I understand the governor's desire to protect her sister from an ex husband who by all accounts is not someone most of us want to be related to. And also, by most accounts, he is not fit to wear the badge of a law enforcement officer. However, he seems to be protected by a powerful union.
I believe that the governor overstepped her bounds. I don't think she did anything illegal, but the problem is that her office allowed her access that other citizens don't have. She apparently used this access to try and resolve an issue that did not directly involve her office in an official capacity.
I also don't think this disqualifies her the vice presidency. Once again, it is the choice of voting for the best available. McCain does not inspire more than a small percentage of the electorate. Palin probably does not deserve the level of fervor she has inspired. But she appears to be a better candidate on the issues and conservative ideology than any of the other three on the top tickets.
I don't think Palin’s bad decision making related to the trooper issue makes her an unfit choice. Roger should be free to support her, even if she has a history of actions that are directly contradictory to Roger's beliefs on the topic he values the most. In the end she has more pluses than minuses. An Obama presidency would be far worse for families than a McCain presidency.
To quote Ronald Reagen “Going over the cliff, flags flying, is still going over the cliff.”
The secret formula for a McCain victory is to bring the Palin essence into the campaign as more than just a highly successful convention speech. Fight the culture war. Give us a democratic choice. The bounce will return as a solid lead. Find the lost Americans with a promise to return to constitutionally based civil law, something the conservative base, the middle, and even many on the left actually favor, and they will surely vote overwhelmingly in his favor. Simply put, take the idea, the image, the feeling that produced the Sarah Palin bounce, take the Palin essence and turn it into real political promise. sourceBTW: I also analyzed the Obama campaign in such articles as: Reinvigorating the Obama Campaign and Obama / Biden: Four More Years of Bush.