A Distraction?

It’s come out how Gov. Sarah Palin “abused” her power as Governor of Alaska. The Alaska Public Safety Commissioner dismissal, or Troopergate, is an event that occurred when Gov. Palin fired Commissioner Walt Monegan. The Governor fired Monegan because he failed to fire Mike Wooten, an Alaskan State Trooper, and Palin’s ex-brother-in-law. Wooten’s wife accused him of threatening to shoot her father if he hired an attorney to help in her in their divorce. Back in 2003, Wooten also used taser his step-son, because the boy wanted to know what it felt like.

So Gov. Palin is under fire for dismissing the commissioner who failed to fire her ex-brother-in-law. If you had a family member hurting or threatening a loved one would you not want some sort of legal action taken? The commissioner would still have his job had he just dismissed the trooper who was becoming a serious threat to his family. But no it’s Gov. Palin who comes off as the bad guy.

Meg Stapleton, the spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign, said in a statement Friday night: "The report [...] illustrates what we've known all along: this was a partisan-led inquiry run by Obama supporters and the Palins were completely justified in their concern regarding Trooper Wooten, given his violent and rogue behavior. Lacking evidence to support the original Monegan allegation, the Legislative Council seriously overreached, making a tortured argument to find fault without basis in law or fact."

But while the Gov. Palin receives criticism and her actions are called into question, the Obama campaign is trying to sweep the William Ayers connection under the rug. Oh Gov. Palin, how dare you fire the man who failed to fire the man who threatened your sister’s family. Never mind the fact that Sen. Obama associated himself with a terrorist.

If the Obama campaign can dismiss the Obama-Ayers connection, and say it’s just a ploy to distract voters from the issues, then the Republicans can do the same with Troopergate. Isn’t Troopergate just a distraction?