McCain Aides Reveal Palin Flaws

Now that John McCain has lost, his aides are releasing all the tensions within the campaign, and some of Palin's gaffes that were covered up until now.

Highlights:
Palin didn't know Africa was a continent
Palin couldn't name all the countries in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Palin was entirely responsible for that $150,000 shopping, spree and the McCain camp was very angry about it
She actually spent more on those clothes, but convinced aides to let her use their credit cards.

Strains Between McCain and Palin Aides Go Public

Wasilla Project

Here is a great website from a group of Wasilla residents setting the record straight on Sarah Palin, mostly on her claims of being a Fiscal Conservative.

Wasilla Project

They have some great videos, including interviews with city council members, copies of press releases showing unprecedented spending, etc.

I will include the videos individually soon.

Senator Ted Stevens Found Guilty

Jury finds Stevens guilty on corruption charges

What does this have to do with Sarah Palin other than the great state of Alaska ? (Not being facetious, I really do love Alaska, I've been there 5 times). Sarah Palin also accepted campaign contributions from the same company as Ted Stevens. Okay, so Ted Stevens lied about it and Sarah Palin told the truth on her taxes, that's a big difference. But there is also a big difference between Obama working with Bill Ayers to raise money for impoverished schools and Obama palling around with terrorists. Important note, the charges against Bill Ayers were dismissed by the federal government in 1973, he is now a University Professor, was awarded Citizen of the Year by the city of Chicago, and was recently supported by over 3,000 professors from across the country in a petition.

More Than 3,000 Academics Sign Pro-Ayers Petition

RNC Spends $150,000 on Palin's Wardrobe, Hair, and Make-up

I wonder how much Joe Six-Pack spends on clothes, probably about the same, right ?

The expenses include $75,062 spent at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis and $41,850 in St. Louis in early September. The committee also reported spending $4,100 for makeup and hair consulting. The expenses were first reported by Politico.com.
The RNC also spent $4,902 at Atelier, a stylish men's clothing store in New York. Other purchases included a $92 romper and matching hat with ears for Palin's baby, Trig, at Pacifier, a baby store in Minneapolis.


GOP spent $150,000 in donations on Palin's look

G.O.P. Consultant Reimbursed for Palin Shopping Spree

The Education of Sarah Palin

Five Years, Four Universities, Three States. No one remembers.

Sarah Palin attended:
University of Hawaii Hilo (Never Enrolled)
Hawaii Pacific University
Northern Idaho University
University of Idaho
Matanuska-Susitna College (Community College)

"I don't remember her," said Roy Atwood, Palin's academic advisor at the University of Idaho.

All of this is from an article, Sarah Palin's college years left no lasting impression.

Other fun facts:
Although Sarah Palin is known for placing third in the 1984 Miss Alaska Pageant, she failed to place in any Idaho Beauty Pageants.
And although Palin explains her college jumping due to financial troubles, she paid for college through loans and beauty pageants, no academic scholarships. And one wonders why she would pay the heavy price of out-of-state tuition when the University of Alaska has a much better reputation.

The Whales Win

Against Sarah Palin's best efforts, the Beluga whale has been placed on the Endangered Species List.

Govt. considers beluga whale endangered

Young Earth Creationist ?

We all know that Sarah Palin believes creationism should eb taught alongside Evolution in science class, but did you know that she also personally believes the Earth is only 6,000 years old ?!?

Palin Claimed Dinosaurs And People Coexisted

Summary Site

Here is a great site exposing some crazy facts abput Sarah Plain, all backed up with references of course. Here are some of the scariest facts:

Palin offered a bounty for every front left leg of a Wolf that was brought in.
She spent $400,000 of state money to educate people on the joy of aerial hunting. (Yep, shooting wolves from Helicopters)
She sued the federal government to remove Polar Bears from the Endangered species list, and is opposed to adding a unique Beluga whale tot he list.
She made rape victims pay for their own rape kits, which the police then use to prosecute.
She opposes abortion even in the case of rape, even if the victim is a child.

Get all the Facts:
The Truth About Sarah Palin

And the Verdict Is...

The Alaska investigation into Sarah Palin's firing of the State Safety Commissioner concluded on Friday that she had violated state ethics laws. But, Sarah Palin said she was "very pleased" with the results. Apparently, she not only doesn't read the newspaper, she also doesn't read her own investigation.

Why Sarah Palin should be less than pleased by the results of the report

Anchorage Paper Calls Palin Response to Troopergate 'An Embarrassment'

Ex-Official: Palin Lied, Threw Me Under the Bus

Troopergate Continues

An investigator hired by Alaskan lawmakers to probe abuse-of-power allegations against Gov. Sarah Palin was free to finish his work by a deadline set for a week from Friday after a state judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to block the probe.

Read the rest:
Palin Troopergate probe goes on after suit tossed

Palin Can't Name a Second Supreme Court Case

Sarah Palin was asked by Katie Couric to explain why she disagreed with the Supreme Court Decision of Roe v. Wade, she explained it was a state's right's issue, Couric had a follow up question...

-----
Couric: "Do you think there's an inherent right to privacy in the Constitution?"

Palin: "I do, yeah. I do."

Couric: "That's the cornerstone of Roe v. Wade."
...
Couric: "What other Supreme Court decisions do you disagree with?"

Palin: "Mm. Well, let's see, there's, of course, in the great history of America, there have been rulings that there's never going to be absolute consensus by every American, and there are those issues, again, like Roe v. Wade, where I believe are best held on a state level and addressed there. So, you know, going through the history of America, there would be others, but..."

Couric: "Can you think of any?"

Palin: "Well, I would think of any, again, that could be best be dealt with on a more local level. Maybe I would take issue with, but, you know, as a mayor and then as a governor, and even as a vice president, if I'm so privileged to serve, would be in a position of changing those things. But in supporting the law of the land as it reads today."
-----

Considering Sarah Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public school science class, she may also disagree with the following Supreme Court Decisions, but she probably never heard of them:
Epperson v. Arkansas (1968)
McClean v. Arkansas (1981)
Segraves v. California (1981)
Edwards v. Aquillard (1987)
Webster v. New Lenox (1990)
Peloza v. Capistrano (1994)
Freiler v. Tangipahoa (1999)
LeVake v. Independent School District (2001)

Palin Can't Name a Single Newspaper

Talk about failing a softball questions; I'd like to see how she dances around her favorite book. From Katie Couric interview.

Palin Asked Which Newspapers She Reads:
Couric: "When it comes to establishing your worldview, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?"

Palin: "I've read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media," she said, trying to wiggle out of the question.

Couric: "What, specifically?"

Palin: "Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years."

Couric: "Can you name a few?"

Palin: "I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn't a foreign country, where it's kind of suggested, 'Wow, how do you keep in touch with the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?' Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America."

Top 10 Palin Quotes

Top 10 Dumbest Sarah Palin Quotes

McCain, Stop Being Sexist

Commentary: Sexist treatment of Palin must end

Apparently, John McCain thinks Sarah Palin is prepared enough to be President, but still not ready for reporters.

Palin Charges Victims to Find Their Attackers

Although the rape rate in Alaska is 2.5 times the national average, and as Mayor Sarah Palin put Wasilla into debt building a $22-million sports complex, she still insisted on billing rape victims for their own evidence collection (costing upwards of $1,000).

Palin's town charged women for rape exams

Way to support women !

Palin Fails on Fannie, Freddie

Okay, so Sarah Palin may not know what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do.

Palin’s Bailout Statement Raises Questions

When asked about the proposed bailout of Fannie and Freddie, Sarah Palin responded:

They’ve gotten too big and too expensive to taxpayers. The McCain-Palin administration will make them smaller and smarter and more effective for homeowners who need help.

Which is funny, because Fannie and Freddie have never received a dollar of tax money; they are a publicly traded company. Defenders of Palin have argued that what she MEANT was that they would cost tax payers money if we bail them out. However, let me bust out my eighth grade grammar skills and decipher the word "they've" to mean "they have", and since have is the past tense form of has, and the bailout takes place in the future...Sarah Palin think Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are government programs. So go ahead Sarah, make them smaller and more effective, but since you and John McCain oppose government regulation of private companies that may be tough.

Banking on the Free Market

I tried to find what Sarah Palin has been saying about the details of their healthcare plan, but she doesn't really like to talk details. So, here's an amazing quote from John McCain:

Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation.

That's a great idea ! Banking is the perfect example of how deregulation can strengthen the economy...Oh wait, isn't deregulation of banking what caused this current economic disaster, where the government has to bail out the top banks and insurance companies to prevent the country from entering the next Great Depression. An investment banker from Arkansas said, "This has been a beast of biblical proportions. Nobody has seen anything like it." John McCain, you might want to read the front page of any newspaper in America before you go making recommendations for a national healthcare plan.

Palin's Record of Climate Change Denial

Even in the state of Alaska, where the effects of climate change are already severe, Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin denies the evidence in her own backyard.

Ignoring her Bible, Palin denies human dominion over Earth

Subpoena Schmupoena

Wow, Bush waited until his second term as president to start claiming executive immunity, perhaps Palin is ready to be President. Well, she's ready to be President George W. Bush:

Palin staff won't testify in trooper probe, AG says

Sarah on Science

When McCain announced Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate for the presidential election, everyone wanted to know where she stood on the issues that mattered to them. Here's where she stands on science:

She supports the teaching of Creationism in public schools.

She opposed listing Polar Bears as an endangered species (and is now suing the federal government to remove them from the list), even though her own commisioned report by Alaska state wildlife officials agreed with the scientific conclusion of the federal report claiming Polar Bears will be extinct by 2050. Her quoted reason: protecting Polar Bears limits oil drilling off the northern coast of Alaska. She also claimed the climate models were unreliable, with a degree in journalism she must know better than the scientists.

Palin views on oil, polar bears may be liabilities

Alaska seeks to reverse U.S. polar bear decision

And this may count as Conflict of Interest:

Her husband works for British Petroleum.

More importantly, she has received over $4,000 from executives of VECO including the former CEO, who last year plead quilty to federal conspiracy and bribery. Yes, that is the same VECO who paid for those pesky home renovations for Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens, currently under investigation.

Did She or Didn't She ? We May Never Know

Even though the Legislative Council that commissioned the probe is bipartisan, anytime McCain or Palin refer to the probe they cal it "partisan politics".

Palin allies sue to halt trooper probe

If you trust that Sarah Palin did not commit an ethics violation, why would you try to stop the probe ? Sure, it's a distraction. But if Palin is proved innocent, it would show that the media is biased and that she is really a clean candidate.

Abuse of Power

Palin threatens to fire city librarian for not wanting to ban books:

Palin pressured Wasilla librarian

Wasilla Resident Speaks Out

A Wasilla resident who has know Sarah Palin since 1992 checks the facts of her acceptance speech.

Read it, pass it on:
A Wasilla resident speaks out about Sarah Palin

A Few Highlights:
Palin claims she lowered taxes, but really only lowered them for big businesses, actually raised taxes for city residents.
Palin claims she opposed the "Bridge to Nowhere", but actually fought hard for that earmark, and only opposed it after the bridge was ridiculed by the media.
She claims she balanced the budget, but as Mayor she started with a city with zero debt and raised taxes and took out $22 million in bonds to pay for pet projects the city didn't need. She actually increased city expenditures by 33%.
She increased a regressive sales tax that included food.

Hirings and Firings

Should you really appoint your high school friend to the State Division of Agriculture because she kinda liked cows as a kid ? Sarah Palin Did !

Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes