent governor Frank Murkowski with a campaign rooted in ethics reform. The pick is a shrewd move by a campaign anxious to exploit the primary rift in the Democratic Party. Former supporters of Hillary Clinton, some of whom have said that they will vote for John McCain, may be further tempted to support a Republican ticket bolstered by the presence of a female with executive experience. Palin is strongly pro-life and opposes same-sex marriage, stances that could keep many Clinton supporters in the Democratic camp.

McCain's field of potential running mates was unusual in that it included a prominent Democrat, Joseph Lieberman, who was seen as a front-runner until just a few days ago and whose candidacy was also calculated to pull moderate, Clinton-supporting voters away from Obama. McCain's other possibilities had included former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty.

With bumper stickers and posters rolling off the presses, we can expect both campaigns to turn their attention to voters who haven’t yet made up their minds. According to a recent CNN poll, 6% of voters are undecided. With barely a couple of percentage points separating the candidates in the latest poll average by Real Clear Politics, independent and undecided voters will likely determine the final outcome of the race. Whether Lieberman adds anything to McCain’s post-convention bounce in the polls remains to be seen.

--Andrea D. Murphy and Paul M. Murdock

[Malsua]

I tell ya, this Veep pick fires up the conservative base and will pull woman from the obamessiah. Specially the disillusioned and delusional who were Hillary supporters. Juan McAmnesty is enough of a liberal that he will get those votes.

[Ryan Ruck]

A bit of ammo and background on "Troopergate"...

Is Wooten a Good Trooper?

He's the governor's ex-brother-in-law, and his job as an Alaska State Trooper is drawing scrutiny in a way rarely seen except in cases of killings by officers.

Legislators are seriously considering hiring an independent investigator to examine whether Gov. Sarah Palin, her aides or her husband pressured commanders to fire Trooper Mike Wooten, and whether she then fired the state's top cop when Wooten stayed on the job. Palin denies anything like that happened.

All that aside, what kind of trooper is Mike Wooten?

The picture painted by the Palins is pretty bad. The trooper brass isn't saying one way or another, citing personnel rules that protect his files. Union leaders defend him as a dedicated trooper who was already punished for his mistakes.

Efforts to speak with Wooten were unsuccessful. He did not return phone calls when the controversy first began two weeks ago. He now is out of the country on a long-planned vacation, said John Cyr, executive director of the Public Safety Employees Association, the union for troopers. They are not in touch. An e-mail to Wooten was answered with an out-of-the-office auto reply.

Wooten is 35, a state trooper since March 2001 and an Air Force veteran. He's a father of young children who has been married and divorced four times.

The accusations are detailed in two thick binders, the result of a nearly yearlong investigation by troopers. When the investigation appeared to stall, Palin -- more than a year before she was elected governor, and about two months before launching her campaign -- pushed trooper commanders to take action against Wooten. At one point, Palin and her husband, Todd, hired a private investigator.

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."

It's nearly impossible to know whether other complaints have come in about Wooten in the last two years. His personnel file is confidential. But the fact he remains on the force is an indication that he hasn't had the sort of trouble that Grimes warned against.

Grimes declined to comment, as did various troopers involved in the investigation.

'... NOT WITHOUT A BLEMISH'

As the investigation got under way in 2005, Wooten was in the midst of a bitter divorce from Palin's sister, Molly McCann. The couple was fighting over custody of their two young children. Accusations flew from both sides.

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."

"Mike is not without a blemish," the union's Cyr said. But some of the problems noted by Grimes were small matters, he said. Many troopers were told to reimburse the state for personal cell phone calls, he said. Wooten had to miss work for court during the divorce, he said.

The union president, Rob Cox, is a 17-year trooper veteran who worked alongside Wooten in the Valley. Cox said he never thought of him as a rogue cop.

It's significant that Wooten served for a while on the Special Emergency Reaction Team -- like a SWAT team, Cox said. Officers have to be especially cool-headed to perform in crisis situations, Cox said.

Wooten was the first backup officer to arrive at the scene of a standoff in 2006 at the Valley trailer home of Donald Voorhis.

TROOPER INVESTIGATION

Wooten's history spilled into public view after the July 11 firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. The former commissioner has said he doesn't know why Palin wanted him out but wonders if Wooten's situation was part of it. He has said that members of Palin's administration, and the governor's husband, talked with him about the accusations against Wooten, which he considered improper.

"Never put pressure on Walt Monegan to fire -- hire or fire -- anybody," Palin responded.

The troopers' investigation into Wooten began after Chuck Heath -- Wooten's father-in-law and Palin and McCann's dad -- alerted troopers about a domestic violence protective order McCann had obtained against Wooten on April 11, 2005. McCann filed for divorce the same day, according to the court docket.

The trooper had not physically assaulted his wife but intimidated her and threatened to shoot him, Heath told troopers, according to a memo about the complaint.

The same day, a concerned neighbor of the couple called troopers with more accusations, including alcohol abuse, based on what Heath and McCann had relayed to him. Wooten seemed "disconnected" lately, the neighbor said. He told troopers that Heath and McCann were afraid to call troopers themselves.

"Extreme verbal abuse & violent threats & physical intimidation," McCann wrote in her April 11, 2005, petition to the court. He had driven drunk multiple times, threatened her father, told her to "put a leash on your sister and family or I'm going to bring them down," her petition says. A judge issued a 20-day protective order to keep Wooten away.

In written orders to Wooten sent the next day, trooper Capt. Matt Leveque echoed the court's directive. Leveque, now a major, also told Wooten to give up his department-issued guns, badge, credentials and vehicle during his off-duty time, while the order was in effect.

On April 27, 2005, trooper Sgt. Ron Wall began the internal investigation, interviewing and re-interviewing more than 15 people over a period of months. Witnesses included Palin, her husband, Todd, two of their children, Heath, McCann, her son, Wooten, friends, neighbors, a bartender, and other troopers.

Here's what the troopers found out:

ILLEGAL MOOSE HUNT

In September 2003, Wooten, McCann and a friend who was a Wasilla police officer, Chris Watchus, hunted moose from a boat in the Jim Creek area.

McCann had drawn a permit for a cow moose but had never done that kind of hunting before, she told troopers in the investigation. They brought Wooten's rifle, a .300-caliber Winchester Magnum. Chuck Heath had been riding her to make sure the permit was used, Wooten told Wall. It was the last day for the hunt, McCann said. The Mat-Su lottery tags are highly coveted.

Minutes into the trip, they spotted a cow. "Do you want to shoot the moose?" Wooten says he asked his wife. As he recounted it, she told him that she didn't.

McCann said that Wooten took out the gun and shot the moose.

"I guess I assumingly thought that he would help me sight it in and whatever you do you know to tell me, show me how to do it. Unless he planned all along of just shooting it," McCann told Wall, according to the transcript.

The first shot didn't bring it down, so Wooten fired a second time. During the personnel investigation, Wooten initially insisted there was nothing wrong with killing a moose under his wife's permit. At the time of the interview, he was a wildlife investigator for troopers. He was assigned that job in October 2004, about a year after killing the moose. Before joining the force, he was a wildlife conservation agent on Elmendorf Air Force Base but wasn't responsible for enforcing rules on moose hunts, he said.

The killing of the moose without a permit was a criminal misdemeanor, Grimes wrote in the March 2006 letter to Wooten. He was removed from wildlife investigations.

Wooten was never charged criminally. Troopers say the moose shooting wasn't investigated as a crime.

"Once a complaint is received on a trooper, more often than not it goes into what we call an administrative inquiry, and that's how the discipline is handled," said Col. Gary Folger, now director of the state Division of Alaska Wildlife Troopers, which was formed after Palin took office in 2007. At least that's true for wildlife offenses, he said.

Col. Audie Holloway, director of Alaska State Troopers, said he couldn't speak about wildlife cases in the separate division but said generally, "a trooper has to answer for his crime." He said he couldn't talk specifically about Wooten's situation.

The statute of limitations for shooting a moose without a permit is five years.

TASING THE STEPSON

One day -- maybe a year or two before the investigation -- Wooten showed his stepson his Taser. He had just been to Taser instructor school. Wooten told Sgt. Wall that the boy was fascinated and pleaded to be tased.

"So we went in our living room and I had him get down on his knees so he wouldn't fall. And I taped the probes to him and turned the Taser on for like a second, turned it off. He thought that was the greatest thing in the world, wanted to do it again," Wooten told the investigator. The boy flinched but nothing more, he said. The boy was about 11 at the time.

In his interview with troopers, the stepson said it hurt for about a second, according to Wall's report. The boy said he wanted to be tased to show his cousin, Palin's daughter Bristol, that he wasn't a mama's boy. The probe left a welt on his arm, he said. His mother was upstairs yelling at them not to do it, the boy said.

As Bristol remembered it, the jolt knocked the boy backward, the trooper report says. She said she was afraid.

The probes are attached by thin wires to the Taser cartridge. In the field, an officer fires the probes into a suspect's skin or clothing and the suspect receives a jolt of electricity for five seconds, said Steve Tuttle, a spokesman for Taser International, which makes the devices. They are only incapacitated during that time. In demos, the probes might be taped to a person so that they don't accidentally strike an eye or injure the volunteer, he said. If the Taser is fired for just a second, it would feel like your funny bone was hit but the quick jolt wouldn't knock you over, Tuttle said.

DRINKING AND DRIVING

Wall evaluated several accusations that Wooten was drinking and driving. He didn't substantiate them. Some came only from McCann and family.

But Grimes re-interviewed a couple who lived nearby and found them believable about an incident that occurred in the summer of 2004. Adrian and Marilyn Lane told her they are friends of the Heaths but wouldn't lie to help the family.

Wooten stopped by their house one morning in his white patrol car and drank a beer from the fridge in the garage, the couple said. On his way out, he grabbed another beer, popped it open, and got behind the wheel, they both told Grimes.

"And I was like "Whoa!" Adrian Lane said. They both thought he needed to watch himself.

Wooten contended he never drank in his patrol car. Grimes determined that he did.

Troopers looked into another drinking episode that occurred late one night in March 2005.

Wooten was at the Mug-Shot Saloon with a friend. Wooten got into it with another man, whom he thought was causing trouble for his friend. Wooten's friend had to hold him back, and the bartender held back the other man, the bartender told troopers.

Wooten told the bartender he needed to eject the other man, the bartender said.

The bartender thought Wooten was out of line.

"Then he whipped out his badge and said 'Lemmie let me introduce myself. I'm State Trooper Wooten," the bartender said, according to a transcript of his interview.

The other man took a cab.

Wooten and his friend left in a black Audi, with Wooten driving. It belonged to the friend's brother but the friend was drunk, Wooten told the investigator.

Barely two blocks away, Trooper Dave Herrell pulled them over. Wooten jumped out to talk to him. Herrell told the trooper investigator that he "felt kinda weird" when he realized the driver was another trooper.

The bartender had called in to report Wooten as a possible drunken driver. "Said that you guys were severely intoxicated and caused a fight in the bar and then you guys left," Wooten told the investigator, recounting what Herrell said.

As Herrell remembered it, "I was sitting there talking to him and I smelled ... just a faint odor of alcohol that was coming from his breath," according to a transcript.

Herrell, who said he was No. 1 at the Palmer post with more than 250 drunken-driving arrests, didn't think Wooten seemed drunk. He didn't slur, his eyes weren't bloodshot or watery. Herrell didn't ask him to take any field sobriety or breath tests. That's always up to the officer's discretion, troopers say.

Was Wooten drunk?

"No," Herrell told Wall. "I believe that he consumed an alcoholic beverage, but I don't believe that he's intoxicated. Or overly intoxicated above .08."

(BIG NOTE! THE FELLOW OFFICER DIDN'T BREATHALYZE WOOTEN DESPITE SMELLING ALCOHOL AND THUS CANNOT STATE FOR SURE WOOTEN'S STATE OF INTOXICATION! I KNOW IF A COP SMELLED ALCOHOL ON ME, I WOULD NOT GET THAT TYPE OF "PROFESSIONAL COURTESY".)

That's the legal limit for driving.

Still, Herrell, who is now a sergeant, told Wooten to park the car. He gave the men a lift back to the friend's house.

McCann told the trooper investigator that Wooten called her about 3 a.m. to pick him up. They were separated, but he still came to the house to shower and get his things. He told her he and his friend "tore down the house last night" and were pulled over. "Oh I can play a good sober when I need to," he said, according to what she told troopers.

In his investigation, Wall didn't find that Wooten broke any policies or laws that night.

"F'ING BULLET"

The other incident happened in February 2005. Both McCann and Palin gave troopers detailed accounts of what happened. Wooten was headed home in a rage, McCann said.

She called Palin and put the phone on speaker so Palin could listen when Wooten got there and get help if things got bad. Palin had her teenage son Track listen in, too.

As McCann remembered it, Wooten said if their father got a lawyer for her "he would eat a f'ing lead bullet. I will shoot him."

Palin was interviewed by troopers too.

"Mike in the conversation never did get to the bottom of what, what the foundational issue he was dealing with, he just kept screaming, "I'm gonna F'n kill your dad if he gets an attorney to help you," Palin told troopers, according to the transcript.

Track told troopers he heard the comment, too.

Palin drove over and watched through the window. She and McCann both said Wooten was all wound up. A neighbor who stood watch as well later told troopers that Wooten looked angry but that McCann wasn't cowering or anything.

Wooten told troopers he never said anything like that about his father-in-law.

The investigation concluded he did. It wasn't a crime, because he didn't threaten Heath directly. But it did violate trooper policy, the investigation found.

In August 2005, nearly four months after the investigation began, Palin wrote a lengthy e-mail to Grimes about Wooten that included some new accusations and new witnesses. She wrote that she was writing not as his sister-in-law but to express concern over the lack of action about a trooper whom she said many described as a "ticking timebomb" and "loose cannon."

In October 2005, Palin announced she was running for governor. Sgt. Wall, who is now a lieutenant over patrol in Fairbanks, finished his investigation the same month. The following March, Grimes handed out the punishment.

The union's Cyr says that ultimately Wooten was treated fairly by the Department of Public Safety.

"Clearly the folks have the ability to file complaints, and the state has the obligation to investigate them and that is what was done. He was disciplined, appropriately so we believe in the end. And you know, basically end of story. The only question in our mind would be has this pattern continued and has pressure been brought on anybody, I mean, after this whole sorry mess."

Wooten and McCann's divorce was finalized in January 2006. They continue to have disputes over custody and visitation.

Since that divorce, Wooten remarried and divorced again.

He remains on the force in Wasilla.

I'm going to be honest here and say that we Conservatives have to put the correct spin on this issue to put this out of play for the Dems. The way this needs to be spun is that Sarah Palin exhibited exceptional ethical standards in that she wouldn't let a family member use her position of power to get away with criminal behavior.

Now, can I get a big DUNCAN HUNTER FOR SECDEF!

[American Patriot]

WTF is a "Maverick Conservative"? Maybe I need to start running for office if a "maverick" is a NORMAL conservative like her???????????????

McCain chooses Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for V.P.
By LIZ SIDOTI and BETH FOUHY 08.29.08, 2:07 PM ET

DAYTON, Ohio -

John McCain picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a maverick conservative with less than two years in office, as his vice presidential running mate Friday in a startling choice as the Republican National Convention drew near.

At a raucous rally in the swing state of Ohio, McCain introduced Palin as the political partner "who can best help me shake up Washington and make it start working again for the people who are counting on us."

Palin, the first Republican woman tapped for national office, promised: "I'm going to take our campaign to every part of our country and our message of reform to every voter of every background in every political party, or no party at all."

"... Politics isn't just a game of competing interests and clashing parties," added the woman who has built her career in large measure by challenging fellow Republicans. "The people of America expect us to seek public office and to serve for the right reasons."

In a fast-developing presidential campaign, McCain made his selection six days after his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, named Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, as his running mate.

The contrast between the two announcements was remarkable - Obama, 47, picked a 65-year-old running mate with long experience in government and a man whom he said was qualified to be president.

On his 72nd birthday, McCain chose a 44-year-old running mate who until recently was the mayor of small-town Wasilla, Alaska - and made no claim she was ready to sit in the Oval Office.

His campaign issued a statement saying she was, but even so, it wasn't a point lost on Obama's campaign.

"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency," Adrianne Marsh, a spokeswoman for Obama, said in a written statement.

Unlike Biden, who attacked McCain sharply in his debut last week, Palin was indirect in her initial attempts to elevate McCain over Obama.

"There is only one candidate who has truly fought for America and that man is John McCain," she said as the Arizona senator beamed. McCain was a prisoner of war for more than five years in Vietnam.

McCain trails Obama in the polls among women voters, and Palin moved quickly to remedy that.

She mentioned that she followed in the footsteps of Geraldine Ferraro, who was the Democratic vice presidential running mate in 1984, and referred favorably to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who drew 18 million votes in her unsuccessful run against Obama for the Democratic nomination.

"But it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all," she said.

Republicans said that McCain hoped to blunt Obama's message of political change with his pick, and it appeared likely she could remove all doubt about her home state in the fall campaign.

Obama has targeted Alaska and its three electoral votes, one of several he hoped to turn competitive in the fall despite its long tradition of voting Republican.

Palin has a strong anti-abortion record, and her selection was praised warmly by social conservatives whose support McCain needs to prevail in the campaign for the White House.

President Bush complimented McCain for "an exciting decision."

"Governor Palin is a proven reformer who is a wise steward of taxpayer dollars and champion for accountability in government," a presidential statement said. "By selecting a working mother with a track record of getting things done, Senator McCain has once again demonstrated his commitment to reforming Washington."

"It's an absolutely brilliant choice," said Mathew Staver, dean of Liberty University School of Law. "This will absolutely energize McCain's campaign and energize conservatives," he predicted.

With his pick, McCain passed over more prominent contenders like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, as well as others such as former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, whose support for abortion rights might have sparked unrest at the convention that opens Monday in St. Paul, Minn.

The timing of McCain's selection appeared designed to limit any political gain Obama derives from his own convention, which ended Thursday night with his nominating acceptance speech before an estimated 84,000 in Invesco Field in Colorado.

Public opinion polls show a close race between Obama and McCain, and with scarcely two months remaining until the election, neither contender can allow the other to jump out to a big post-convention lead.

At 44, she is younger than two of McCain's seven children.

She is three years Obama's junior, as well - and McCain has made much in recent weeks of Obama's relative lack of experience in foreign policy and defense matters.

In its formal announcement, the campaign pointed to her powers as head of the Alaska National Guard and the mother of a soldier herself as evidence that she "understands what it takes to lead our nation..."

McCain has had months to consider his choice, and has made it clear to reporters that one of his overriding goals was to avoid a situation like 1988, when little known Sen. Dan Quayle was thrown into a national campaign with little preparation.

A self-styled hockey mom and political reformer, Palin was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, population 6,500, until she became governor.

Palin flew overnight to an airport in Ohio near Dayton, and even as she awaited her formal introduction, some aides said they had believed she was at home in Alaska.

She became governor of her state in December, 2006 after ousting a governor of her own party in a primary and then dispatching a former governor in the general election.

More recently, she has come under the scrutiny of an investigation by the Republican-controlled legislature into the possibility that she ordered the dismissal of Alaska's public safety commissioner because he would not fire her former brother-in-law as a state trooper.

Palin has a long history of run-ins with the Alaska GOP hierarchy, giving her genuine maverick status and reformer credentials that could complement McCain's image.

Two years ago, she ousted the state's Republican incumbent governor, Frank Murkowski in the primary, despite having little money and little establishment backing.

She has also distanced herself from two senior Republican office-holders, Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don young. Both men are under federal corruption investigations.

She had earned stripes - and enmity - after Murkowski made her head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. From that post, she exposed ethical violations by the state GOP chairman, also a fellow commissioner.

Her husband, Todd Palin, is part Yup'ik Eskimo, and is a blue-collar North Slope oil worker who competes in the Iron Dog, a 1,900-mile snowmobile race. The couple lives in Wasilla. They have five children, the youngest of whom was born in April with Down syndrome.

Associated Press Writer Liz Sidoti reported for this story from Denver.

[American Patriot]

McCain chooses Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for V.P.

By LIZ SIDOTI – 2 hours ago

DENVER (AP) — John McCain tapped little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate on Friday in a startling selection on the eve of the Republican National Convention.

Two senior campaign officials disclosed McCain's decision a few hours before the Republican presidential nominee-to-be and his newly-minted running mate appeared at a rally in swing-state Ohio.

Palin, like McCain, is a conservative with a maverick streak who has shown a willingness to clash with others in her own party. A self-styled hockey mom and political reformer, she has been governor of her state less than two years.

Palin's selection shocked numerous Republican officials.

At 44, Palin is a generation younger that Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is Barack Obama's running mate on the Democratic ticket.

She is three years Obama's junior, as well — and McCain has made much in recent weeks of Obama's relative lack of experience in foreign policy and defense matters.

In making his pick, McCain passed over several more prominent prospects who had figured in speculation for months — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge among them.

Palin flew overnight to an airport in Ohio near Dayton, and even as she awaited her formal introduction, some aides said they had believed she was at home in Alaska.

She is a former mayor of Wasilla who became governor of her state in December, 2006 after ousting a governor of her own party in a primary and then dispatching a former governor in the general election.

More recently, she has come under the scrutiny of an investigation by the Republican-controlled legislature into the possibility that she ordered the dismissal of Alaska's public safety commissioner because he would not fire her former brother-in-law as a state trooper.

The timing of McCain's selection appeared designed to limit any political gain Obama yields from his own convention, which ended Thursday night with his nominating acceptance speech before an estimated 84,000 in Invesco Field in Colorado.

Public opinion polls show a close race between Obama and McCain, and with scarcely two months remaining until the election, neither contender can allow the other to jump out to a big post-convention lead.

McCain has had months to consider his choice, and has made it clear to reporters that one of his overriding goals was to avoid a situation like the one in 1988, when Dan Quayle was thrown into a national campaign with little preparation.

Palin has a long history of run-ins with the Alaska GOP hierarchy, giving her genuine maverick status and reformer credentials that could complement McCain's image.

Two years ago, she ousted the state's Republican incumbent governor, Frank Murkowski in the primary, despite having little money and little establishment backing.

She has also distanced herself from two senior Republican office-holders, sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don young. Both men are under federal corruption investigations.

She had earned stripes — and enmity — after Murkowski made her head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. From that post, she exposed ethical violations by the state GOP chairman, also a fellow commissioner.

She and her husband Todd Palin, have five children. The latest, a baby, was born with Down syndrome.