The Alaska Republican Party is quite probably the most corrupt state party around today, though I will say that it has competition from the Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio Republican parties. From the VECO scandal to Troopergate, almost the entire Alaska Republican Party is under investigation, indicted or, for some State level Republicans, in jail. One of the Republican Senators and Alaska's House Rep are part of this culture of corruption.

Now it seems to be Sarah Palin's turn.

When I was first told that John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his VP, my response was "is he crazy?" To pick someone who is ACTIVELY under investigation and who is a member of the most corrupt state party in the country seemed insane given the fact that Republican corruption was the number one issue in 2006...and one that led to a major Democratic victory. For McCain, himself linked to the old Savings and Loan scandal, to pick someone actively under investigation seemed to be among the dumbest things he could have done.

Planned Parenthood has sent out an email specifically outlining why Sarah Palin is NOT the choice for women. Here is the text:

Dear Sarah Palin,

You are not our candidate.

You are not our candidate because you required women in Wasilla to pay for their own medical examinations after being raped.

You are not our candidate because you do not support a woman's right to choose, even in the case of rape or incest.

You are not our candidate because you've cut funding for teen moms and comprehensive sex education, while promoting failed abstinence-only programs.

You are not our candidate because, as vice president — a heartbeat away from the presidency — you would jeopardize health care for women everywhere.

We are teachers, doctors, athletes, programmers, artists, lawyers, secretaries, CEOs, students, designers, nurses, factory workers, mothers, and fathers. We are conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans, country and city people. We are women and men. We are voters. We are the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

I am deeply troubled by the blatant hypocrisy of the Republican Party. Shortly after Sarah Palin was selected as the Republican Party’s vice presidential candidate, it turns out that her 17-year old daughter is pregnant out of wedlock. As soon as Palin announces that her daughter will be keeping the child and marrying the father (clearly a shot-gun wedding), Palin is held up as a prime example of “family values” in action.

Ironically, none of the Republicans appear to notice that Palin’s staunch stance against sex education doesn’t appear to have kept her own daughter from engaging in premarital sex.

I am sure that the same glowing accolades would not be accorded the Obama family if they had a teenage daughter who became pregnant out of wedlock. The Republicans would denounce the family, accusing them of loose morals and bad parenting. And, they would probably attribute the girl’s premarital sexual activity to exposure to sex education in school. No doubt there would also be rumblings about how promiscuous African American teenagers are.

The McCain team's recent ad, entitled "Disrespectful," chides Obama for calling Sarah Palin a liar.

Well ... yes.

Since that ad appeared, Palin's campaign staff admitted she lied about visiting troops in Iraq. If we're yawning, perhaps it's because this lie is just another in the series.

Meanwhile. the Obama camp's press releases and statements are getting stronger every day. To quote a CNN.com article: "The McCain campaign said Gov. Palin opposed the bridge to nowhere, but now we know she supported it," said Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor in a statement. "They said she didn't seek earmarks, but now we know she hired a lobbyist to get millions in pork for her town and her state. They said she visited Iraq, but today we learned that she only stopped at the border. Americans are starting to wonder, is there anything the McCain campaign isn't lying about?"

While Mayor of Wasilla:
The budget grew by 40% in 7 years -- after adjusting for inflation.
She raised taxes to build a stadium.
When she became mayor, the city had no long-term debt; she left behind $19 million in debt.
She hired a lobbyist to bring in federal earmarks -- that lobbyist, Steven Silver, was a former chief of staff to Ted Stevens.
Among pork that McCain has found "objectionable": A 2001 earmark of $500,000 for a public transportation project in Wasilla; $450,000 for an agricultural processing facility in Wasilla in 2002; In 2002, $1 million for an "emergency communications center" in Wasilla that local law enforcement said was redundant and confusing.

As Governor:

First the Bush family Pastor slams McCain's character and endorses Obama. So McCain sure needs a pick me up when it comes to the character issue. I think that was what the Palin nomination was SUPPOSED to give him. Now the Palin decision is already backfiring on McCain, simlpy adding to his problems.

Two conservative "pundits" slam McCain's Palin decision:

John McCain's VP pick, corrupt Republican Sarah Palin, turns out to have a teenage daughter who is pregnant out of wedlock. And this has created quite a bit of consternation among republicans. Many righ wingers are condemning McCain and Palin over Palin's teen daughter's pregnancy. Of course McCain is already being attacked by Bush's own pastor for his immorality and poor character, so this is bound to further alienate McCain's base.

(Note: This is cross-posted from my website.)

Last week, presumptive Republican nominee for President John McCain surprised the political world by choosing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. As self-appointed pundits bombard us with phony and irrelevant "theories" as to why he would choose her, the truth goes eerily silent.

Governor Palin has almost no experience, and has clearly not demonstrated any readiness to lead. She has legal and ethical problems surrounding her attempt to get someone fired from a state job for the heinous "crime" of divorcing her sister. Now it turns out that this "abstinence-only" politician doesn't practice at home what she preaches in public.

This has to be the worst choice for a running mate since George H.W. Bush picked Dan Quayle. So why would John McCain pick her?