Video: Sarah Palin on the Wooten “scandal” and on being VP
posted at 9:06 pm on July 31, 2008 by Allahpundit
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Get yourself up to speed by reading this nifty recap from Monday’s Anchorage Daily News. Nutshell version: She fired Walt Monegan, her commissioner of Public Safety, for reasons that are unclear. Monegan claims it was because he refused to fire state trooper Mike Wooten, Palin’s former brother-in-law against whom she’s supposedly had a longstanding vendetta. What’s her problem with Wooten? Like I say, read the ADN piece, which is brimming with colorful nuance involving tasers and “f’ng lead bullets.” She insists the Monegan decision had nothing to do with family issues, but the state legislature voted this week to order a probe, which is probably enough to scare McCain away in case he was thinking of going in this direction.
Monegan’s firing, incidentally, came just three weeks ago. Exit question: Would any sane politician with a shot at the national ticket and a reputation for ethics do something so scurrilous and petty while she’s being vetted? It’d be one thing if she sank Monegan last year, when she thought no one was looking, but she did this with the eyes of conservative America upon her. The dirty version is implausible under the circumstances. I question the timing.
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Hillary who?
Seriously, all the Hillary supporters that are sitting on the fence will hop on over.
The VP has to bring something to the vote, be it a state or a some other massive swing.
- The Cat
MirCat on August 1, 2008 at 4:09 AM
What a lot of folks here fail to realize is that this Governor from Alaska, if she were to actually become VP, would be one 72-76 year old man’s heartbeat away from POTUS.
Personally, I wouldn’t want a POTUS, or VPOTUS for that matter, who holds grudges and pursues petty vendetta’s in the WhiteHouse either way.
Despite her abrupt rise from an unknown librarian to being the Queen of Alaska, don’t Governors have something better to do than worry about the personnel matters of ONE SOLITARY EMPLOYEE that just so happens to be her sister’s ex-husband in a State Department that employs thousands? And when she doesn’t get her way, she vindictively takes it out on someone else in the same department NOT brought up on charges and with no disciplinary problems to speak of?
…talk about rose colored glasses!
SilverStar830 on August 1, 2008 at 4:16 AM
So insider knowledge into abuses isn’t actionable?
- The Cat
MirCat on August 1, 2008 at 4:49 AM
NOTICE: There is a small, relatively weak strain of Palin Derangement Syndrome in this thread. It appears at this time that we’re dealing with Type 1 PDS.
Type 1- This weaker strain is mostly due to supporters of other Republicans being afraid that Palin hurts their guy’s chances. Reasoning with it has been successful in rare cases. Caution is advised.
Type 2- Extremely dangerous. Left-wing nuts who see Palin as leading a new generation of conservatives with wide-ranging voter appeal. If you encounter Type 2 PDS, do not attempt to reason with it. Extreme caution is advised.
Mr. Wednesday Night on August 1, 2008 at 5:41 AM
SilverStar,
If you wouldn’t act to protect your family from an existential, demonstrated threat because it might cause political problems, then you aren’t much of a human being.
When you get elected to take out the trash, two things are sure to happen. One, you’re sure to fire a lot of people who purely need firing. Two, you’re sure to be attacked by every corrupt politician and beaurocrat who stand to loose money if you succeed. Do you really want to hitch your wagon to the Alaskan corruptocracy SilverStar? The problem with the philosophy “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” is that you wind up with some pretty unsavory friends.
Try principle. You’ll be in better company.
Immolate on August 1, 2008 at 6:21 AM
If the Republicans just had the cajones of steel to draft this incredible lady as VP, withing less than a month after the conventions,the general question everyone would be asking would be “Barack WHO?”
pilamaye on August 1, 2008 at 7:17 AM
A babe VP. That would be more historic than Obama.
Halley on August 1, 2008 at 7:19 AM
WHY WAS HE SCREAMING?
hepcat on August 1, 2008 at 7:28 AM
I absolutely agree. McCain’s too much of a maverick to give conservatives even a crumb from his bi-partisan table.
dominigan on August 1, 2008 at 8:33 AM
Is that you Mark Levin?
Ropera on August 1, 2008 at 8:39 AM
So let me get this straight. Her brother-in-law, a police officer, was involved in a messy divorce with her sister. He commits offenses while on the job (shooting a moose illegally and drinking beer in his patrol car), tasers his stepson and then threatens to kill his father-in-law. When the police commissioner, who Palin had appointed to the Safety Officer cabinet position, doesn’t clean house like ANY commissioner should do… she fires him. Since he is an appointee, it is within her right and power as Governor.
I see absolutely no problem with her actions and wish our nations “leaders” had half her ethics. In fact, I applaud her. By your reasoning, I must guess that you’re quite happy that so few of our Congressional criminals have actually been punished. Just keep the status quo, leave off any ethical judgments, its just political business as usual…
dominigan on August 1, 2008 at 8:45 AM
Well done. PDS indeed.
petefrt on August 1, 2008 at 9:04 AM
Married and divorced FOUR times!!! That alone says an awful lot about him to me. Women who marry men with that kind of track record must be very needy indeed. However, he does not sound like a man who should be the arbiter of other peoples’s law breaking. He seems to have too many problems of his own. I would like Sarah as VP BUT would that force Obama into adding Hilary to his ticket?
jeanie on August 1, 2008 at 9:07 AM
Her assertion that the Department needed to go in some still undefined “new direction” is pretty implausible, too. At the very least, she’s continuing her trend of installing unqualified cronies into state jobs (see the dairy brouhaha for another prominent example). My guess: she’s going down. It’s amusing to see conservatives spinning furiously to deny that their new hero is guilty of any wrongdoing. If this was a Democrat, you guys wouldn’t waste any time calling for her to resign.
Big S on August 1, 2008 at 9:08 AM
Palin = fantastic. The fact that she’s being attacked by her political opponents just means that she has arrived. It’s unfortunately just part of the way politics are played out.
JustTruth101 on August 1, 2008 at 9:14 AM
“..unqualified cronies”….One would really have to work very, very hard to find a person with more unqualified(downright shady) cronies than Barack Obama.
jeanie on August 1, 2008 at 9:16 AM
You’ve been so brainwashed by the dems racist/sexist playbook that you actually think a woman president is a great idea.
SaintOlaf on August 1, 2008 at 9:17 AM
McCain/Palin frames the electoral debate on the issues of National Security/Energy.
This is the ground on which we should choose to fight.
gridlock2 on August 1, 2008 at 9:18 AM
Monegan’s firing should be easy to explain if it was for the right reasons. If he was a slacker and not in to performing his duties on the level she wanted him to do, then this is political BS. If Monegan is as she seems to suggest, that would easily explain why he tried the “petty brother-in-law” excuse to cover his inadequate behavior. All said and done, a bum is a bum and in most cases it becomes evident to all.
volsense on August 1, 2008 at 9:18 AM
Yes, I’d vote for a woman for President provided she’s made of the right stuff. Were I a Democrat, I would have preferred Hillary over Obama because her “stuff” was/is better than his.
jeanie on August 1, 2008 at 9:24 AM
Seem to be many new members with negative comments about Palin. hmm…
As Huck said, the flak gets heavier when you’re over the target.
Palin. Fire breathing conservative.
faraway on August 1, 2008 at 9:29 AM
It still hasn’t been explained, though, even though gives a good effort at evasion in the above video. All of the media attention is focused on the misdeeds of Wooten, but nobody has pointed to anything Monegan may have done to be fired other than the possibility that he didn’t discipline Wooten to Palin’s satisfaction. The unspecified “new direction” excuse is crap.
Big S on August 1, 2008 at 9:30 AM
Mark Sanford (R)SC is one of the best. Fiscally and social conservative, pro-business, pro-enforcement, and anti-good-ole-boy. He was on the VP list awhile back.
MechEng5by5 on August 1, 2008 at 9:31 AM
McCain has his own Rapper straight out of New Jersey check here.
http://imustimes.wordpress.com/2008/08/01/bernie-pimps-nj-rap-artist/
Dr Evil on August 1, 2008 at 9:32 AM
I thought you HAD to do that just to be an Alaskan native..
much like living in the upper peninsula of Michigan and not having shot a deer yet..
DaveC on August 1, 2008 at 9:58 AM
I just became a Hillary supporter!
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on August 1, 2008 at 10:31 AM
ok. Now I am not one that has dreams that mean anything, it actaully might be the BBQ Chicken pizza I had for dinner last night, but I dreamed that Obama picked AZ Gov. Janet Napolitano as his running mate. Anyone know anything about her?
ConservativePartyNow on August 1, 2008 at 11:03 AM
upinak is going to freak when he reads this thread.
lowandslow on August 1, 2008 at 11:09 AM
She must be too conservative the RINOS are out in full battle mode oppostion.
Fact is she brings youth, vitality, energy, (in more ways than one), and is a women (for dissaffected Hillary voters).
She has a perfect right to fire employees even if she just does not like them.
I Love This Woman!
dhunter on August 1, 2008 at 11:22 AM
Iowandslow I think upinak is a woman also.
dhunter on August 1, 2008 at 11:24 AM
upinak is going to freak when
heshe reads this thread.lowandslow on August 1, 2008 at 11:09 AM
Oldnuke on August 1, 2008 at 11:33 AM
I agree with Newt, I hope McCain doesn’t pick another middle aged white man. If there are qualified people who are minorities or women, why not give one of them a chance? As long as that person is a staunch conservative, they should be offered the opportunity.
Palin is my first choice. I think this scandal is very similar to the one happening in D.C. right now with the firing of the U.S. attorneys. He was a political appointee. Where is the scandal in firing him?
Rose on August 1, 2008 at 11:40 AM
Halfway through Gov. Palin’s 1st term, Alaska’s crime statistics are terrible:
#1 nationally in forcible rape
#3 in aggravated assault
#15 in vehicle theft
#22 in murder and manslaughter
So, the Governor decides that maybe it’s time for a new direction. She doesn’t fire the Public Safety Commissioner outright, but offers him a lesser position as Director of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, which he refuses. The rest is sleazy history.
Gov. Palin could’ve done nothing about this, which would then make those crime stats her fault. She also could’ve failed to act due to fear that it might hurt her VP chances. Instead, she took decisive action for the people of her state without regard for politics.
Mr. Wednesday Night on August 1, 2008 at 11:40 AM
Palin has my vote! Romney second.
McCain likes RINOS. I would strongly urge him to get Palin. Americans know a political witch hunt when they see it.
But yes McCain is so untrustworthly that this might scare him away from Palin. Its McCain Americans dont trust – not Palin!
He NEEDS her – far more than he may realize and far more than SHE needs him.
winged on August 1, 2008 at 11:50 AM
Interesting that many of the same people who went over the top for Fred are now going gaga for Sarah (me included). Interesting as well that many of the same people who mocked and resisted the Fred love are coming out to push back against Sarah. Can’t have 3-legged-stool conservatives getting too excited and hopeful about a candidate, now can we?
I’m more than halfway expecting csdeven to appear soon to tell us 8,000 times per day what an awful person Sarah Palin is, while calling her husband an ugly man-whore.
Oh, and I’m surprised Allahpundit hasn’t started mocking us yet. Not much time left to deflate our farfetched hopes and dreams, AP –chop, chop!
aero on August 1, 2008 at 11:58 AM
Allah with all due respect.
1. Wooten tased his step son. What “Sane” person would taz his own step son or his own child for that matter? Especailly one who is suppose to ENFORCE the laws?
2. Monegan kept his mouth shut (for a whole week) until someone kept hitting him and telling him to make statements that have come up as false. Members of Palin’s staff, and people in the legislature have said that Monegan has had ample oppurtunity to talk about any issues associated with the Troopers, and this man has done NOTHING!
3. And investigation of Caribou slaughtered 3 weeks ago, and still under Monegan, makes me also wonder WTF is going on. It is a becoming an issue, that the State Troopers here are incompetent!
4. Monegan was suppose to clean up the Troopers per the issues of:
a. Village Rapes and incest
b. Aggravated Assualt via alcohol consumption.
c. Poaching
Which he did nothing about….
Monegan has something tucked in his sleeve. And Wooten is STILL able to walk around like king dipstick, cock of the walk because he can’t be touched right now.
Ugh…. I need more coffee!
upinak on August 1, 2008 at 12:00 PM
We all know how much of a RINO McCain is. Besides siding with the DemoncRATS too frequently, he is as dull a candidate as was Bob Dole. He needs to pick Palin, here’s why:
1. She is a Conservative
2. She will bring excitement to an otherwise lackluster campaign.
3. She is articulate, attractive and has some executive experience.
4. She may bring some of the frustrated female Hillary supporters over.
5. She, possibly the first female VP or POTUS, takes away the rant from the Donkeys that Repubs are a white male club only. Imagine, the first woman to hold office in the Executive branch, a Republican!
6. McCain desperately needs to stop alienating us conservatives. Picking Palin may energize the conservative base McCain doesn’t think he needs to win.
I pray McCain picks her, I unfortunately have little confidence he will.
mountainmanbob on August 1, 2008 at 12:03 PM
It’s interesting that Palin’s defenders are trying to play her up as a tough-on-crime governor in order to justify the firing. She might have a little problem with that story.
Big S on August 1, 2008 at 12:24 PM
She cut everyone budget, NOT just the Troopers.
Come on Big S…. that is not a legit topic. You can’t accuse Sarah of cutting one thing only, when she cut it across the board.
upinak on August 1, 2008 at 12:34 PM
I would suggest that SilverSlur and Mr. Wednesday Nut go back to Moveon.borg and HuffnPuff where they obviosly belong
bill30097 on August 1, 2008 at 12:56 PM
Would Palin want to lower herself to run alongside a phoney RINO?
bill30097 on August 1, 2008 at 12:57 PM
As fun as this discussion is, it’s really kind of pointless.
Her political opponents did what they had to do, they have cast just enough doubt on her to insure they that she stayed off of McCain’s VP list.
It’s simple hard ball politics, nothing more.
I personally don’t think she was ever on any VP list anyway, it’s just not in McCain’s best interest to have someone on the ticket who is potentially a stronger candidate than he is.
Besides, McCain seems be using the old “vote for me…’cause… I’m not the other guy” strategy at this point, so putting a conservative on the ticket would detract from the message.
ChrisM on August 1, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Palin doesn’t have to justify firing the guy. He is hers to fire.
However Palin did not have to veto the legislation banning state benefits to gay couples. That legislation was hers to sign if she favored it, and the court’s to review should she have signed it. That is where Palin makes a wide left turn from conservative
Palin is no Thatcher and made a move to not stand on issue where she had the power. I personally believe she was smart enough to know she had the legal right and moral opportunity to sign the bill. When any politician makes a wimpy excuse for taking actions they do not have to take they relegate themselves to lesser station.
On top of that Palin talks too much. If she was ‘Presidential material’ she could give the short answer to the screaming interrogator and turn his idiocy to her advantage.
The politician on national stage closest in talking style to Palin is Michigan governor Granholm, another lady with a breezy style. Granholm sparkles, she runs her mouth, she tilts her head and winks. Granholm also uses the word ‘cool’ a lot. Granholm would also have vetoed the legislation banning state benefits for same sex couples.
A babbling cool lady will appeal to many and repell many.
Had Palin been pure RINO she would be so useful because the RINO wing is the Oprah wing of the GOP.
However, poltically speaking, Palin talks too much. She spews her guts out yet is able to make a lame excuse for something she really really wanted. That is a weakness because in politics there is always a reason behind every lame excuse and the lame are immortal.
No I do not want her making battle decisions in WWIII. I do not want to hear her speeches. I do not even want to hear the interview above one more time.
entagor on August 1, 2008 at 1:04 PM
I want to clarify something as well.
Just because Sarah is my Gov, doesn’t mean she is perfect. No one is prefect and i don’t expect them to be. But this is getting to the point that I wonder why anyone cares.
Alaska is usually just a State that everyone knows about, wants to visit but most of the time is a quiet back burner State no one cared about.
Palin, Stevens, Young and most of the Alaskan Legislature and most of the Alaskans themselves have pushed for ANWR, even if the Politics and un-ethic like manner got in the way.
If you don’t like it, that is fine. I never said you had to. If you don’t like the Senators, my Gov or anyone up here… not my probelms and you didn’t elect these people. But when it comes down to it, my State is in the lime light for whatever reason, be it ANWR (which WAS first and has been for a while) or the fact that Some of the people are now being sold as un-ethical. It still isn’t your State. You don’t live here and you have no idea what goes on except via what the MSM wants you to know.
This is becoming absolutely rediculous. And the next State this happens to I feel for the people who live in it.
upinak on August 1, 2008 at 1:04 PM
“Since taking office, I have proposed to the legislature millions of dollars in budget increases for more troopers, equipment and training. My administration just completed contract negotiations providing increased wages and other benefits.”
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=1353
Interestingly, one of the big claims that anti-Palin Republicans bring up is that she’s a big-spending, fiscal liberal. But this union boss claims that she cut the budget, and even more absurdly, claims that the abysmal crime stats are her fault rather than the guy who ran the department!
Dude. Come on. This is a politically motivated smear against a good person.
Mr. Wednesday Night on August 1, 2008 at 1:13 PM
ALERT!
A new, mutant strain of PDS is emerging. It seems to be Type 1 in nature, but with raging sexism added. Extreme caution advised. I don’t recommend trying to reason with it. If you do, remember to wash your hands with hot, soapy water between comments.
Mr. Wednesday Night on August 1, 2008 at 1:33 PM
http://www.mccainpalin.com/ is up and not a spoof site.
http://www.mccain-romney.com/ is a spoof site.
Is this more evidence for Palin on the ticket?
Still-A-Neocon
stillaneocon on August 1, 2008 at 1:33 PM
Are you somebody’s sockpuppet?
RushBaby on August 1, 2008 at 1:37 PM
Kiss my Bottom!
She is my Gov, not yours.
upinak on August 1, 2008 at 1:41 PM
http://www.mccain-fiorino.com
and
http://www.mccainfiorino.com aren’t getting any bites on google…
McCain-Palin it is, I think.
Still-A-Neocon
stillaneocon on August 1, 2008 at 1:41 PM
Apologies for spelling errors:
http://www.mccain-fiorina.com
and
http://www.mccainfiorina.com aren’t getting any bites on google…
stillaneocon on August 1, 2008 at 1:47 PM
There’s idealism and then there’s reality.
Let me put it this way. Reagan was good. Reagan was smart. However, Reagan won because he was a rock star; a strong charismatic man.
- The Cat
P.S. You actually contradict yourself with the way you phrased that.
MirCat on August 1, 2008 at 1:52 PM
Sarah, you’re adorbs and I absolutely love you.
Sir Andrew on August 1, 2008 at 3:54 PM
Who are you talking about? Not Palin, I think you are innocent until proven guilty…except in your court?
right2bright on August 1, 2008 at 7:27 PM
It’s a plus when a Governor can use the word “cool” and it doesn’t have that John-Kerry-”Can-I-get-me-a-huntin’-license?” cringe factor.
eeyore on August 2, 2008 at 11:58 AM
Why not just pick Pam Anderson then..or better yet Naomi Campbell?
That should satisy you and the dems obsession with racist/sexist politics.
SaintOlaf on August 2, 2008 at 12:44 PM
I’m one of the good guys. BTW, making fun of someone’s username is just rude. How’d you like it if I called you bill30098 or something?
She’s the unofficial Governor of Hot Air, and that makes me a constituent.
Dang! I’m in there battling for my Special Lady, and now I’ve got to worry about friendly fire?
Mr. Wednesday Night on August 2, 2008 at 1:53 PM
Raging sexism among Michelle Malkin admirers????
I would welcome MM as VP. She is a hard nosed fighter who represents my kind of conservatism. She says what she means and she means what she says.
She has taken a beating to keep the illegal alien problem in the forefront. Because of her doggedness she has helped motivate the nation.
MM courageously stood up to islamio extortion on issues like the Mohammed cartoons. What a woman. Articulate. Brave. Extremely intelligent and well spoken. Extremely cognizant of the fine details of the Constitution.
MM has the understanding and strength to be the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of this nation.
No sexism here.
To test Michelle Malkins worthiness for the office of VP read Shakespeare’s St Crispen’s day speech and ask yourself, could the King’s speech be given by Michelle Malkin? Would she be able to carry it off? would the troops follow her?
Case Closed
entagor on August 2, 2008 at 7:59 PM
I like Sarah Palin…
And I’d bet she’s a better house keeper than Nancy Pelosi.
byteshredder on August 2, 2008 at 8:05 PM
And do her part to save the nation in it’s time of need? Maybe she could talk some sense into the old McCoot. You never know.
wise_man on August 2, 2008 at 10:38 PM
Well stated. MM is why we all started coming to HA.
Allah helps to keep us here though. :-P
Mojave Mark on August 4, 2008 at 1:58 AM
Never happen. Michelle has been critical of too many McCain policies. She would have to “toe the line” for the sake of the campaign. Remember Tony Snow defending Shamnesty on Rush’s show? Disaster.
She’d never do it.
fossten on August 4, 2008 at 9:22 AM
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