According to the an article in the September 20th issue of The Anchorage Daily News, there is more to Troopergate than why Commissioner of Public Safety Walt Monegan was fired. An equally important question would be why Chuck Kopp was hired to replace him.
So who is Chuck Kopp and why is he important to Sarah Palin, the Troopergate investigation, her selection as VP for John McCain and the Christian right. Follow me over the fold.
David Brody of CBS News reported in June of this year that:
"John McCain met in North Carolina with Rev. Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham... McCain was courting the religious right who, at the time, were skeptical of his social conservatism and his Christian qualifications. After the meeting Graham issued a statement praising McCain's "personal faith" and added, "We had an opportunity to pray ... for God's will to be done in this upcoming election."
To paraphase commentary by Alan Boraas, professor of anthropology at Kenai Peninsula College you can find linked here There is a suggestion that the price for support of McCain by the Fundamentalist Christian leadership was a VP pick of their liking.
Gov. Palin was a logical choice for Graham, but for many right wing Alaskan commentators, Palin was viewed as not promoting a socially conservative agenda and being an economic liberal. By firing Monegan and hiring Kenai City Police Chief Chuck Kopp, a rising star in Alaskan Christian conservative circles, Palin would have enhanced her standing as a Christian conservative politician.
Kopps nomination ran into trouble but Palin's willingness to appoint him along with her anti-choice, creationist beliefs made her perfect to solidify the base with McCain. According to Kevin Merida of The Washington Post
Palin met with the Alaska delegation after her nomination during the recent Republican National Convention, Rev. Prevo, a member of the delegation, said Palin asked them to pray for her. Then Prevo handed the governor his cell phone; it was Franklin Graham calling to congratulate her.
Jeff Sharlett, journalist and author known for writing about religious subcultures, said Palin's connection to "elite fundamentalism" is of interest now that she is an election and a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Elite fundamentalists believe, according to Sharlett, not only in religious determinism but that they are personally chosen by God to be in positions of power.
Furthermore,
They are making a frighteningly close return to the pre-enlightenment concept of rule by divine right, which our founding fathers rejected as anathema to democracy and established, instead, the separation of church and state lest decisions be made on the basis of good versus evil rather than wise versus unwise.
You can read the entire Commentary here at The Anchorage Daily News