Thursday, November 26, 2009

Opinion

Conservatives Slam Report on Palin's Troopergate Problem

October 10, 2008 11:04 AM ET | Bonnie Erbe | Permanent Link | Print

Some conservatives will never "get it." The New York Times prints a front-page story, essentially summarizing information that's been around for quite some time (even before Sen. John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate) on the Alaska governor's Troopergate problem, and the Weekly Standard calls it a "hit piece."

This is paranoia of unprecedented proportions—so steep that they ought to change the name of the mag/rag to The Weakly Standard.

Don't believe me—read it for yourself:

"NYT Drops 'Troopergate' Hit Piece on Sarah Palin"
Here's the opening of the New York Times's report today on the investigation into whether Sarah Palin abused her power when she fired her public safety commissioner:

The 2007 state fair was days away when Alaska's public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, took another call about one of his troopers, Michael Wooten. This time, the director of Gov. Sarah Palin's Anchorage office was on the line. As Mr. Monegan recalls it, the aide said the governor had heard that Trooper Wooten was assigned to work the kickoff to the fair in late August. If so, Mr. Monegan should do something about it, because Ms. Palin was also planning to attend and did not want him nearby. Somewhat bewildered, Mr. Monegan soon determined that Trooper Wooten had indeed volunteered for duty at the fairgrounds in full costume—as "Safety Bear," the troopers' child-friendly mascot. Two years earlier, the trooper and the governor's sister had been embroiled in a nasty divorce and child-custody battle that had hardened the Palin family against him.

What great fodder for the Colbert Report! Could anything possibly justify Sarah Palin's fear of her ex-brother-in-law dressed as a child-friendly "Safety Bear" mascot? Well, the facts that Wooten abused his 10 year-old step-son and threatened to kill Palin's father might make the governor seem a tad less paranoid, but the Times buries and then fails to fully report these facts."

Tags: Alaska | New York Times | presidential election 2008 | running mates | police | Sarah Palin

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About Bonnie Erbe

Bonnie Erbe is a contributing editor at U.S. News & World Report and hosts PBS's weekly news analysis program, To the Contrary with Bonnie Erbe. She also writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column for Scripps Howard News Service.

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