Dang, I was traveling all week and only found out tonight that Wayne Barrett was on Olbermann Monday night to discuss the mysterious story of the unnamed "contractor buddies" who "helped" Todd build the two story, four bedroom, four bath Palin house in 2002. Coincidentally, the Wasilla Sports Complex was being built at the same time, just down the road, and big contracts were being handed out to build it. It sure was awfully nice of those "contractor buddies" to help Todd like that, out of the goodness of their hearts.
Will somebody please look into this? If any of the "contractor buddies" who helped build the Palin house for free also got lucrative contracts to build the Sports Complex, well that would be a quid pro quo worthy of Ted Stevens. Isn't Alaska an interesting place?
Transcript of Barrett's interview with Olberman below. I'm guessing that KO might have been tipped to the story right here at Kos. Woo hoo!
Who are Todd Palin's "Contractor Buddies?" I Want To Know Their Names.
Wayne Barrett is a senior editor at the Village Voice. His article, The Book of Sarah (Palin) is a must-read.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
===excerpt===
BARRETT: But the odd thing about this house is I'm watching Greta Van Susteren on your favorite channel, and she's got an interview with Todd Palin. And Todd Palin is saying, you know, "I built this house myself." They're standing out in front of the house. "With me and my buddy contractors."
Well, a bomb goes off in my head. I say, "Well, jeez, I got to find out who those buddy contractors are."
Big problem, Keith. She eliminated building permits in the town of Wasilla. There are no building permits required. So you had to figure out who the-first I had to get who all the sub contractors and contractors were on the sports complex, because it all happens with great synergy. At the same time, just a mile from each other, the house is built just a mile, remote corner. If you can find a remote corner in Wasilla, they found a remote corner.
So it's geographically in the same place. The decisions are all made at the same time. All in 2002. Isn't it odd that they decided to build their own first home in the year that she was running, first time, for statewide office? Well, it's completed.
The only thing they have to file in Wasilla is a notice of completion, on 8/30/2002, they filed a notice of completion. That's two months before she leaves office. So wouldn't it sound logical, then, that you're going to build a house even while you're running statewide while you can still get some favors from the guys who are going to build it?
And it turns out that, at least I was able to clearly establish one contractor, the big, building supply contractor who supplied the building materials for the complex is the same guy-Spenard is the name. That's the company that supplied the building supplies for her house.
I asked others. You just had to dial them up by phone and say, you know, "Did you do anything?"
And others said, "Well, I can't remember if I did or didn't. How would I know?"
But you know, so you've got to do it by-by phone without records.
===more at link===
Here's Todd on Fox News explaining how he built the house himself, with help from the "contractor buddies."
Um, I think this warrants an investigation. The Palin's received valuable services from professionals which considerably lowered the cost of building their house. The least they need to do is release their names. Thank you.