Palin’s trooper troubles

‘ ‘ ‘ Gov. Sarah Palin said on Saturday that she was ‘pleased to be cleared of … any hint of… ‘ ‘ ‘ Gov. Sarah Palin said on Saturday that she was ‘pleased to be cleared of … any hint of any kind of unethical activity’ regarding her actions in the Troopergate controversy, according to the Washington Post. But Palin can’t talk her way out of this scandal. ‘ ‘ ‘ A recent investigation by the Alaska legislature has concluded that Palin abused her gubernatorial powers by influencing subordinates to try to get state trooper Michael Wooten, her former brother-in-law, fired. ‘ ‘ ‘ While Palin had the authority to fire the trooper’s boss, Alaska’s public safety commissioner Walt Monegan, she violated the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act, which forbids state officials from involving personal matters into their political actions. The investigation said that Palin and her husband Todd tried ‘to get Trooper Wooten fired for personal family related reasons,’ according to the Post. ‘ ‘ ‘ Palin has repeatedly denied this, saying that Wooten acted inappropriately as a police officer. But the situation is highly suspicious. At the time, Wooten, who currently still has his job, was going through a rough divorce and child-custody battle with Palin’s sister Molly McCann. ‘ ‘ ‘ The investigation report further states that Palin ‘permitted Todd Palin to use the governor’s office and the resources of the governor’s office … to continue to contact subordinate state employees in an effort to find some way to get Trooper Wooten fired.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Perhaps Palin doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘unethical,’ because, clearly, ethics were the last thing on her mind in her efforts to dismiss Wooten. ‘ ‘ ‘ Her husband’s role in the controversy is disturbing. As the self-described ‘first dude’ of Alaska, Todd Palin has acted like he has executive authority in Alaska politics. ‘ ‘ ‘ According to the Los Angeles Times, Todd spent much time in the governor’s office, attended cabinet meetings and was involved in a wide variety of government issues. ‘ ‘ ‘ The ease with which Palin handed over powers to her husband not only illustrates her lack of concern for ethics, but also shows that she does not seem to take her job as governor seriously. That such a reckless leader could be the next vice president ‘mdash; or president ‘mdash; of the United States is unsettling. ‘ ‘ ‘ Recent polls have shown that Sen. John McCain is 11 points behind Sen. Barack Obama, and the investigation is certainly not helping matters. As Election Day quickly approaches, voters should take heed of this scandal. Instead of admitting and taking responsibility for her mistakes, Palin has stubbornly refuted the investigation’s findings in claiming to be cleared of any wrongdoing. If Palin wants to improve her image, perhaps she should stop spinning the truth. ‘ ‘ ‘ She claims to be a ‘maverick.’ She has proudly said that she is a Washington outsider. But if this investigation proves only one thing, it’s that Palin is a typical politician ‘mdash; just another wheel of the spin machine ‘mdash; and that her past is less clean than McCain’s campaign has claimed.