Comments on: TrooperGate: Count the Conflicts of Interest

By: freepatriot

freepatriot — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:46:05 +0000

yo, Albert Fall

this coverup is not only gonna leak like a sieve …

looks like the heavy handed tactics just might turn Alaska TOTALLY BLUE this year

disaster accomplished kkkarl

By: rxbusa

rxbusa — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:51:42 +0000

Surely you don’t mean an investigation by our current federal government, the one whose Colorado prosecutor didn’t think an assassination plan on the Dem presidential candidate was sufficient to prosecute?

By: bmaz

bmaz — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:26:46 +0000

It depends on the situation (yes, legal conflicts are situational ethics), but no, that does not necessarily resolve the conflict issue. Just because the State is no longer his client, doesn’t mean that the State is irrelevant in this discussion. Palin’s interests are very arguably adverse to the State; who knows what he learned while representing the State? He still owes a duty to a client, even a former one. Now, I have certainly seen argued, and have argued, that the government owes a higher duty to avoid conflict situations; but I have never seen it stated as black letter law here. If Scribe is correct that there is any such provision up there, then that even cements the conflict appearance even more. Bottom line is this is goofball land. It is up in the anything goes rugged tundra where ethics are not a concern (See: politicians, any from Alaska), AND this is not even in a formal court to oversee the process so these concerns are not likely to have much impact. Doesn’t make it right, just makes it so.

By: Arbusto

Arbusto — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:45:20 +0000

I’m not a lawyer, but Van Flein had access to documents & evidence that a defense attorney might not have any right to see. But that still serves the purpose of the GOP ploy to twist the investigation into knots.

By: chetnolian

chetnolian — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:42:35 +0000

I am seriously disgusted. I can only assume the Obama campaign is not majoring on this because they believe enough voters will think what Saraah Palin clarly did is really ok.

I spend a lot of time over here in the UK trying to defend America.

This woman wouldn’t pass the ethics rules of my Parish Council in a village of 300 people!!

In the UK she’d be long gone. The easy acceptance of gross ethical failure by so many people in so many matters is one of the things which most distinguishes us from you. And I so wish it wasn’t.

By: AlbertFall

AlbertFall — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:40:18 +0000

The sheer volume of activity in trying to obstruct an investigation suggests to me that (a) there is enough information already generated to put the would-be obstructors on notice that there are lots of holes in the Palin story that they will want to close, and (b) they are more concerned with getting the obstruction in place than in trying to be subtle about it.

It also make me think this thing is going to leak like a sieve, given how many Alaskan enemies Palin has already made.

By: emptywheel

emptywheel — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:28:50 +0000

Wouldn’t taking Van Flein off the govt dime alleviate the conflicts you lay out?

By: radiofreewill

radiofreewill — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:16:56 +0000

Ianal, but honestly, Palin’s situation in Alaska cries out for a Federal Investigation - there is Strong Evidence of Governmental Malfeasance on the State Executive’s part - as well as Strong Evidence of Political Influence Over-riding the Just and Proper Legislative Over-sight of the Law.

Palin’s behavior in Troopergate suggests an Executive dissatisfied with the frustrations of the Rule of Law with respect to Wooten. She then ‘mounted’ a ‘persuasion’ attack on Monegan through surrogates, while suggesting to Monegan that his talents might be better put to use in another part of the Government. And, so, when Monegan said he saw no reason for further action against Wooten - all the Evidence says she “pre-texted” his Firing.

Fwiw, imvho, I believe she cooperated in the beginning because she’s certain God is on her side in the Wooten issue - and His Law trumps the Laws of Man. In her world-view, Wooten is Evil and Must Be Punished with Damnation: Why else would she have wanted Wooten hounded out of his job, thus reducing his ability to pay her sister’s child support? Where I come from, that’s called Spite.

The issue here is Raw and Destructive Abuse of Power to settle a personal score.

There is No Way the Ethics of This Situation can be left unresolved before the Election! We’re talking about the Vice-President of the United States of America - One 72 year old Heartbeat away from the Nuclear Football.

If Troopergate can’t be resolved before the Election, she should Withdraw, but in any case, there really ought to be a Federal Investigation of the Strongly Alleged Abuse of Power by the Governor and the Very Apparent Political Manipulation of the Legislature to Subvert the Rule of Law.

Voting for Palin without resolving Troopergate would be like Packaging Junk Mortgages into Securities and Saying: We won’t worry about it until after they’re Sold!

Wake Up, America!

By: BoxTurtle

BoxTurtle — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:05:16 +0000

EW, thanks for staying on this. I think you and a few others like you are the only reason this hasn’t been swept out of the news entirely.

I’ve said from the beginning that troopergate would be the best way to hit Palin, looks like McBush agrees with me.

It seems the goal is simply to delay things until after the election. Then a quiet settlement, likely funded by the Beer Goddess, with both sides under a no discussion clause. Van Flein is plenty good enough to tie Alaska in knots for 8 weeks and that’s more than he needs.

Fern@11: I’m sure there will be a VP debate. Palin/Biden is going to be a much more even fight than a lot of the left seems to think. I am remeided of a film clip where a polar bear is eating a wolverine…while the wolverine eats the polar bear! I think the Obama/McBush debate is going to be, unh, what’s the next level worse than a massacre? I suspect in the VP debate, they’ll try to set ground rules like “Matters currently in litigation are off limits”. That sounds so reasonable…

Boxturtle (They may have to issue some cheesecake photos to get troopergate off the news)

By: puravida

puravida — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:01:24 +0000

VP debate scheduled for October 2nd.

http://debate.wustl.edu/index.php

(I know, doesn’t mean she’ll show up).