In July, the Legislative Council, a bipartisan panel of state senators in Alaska, considered allegations of abuse of power by Sarah Palin sufficiently serious to authorize spending $100,000 to hire an independent counsel to investigate the charges.
Press reports suggest that the investigation may be complete "before the holidays," but not necessarily before the election. Suppose McCain is elected in November, but before the electoral votes are cast in January, Palin is forced to resign as a result of the findings.
Shouldn't the mainstream media press McCain to find out who McCain would name as his backup if Palin is forced to resign? Don't the American people deserve to know who they might be electing as VP if the ethics investigation ultimately disqualifies Palin?
This is not a theoretical question.
McCain created this problem, by choosing a candidate who is the subject of an ethics investigation.
Commissioner of Public Safety Walt Monegan was fired by Palin. Even conservatives in Alaska claim that he was fired after resisting pressure by Palin to fire her former brother-in-law, State Trooper Mike Wooten, who was involved in a nasty divorce with Palin's sister. According to reports, the Palin family filed 25 complaints against Wooten, all of which were dismissed as unsubstantiated. The harassment got so bad that a local judge warned against further frivolous claims. According to : The Voice of the Times "A Conservative Voice for Alaska"
After the divorce was final in late 2005 things settled down, until last fall.
At the request of the court, Wooten and his ex-wife were instructed to return to re-visit the custody schedule. Once the paper work started in April of 2008, the complaints and the intimidation started all over again.
But now Wooten wasn't dealing with just Sarah Palin, he was dealing with Governor Sarah Palin.
On April 23, 2008 in written testimony to the court, Palin denied ever making claims against Wooten, when in fact she had emailed a State Trooper Colonel in April of 2005 accusing Wooten of driving drunk.
Twice in the last few months complaints were filed by the governor's office accusing Wooten of improperly using his patrol car. Both times he was visiting his kids at school and both times he had permission from his sargent. The last complaint came in May after Todd Palin saw Wooten pulling out of the school parking lot and six days later the complaint landed on Wooten's supervisor's desk.
During the legislative session this past spring, Palin reportedly told Commissioner Monegan to fire Wooten because he was giving Troopers a bad name. However Monegan said he would do no such thing.
A short time afterwards, it was discovered that confidential material in Wooten's Administrative Investigation file had been released to his ex-wife and her attorney. This drew outrage from the Public Safety Union as well as the Commissioner. AI files are strictly confidential and can only be released with the written signature of the Trooper, but yet no one could explain how the detailed confidential information was released.
Others have reported on the abuse as well: Why Walt Monegan got fired: Palin's abuse of power. Also Monegan says Palin administration and first gentleman used governor's office to pressure firing first family's former brother-in-law
So now, the Legislative Council has authorized an independent investigation:Hired help will probe Monegan dismissal
The results of the investigation may not come anytime soon.
Doesn't the media have to recognize at least the possibility that the investigation will conclude that Sarah Palin engaged in improper and illegal conduct?
If so, shouldn't McCain disclose now who would be the VP if Palin is forced out, especially if the finding come after the election in November, but before the electoral votes are cast? Don't the American people deserve to know who they might ultimately be electing in the event the investigation results causes her resignation? If forced to resign after inauguration, at least there is some process for reviewing McCain's choice for a VP. But if I am not mistaken, nothing would prevent McCain after election day, but before the electoral college meets, from recommending a new name.
Unless this investigation is wrapped up quickly, shouldn't someone be asking McCain every single day who he would pick if Palin is forced to resign?
I don't know what kind of "change in Washington" McCain believes in, but I hope he at least believes that the American people have a right to know who they might be electing.
McCain created this problem by making this choice. Let him deal with the consequences.
What do you think?