Today it's Rep. Lesil McGuire, thrown off an Alaska Airlines flight and questioned by police for being (allegedly) tipsy, (allegedly) not complying with crew members' instructions, and (allegedly) throwing a glass of water on a flight attendant when she was denied a drinky in flight.
Witnesses told police McGuire was rude, used profanity, bad-mouthed the pilots and caused further delay by getting out of her seat.
Oh, Alaska Republican women! What is going on among you up there, in the land of limitless energy, homeground mooseburgers, views of Russia from every front porch, and good ol' pioneer spirit?
USA Today fleshes out the story, which reads like the cross between a Hollywood temper tantrum and the antics of one of the fictional characters from Absolutely Fabulous:
In her statement, McGuire said she was texting about her flight being delayed to the person who was supposed to pick her up in Anchorage. She said she cooperated with the flight attendant when asked to turn off her BlackBerry.
But according to the Sept. 5 police report, obtained along with the audio of the police interview by the Anchorage Daily News, one of the flight attendants said crewmembers chose to not serve McGuire alcohol because they decided she would be escorted off the plane once it landed.
The report says during questioning, officers noticed alcohol on McGuire's breath, her flushed skin and a slightly unsteady walk. McGuire told police she had a glass of wine before the flight.
According to the report, a former airport police officer on the flight said he saw McGuire have three glasses of wine at the airport bar before boarding.
Wow. Spoiled, belligerent, and defiant. Lesil McGuire sounds a lot like another Alaska Republican we've come to know, except that her husband isn't some layabout...
Oh, wait:
McGuire served three terms in the state House before being elected to the state Senate in 2006. She is married to former Rep. Tom Anderson, an Anchorage Republican who is serving a federal prison term on corruption charges.
Whaaaat? Surely the Department of Justice website can clear this up...
Former Alaska State Rep. Thomas T. Anderson Sentenced to
Five Years in Prison for Extortion, Conspiracy, Bribery And Money Laundering
Thomas T. Anderson, a former elected member of the Alaska State House of Representatives, was sentenced to 60 months incarceration by the Honorable John W. Sedwick, Chief United States District Judge for the District of Alaska, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division announced today. Anderson was also sentenced to two years’ supervised release and a special assessment.
On July 9, 2007, a federal jury in Anchorage convicted Anderson of all seven counts charged in a December 2006 indictment. The jury found that Anderson solicited and received money from an FBI confidential source in exchange for Anderson’s agreement to perform official acts to further a business interest represented by the confidential source.
Well. No wonder Lesil needed a cocktail.
But surely this is a coincidence. Surely the allegedly drunken and not-so-allegedly dragged off a plane Lesil McGuire doesn't know Our Maverick of the Caribou...
...does she?
The hearing room was jammed with reporters and television cameras attracted to the Troopergate affair because of Palin's newfound fame as John McCain's vice presidential running mate.
Committee members vigorously debated whether to take the rare step of issuing subpoenas, with one lawmaker, North Pole Republican Sen. Gene Therriault, predicting that doing so might lead to a "smackdown" court battle between the executive and legislative branches of the state government.
Therriault and Sen. Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage, argued for delaying the issuance of subpoenas, if not the investigation itself, until after the Nov. 4 election.
Well, damn. Looks like moose of a feather flock together.
Next you're going to tell me that McGuire got kid-gloves treatment from the Anchorage gendarmerie due to her position. Lousy liberal media.