You'll see this story over the next few days. I'll summarize.

A Republican dude, an Alaskan member of a public watchdog group, who suspected that Palin was conducting partisan business on taxpayer time asked her office for her emails. She gave them four boxes of emails, and withheld 1100 pieces of email, citing 'executive privilege'. She did, however, provide a list of the headers of those withheld emails, and they seemed to be mostly talking about how to defeat political oppenents, how to get that trooper fired, and so on. Probably some embarrassing stuff, or even incriminating if laws were broken. (It is against the law for her to use her office to conduct partisan business.)

In Alaska, the governor can cite executive privelege for policy-related emails before a policy decision has been made. However, the titles of these emails indicate that these have nothing to do with policy decisions or deliberations. In addition, many of those emails she carbon-copied to her husband...who is not an employee of the state. He is just a private citizen.

So now, what happens? The first step is, she has been asked to review the decision to withhold those emails. She will likely say something like, 'Upon review, my initial decision not to let the public have access to these emails was correct, and stands.'

After that, it will have to go to the courts. Of course, she has complete authority to release the emails on her own, at any time. As someone running on a platform as a 'reformer' and a proponent of government transparency, obviously she *should* release all those emails. I wouldn't hold my breath.

The 'executive privilege' claim will likely not stand once a judge reviews. For one thing, she's already given one member of the public, a private citizen, access to the email -- her husband. Is he a better private citizen than others? Of course not. In addition, the judge will get to read them, to make sure that they are policy-related, all 1100 of them. Then the judge will make the call.

Very Dick Cheney-ish of her, to hide emails from the public, when the public pays her wages. And, isn't she supposed to be looking out for the public interest? Isn't that, like, her job? How is it in the public's interest to be refused access to the correspondence of their elected officials?

How she's going to play this, how *McCain* is going to try to spin this, I have no idea. But I can virtually guarantee it's going to be very interesting, especially once those emails are made public. It'll be even better if she's forced to release them, against her will, rather than voluntarily, which as a 'true reformer' is what she should do.

I'm sure Todd Palin's a rockin' dude and all, but if he gets to see the emails, we all should.

"A Republican dude, an Alaskan member of a public watchdog group..."

Now THERE'S a credible source. Is he the same guy who took the bikini pic?

Vi

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Liberals are people that will believe anything twice.

Nothing new here...To be a Republican you have to have some crooked shit, or how else can you claim moral high ground.... Craig...affairs (gay & straight)... torture...etc...too much to type.....

I was actually wrong, it's a woman, not a dude. But she has a sorta ambiguous-ish type of name. It's Andrée McLeod, a well-known public watchdog in Alaska. She just tries to keep 'em honest. Hard to do when public officials blatantly hide stuff, but hey, that's what the courts are for.

10 seconds of googling would have got you her name on your own, obviously.

Bong he's either too lazy or too scared to look it up himself unless he's going to try to prove you wrong because you don't think the same way he does.

Hey Vi try google some time it works.... Don't you just hate new fangled technology?

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The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it. United State Constitution, Art. I Sec. 9 Par. 2

"Dissent is the Highest form of Patriotism" -- Howard Zinn

~lol~ Are you saying that you beleive this 1100 email story too?

Vi

__________________
Liberals are people that will believe anything twice.

It's a possibility Vi, Just like the emails that the Carl Rove was trying to hide using the RNC server.

__________________
The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it. United State Constitution, Art. I Sec. 9 Par. 2

"Dissent is the Highest form of Patriotism" -- Howard Zinn

Hmmm ... maybe we should check Sandy Berger's pant cuffs?

Vi

__________________
Liberals are people that will believe anything twice.

Well, the courts are finally doing their job. Todd Palin and twelve others, plus the phone records of one of Palin's aides, have been subpoenaed. There are all kinds of skeletons in her closet. Hopefully we the people will be shown all of them before anyone casts a vote.

If abortion's a wedge issue for you, for or against, McCain said on the View that he believes Roe v. Wade was a mistake, so at least we're clear on that with him: he'd appoint judges to override it or limit it. A do-over.

He's also insisting that Palin is an earmark reformer, when every news outlet in the world is showing that she's already requested almost $200 million in earmarks for 2009, again the highest per capita amount in the nation. It's a matter of public record, so I don't quite grasp why he's continuing to repeat a demonstrably untrue statement. I can only think of a few reasons:

1) He honestly doesn't know her record on this. That would make him incompetent, since he's in the friggin' Senate and pores through appropriations requests looking for this exact kind of thing. Highly doubtful.

2) He knows all about her earmark record, but continues to repeat his lies because he thinks *we're* stupid. Could be. (What's that quote? 'Nobody ever lost an election by underestimating the intelligence of the American people.')

3) He knows her record, but he keeps repeating the lies because he's stubborn. Could be. He is a stubborn man.

4) He knows her record and repeats the lies because he thinks that his base won't care if he's a liar as long as he wins, and enough of the rest of the population is stupid enough not to check the facts (or watch or read the news). Probable.

That's about all I can come up with, for why he continues to lie in the face of the facts. I've never seen a candidate so boldly lie like this; usually they admit the mistake rather than have the public think they're too stubborn, too stupid, too incompetent, or some combination. (As in Clinton's 'sniper fire' statement -- once it was proven not to be true, she quit saying it.)

Some of you are IDIOTS!You are afraid of her.Conspiracy theories oooooooo grow up.I am "conservative" big deal.She is prob. going to be in the White House"Thank god",Deal with it!Go back down in your mom and dads basement.Jesus.Write a fricken book next time too.