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From the time of her announcement as the Vice Presidential selection by Senator John McCain, Governor Sarah Palin has been the target of a nearly solid wall of attacks from the Democrats. It was obvious to them from the very beginning that with her popularity rating in her home state of Alaska, her knowledge of the issues, added to the fact she is an attractive, young woman with a family must have terrified them. Could it be that she could actually lead the Republicans to the White House in 2009? Speaking from a Conservative viewpoint, I think it goes without...

Did conservative Sarah Palin self-destruct by resigning as governor of Alaska? Is she toast in politics? I doubt it. What's the approval rating of most of our politicians at the national level? What kind of image does the typical politician in this country project? Most, of course, don't have our respect. Along comes a maverick. Along comes a politician that is totally different. She thinks out of the box. She's not part of the establishment and let's us all know she doesn't want to be. How refreshing is that! Why is the liberal left so afraid of this woman that...

Those afflicted with Palin Derangement Syndrome will go to any lengths to undermine the retiring Alaskan governor. The latest attack claims a leaked report from the Alaskan State Personnel Board indicates that Governor Palin will be found guilty of one of the numerous fanciful ethics complaints filed against her. The controversy stems from the Alaskan state ethics investigator’s contention that Palin’s establishment and use of a legal defense fund is unethical. It turns out the alleged leaker is one Kim Chatman, who has been looking for an axe to grind with Palin for some time now. Ms. Chatman is an...

DIRTY TOOLS As Obama operatives scour records in Alaska for dirt on Gov. Sarah Palin, they are also seeking embarrassing materials about her husband. And it isn't just the Obama campaign. Several left-wing groups with ties to MoveOn.org have used their network to offer as to $5,000 for damaging employment or personal information about him. Meanwhile, the Obama campaign has asked the DNC to coordinate surrogates that appear on camera to attack Gov. Palin. "Last Friday, the Democrat women they put all looked old and tired, nothing like what folks were seeing from Palin," says an Obama media adviser. "It...

An Alaskan “ethics investigator” is taking a final shot at Gov. Sarah Palin, whose resignation as governor becomes effective at the end of this week. He claims that Palin “may have violated ethics laws by accepting private donations to pay her legal debts.” According to the Associated Press, the investigator’s report “says Palin is securing unwarranted benefits and receiving improper gifts through the Alaska Fund Trust, set up by supporters.” The AP continues: “An investigator for the state Personnel Board says in his July 14 report that there is probable cause to believe Palin used or attempted to use her...

--snip--Good evening.A diversified show tonight. We begin with, in New Orleans, James Carville, the CNN political contributor and Democratic strategist. And in Washington, Liz Cheney, the former deputy assistant secretary of State in the administration of President George W. Bush and the daughter of the former vice president, Dick Cheney. Let's start with the latest concerning the soon to be former governor of Alaska. A.P. reports, guys, that an independent_investigator for the Alaska Personnel Board has found evidence that Sarah Palin may have violated ethics laws by accepting private donations to pay her legal bills. How much trouble could this...

From the time of her announcement as the Vice Presidential selection by Senator John McCain, Governor Sarah Palin has been the target of a nearly solid wall of attacks from the Democrats. It was obvious to them from the very beginning that with her popularity rating in her home state of Alaska, her knowledge of the issues, added to the fact she is an attractive, young woman with a family must have terrified them. Could it be that she could actually lead the Republicans to the White House in 2009? Speaking from a Conservative viewpoint, I think it goes without...

The Honorable Governor Palin had this to say about the latest media BS: inaccurate story floating around regarding ethics violation & Legal Defense Fund. The matter is still pending and new information was just requested. Their will be a final report. Amanda Carpenter, of Human Events, responds to the Associated Press’s illegal and premature leak about Governor Palin and the most resent ethics complaint. The Associated Press claims soon-to-be former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin will be found guilty of violating her state's ethics rules, citing a report leaked to their offices from the State Personnel Board on one of the...

"If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive." Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals, No. 10. I've been chewing the data of the various polls that have appeared since Gov. Palin's surprise announcement on July the 3rd. Two facts stand out:

Here is video from Larry King Live last night where James Carville and Liz Cheney debating about Gov. Sarah Palin's resignation, President Obama's drive to bring Government Health Care to America, and the scandal over Gov. Mark Sanford's affair with a woman from Argentina. Carville was his usual nasty self, and Cheney was well-spoken and did a good job holding her own. On Sarah Palin, Cheney pointed out that feminists and liberal hate Sarah Palin because she balances home and professional life, and is staunchly pro-life. . . . . (Watch Video)

There are folks out there (like Examiner.com's George Copeland) suggesting that Sarah Palin may have resigned from office to set up a run for the presidency in 2012, not as a Republican, but as an independent candidate. While I tend to doubt that that will be her approach, the party mandarins have every reason to worry about what she might do to them. After all, the last time Sarah Palin resigned from a position, it was the beginning of an all-out assault on the Alaska GOP, which had betrayed the party's core principles with its corruption and cronyism. Following her...

You're Peggy Noonan and you're jealous. But it's not the normal kind of jealous, the kind reserved for girlfriends who can squeeze into size 2 jeans. No, it's the kind of jealous that hurts, that grabs your gut and twists, that has you howling with rage into your pillow in the middle of the night, screaming "It's not fair" like a two-year-old denied another piece of cake. It is Sarah Palin jealous...and it is consuming you.

POLL: Are Palin ethics investigations a waste of money or necessary for keeping politicians in check?

Update, 10:15 p.m.: Randy Evans, the attorney who helped Palin set up the Alaska Trust Fund, released a statement moments ago dismissing the allegation that there was any impropriety in its founding as "absolutely untrue". Added Evans: "It was specifically patterned after well recognized trusts of prior Presidential candidates as well as high profile public servants. As with other public servants, there is no impropriety in the creation or operation of such a trust and any suggestion to the contrary is candidly absurd." Evans, a partner in the firm of McKenna, Long & Aldridge, is a well known Republican attorney,...

"I find the notion that I have taken any action pertaining to the legal defense trust fund misguided and factually in error. I am informed that this fund was created by experienced attorneys in DC and was modeled after other similar funds established for senators and others. The fund itself was not created by me nor is it controlled by me. Neither I nor my lawyer has received a penny from this fund, and I am informed the Trustee was withholding any action or payment pending final resolution with the Personnel Board. This is the hallmark of legal compliance and...

You’ve got to hand it to them. The Democrats and radical lefties know how to hit below the belt. For the umpteenth time in a long string of dismissed complaints, a leaked investigative memo details that soon to be ex-Governor Palin may have traded on her influence for personal gain. The report is so laughably shoddy and lacking in common sense. It lacks two important things: One, any mention of what Palin may have traded (in kind) for contributions to the defense fund. Instead, the report states that a normal individual wouldn't be able to raise money like that and...

A preliminary report raises the possibility that Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, who has been dogged by ethics complaints, many of them dismissed as frivolous, may not be allowed to pay her legal bills with money from her legal defense fund. Ms. Palin has amassed legal bills of more than $500,000 and has said that those debts are part of the reason she is resigning her office. She steps down on Sunday, a year and a half before the end of her term. The preliminary report, written by Thomas M. Daniel, an investigator for the state personnel board, came in...

Associated Press writer Rachel D'Oro, who has a history of writing negative pieces on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is out with another of her trademark smear jobs. The article is going out from the AP to thousands of news outlets around the world. Let's take a look: The report obtained by The Associated Press says Palin is securing unwarranted benefits and receiving improper gifts through the Alaska Fund Trust, set up by supporters. How did AP obtain the report? The copy of the report linked to (PDF) by the Anchorage Daily News has this warning stamped on it in big,...

Rachel D'Oro of the Associated Press has a story on Kim Chatman's ethics complaint about the Alaska Fund Trust with a big, splashy headline: "Palin implicated in ethics probe." The practical effect of the ruling on Palin will be more financial than anything else. The report recommends that Palin refuse to accept payment from the defense fund, and that the complaint be resolved without a formal hearing before the Alaska Personnel Board. However, it seems that the report "obtained" by the AP is not the final one from the Personnel Board's investigator. The governor just tweeted: Re inaccurate story floating...

Outgoing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin may have violated state ethics laws by letting supporters set up a legal defense fund to help her battle ethics complaints, a preliminary report on the issue has found. Sarah Palin's attorney says the report is not final, and he is preparing more information for the investigator. An investigator hired by the state personnel board recommended Palin -- who gives up her office on Sunday -- refuse money from the defense fund and ask the state to pay legal fees for ethics complaints that have been dismissed. Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein said the report...

Governor Palin has seen a huge increase in the amount of people following her on Twitter since she announced her resignation in early July. She currently stands at nearly 106,000 followers, but I believe that we can push her to at least 110,000. So, tell all your friends to start following Governor Palin on twitter!

<p>Investigator: Palin May Have Violated Ethics Laws An independent investigator has found evidence that Gov. Sarah Palin may have violated ethics laws by accepting private donations to pay her legal debts.</p> <p>"All options are open in terms of legal remedies. It is a clear violation of Alaska law that Mr. Daniel explicitly reviewed with Ms. Chatman prior to her illegal actions. We will be contacting the appropriate authorities for review and action."</p>

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An independent investigator has found evidence that Gov. Sarah Palin may have violated ethics laws by trading on her position in seeking money for legal fees, in the latest legal distraction for the former vice presidential candidate as she prepares to leave office this week. The report obtained by The Associated Press says Palin is securing unwarranted benefits and receiving improper gifts through the Alaska Fund Trust, set up by supporters.

Once again, an ethics complaint has been filed and publicly released in violation of state law. This is the sixth complaint filed by Ms. McLeod. In addition, she has filed a lawsuit against the Governor's office and multiple public records act requests. All of her prior complaints that have been ruled on have been dismissed. The Ethics Act serves important state interests in ensuring ethical state government and was intended to prevent the various forms of corrupt misconduct that had plagued the Legislature in prior years and which resulted in the prosecution of legislators and others. It is unfortunate that...

This is how the left uses frivilous ethics complaints to target Palin, this clown has made 5 complaints against Palin previously...

Sarah Palin added to Alaska's celebration of the Fourth with what is surely a political bombshell. It was either a clever stunt or it was an error of the first magnitude, depending on the talking head to whom one is listening. My first reaction was, "Good for you, girl." I've been rooting for Sarah since she first ran in the governor's primary. She's certainly no orator in the Chruchillian stratosphere, but she always made plain good sense and did what she promised -- a refreshing combination in politics. But for some months I have increasingly felt personal and human anguish...

Anchorage NBC affiliate KTUU is trying to get one last ratings boost out of Governor Palin, running a "retrospective" series this week. The first entry was yesterday...of course it consists of pretty much nothing but criticism, but there are some interesting tidbits in there about the NBC policy toward Palin: "She knew when she came back that she came back to a different environment," Stapleton said. "I think it was -- and I hate to say it -- but I think the Thanksgiving pictures coming out of Channel 2 with a turkey getting slaughtered over her shoulder was her first...

NEW YORK A story on The Huffington Post Monday reporting that Sarah Palin's hairdresser was upset about being inaccurately cited in a New York Times piece drew a response from a Times spokeswoman today claiming the hairdresser had praised the story. The Huffington Post reported that Jessica Steele, named in a July 13 Times story on Palin, had objected to the story that said she had told the Times Palin's hair was thinning from stress. "Now, that stylist is saying it's not true," the Huffington Post story said. "In a post on her Twitter account, Jessica Steele, owner of the...

The idea of fantasy sports captures my imagination. Play the coach: build your team, manage your players, track their progress, and lay down the challenge to your friends and coworkers to do better. Were there a “fantasy politics” for politicos like me, I’d join. However, since such a thing does not exist, permit me to share with you my fantasy politics for team Palin

At this time the two leading contenders for the Republican nomination in 2012 are Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin. Both possess virtues head and shoulders above all other Republican candidates, and both can easily restore the respectability of the Republican Party. So why not run both on the same ticket?

Think about it – if she were half the joke of a candidate that both Democrats and liberal establishment Republicans apocalyptically claim she'd be, both should eagerly welcome Palin running against President Obama in 2012. Democrats would theoretically have an easy win given a weak challenger and the fact that first-term incumbents generally win re-election barring a disaster. Vichy Republican bigwigs wouldn't have to sacrifice a preferred liberal candidate – such as Mitt Romney – against an unbeatable incumbent, and could save their Just-Like-the-Democrat-Only-A-Tiny-Bit-Less guy for 2016. With the loss, both would be rid of her once and for all.

Republican Governor Sarah Palin may be packing this week to leave the Alaska governor's mansion, but she isn't going to exit public life. Neither are her policies disappearing, any more than is the large constituency she appeals to with its jingoism, Cold War symbolism, proclivity toward economic protectionism and lack of sophistication about business, banking or regulatory reform. Palin is the Michael Jackson of politics, and my prediction is that she is likely to end up in the media on her way to another bid for the White House. Her next gig should be as a Fox Network anchor with...

Return to the Article July 20, 2009 NY Times reaches a new low Jack Kemp Back at the time of the William Kennedy Smith rape trial in Florida, in the 1990s, the NY Times had published the name of the alleged rape victim after the local New York WNBC television station aired it. Later, at the trial, the then-head of the National Enquirer was entering the court building when journalists asked him if he would be also publishing the name of the alleged rape victim. In answering in the negative, an incredible role reversal occurred. The National Enquirer publisher lifted...

Establishment GOPers and Democrats in Washington seem intent on laughing off Sarah Palin as some sort of temporary blip on the radar screen of American politics, but the nation (you know — REAL Americans) seem to think otherwise. Despite the fact that the snooty elite media look down their noses at this woman whose success came by her own hand — rather than by having the right parents or bloodline or marrying into the right clan or playing a few decades of Chicago-style insider politics — Sarah Palin seems to be surviving quite well with the American people, even though...

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that the ADN is always so quick to post the pdf files of the ethics complaints, but is slow as molasses to post the Personnel Board review of these complaints when they're dismissed? The ADN also posts the governor's "string of tweets" on the latest complaint:

No matter how angry the media’s biased coverage of last year’s presidential election made you, expect to get even angrier after watching the new film from radio talk show host John Ziegler. “Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin Got Targeted,” now available on DVD, assembles virtually every unfair and imbalanced news report from the last year and weaves them together into one jaw-dropping narrative. The lies. The spin. The cover ups. Media outlets working in veritable lockstep to ensure the election of Sen. Barack Obama. If mainstream reporters had an ounce of shame they’d watch “Media Malpractice” and...

This says more about the downturn in The One’s approval ratings than it does about Mitt or Sarahcuda, but you know the Hot Air policy: You can never have too many 2012 polls. Just 21% of voters nationwide say Palin should run as an independent if she loses the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Sixty-three percent (63%) say the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee should not run as an independent. Sixteen percent (16%) are not sure. If Romney secured the GOP nomination and Palin chose to run as an independent candidate, Obama would win the resulting three-way race with 44%...

If voters get to choose between Republican Mitt Romney and Democratic President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, a new national poll suggests the race would be too close to call. Both Romney and Obama had the support of 45 percent of respondents to a new Rasmussen Reports poll released Monday. The public opinion polling company asked 1,000 likely voters nationwide on July 18-19 whether they would vote for Romney or Obama if the 2012 presidential election were held today. The telephone survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent. Utah's top pollster, Dan Jones, said...

As for soon-to-be departing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Paul dismisses her supporters as "more establishment, conventional Country-Club type of Republicans.” "I wonder whether she's energizing the 15-20 year olds," Paul muses. "That would be a question I would have. Because she doesn't talk about the Federal Reserve and some of these issues. She doesn't talk too much about personal liberties, civil liberties, getting rid of drug laws, attacking the war on drugs, punishing people who torture."

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Another ethics complaint has been filed against Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, less than a week before her resignation. The complaint filed Monday alleges Palin violated ethics law by failing to submit complete gift disclosure forms in a timely manner. The complaint is the 19th ethics grievance against Palin, most filed after she was named the GOP vice presidential candidate last year. Most of the complaints have been dismissed. The latest is the sixth filed by fellow Republican Andree McLeod, an outspoken critic of the governor. 3 of the cases have been dismissed and two others, including...

Gov. Sarah Palin shocked the political world, not for the first time, by delivering an unexpected resignation speech in Wasilla on July 3rd. As usual, there is no shortage of commentary about it. So far, opinion seems to coalescing on the fact that the speech was "rambling". A Google search on "Palin resignation rambling" turns up over 537 thousand hits. [...] Palin proceeded from topic to topic logically, without digression. I have read much analysis of her supposed "contradictions", and virtually all of these are manufactured from whole cloth. If there were any disorganization in this speech, it eludes my...

If the 2012 presidential election were held today, President Obama and possible Republican nominee Mitt Romney would be all tied up at 45% each, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. The president, seeking a second four-year term, beats another potential GOP rival, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, by six points – 48% to 42%.

Should politicians be required to serve their full terms before running for different offices? A Daily Poll.

Sunday, July 19, 2009 Latest State-Run Media Palin Lie: Her Hair Is Thinning Unreal. They're even lying about her hair. Several state-run media outlets including The New York Times, Inside Edition, Keith Olbermann and the WaPo's Chris Cillizza all spread the lie this week that Sarah Palin's hair was thinning due to stress: But, like the rest of the Sarah Palin attacks, it's not true. Conservatives 4 Palin reported: Chalk this up as Stupid Palin Meme of the Week:In a July 12th hit piece published on the front page of the New York Times, reporters Jim Rutenberg and Serge Kovaleski...

I am not Sarah Palin, but I feel her pain. Every time the liberal left wants to take a swipe at the Republican Party, Sarah Palin is brought up. True to form in the July 12 Gazette, Dan DiNicola wrote a hit piece labeling Republicans who have traditional religious values as zealots. How did he begin his incoherent ramblings? With Sarah Palin, of course. DiNicola joins a long line of men in the media who cannot seem to stop talking about Mrs. Palin. David Letterman has frequently made lewd and humorless remarks about the Alaskan governor, even to the point...

You've just gotta love Sarah Palin! Unless, perhaps, she's your state's governor, and her antics are distracting the state from its business. Or unless you're Mitt Romney, trying to make the next Republican presidential primary campaign a sober affair that you can control. Or unless you're Mike Huckabee, fearful of being outflanked on the anti-abortion right. Or unless you're an Arctic wolf, dodging large-caliber bullets fired from a helicopter. Other than those, I can't think of any good reason not to thank Providence for sending her to us. Named after a feisty Jewish lady – the very first Jewish lady,...

Have any of you seen Wicked? I saw it for the first time about two months ago. For those of you that haven't, Wicked is the revisionist story of L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz. It follows the life of the intelligent, green-skinned Elphaba---the future Wicked Witch of the West. With creative clarity the musical shows how Elphaba's character was publicly smeared by a plotting, lying Wizard so that he could continue his plans for a corrupt government. The Wizard targeted Elphaba because she dared to stand against him. It is an incredible musical and I highly recommend it. You...

Palin Hairdresser: NYT Was Lying About "Hair Thinning" Claim By Tim Lindell Chalk this up as Stupid Palin Meme of the Week: In a July 12th hit piece published on the front page of the New York Times, reporters Jim Rutenberg and Serge Kovaleski (assisted by Kim Severson and William Yardley in Alaska) made the following claim: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Friends worried that she appeared anxious and underweight. Her hair had thinned to the point where she needed emergency help from her hairdresser and close friend, Jessica Steele. “Honestly, I think all of it just broke her heart,” Ms. Steele said in...

Alaska as Democratic Opportunity?: The soon-to-be official resignation of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) could hand Democrats a legitimate pickup opportunity, according to a recent poll in the Last Frontier obtained by the Fix. The survey, which was conducted by Global Strategy Group, showed Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell (R) at 41 percent to former state Sen. Ethan Berkowitz's (D) 40 percent -- a statistical dead heat. Democrats held the Alaska governorship from 1994 until 2002 as Gov. Tony Knowles (D) benefited from a fractured Republican party and serious independent candidates. As for those who argued that Palin decided to leave...

What to make of Ron Paul? The word erratic comes to mind. On domestic spending, he is a righteous guardian of small government, while on foreign affairs he is a dangerous isolationist who believes the world will leave us alone if we just tend to our own knitting. And as far as Sarah Palin and her supporters go, he is a space cadet, apparently. An interview with Politico published today contains this startling assertion from Paul: 'As for soon-to-be departing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Paul dismisses her supporters as "more establishment, conventional Country-Club type of Republicans."' This is odd indeed,...