A Milf For Vp?

[irishguy 14]

I wish the liberal shitheads who call their position "pro-choice" would call it what it is "pro-abortion", and in BHOs case, pro-murder. Ship him the 50, you lost.

Show me the quote where Obama says "I still don't think they're alive just because they're breathing air" and I will gladly ship the fifty dollars. Hell maybe even a chunk of the pot of gold i find at the end of the rainbow and a fancy flying pig.

[copernicus 0]

Keith Oberman, after an on the RNC floor interview of a Rep Senator referring to this, "corrected" and suggested the Rep Senator knew shew was fibbing, and stated Obama did not sign this because laws on the book already provided for all the protections this bill would have for the child ????????first I heard that. Any thoughts? Other than Keith is an idiot

BHO is relying on two aspects of the law to support his blocking of the bill. First, he claims it would jeopardize Roe v Wade, despite the fact that the language was changed to mimic the Federal language that was unanimously approved after wording changes that the Democrat committee agreed protected Roe v Wade.The second claim, which Olberfag is referring to, is that "since its murder, its already against the law" However, his brilliant legal mind misses that 1) the definition of "murder" is not specific enough to definitely conclude that a failed legal abortion followed by a live birth and then folllowed by "completion of the legal abortion" would be considered murder. The intent of any legislation is to clarify the will of the people so that judges can than interpret and enforce in a consistent manner. 2) If the life were already protected under the law as murder, then adding an additional protection would not in any way diminish the law, and could do no harm, so why not pass it.His positions were pandering to his ultra-liberal constituency and benefactors. He ducked it with the "above my pay grade issue". He is politics as usual, but weaker than usual.

[Actuary 3]

The second claim, which Olberfag is referring to, is that "since its murder, its already against the law"

dammit!I knew it was something slick like this,So folks go away thinking "Oh my gosh, that's horrible for Obama to let the baby expire like that. ................ Oh, thank goodness, there are already laws dealing with that. "

[copernicus 0]

dammit!I knew it was something slick like this,So folks go away thinking "Oh my gosh, that's horrible for Obama to let the baby expire like that. ................ Oh, thank goodness, there are already laws dealing with that. "

I forgot to add, though maybe you knew it already, that an Illinois nurse testified about dozens of "after-birth" abortions (not partial birth abortions) before Obamas committee. If he thought that the Illinois murder law already protected those babies then why werent the responsible parties charged with murder? The only possible answer is that the illegality wasnt there or wasnt sufficiently clear to prosecute.

[20TN40 0]

Okay I'm not sure you read all of this but I'll highlight the items that bother me and we'll see what you think. Maybe you're one of those that are still a Bushita I dunno.

From the Washington Post regarding the $22 million........There was $500,000 for a youth shelter, $1.9 million for a transportation hub, $900,000 for sewer repairs, and $15 million for a rail project, $500,000 for a mental health center, $500,000 for the purchase of federal land and $450,000 to rehabilitate an agricultural processing facility. And from the same article...........Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, used to secure earmarks for public nonprofits in Illinois, but he announced last year that he would no longer seek earmarks for any entity. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Del.), Obama's running mate, co-sponsored $85.6 million in earmarks for 2008, according to one study.

[20TN40 0]

Okay I'm not sure you read all of this but I'll highlight the items that bother me and we'll see what you think. Maybe you're one of those that are still a Bushita I dunno.

The librarian and police chief, from the Alaska Daily News........City librarian Mary Ellen Emmons will stay, but Police Chief Irl Stambaugh is on his own, Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin announced Friday. The decision came one day after letters signed by Palin were dropped on Stambaugh's and Emmon's desks, telling them their jobs were over as of Feb. 13.The mayor told them she appreciated their service but felt it was time for a change. ''I do not feel I have your full support in my efforts to govern the city of Wasilla. Therefore I intend to terminate your employment ...'' the letter said.Palin said Friday she now feels Emmons supports her but does not feel the same about Stambaugh. Both Stambaugh and Emmons publicly supported Palin's opponent, long-time mayor John Stein during the campaign last fall. When she was elected, Palin questioned their loyalty and initially asked for their resignations. Police chief filed suit and this is the result, also from the ADN.........Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin says she didn't fire Police Chief Irl Stambaugh three years ago because he supported her election opponent John Stein. But even if it was the reason, she was within her rights to give the police chief the boot, a federal judge ruled. The police chief serves at the discretion of the mayor, and can be terminated for nearly any reason, even a political one, U.S. District Court Judge James K. Singleton ruled in dismissing most of Stambaugh's claims Use of the surplus, from the ADN..........Gov. Sarah Palin is proposing an energy cost relief plan to give Alaskans $100-a-month debit cards and pour state dollars into electric utilities so they'll slash their bills to ratepayers. Palin's ambitious program, unprecedented in any other state, would last a year and cost $1.2 billion. The money would come out of the huge budget surplus the state government is enjoying because of the same high oil prices afflicting consumers at the pump. The plan was announced the same day that Alaska became the first state where the average pump price for a gallon of unleaded gas topped $4, according to the American Automobile Association. It was just under that around Anchorage and Fairbanks on Thursday and much higher across much of the rest of the state. Palin said it makes sense to return some of the state surplus to the suffering public. "It's really atrocious, the situation that Alaskans are in today," Palin said. "Where we, as the owners of the energy resources, are paying outrageous prices for use of those resource." The debit cards would be expected to cost the state $729 million. The grants to electric utilities would be another $475 million. Palin said the state can afford it. Oil prices of around $120 per barrel mean far more money from oil taxes and royalties than the state expected at its last revenue forecast a month and a half ago. Even if oil prices gradually decline over the next year, the state would wind up with $2.7 billion more than the forecast, said Revenue Commissioner Pat Galvin. The surplus could go much higher if the stratospheric oil prices of recent weeks continue, Galvin said. He said the state could get $1.8 billion more than expected in just three months if the futures prices that financial markets use for trading turn out to be right.

[20TN40 0]

Okay I'm not sure you read all of this but I'll highlight the items that bother me and we'll see what you think. Maybe you're one of those that are still a Bushita I dunno.

The firing of Monegan, from KTVA..........While Monegan is NOT saying he was let go for not firing Wooten, he now says members of Governor Palin's administration, and her husband, first gentleman, Todd Palin, pressured him to fire Wooten. Monegan continues to say he is still not sure if the Wooten incident had anything to do with his firing.Governor Palin insists Monegan was not fired. In a statement Thursday Palin said:

• "Former Commissioner Monegan was not released due to any actions or inaction related to personnel issues in his department. We had hoped the former commissioner would have stayed in state service to help fight alcohol-related crime. We offered him the position of executive director of the Alcoholic Beverage Control board and, unfortunately, he turned it down." And from the same source.........Monegan was a Palin appointee, and she had a right to fire him for any reason. She's previously refused to say exactly why she got rid of him, but laid out several reasons Wednesday, saying she's decided to talk about it because Monegan is. Palin said he wasn't doing enough to fill state trooper vacancies and battle alcohol abuse issues. She said he "did not turn out to be a team player on budgeting issues." Palin said it's fine to have debates during cabinet meetings over the budget but Monegan went further and indicated to legislators she wasn't proposing enough spending. Palin's acting chief of staff, Mike Nizich, said Monegan asked legislators for spending that hadn't been authorized by the governor. "The response he got was don't come to us and ask for more money when you cannot fill the 56 or 58 trooper positions that were vacant," Nizich said. "So he was making a pitch for additional funding when he couldn't even fill what he currently had available to him."

• Now for the brother in law, ADN reporting........Palin said her husband also contacted Monegan about a threat made by Wooten but backed off when Monegan indicated he couldn't get into the matter. The family had alleged the threat in 2005, before Palin became governor. They said Wooten had told Palin's sister he would shoot their father if he got the sister a lawyer. Wooten denied saying anything like that. But a trooper investigation concluded he did, although it wasn't a crime because he didn't threaten the father directly. Wooten's actions did violate trooper policy, the investigator found.

[20TN40 0]

Findings of the investigation of ex-brother in law, ADN.........During the course of this Administrative Investigation, I received another complaint that Investigator Wooten had used a Taser on his then 10-year-old stepson, Payton. Following interviews with Payton, as well as witnesses to the event, Investigator Wooten was re-interviewed. Duringthe re-interview, Investigator Wooten acknowledged that he did,in fact, use a.Taser on his stepson in a training capacity. As a Taser instructor, Investigator Wooten should be awarethat the use of a Taser, even in short increments on a small child should be done. in only extreme circumstances. It is further compounded by the fact that members of the public are aware of this eVent and that it reflects badly on AST.

OPM 101.070 (A) Unbecoming Conduct Su~tained

OPM 101.070 (B) Personal Conduct Sustained

OPM 101.060 (F) Failure to perform Duties Properly,

Molly McCann, Sarah Palin and Track Palin allege that on February 17, 2005, Investigator Wooten made a comment to Molly McCann that he would shoot her father if he hired a Iawyer for her. McCann advised that Investigator Wooten made this comment to her, and that Sarah.and Track Palin who were listening over an open telephone line overheard it. Investigator Wooten was questioned about the comment and denied ever making the statement. Although McCann, Sarah Palin and Track Palin all recalled hearin~ the statement, a statement 'or implied threat to a non-present third party is not a crime. Although McCann and Sarah Palin felt that their father's life was in danger by the statement, neither mentioned the threat to their father for several weeks. Nevertheless, a statement of this sort by a trooper reflects badly on AST.

OPM 101.070 (A) Unbecoming Conduct Sustained

OPM 101,070 (S) Personal Conduct Sustained

'OPM 101.Q70 © Conformance to Laws Not Sustained.

Use of Govemment Property Sustained

Information from Sarah Pallin's email stated that in September 2003, Investigator Wooten had illegally shot a cow moose. The information indicated that Molly McCann had been drawn for an antlerless moose pennit and that Investigator Wooten shot the animal. As a result, Inv~st\~ator Chris Watchus (Wasilia PO), Molly McCann, and Investigator Wooten were interviewed regarding the event. Watchus and McCann both advised that Investigator Wooten shot the animal whil~ hunting in Watchus' boat. Investigator Wooten was interviewed regarding the event and acknowledged that he shot the moose and that the permit was in his wife, Molly's name. Investigator Wooten advised that he doesn't feel that it was inappropriate and that he still doesn't find that it is a violation of law. This investigator has found that the act of taking the moose was a violation of 5AAC.85.045 (12) Antlerless Moose and AS 16.05.420 © Tag$/ Permit Requirements. It is hard to und~rstand how Investigator Wooten, a member of the Wildlife Investigations Unit, would state that this shooting was legal. - - .. . - - - .

aPM 101.070 (A) Unbecoming Conduct Sustained

bPM 101.070 (6) Personal Conduct Sustained

aPM 101.070 © Conformance to Laws Sustained

[20TN40 0]

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to global warming. She campaigned “as a private citizen” against a state initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from pollution from mines, or B) tied up in the courts all mining in the state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior’s decision to list polar bears as threatened species. If I were Alaskans even if I did support drilling in ANWAR, I'd still be concerned at her apparent lack of concern for other parts of the environment important to Alaska. Even the Republicans in our state are smarter than to take on the citizenry when it comes to keeping Montana's wildlife from being threatened. *****************ADN..........The State of Alaska will sue to challenge the recent listing of polar bears as a threatened species, Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday. She and other Alaska elected officials fear a listing will cripple oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat off the state's northern and northwestern coasts. Palin argued there is not enough evidence to support a listing. Polar bears are well-managed and their population has dramatically increased over 30 years as a result of conservation, she said.I'm not a Bushita. I supported a direct air attack or wherever to capture and/or kill bin Laden and then leave. Anything other than that, I am vehemently against. I strongly believe that our troops would better serve to ensure our safety by surrounding our borders and shoot anyone that doesn't have documentation. It's appalling to me that we have 15 million illegal aliens in our midst, draining our SS reserves and getting the free health care that our elderly deserve. I propose that we load them all into a huge cargo plane, give them a parachute and drop them back over their homeland. Or at the very least, they should respect the Statue of Liberty instead of trying to get the inscription printed out in Spanish. If they truly want to come here because it's a "better" place, then they need to stop trying to change every damn thing and learn how to blend in with the rest of us.

[jmkiser 0]

Oh shit, I'm pro-murder now.Haven't heard that before ..... /snoreYeah, srsly, people, have a free-for-all. I'll up the ante: the person able to gun down the most members of Congress "wins the game".

[Nimue1995 1]

BTW, wasnt it you that who was whining about how legislators should have "skin in the (military) game"? I havent heard anything from you positive about SPs son.

Very well, I applaud his choosing the military as a career. I have a son in the Navy and a son-in-law in the army and my husband is a former Marine. Do I get applause as well? In the meantime, I've noticed that you didn't address any of the rest of the post.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

Yeah that's the burden of debate you can just randomly state anything regardless of merit or proof and its up to others to disprove it. Who loves McCarthy? Say it load, say it often who cares if it can be backed up. But I'm not surprised that you'd feel that way because it's only right if you say it, just ask you.

Sort of like stating something is a lie and then refusing to support the claim?You need to work on this stuf a little more.

[Nimue1995 1]

i can post the majority of his votes in the Illinois Senate : "present"i can post the majority of his votes in the US Senate: "absent"

Don't thinks you want to go there. Sen. Barack Obama left campaigning behind 12 times for roll call votes in the U.S. Senate while Sen. John McCain showed up for six, vote tallies indicate.McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate, cast 36 of the Senate's 169 votes this session, while his likely Democratic challenger cast 70, a USA Today analysis showed. Obama was on hand for Wednesday's reauthorization of U.S. spy laws and McCain wasn't.Their absences began in 2007, ahead of the primary-and-caucus season, the newspaper said. McCain's voting participation score, as tabulated by Congressional Quarterly, dropped from 91 percent in 2006 to 44 percent last year. Obama's participation fell from 99 percent in 2006 to 66 percent last year.

[Nimue1995 1]

Findings of the investigation of ex-brother in law, ADN.........During the course of this Administrative Investigation, I received another complaint that Investigator Wooten had used a Taser on his then 10-year-old stepson, Payton. Following interviews with Payton, as well as witnesses to the event, Investigator Wooten was re-interviewed. Duringthe re-interview, Investigator Wooten acknowledged that he did,in fact, use a.Taser on his stepson in a training capacity. As a Taser instructor, Investigator Wooten should be awarethat the use of a Taser, even in short increments on a small child should be done. in only extreme circumstances. It is further compounded by the fact that members of the public are aware of this eVent and that it reflects badly on AST.

OPM 101.070 (A) Unbecoming Conduct Su~tained

OPM 101.070 (B) Personal Conduct Sustained

OPM 101.060 (F) Failure to perform Duties Properly,

Molly McCann, Sarah Palin and Track Palin allege that on February 17, 2005, Investigator Wooten made a comment to Molly McCann that he would shoot her father if he hired a Iawyer for her. McCann advised that Investigator Wooten made this comment to her, and that Sarah.and Track Palin who were listening over an open telephone line overheard it. Investigator Wooten was questioned about the comment and denied ever making the statement. Although McCann, Sarah Palin and Track Palin all recalled hearin~ the statement, a statement 'or implied threat to a non-present third party is not a crime. Although McCann and Sarah Palin felt that their father's life was in danger by the statement, neither mentioned the threat to their father for several weeks. Nevertheless, a statement of this sort by a trooper reflects badly on AST.

OPM 101.070 (A) Unbecoming Conduct Sustained

OPM 101,070 (S) Personal Conduct Sustained

'OPM 101.Q70 © Conformance to Laws Not Sustained.

Use of Govemment Property Sustained

Information from Sarah Pallin's email stated that in September 2003, Investigator Wooten had illegally shot a cow moose. The information indicated that Molly McCann had been drawn for an antlerless moose pennit and that Investigator Wooten shot the animal. As a result, Inv~st\~ator Chris Watchus (Wasilia PO), Molly McCann, and Investigator Wooten were interviewed regarding the event. Watchus and McCann both advised that Investigator Wooten shot the animal whil~ hunting in Watchus' boat. Investigator Wooten was interviewed regarding the event and acknowledged that he shot the moose and that the permit was in his wife, Molly's name. Investigator Wooten advised that he doesn't feel that it was inappropriate and that he still doesn't find that it is a violation of law. This investigator has found that the act of taking the moose was a violation of 5AAC.85.045 (12) Antlerless Moose and AS 16.05.420 © Tag$/ Permit Requirements. It is hard to und~rstand how Investigator Wooten, a member of the Wildlife Investigations Unit, would state that this shooting was legal. - - .. . - - - .

aPM 101.070 (A) Unbecoming Conduct Sustained

bPM 101.070 (6) Personal Conduct Sustained

aPM 101.070 © Conformance to Laws Sustained

As I said in my paragraph on this - it might or might not be an issue and it wouldn't have concerned me if it hadn't been for her actions in Wasilla as mayor. But this does concern me and so far you've not addressed it: She tried to replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew her support. Please explain to me why this wouldn't be considered a lapse in judgement. I'm not particularly worried about a lot of the crap that's been going on about Sarah Palin regarding her family except that it overshadows and ignores some of the issues that actually do have relevance to her doing the job as VP.

[Nimue1995 1]

As for her being a reformer, I wonder how much you've REALLY looked at her record:Palin's pork requests confound reformer image By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer Tue Sep 2, 11:54 PM ET ST. PAUL, Minn. - John McCain touts Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a force in the his battle against earmarks and entrenched power brokers, but under her leadership the state this year asked for almost $300 per person in requests for pet projects from one of McCain's top adversaries: indicted Sen. Ted Stevens. That's more than any other state received, per person, from Congress for the current budget year, and runs counter to the reformer image that Palin and the McCain campaign are pushing. Other states got just $34 worth of local projects per person this year, on average, according to Citizens Against Government Waste, a Washington-based watchdog group.Palin actually reduced the state government's requests for special projects this year to 31 earmarks totaling $198 million, about $295 person, in the wake of President Bush's demand for a cutback in earmarks.The state government's earmark requests to Congress in her first year in office exceeded $550 million, more than $800 per resident. But there's only so much Palin could do with state bureaucrats used to a free-flowing spigot of federal dollars from Washington."I have championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress," Palin said in her vice presidential campaign trail debut last week.Palin's current request to Stevens, "would still put Alaska No. 1," said Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group that tracks earmarks closely.The McCain campaign said Tuesday that Palin realized that Alaska was too reliant on earmarks and ordered state officials to cut back on their requests. It also said Obama requested nearly $1 billion in earmarks over three years for Illinois — a state with nearly 20 times the population of Alaska."We cannot and must not rely so heavily on federal government earmarks," Palin told state legislators in January.Obama hasn't asked for any earmarks this year as he and Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton manuevered on the issue. Last year, he asked for $311 million worth, about $24 worth for every Illinoisan.For his part, McCain doesn't seek pork projects.Budget watchdogs allied with McCain have annually railed against Stevens, Alaska's senior senator, and his state's addiction to earmarks, those locally popular pet projects added to the federal budget by senators and House members. McCain and Stevens are not friends, and the two men have openly clashed on the Senate floor over earmarks.In addition Palin's requests on behalf of the state government this year, 124 public and private entities in Alaska have asked Stevens for earmarks this year.In her earlier political career as mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a private lobbyist to help the tiny town secure earmarks from Stevens, entering Washington's "pay to play" culture in which lobbyists, campaign contributions and lawmakers are intertwined.The town obtained 14 earmarks, totaling $27 million between 2000-2003, according to data compiled by Taxpayers for Common Sense.Federal lobbying records show that Wasilla hired the firm of Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh in 2000 to arrange "funding of city projects." The signature on the registration form is that of Steven W. Silver, a former top aide to Stevens, who chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee on and off between 1997 and 2005.The firm initially was paid $24,000 a year, an amount that increased to $36,000 in 2001. The firm has continued to work for the town government since Palin left as mayor in 2002. Silver gave $2,000 to Stevens' Northern Lights political action committee in 1999, according to federal records.Stevens was indicted in July for failing to disclose $250,000 in gifts from VECO Corp., an Alaskan oil services company.At the same time, Palin's campaign trail braggadocio last week that she told Washington "'thanks but no thanks' on that Bridge to Nowhere" didn't tell the whole story. In fact, Palin was for the infamous $398 million bridge — to connect the town of Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport on it — before she was against it, speaking in favor of it during her 2006 race for governor. Alaska has become so accustomed to largess flowing from Congress through Stevens that most of Palin's earmark requests this year — such as studies of Alaskan fisheries, grants to combat drug trafficking, and rural airport upgrades — simply keep ongoing programs going. Among her requests was $150,000 to pay the travel bills of state and fisheries industry representatives on the boards that implement North Pacific fisheries agreements. "They've definitely become addicted to earmarks," said Ellis, of Taxpayers for Common Sense. "And Gov. Palin has continued in at least some form that addiction."

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to global warming. She campaigned “as a private citizen” against a state initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from pollution from mines, or B) tied up in the courts all mining in the state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior’s decision to list polar bears as threatened species. If I were Alaskans even if I did support drilling in ANWAR, I'd still be concerned at her apparent lack of concern for other parts of the environment important to Alaska. Even the Republicans in our state are smarter than to take on the citizenry when it comes to keeping Montana's wildlife from being threatened. *****************ADN..........The State of Alaska will sue to challenge the recent listing of polar bears as a threatened species, Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday. She and other Alaska elected officials fear a listing will cripple oil and gas development in prime polar bear habitat off the state's northern and northwestern coasts. Palin argued there is not enough evidence to support a listing. Polar bears are well-managed and their population has dramatically increased over 30 years as a result of conservation, she said.I'm not a Bushita. I supported a direct air attack or wherever to capture and/or kill bin Laden and then leave. Anything other than that, I am vehemently against. I strongly believe that our troops would better serve to ensure our safety by surrounding our borders and shoot anyone that doesn't have documentation. It's appalling to me that we have 15 million illegal aliens in our midst, draining our SS reserves and getting the free health care that our elderly deserve. I propose that we load them all into a huge cargo plane, give them a parachute and drop them back over their homeland. Or at the very least, they should respect the Statue of Liberty instead of trying to get the inscription printed out in Spanish. If they truly want to come here because it's a "better" place, then they need to stop trying to change every damn thing and learn how to blend in with the rest of us.

She is going to ignore any of your points and just keep referring to Liberal Bloggers and Alaskan Librarians

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

As for her being a reformer, I wonder how much you've REALLY looked at her record:Palin's pork requests confound reformer image By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer Tue Sep 2, 11:54 PM ET ST. PAUL, Minn. - John McCain touts Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a force in the his battle against earmarks and entrenched power brokers, but under her leadership the state this year asked for almost $300 per person in requests for pet projects from one of McCain's top adversaries: indicted Sen. Ted Stevens. That's more than any other state received, per person, from Congress for the current budget year, and runs counter to the reformer image that Palin and the McCain campaign are pushing. Other states got just $34 worth of local projects per person this year, on average, according to Citizens Against Government Waste, a Washington-based watchdog group.Palin actually reduced the state government's requests for special projects this year to 31 earmarks totaling $198 million, about $295 person, in the wake of President Bush's demand for a cutback in earmarks.The state government's earmark requests to Congress in her first year in office exceeded $550 million, more than $800 per resident. But there's only so much Palin could do with state bureaucrats used to a free-flowing spigot of federal dollars from Washington."I have championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress," Palin said in her vice presidential campaign trail debut last week.Palin's current request to Stevens, "would still put Alaska No. 1," said Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group that tracks earmarks closely.The McCain campaign said Tuesday that Palin realized that Alaska was too reliant on earmarks and ordered state officials to cut back on their requests. It also said Obama requested nearly $1 billion in earmarks over three years for Illinois — a state with nearly 20 times the population of Alaska."We cannot and must not rely so heavily on federal government earmarks," Palin told state legislators in January.Obama hasn't asked for any earmarks this year as he and Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton manuevered on the issue. Last year, he asked for $311 million worth, about $24 worth for every Illinoisan.For his part, McCain doesn't seek pork projects.Budget watchdogs allied with McCain have annually railed against Stevens, Alaska's senior senator, and his state's addiction to earmarks, those locally popular pet projects added to the federal budget by senators and House members. McCain and Stevens are not friends, and the two men have openly clashed on the Senate floor over earmarks.In addition Palin's requests on behalf of the state government this year, 124 public and private entities in Alaska have asked Stevens for earmarks this year.In her earlier political career as mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a private lobbyist to help the tiny town secure earmarks from Stevens, entering Washington's "pay to play" culture in which lobbyists, campaign contributions and lawmakers are intertwined.The town obtained 14 earmarks, totaling $27 million between 2000-2003, according to data compiled by Taxpayers for Common Sense.Federal lobbying records show that Wasilla hired the firm of Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh in 2000 to arrange "funding of city projects." The signature on the registration form is that of Steven W. Silver, a former top aide to Stevens, who chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee on and off between 1997 and 2005.The firm initially was paid $24,000 a year, an amount that increased to $36,000 in 2001. The firm has continued to work for the town government since Palin left as mayor in 2002. Silver gave $2,000 to Stevens' Northern Lights political action committee in 1999, according to federal records.Stevens was indicted in July for failing to disclose $250,000 in gifts from VECO Corp., an Alaskan oil services company.At the same time, Palin's campaign trail braggadocio last week that she told Washington "'thanks but no thanks' on that Bridge to Nowhere" didn't tell the whole story. In fact, Palin was for the infamous $398 million bridge — to connect the town of Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport on it — before she was against it, speaking in favor of it during her 2006 race for governor. Alaska has become so accustomed to largess flowing from Congress through Stevens that most of Palin's earmark requests this year — such as studies of Alaskan fisheries, grants to combat drug trafficking, and rural airport upgrades — simply keep ongoing programs going. Among her requests was $150,000 to pay the travel bills of state and fisheries industry representatives on the boards that implement North Pacific fisheries agreements. "They've definitely become addicted to earmarks," said Ellis, of Taxpayers for Common Sense. "And Gov. Palin has continued in at least some form that addiction."

This AP "Story" is so biased it is almost sad. Comments like "she was for it before she was against it" betray the bias of a writer who can't even keep himself to the facts without having to try and find some way to insert an editorial dig. Looks to me like in her short tenure she's been reducing the earmarks drastically year to year. What were the levels of "earmarks" the years BEFORE she took office?

[copernicus 0]

Very well, I applaud his choosing the military as a career. I have a son in the Navy and a son-in-law in the army and my husband is a former Marine. Do I get applause as well? In the meantime, I've noticed that you didn't address any of the rest of the post.

I didnt address the rest of the post because quite honestly they are appalingly trivial issues to waste ones time on, full of unproven innuendo and it could only turn into a "he said/she said" regurgitation of noise....as the rest of this thread proves. And of course you and your family get props on the military issues. I seriously doubt that you can look yourself in the mirror and honestly say that you would be raising the same issues about a liberal Democrat femaile nominee.

[copernicus 0]

Don't thinks you want to go there. Sen. Barack Obama left campaigning behind 12 times for roll call votes in the U.S. Senate while Sen. John McCain showed up for six, vote tallies indicate.McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate, cast 36 of the Senate's 169 votes this session, while his likely Democratic challenger cast 70, a USA Today analysis showed. Obama was on hand for Wednesday's reauthorization of U.S. spy laws and McCain wasn't.Their absences began in 2007, ahead of the primary-and-caucus season, the newspaper said. McCain's voting participation score, as tabulated by Congressional Quarterly, dropped from 91 percent in 2006 to 44 percent last year. Obama's participation fell from 99 percent in 2006 to 66 percent last year.

first, grow a sense of humor, apparently yours got gangreen and fell off. Second, take a look at the ISSUES that BHO avoided casting votes on, not pure numbers, especially in Illinois, and whether the votes were contentious or not.

[copernicus 0]

As I said in my paragraph on this - it might or might not be an issue and it wouldn't have concerned me if it hadn't been for her actions in Wasilla as mayor. But this does concern me and so far you've not addressed it:She tried to replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew her support. Please explain to me why this wouldn't be considered a lapse in judgement. I'm not particularly worried about a lot of the crap that's been going on about Sarah Palin regarding her family except that it overshadows and ignores some of the issues that actually do have relevance to her doing the job as VP.

roflmao, do you know what it takes to get a reprimand for sexual harassment? Leave a Playboy on the seat of your car where a female coworker can see it, she doesnt like you and complains...reprimand. Why cant people read behind soundbites and look for more information before making judgements?

[copernicus 0]

This AP "Story" is so biased it is almost sad. Comments like "she was for it before she was against it" betray the bias of a writer who can't even keep himself to the facts without having to try and find some way to insert an editorial dig. Looks to me like in her short tenure she's been reducing the earmarks drastically year to year. What were the levels of "earmarks" the years BEFORE she took office?

The writer also puts things in terms of "cost per person". Well guess what, infrastructure projects dont cost any less in TOTAL just because fewer people will use them, and Alaska happens to be sparsely populated. In terms of gross dollars the earmarks for her projects (not projects begun by her predecessors) was miniscule compared to the lower 48. WRT the "Bridge to Nowhere", a misnomer to start with, that was an ongoing battle before she became governor. Her position changed when the STATE could afford to pay for it, and she didnt feel that Federal money was appropriate any longer.The smear campaign against Palin will be the subject of PhD theses for years to come. Its a hatchet job worthy of the Clintons, and if you dont think Obamas surrogates are behind it, youre hoplessly naive.

[Nimue1995 1]

She is going to ignore any of your points and just keep referring to Liberal Bloggers and Alaskan Librarians

I asked him questions and got his answers which is all I'm asking for. I'm also asking for clarification of some of the things that have been going around about her just as I would of any candidate. To say that I wouldn't ask the same of say Hilary Clinton is ridiculous since if Hilary Clinton had been the candidate I'd be voting for McCain now. Also we have an extensive history on Hilary Clinton to work with where we don't on Palin. So to have this many questions about her management of the political positions she's held in the short time she's held them should be some cause for concern. If it was Kay Bailey Hutchinson that was chosen instead of the relatively unknown Sarah Palin, I doubt we'd even be having these discussions, especially about her ability to lead should something happen to John McCain. I might not agree with Kay Bailey Hutchinson's politics but I'd not doubt her ability to lead the country. With the little that I've found out about Palin so far, I do doubt her ability to lead the country. That's all, and all you Republicans can twist that any way you like it. Even if Hilary were the candidate for the Dems I'd have serious doubts about McCain's judgement should he have picked Palin, in spite of the fact that I'd never vote for Hilary. So stop trying to make out that I've got some kind of agenda to discredit Palin. My agenda is to find out if she's actually qualified for the post that she's been nominated for. And that means looking at the bad as well as the good.

[JustDoIt 10]

Very well, I applaud his choosing the military as a career. I have a son in the Navy and a son-in-law in the army and my husband is a former Marine. Do I get applause as well? In the meantime, I've noticed that you didn't address any of the rest of the post.

And I also pray for them daily.

[JustDoIt 10]

ffs, i wish conservative twatbags would stop calling the MEDICAL PROCEDURE of "intact dilation and extraction" something that skews the public's view of what it ACTUALLY IS.

Got it......when your side is losing a debate you have to resort to name calling. FYI, we were not talking about that procedure!

[copernicus 0]

Got it......when your side is losing a debate you have to resort to name calling. FYI, we were not talking about that procedure!

Your self control is far better than mine!