Sarah Palin resign's as Governor of Alaska

[John]

I think she's about to start a new political party. Either that or she's out of politics completely and I just can't see that.

[nitrogen]

That is just another smear. I can't remember any politician being attacked the way Palin and especially her family has been attacked.

I can. He's currently president, like it or not. Kerry got it almost as bad, too, but he certainly earned it.

If she cannot take the heat, she needs to get out of the kitchen. If she thinks its bad now, it'll be 100x worse if/when she runs again. To me, it just makes her out to be a quitter. I never thought she had the character to be VP, and this reinforces that belief to me.

And threatening to sue people for writing things she doesn't like? Please. That's just further dissapointment.

I really, truly, want a new voice for the GOP. She ain't it. I'd love to see the republican party become a party I can wholeheartedly support again.

[stroo]

Neither Obama nor Kerry had the hit jobs done on them AND THEIR FAMILIES by the NY Times, NBC, ABC and other mainstream media like the ones they have done on Palin and HER FAMILY. A politician is fair game and they need to be able to take the heat. Their families have never been fair game but yet Palin's family has been defamed from the beginning. The media and Democrats should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

[flintknapper]

Neither Obama nor Kerry had the hit jobs done on them AND THEIR FAMILIES by the NY Times, NBC, ABC and other mainstream media like the ones they have done on Palin and HER FAMILY. A politician is fair game and they need to be able to take the heat. Their families have never been fair game but yet Palin's family has been defamed from the beginning. The media and Democrats should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

Oh sure.....

I'm afraid you won't find that word in their dictionary. After all, it would suggest that one has a modicum of integrity and a standard of fairness. (Apply to the Media in general and Hard Left Liberals).

[Locke]

Palin seems to have learned from John Kerry's experience. The Swift Boat guys went after him pretty hard and he just ignored them till it was too late. Palin's lawyer is warning the main stream media and bloggers that she intends to defend against any defamation in court. Looks bad to have to threaten everyone with lawsuits but the way they have been going after her so far it makes sense to me. Once these stories get going people start believing them, real or not. The ethics complaints have already done damage. Her poll numbers are way down in Alaska. Resigning makes her look like a quitter but if she stays in and her support erodes in her home state she would not have a chance at a presidential run.

When you want a new job some people keep their old ones while looking. That’s what Obama did. He accomplished very little as senator but ended up in the big chair. Some people don't strive for the new job and hope to get it because of who they know or who they are. Ask Fred Thompson about how that works in a run for POTUS. (I really liked Fred I wish he had wanted the job more). Some people quit to focus their energies on the job they really want. Are they "quitters"? I wouldn't call her a "quitter". I'd call it strategy.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/07 ... KPxIalXp&C

Attorney warns on 'defamatory material'
By: Jonathan Martin
July 4, 2009 10:23 PM EST

Ratcheting up her offensive against the news media, Gov. Sarah Palin’s attorney threatened on Saturday to sue mainstream news organizations if they publish “defamatory” stories relating to whether Palin is under federal investigation.

In an extraordinary four-page letter, Alaska-based attorney Thomas Van Flein warns of severe consequences should speculation that until now has largely been confined to blogs — about whether Palin embezzled funds in the construction of a Wasilla, Alaska, sports arena — find its way into print.

“This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who republish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, The New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law,” Van Flein warned, citing Alaska liberal blogger Shannyn Moore.

Much like Palin did in her Facebook statement Saturday, Van Flein savages the news media in his letter.
“Just as power abhors a vacuum, modern journalism apparently abhors any type of due diligence and fact checking before scurrilous allegations are repeated as fact,” the Anchorage attorney wrote.

Neither the Times nor the Post made any mention of the embezzlement rumors in their Saturday editions, but sources close to Palin consider the letter a warning shot to stay away from the topic.

In the letter, Van Flein writes: "'The Alaska Constitution protects the right of free speech, while simultaneously holding those "responsible for the abuse of that right.'… These falsehoods abuse the right to free speech; continuing to publish these falsehoods of criminal activity is reckless, done without any regard for the truth, and is actionable."

Still, the decision to issue a public statement reciting all the facts in the case now all but ensures that there will be mainstream media accounts of the situation.

“While the Federal Government has a process to follow, and that process sometimes takes time, we can categorically state that we are not aware of any ‘federal investigation’ that has been ‘pending’ for the last seven years,” Van Flein wrote. “We are aware of no subpoenas on [the Wasilla supply company that supplied equipment for the construction of the sports arena and Palin home] regarding the Palins… .To be blunt — this ‘story’ was alleged during the campaign, evaluated then by national media and deemed meritless. Nothing has changed.”

Scores of left-leaning blogs posted speculation in the wake of Palin’s surprise announcement Friday and among the most common theories was that she was on the verge of federal indictment over the 2002 construction of the sports arena.

Making the case for his client, Van Flein writes that Palin, then the mayor of Wasilla, did not oversee the Steering Committee tasked with running the project.

“While her public support of this project was deemed pivotal by many, the actual construction, bidding, financing and other day-to-day management of the project was not in her scope of authority as Mayor,” Van Flein writes.

Van Flein also notes that the project was publicly bid and therefore Palin had little control over construction.

The attorney also addressed another of the bloggers’ claims: that Palin purchased building materials to build her own home from the same supply store as was used by those who built the arena.

“Prior to the construction of Lowe’s and Home Depot within the last few years in Wasilla, Spenard Builders Supply was the primary building supply company in Wasilla,” Van Flein writes. “It can hardly come as a surprise that it would sell materials to small homeowners or that it would also bid to supply commercial contracts.”

As for how the Palins financed their home on Wasilla’s Lake Lucille, Van Flein says they “used a combination of personal savings, equity from the sale of their prior home and conventional bank financing to build the house — like millions of American families. The deeds of trust are recordable public records. Basic journalism and fact checking would confirm this.”

[surprise_i'm_armed]

For anyone who would like to hear more about Sarah Palin.

Tuesday, 7/7/09, from 11AM-Noon, Central Time, on KERA-FM,
90.1, Dallas, and repeated the same evening from 8-9PM, same station:

Ms. Terry Gross, the host of "Fresh Air", based at WHYY-FM, in Philadelphia,
PA, will have as her guest the <editor? reporter?> for the Anchorage newspaper.

This gentleman knows the Alaskan political scene and should have some good
insight as to what Alaskans think of their soon-to-be ex governor, as well as
details of her alleged misdeeds.

For those of you who are outside the DFW Metroplex, consult your local NPR
(National Public Radio) outlet for the correct time in your market.

Austin - KUT-FM, 90.5 should be the station, but it seems to me on my visits down
there that they do not run nearly as many NPR shows as KERA does.

FYI. SIA.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/feat ... alin200908" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The above link starts the long 6 page Vanity Fair article that came out just
before Palin announced her resignation.

Some may say it's a hatchet job. All politicians tell different people what they
want to hear. You can read it and decide for yourself if she's someone you think
should aspire to become a US Senator or a US Prez candidate.

For Alaska attorney general she appointed Wayne Anthony Ross (Vanity plate
WAR on his red Hummer), who was a 2 time gubernatorial candidate and an
NRA board member.

His quote amused me: “In Alaska, a liberal is someone who carries a .357 or smaller.”

FYI - If you ever hear about an interesting magazine article on the news, or during an
interview show, many times you can go straight to the mag's website and read the whole
thing for free.
I have done this today with Vanity Fair, previously with Rolling Stone about Hunter S. Thompson,
and on other occasions with other magazines (the paper kind, not the Wilson Combat kind!)

Over and out. Rock on Garth.