John Nichols: Republicans Sue Republicans to Help Palin

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from The Nation:




Republicans Sue Republicans to Help Palin
posted by John Nichols on 09/16/2008 @ 4:04pm



ANCHORAGE -- Here is an interesting twist on the McCain campaign's determined effort to shut down the investigation of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's abuses of power in what has come to be known as the "Troopergate" scandal.

Palin stands accused of dismissing the state's public safety commissioner because he would not fire her former brother-in-law, a state trooper with whom the governor was feuding after he and her sister divorced.

If Palin did so abuse her office, she could face any number of penalties, up to and including impeachment as governor. That would make it harder to pitch Palin as an "original maverick" reformer.

The McCain camp has tried a number of moves since Palin's selection to close down the bipartisan inquiry -- which was approved by the state's Legislative Council but is being conducted by a respected former prosecutor -- into the governor's alleged wrongdoing. If Alaska was a typical state, this partisan move might have worked. But Alaska is a very small state where top Democrats and Republicans have traditions of working together -- especially on ethics inquiries.

So, even though Republicans dominate the legislature, the McCain camp has been rebuffed. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/361247