Little typo correction

I just realized in my previous post about donating to Sarah's PAC, I wrote:

"I can't tell how good this will be, in my opinion, for the Republican Party."

I meant to write:

"I can't tell you how good this will be, in my opinion, for the Republican Party."

I wanted to post a correction because that little "you" changes the whole tone of the paragraph. Oops. Sorry about that.

Palin Interview: PAC, book deal, Governor responsibilities

An interesting Q&A with Palin from Anchorage Daily News. She discusses her new PAC and says the book deal that was widely reported as a done deal, is not true.

Palin gives reasons for forming PAC
Q&A: It doesn't mean she is running for president.

By SEAN COCKERHAM
Published: January 29th, 2009 05:11 AM
Last Modified: January 29th, 2009 08:57 AM

JUNEAU -- Gov. Sarah Palin took a few questions from Alaska reporters outside the governor's mansion Wednesday morning. Palin talked about her new national Political Action Committee -- SarahPAC -- saying it didn't mean she was running for president. Palin also described her upcoming trip to Washington, D.C., this weekend and the pressure of national expectations versus being governor.

Palin talked about the possibility of a book deal, but laughed off reports it could be worth $11 million.

Here are excerpts from the interview:

Q. Does the PAC mean she's running for president? (Some other governors with national aspirations have such a PAC but she's the first among Alaska governors to get one.)

A. "No, not at all, not at all, no. It's helpful to have a PAC so that when I'm invited to things even like to speak at the Lincoln Day dinner in Fairbanks, to have a PAC pay for that instead of have the state pay for that because that could be considered quasi-political.

"Other governors in the past they all had a fund to be able to travel for things like that. I do not. But now we'll have an available source of funds so that we're not coming close to any ethical line to be crossed in terms of travel or participation in events that will help Alaska but could be seen perhaps as not worthy of state funding."

Q. Are you going to D.C. this weekend?

A. "Yeah, I'm going to meet with those who are making decisions for Alaska in the stimulus package, including ... Mitch McConnell and others, having dinner with them and meeting with John Katz in our D.C. office on what it is that we can support in the stimulus package.

"Advocating tough too for an exemption that Alaska needs in terms of timelines for some of these shovel-ready projects. Congress is saying the projects involved in the infrastructure aspect of the stimulus package have to be shovel ready, have to get them out the door, whether it be 90 days or 120 days. Well we're Alaska, and we need an exemption there so that we're not left out in the cold in terms of some of the projects that will take a northern climate a longer period of time to make sure that we have our projects ready to go."

Q. You'll also be going to the Alfalfa Club (an annual dinner in Washington D.C., for an elite club including some of the nation's top politicians) and the RNC this weekend?

A. "I don't think the RNC. The Alfalfa dinner, yes, in fact that's because President Obama is scheduled to be there. And how often will I have an opportunity to have dinner with the president? I will take up that offer to do so, yeah."

Q. There's been come concern your focus might be elsewhere after this fall. Was that part of what you talked about with legislators?

A. "No, because I'm sure legislators know that I'm the governor of Alaska and this is first and foremost on my mind and my agenda. Any travel or meeting or participation in anything that I will have to do with anything outside of Alaska will only be if it's good for Alaska."

Q. How are you juggling (national expectations with being governor)?

A. "It's not a tough thing to juggle when I know and am grounded in the fact that I'm Alaska's governor, that is first and foremost ... I do receive, our office receives, hundreds if not thousands of requests to either speak or participate in something. We turn them down for the most part we say no, I'm not going to leave Alaska or I'll rarely travel outside of Alaska. "Now a lot of people outside of Alaska don't really understand the way that we operate up here. I'm reminded quite often and my administration is reminded often, well, every other governor travels around the nation. Look at what Arnold Schwarzenegger, for instance, is doing right now, he and (Pennsylvania Gov. Edward) Rendell and others who are traveling around the nation as proponents of their infrastructure package.

"And I say that, well, Alaska is a little bit different. We're and I say this with all due respect, we're a little bit more parochial here, which is good, it keeps you grounded. We want to make sure that our elected officials are serving the people who literally have elected them."

Q. There's been some reports you are getting a book deal, whether it be $11 million, $4 million?

A. "I heard that! I can't wait to see that! No, I haven't seen that. If there were an opportunity in the future to, again, do something to promote Alaska, I will do it. But I will only do it if it's in Alaska's best interest and it doesn't harm my family."

Q. But at this point, that's not something you are pursuing? You don't have a publisher or an agent lined up?

A. "I don't have a publisher but I will let you know if ever there is an offer. But that $11 million figure that I read about also is laughable. That's out of anybody's realm of possibility of consideration."

Let’s send a message to the Republican Party

I’m still over the moon about Sarah’s PAC. I can’t tell you how good this will be, in my opinion, for the Republican Party. Recently, the direction and leadership of our Party has left many disenchanted and bitter. Many of us are a little slower in trusting its leadership after last year’s election results.

This is a Party that nominated John McCain, John McCain, as the nominee in the Presidential election. Leftists believe that Palin was the one who lost the election for McCain. The opposite is true. Palin is the only reason many Republicans even voted. Palin was the reason many Republicans thought the ticket was viable, and had a shred of fundamental Republican ideals represented by her being there. Two weeks ago, the Philly Inquirer stated that McCain’s desire to secure his place in history will lead him to vote with the Democrats (even more than he usually does), so he can have the image of a true bipartisan working with President Obama. His exploits in helping to secure Hillary Clinton as SoS, despite many Republican’s apprehensions, forced noted conservative Jim Geraghty to say the unthinkable, that it was better Obama won the election than McCain.

This year’s Republican National Committee Chair race has been full of backstabbing, infighting and nasty rumors. Reports of the race say it has been “acrimonious” and “the dirtiest ever.” It appears that Republicans are better at fighting with each other than fighting the Democrats. Since he lost the race for the nomination, Mike Huckabee has been taking shots at Palin and Mitt Romney. RINOs are everywhere representing us in Congress, Senate, Governors and even some Republican news outlets. The Party is in disarray, fighting with each other and going more and more to the center.

Palin’s PAC helps us get away from all of this. Those of us who stand for fundamental conservative Republican principles can donate money to SarahPAC instead of the RNC. Her PAC will support “local and national candidates who share Gov. Palin’s ideals and goals for our country.” Money is how we can shift the Party from the center to the Right. Even if she doesn’t run for President, Senator or Governor, the money will go to candidates anywhere in the country who share her views. There are many leaders in both parties who, for whatever reason, can’t run or don’t run at certain times. But raising money now will provide funding for candidates who can and do run, who also share the same views. This is a win-win all around in my book. It will send a powerful message to the RNC that our money is going to support a conservative Republican, who believes in smaller government and less government spending. Wherever the money goes, the ideas will follow.

We nominated a moderate/center Republican for the Presidential race and where did that get us? We lost the election because of it. We tried to “centerize” our Party by electing RINOs in the House and Senate and where did that get us? We now have a filibuster-proof Democratic-led House and Senate. I believe we’re at the bottom, the lowest you can go, as a Party. We need to act and elect more people like Palin, even if it’s not her, candidates like her. It’s a way to take back the Party and say that we don’t need the RINOs of the RNC, or the leftist media, to determine what we believe in.

Palin launches official PAC

Great news! Sarah launched a federally registered Political Action Committee yesterday. This is fantastic news for those of us who hope she'll run in 2012. This PAC will allow supporters to contribute to her campaign if/when she announces her candidacy. We can still contribute right now, but since she's not yet running, any donated funds will go to "local and national candidates who share Gov. Palin's ideas and goals for our country," according to the website. Great news!!

Here is the official website: http://www.sarahpac.com/

NRO subtly shows their dislike of Palin

On the heels of Palin's State of the State Address, in which she outlined her conservative views and actions for the state, one of National Review Online's blogs, The Corner, had a post titled:

"Palin's Wardrobe"

The post is a status update of where Palin's RNC clothes are. That's newsworthy right? The title is misleading. It leads you to believe there is some drama on Palin's side of the story, that there is continuing "bad blood" between the RNC and Palin. That is not true. Palin returned her clothes and the RNC simply has done nothing with them. There is nothing newsworthy about this story whatsoever. The only point of posting this was to make readers remember that Palin received clothes in the first place, that they cost lots of money and there was controversy during the campaign about it. It's misleading because they failed, again, to report that Palin didn't even want those clothes.

I question the timing of this post. After weeks, maybe months, of not discussing this stupid wardrobe story, NRO decides to post about it a day after her State of the State Address, thus deflecting any positive attention she might have received that day.

What's worse is that NR's post also links to the new website of a former NR staffer, David Frum, who is on the record as a Republican who cannot stand Palin. They're plugging Frum's new website and sacrificing Palin in the process.

This is unfortunate. I can understand HuffPo, or any other MSM outlet running this story. But it's sad that NR, that used to be the premiere Republican news outlet, decided to go in this direction. What they're saying is they don't want someone with Palin's views and ideals representing the Republican Party. Since Palin leans very "right," and is a fiscal conservative - to me it says that they are not as "right" or conservative anymore.

I realize that NRO shouldn't be endorsing politicians without question, and that's not what I'm saying they should do. However, this misleading post almost goes into "smear" territory, and I don't think Palin deserves that. I also realize NRO is a collection of several writers, and not all of them agree with this. But did they have to link to David Frum to get that extra jab in? That was unnecessary. This post really highlights how there's little direction or leadership in the current state of the Republican Party.

the corner
Friday, January 23, 2009

Palin's Wardrobe [David Freddoso]

The story about Sarah Palin's wardrobe was one of the most overblown of the 2008 election cycle, and unfortunately it came at the expense of a more thorough look at the serious problems with Obama's record. Yet clothes-gate did raise a very legitimate question: Just how well are the Republican Party and Republican campaigns spending donors' money?

Here's an additional, frustrating angle to the story: Palin has returned the clothes to the RNC as promised, but they're inside trash bags at the RNC, collecting dust.

01/23 03:12 PM

Palin provides solutions for energy goals

Most politicians make lofty promises that are usually just lip service to get elected, and to make themselves look good. Palin is not one of those politicians. Earlier this month, she revealed her energy plan that set the groundwork for Alaska using 50% of its electricity from renewable resources. Today, she is discussing options on how to make that happen. This is a real goal for Alaska, one that will not be left on the shelf collecting dust.

Palin suggested that one of the ways to accomplish the goal is to build a dam, the Susitna dam - a project that has been discussed since the 1980's, but never came together. Sound familiar? Palin's pipeline project was also something that was in the works for decades until Palin came along and finally did something about it.

This in-depth article shows how people are working together in Alaska. Palin is working Democrats, Republicans, environmental conservation groups, consultants, contractors, corporations, utility companies and more - in order to make Alaska better for the people who live there. Everyone is approaching the proposals with an open mind and not taking cheap pot-shots at each other in the media, something our federal government officials could certainly learn to do.

Governor rekindles massive dam plan
SUSITNA RIVER: State has hired consultants to update old studies on hydro project.
By SEAN COCKERHAM
Anchorage Daily News
Published: January 25th, 2009 10:06 PM
Last Modified: January 25th, 2009 10:07 PM

JUNEAU -- Gov. Sarah Palin's goal for Alaska to receive 50 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2025 is reviving long-held dreams of the state building a giant hydro project like the Susitna dam. It's also inspiring skeptical questions about realism and expense.

"On the Railbelt in particular, we have a number of opportunities, be it Susitna, Chakachamna, Mount Spurr," said Joe Balash, the governor's special assistant for energy.

"We may have to make a big investment here for this generation but it will pay off for the next generation," he said.

Palin is planning to start this year by asking the Legislature to approve bringing the six Railbelt energy utilities into a single new power corporation. That's the only way to do a project like the Susitna dam, Balash said.

"We know for sure that it's big, it's going to take a long time and there's not a single one of the electric utilities in the Railbelt today that can do it themselves," he said.

The idea is that in 10 years all utility customers along the Railbelt -- from Kenai to Fairbanks -- would pay mostly the same rate for electricity, he said.

The governor is also pushing to restart an idled Healy coal plant and get an in-state natural gas pipeline built within five years. Mark Foster, an independent energy consultant and former member of Alaska utilities commission, said it's a stretch to think an in-state pipeline and big hydro project could both have enough financing and customers.

"It's far from clear to me that when you start stacking these projects on top of themselves you have something that makes sense at all given the small size of the market," he said.

Foster said it could happen -- if the price of oil went to $300 a barrel. But that's about twice as much as the record high hit last summer and some seven times the current price. Such a price would give the state money to subsidize projects as well as create economic activity and enough energy customers. "It's really only in what strikes me as a pretty extreme scenario can you make all that work," he said.

Balash said that's not so. Healy coal would only provide a small percentage of the Railbelt power and, if there were a pipeline shipping natural gas, he said, the gas supply would allow the reopening of the Agrium fertilizer plant on the Kenai or a new industrial use for the energy.

North Pole Republican Rep. John Coghill agreed, saying electricity from hydro would free up gas for other uses. "I think the economy can handle that," he said.

But Anchorage Democratic Rep. Mike Doogan said the state should take care in spending billions of dollars based on what he thinks was a "number plucked out of the air" by Palin as a renewable energy goal. He said the original Susitna dam project was controversial and too expensive, although he's willing to look at whatever updated plan comes out.

MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR DAM

Balash said the governor's office came up with the goal based on the fact Alaska already gets 24 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, mostly hydro power in Southeast. Getting to 50 percent is doable, he said, and once the debt from construction is paid off what's left is cheap energy.

It would be next year before the governor was ready to go to the Legislature and start talking about financing for big projects. She might have a tough time this year anyway, since the state faces a potential deficit in the billions as a result of the drop in the price of oil.

There's a belief among many legislators that the governor specifically has a Susitna dam in mind with her renewable energy goal. "It would be a challenge to do it without Susitna," conceded Balash.

But he said the governor's office is not convinced yet that Susitna is feasible. A combination of other projects could also work. The state has hired consultants to update old studies done on the Susitna project and expects to receive a report in the next month or so.

State officials began talking about damming the Susitna River in the 1970s as the North Slope oil money first started to flow into the state treasury. The state considered a version that involved dams at Devils Canyon north of Talkeetna and at Watana Creek to the east.

The project collapsed under its own weight in 1986 as oil prices and state revenue plummeted, leaving the estimated $5 billion for construction bonds out of the state's reach.

The price would be far higher today. But the governor's office and state legislators said this time around it could be a slimmed down version.

During the 1980s debate over Susitna, environmentalists said it would threaten fish and wildlife habitat. But they've been hugely enthusiastic about Palin's renewable energy goal.

Deborah Williams of Alaska Conservation Solutions said she'd support a Susitna project if it were done right. That would have to include keeping the electricity in state for residential and small commercial customers, she said.

"It could be managed in a way that when you look at tradeoffs, you'd say, how does a smaller hydro project in Susitna compare with coal or other fossil fuel? And you could come to the conclusion that a Susitna hydropower project caused less environmental damage," Williams said.

ACROSS THE INLET

Palin special assistant Balash said that, if Susitna didn't work, it would be possible to meet the 50 percent renewable energy goal with a combination that included Mount Spurr geothermal and a potential hydropower project at Chakachamna Lake about 85 miles west of Anchorage. The estimated price tag on Chakachamna is about $1.75 billion.

The idea is for smaller projects in rural Alaska as well, but to get to 50 percent requires a big Railbelt effort. Balash said the idea is to gradually replace aging energy infrastructure along the Railbelt with renewable sources.

House Speaker Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, said he's interested in taking a close look at Chakachamna as well as Susitna.

"The governor has proposed we be 50 percent renewable by 2025. We don't get there by putting one windmill in a village someplace or one small hydroelectric project. There's gonna have to be some massive projects" he said.

ONE BIG POWER COMPANY

Many legislators don't seem to know what to make of Palin's talk of bringing the Railbelt utilities under a single corporation.

"I'm anxious to see the governor flesh this out to us and explain what her vision is here," said Senate President Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican.

Balash said the idea is to consolidate the power generation and transmission assets of the Railbelt utilities. They'd still separately distribute electricity to customers. So if the power went out a local person would deal with it, for example, he said.

The goal is that in a decade all the Railbelt utility costumers would pay mostly the same rate. So an Anchorage Municipal Light & Power customer, for example, would pay about the same as a Golden Valley Electric Association customer in Fairbanks.

ML&P has the cheapest rates in the state. So, if this were put in place today, its customers would see a rate hike to even out with the rest of the utilities. But the Beluga natural gas field -- where ML&P gets its fuel -- will be depleted before the arrangement starts 10 years from now, Balash said, and ML&P's rates will have gone up.

"We just want to get past the winners and losers part of this. We know that, in the long term, if everybody's working together then everybody benefits," he said.

He said ratepayers would save money as utilities consolidate assets and become more efficient. Just how the plan might work is being hashed out in talks between the governor's office and the six Railbelt utilities. The utilities haven't committed.

ML&P spokesman Gary Fife said the utility's general manager, Jim Posey, "wants to look at it some more before he makes any comments."

Palin's State of the State Address

Last night, Palin delivered her State of the State Address to a joint session of the Senate and House. Her address was very well received by both Democrats and Republicans, and there were many standing ovations throughout. An Alaska Democratic Senator, Lyman Hoffman, called the speech "exhilarating."

Much of her 30-minute speech focused on Alaska's energy, past efforts in that regard and its oil production. But she also highlighted future projects and emphasized her fiscal conservative ideals and practices.

This is why she is so good for the Republican party. Not only does she hold these ideals and express them clearly, but she also puts them into practice.

From her speech:

At a time when other state legislatures are staring at multi-billion-dollar deficits, and when our federal government proposes a deficit in excess of a trillion dollars this year alone, we have all the cautionary examples we need in the virtues of living within our means. With less revenue, we have an obligation to spend less money.

I couldn't put it any better myself. How lucky the state of Alaska is to have her watching out for them. I only wish all of our public servants tried to fix problems by actually working on them instead of throwing money at them. I only wish our government officials would cut bloated programs that bleed us dry instead of making them bigger and asking for more money. I praise any politician who shares these views and is in the position to act on them. Great job, Sarah!

She also made this important point in her Address:

Two years ago at this podium, I urged spending restraint. I asked that billions of surplus funds be deposited in state savings. This struck me as a simple precaution against, as I described it, massive single-year cuts down the road, if and when we faced tougher times. You legislators agreed, so we can now meet our challenge in a stronger position.

Well done!

The full text of her Address is here: Fort Mill Times

Here is a local article about the Address.

Palin puts hiring freeze in place
By Pat Forgey JUNEAU EMPIRE
Friday, January 23, 2009
Story last updated at 1/23/2009 - 10:29 am

Gov. Sarah Palin told Alaskans in her State of the State address Thursday that the state faces a serious financial crunch due to declining oil prices, and she is instituting a hiring freeze and banning non-essential purchases.

She provided few details on how those plans would be implemented, though she said public safety is exempt.

"We can't buy into the notion that for government to serve better, it must always spend more," she said.

A hoped-for budget surplus faded with falling oil prices, and Palin said it is time to cut spending to avoid dipping into the Permanent Fund or imposing taxes on Alaskans to fund state government.

"Unless the price of a barrel of oil dramatically increases, and soon, we're looking at a potential revenue shortfall in excess of a billion dollars this year," she said.

Palin's speech before a joint session of the Alaska Legislature was punctuated with applause when she criticized actions of the federal government or praised Alaska's "culture of life."

She spurred a standing ovation among legislators when she praised former Sen. Ted Stevens, who lost the seat he held for decades after being convicted on federal charges immediately before his November re-election bid.

She also offered praise for newly elected Sen. Mark Begich and congratulated Sen. Lisa Murkowski on her "worthy committee assignments."

Murkowski was recently named to the influential Senate Appropriations Committee, a much sought-after seat Stevens used to funnel money back to Alaska.

After the 30-minute speech, legislators praised what they heard.

Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, called the speech "exhilarating," and Rep. Cathy Muñoz, R-Juneau, praised a "positive message of unity."

Palin began by joking about her run for vice president and praising President Barack Obama.

While announcing not-yet-defined cuts, Palin talked about new projects and said she wanted to build more roads to develop Alaska's resources.

"We're commissioning preliminary work on a road to Umiat and pursuing a road to Nome," she said.

She made no mention of the Juneau Access Road, which would help develop the Kensington Mine north of Juneau but has not been a priority for her administration.

Much of Palin's first two years as governor were consumed with efforts to bring the state a natural gas pipeline and get more for the state's oil resources.

Now, she said, she expected Obama to also support the gas line.

"The last president supported a gas line, and so does our new president," she said, adding that it would provide America with abundant, affordable secure energy.

She emphasized her recent call for Alaska to get 50 percent of its power from renewable resources, but said the state should work aggressively to build an in-state gas line because many renewable technologies would take years to develop.

"Between then and now we need a clean, interim fuel," she said.

While she offered compliments to Obama, she also praised the former president.

"For keeping the homeland safe and being a friend to Alaska, I thank President Bush," she said.

Palin moves closer to possible book deal

Great news. There was a rumor that she had been offered a book deal a few months ago but no news about it since. It looks like maybe she took the offer or is shopping for one. Hopefully the book will be about her conservative ideals and values, which would be great to solidify her as a good choice among the Republican party. We need some strong leadership and direction and I think if Palin writes a book it'll be a good step in that direction.

Palin moves closer to possible book deal
Reuters
By Paul J. Gough
Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:02am EST

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - It looks as though Sarah Palin may be ready to tell her story in print.

The former Republican vice presidential candidate apparently has enlisted the help of superstar Washington attorney Robert Barnett, who has brokered book deals for such political A-listers as President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Additionally, he has handled TV deals for many top news anchors and reporters, among them Brian Williams, Lesley Stahl, Neil Cavuto, Christiane Amanpour and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

While not an immediate option, TV news is considered a possible future career path for the telegenic Palin, who is halfway through her first term as Alaska governor.

Reached by telephone late Wednesday, Barnett said he had no comment.

In the past few weeks, Palin has gone on the offensive, lashing out at the media for the way she and her family have been portrayed.

Since her sudden rise to stardom after being picked in late August as Sen. John McCain's running mate, Palin has been mentioned as a possible 2012 presidential candidate.

But there also has been speculation that she has potential as a TV personality, along the lines of other prominent politicians who have transitioned to television, like Mike Huckabee. In the late 1980s, Palin worked as a sports reporter for Anchorage television stations.

Barnett, who handled Obama's "The Audacity of Hope," already is shopping a book about the 2008 presidential campaign. He recently signed Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, to shop his book about the winning campaign, tentatively titled "The Audacity to Win."

The Alaska governor's press office did not immediately respond to a call and an email seeking comment.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Palin is happy to support new Administration

Of course, many people were asking Palin how she felt about the new Administration, especially because she could have been sworn in as VP yesterday. Classy as usual, she is not bitter and supports Obama, and the American people for electing him.

From Anchorage to D.C., Alaskans embrace change
KTUU.com Alaska's News Source
by Rebecca Palsha
Tuesday, January 20, 2009

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- From the nation's capital to The Last Frontier, the celebration over America's new president spilled into Tuesday's evening hours.

Many Alaskans were thrilled to witness the inauguration first-hand in Washington, D.C. and many more equally thrilled to watch it with friends and fellow supporters of Barack Obama here in town.

The Alaska Democratic Party hosted the Anchorage Inaugural Celebration at the Anchor Pub and Club downtown.

Everything started around 7 p.m. -- about 11 hours after Obama was sworn in -- and the party was still going strong into the 10:00 hour.

"When I saw today it was like, ‘Oh thank God! This is a day to celebrate and to remember,'" Obama supporter Judy Boisson said. "This is history."

And while Alaskans in Anchorage celebrated the new president, hundreds more witnessed the historic event up close and personal -- like Laura Fitzgerald-O'Neal, an 8th grade teacher at Central Middle School and more than 100 students from Anchorage.

"There was a really great, energetic feeling," Fitzgerald-O'Neal said via phone from Washington. "Even though we were crammed together like sardines, people were laughing and cheering and it was a really neat experience."

There were also the Colony High band and Barrow's Surrimmanitchuat Eskimo Dance Group performing in front of millions, including the new president himself.

Back in Alaska, even his former rival, Gov. Sarah Palin offered her support for the Obama presidency. Palin ran for vice president on the Republican ticket with Sen. John McCain.

"It's sweet, it's not bittersweet because I know there is purpose in everything and the American people have spoken," Palin said Monday. "I'm not going to underestimate the wisdom of the people. They have chosen their new leader, their new administration. And my job is to support the new administration, and I'm happy to do it."

A happy time for many, and a new beginning for America.

Pomp and Circumstance

Yesterday we welcomed a new President. I was thinking about how much I love inaugurations. I love it when our President is sworn in, the person we elected. A symbol of Democracy in action. I love it because we are one of the few countries where the citizens can directly elect their President.

[Disclaimer: I feel the same way about Republican inaugurees.] I have mixed emotions regarding the inauguration yesterday. There certainly was a lot of "pomp" to celebrate the day. I really don't like to celebrate someone who hasn't done anything yet (including Republicans). On the other hand, it was a demonstration of Democracy and freedom, as I said above.

As it was noted, yesterday's was the most expensive inauguration in history - by a long shot. It seems we have gone too far in celebrating this symbol of Democracy. I think a simple swearing in ceremony, a few speeches and an evening Ball would suffice - for a Republican or Democrat. I don't think Obama had much to do with the celebrations and concerts, etc. I think it really did take on a life of its own after the planning started and most of it was out of his hands, so I'm not saying this about him. I'm saying it about the planners, MSM, celebrities and attendees that let it get out of control.

The President serves us, we elected him and he must work for us - to keep us safe, and make good decisions for us. Yesterday it looked like we were supposed to be serving him. It's hard to explain, but it seemed to cross a line. The celebrities and musicians over the past three days advised us to take an oath to serve him and help him succeed. It just had an air about it that I was uncomfortable with. We voted for him and that's enough. He has the job, we don't. If he's good at his job, we'll elect him again.

This is all just my rambling opinion and thoughts I had yesterday. Of course I will give him a chance and face the next months and years with an open mind. The celebration yesterday just left me with an uneasy feeling.

Stay classy, Left

Yesterday I walked into work to see and hear my cubemate live-streaming inauguration coverage from MSNBC loudly. She could have at least worn headphones. She streamed it all day. A large group of people from my work group went to a conference room for a formal "Obama watching party," using company time and company TVs.

I remember the harsh, cruel words of MSM toward President Bush over the last eight years. I remembered when angry Democrats pelted his limo with eggs on his inauguration. If a Republican did that yesterday to Obama's limo, all of MSM would have had a collective heart attack. For eight years, people have been mercilessly cruel to the man who kept us safe and liberated 50 million people from evil regimes.

Yesterday there was massive celebrating and many, many "in-your-face" rubbing it in type behaviors. There were many cheap shots taken at Bush from not only MSM, but also Obama during his speech and in the White House website makeover.

I guarantee that if I had streamed inauguration coverage all day at work for a McCain inauguration - I probably would have been fired. I'm not exaggerating. But it's perfectly okay if the President being sworn in is a Democrat.

Sometimes the Left is just not classy. Their image is not one of class and grace. They throw temper tantrums when they don't get their way and rub it in your face when they do get their way. All of this behavior is rarely exhibited by the Right, save for a few fringe individuals. Not only is that behavior rare, but completely unacceptable. Did you see any Republicans pelting eggs at Obama's limo? How was the MSM coverage of Obama's inauguration compared to Bush's?

This is how the Left said goodbye to President Bush. Very classy, indeed. How respectful they are. Notice how the MSNBC talking heads didn't say anything about the crowd? I think I even heard Keith Olbermann stifle a laugh.

Obama's inauguration is most expensive ever at $160 million

Where's the outrage? Remember how people were angry at the cost of Bush's inaugurations? MSM said he should downplay his inaugurations because we were in a time of war and economic crisis. We're still in a time of war and economic crisis. Yet, MSM is celebrating the cost of Obama's inaugurations, saying it will revitalize the economy and take people's minds off the hard times. Unbelievable.

Obama's inauguration is most expensive ever at $160 million
BY MICHAEL SAUL/DAILY NEWS POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
Updated Wednesday, January 14th 2009, 2:42 AM

It will take Barack Obama less than a minute to recite the oath of office -- and when he’s done dancing at the inaugural balls Jan. 20, the price tag for his swearing-in festivities could approach $160 million.

Obama’s inaugural committee is in the midst of raising roughly $45 million in private funds, exceeding the $42.3 million President Bush spent in 2005. In 1993, Clinton spent $33 million when Democrats returned to the White House for the first time in 12 years.

As in previous years, the costs borne by the taxpayers, for security and emergency medical services, far surpasses the privately funded events.

The federal government has budgeted $49 million for this year’s inauguration, more than triple what taxpayers spent at Bush’s first inauguration in 2001, according to the Office of Management and Budget.

Earlier this year, the District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland and the Washington transit authority sent a request to federal lawmakers for more than $75 million to cover a variety of inaugural costs ranging from security to transportation. Carole Florman, spokeswoman for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, which oversees the events at the Capitol, said this year’s budget of $1.24 million -- $10,000 less than 2005 -- is "not a lot of money in the scheme of planning an event for 240,000 people."

"We're always very budget conscious," she said. "But we're sending a message to the entire world about our peaceful transition of power, and you don't want it to look like a schlock affair. It needs to be appropriate to the magnitude of events that it is."Linda Douglass, a spokeswoman for the Obama’s inaugural committee, said the committee’s expenses will be greater than previous years because of Obama’s commitment to make the event as open and accessible as possible to the public.

Douglass ticked off a slew of expenses, most notably the decision to open up the entire length of the National Mall and provide video and audio access to the swearing-in ceremony on JumboTrons. The committee is also sponsoring a children’s concert and is allocating $700,000 to the Smithsonian Institution for extended museum hours.

At least 2 million people are expected at the swearing-in and parade next Tuesday. Officials estimate 10,000 charters buses will arrive in Washington with roughly 500,000 riders alone.

While the inauguration comes with a host of costs, officials predict the economic impact on the local economy will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. "This is our Super Bowl multiplied significantly," Bill Hanbury, president of Destination DC, the organization that promotes and markets the capital city. "It is a chance for us to really take advantage of a downtime in the economy for us."

While you're listening to Obama's speech tomorrow, keep in mind that...

it was written by this guy:

Jon Favreau (left), 27-year-old sexist extraordinaire. This photo was taken around late November 2008, while Clinton was being vetted for SoS and long after Obama had been elected.

That's CHANGE we can believe in right? I wonder why he wasn't fired immediately after this photo was published in the New York Times? I guess Obama is just so desperate for a speechwriter that he doesn't care if that person is disrespectful and degrading to a woman on his staff. His master's voice indeed.

Palin receives praise from environmental groups and citizens for Energy Plan

The inauguration festivities sure are taking a lot of time and money aren't they? While Obama is bopping to Beyoncé, Palin is running her state.

Yesterday, Palin unveiled an ambitious energy plan that includes providing resources for local communities to develop their own energy independence. Her plan aims for Alaska to produce half of its electricity by renewable resources by 2025. This plan wasn't only highly praised, it is highly realistic.

Some critics are wondering what happened to "drill baby, drill." Well, since Obama was elected, there will be no federal plan to free ourselves from foreign oil. He's deep in their pockets and won't touch our own oil. In other words, when it comes to energy independence, most of us will have to follow Obama's path toward continued reliance on the Middle East.

Those in Alaska, however, are going to have more choices and better options for energy. Once the plan is put into use, it will save them money and create jobs - not to mention using massive amounts of renewable energy, something most of us would like to do.

I also like how the plan allows each community to develop their own plan. That way, different individuals with different ideas will be able to have a voice. The energy plan isn't a top-down mandate from one person. This plan allows a myriad of ideas to flourish based on whatever works for that community. Amazing.

Palin releases energy 'plan'
Governor wants half of state on alternative fuels by 2025
By Pat Forgey JUNEAU EMPIRE

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Story last updated at 1/18/2009 - 10:01 am

Gov. Sarah Palin Friday rolled out her new statewide energy plan aimed at bringing affordable energy to all Alaskans.

She's calling for an ambitious statewide goal of producing half of Alaska's electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

At a press conference at the headquarters of the Alaska Energy Authority in Anchorage, Palin and her top energy advisors introduced the plan.

"This is huge, it should be greatly appreciated by all Alaskans," she said. It won quick praise from environmental groups for its call for shifting from fossil fuels to renewable sources, such as wind, hydro, tidal and geothermal, but Palin and energy advisor Steven Haagenson also revealed that the plan isn't actually a plan for action. Instead, it is a list of resources on which local communities may use to develop their own solutions.

The plan was drafted by Haagenson, Palin's energy coordinator, and also the executive director of the Alaska Energy Authority.

The 245-page document is called "Alaska Energy: A first step toward energy independence." A complete database of community resources brings it to more than 1,000 pages, Haagenson said.

Palin said that high quality energy plans that have been developed in the past weren't put into use, but instead gathered dust on some bureaucrat's shelf.

Haagenson acknowledged that was a different approach, but said they actually "avoided" developing a plan, and instead tried to develop something that would work.

The plan identifies resources available in and near communities throughout Alaska, and helps to find ways to make use of them.

Renewable sources will play a large role in helping Alaska meet its future energy needs, she said. "It's time to move our rural communities off of expensive diesel whenever we can."

While the plan doesn't provide a road map for getting to its stated goal of half the state's power coming from renewable sources, it identifies numerous areas in which the state could develop alternative energy.

Many of those projects should be developed in the near future, Palin said. "In the short term we need to take advantage of the low-hanging fruit that is available to us now," she said.

What Palin said state government would do is help local communities implement their parts of the plan.
"We are going to put in place the legal and government structures to actually deliver it," she said. Most of the cost would have to be borne by local ratepayers, she said, but the government may be able to provide some help with loans and grants.

The ambitious goal was praised by environmentalists who have long been urging more development of renewable resources. It's a "very forward-thinking energy plan," said Kate Troll, executive director of the Alaska Conservation Alliance.

Last year, soaring oil prices brought renewed focus on renewable resources in the Legislature, but those prices have since fallen by more than $110 a barrel.

Some legislators, including Rep. Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, have called for Palin to propose spending cuts in response. Hawker, who will be a co-chair of the powerful House Finance Committee in the next Legislature, has not said where he'd like to see the cuts made.

Palin urged the Legislature to not cut the $100 million fund for renewable energy projects the Legislature authorized, which has not yet been spent. "We ask the Legislature to stand by its commitment to the renewable energy fund," she said.

Friday, Haagenson released the list of 77 projects his agency has selected to develop with the $100 million.

Two Juneau projects are among the several Southeast projects on the list. Ground source heat pumps at the future Dimond Park Aquatic Center and the airport are both recommended for funding.

Elsewhere, an intertie that would bring hydro power to Kake, a biomass gasification plant in Yakutat, a hydroelectric facility in Gustavus and a centralized wood-heat system in Haines are among those also proposed for funding. Approval of those projects depends on authorization by the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee.

Huckabee takes more shots at Palin

In this current firestorm surrounding Palin's treatment by MSM, Mike Huckabee decided it was a good opportunity to take some (more) shots at her, too.

I know a lot of Republicans like him, but I have to say his attitude is very divisive to the Party. Palin isn't the only one he's dissing - he's also taken a few shots at Mitt Romney. During this time when we are simply outnumbered on every front, and have failed pushing our agenda successfully - we don't need this in-party fighting.

Palin succeeded in energizing the Conservative movement, something that hasn't happened in a long time. She's succeeding now, in putting the spotlight on unfair treatment by the media. She's succeeding on still being in the headlines mere days before Obama is sworn in. I would say she's good for the Party, an otherwise lifeless and unenthusiastic cause.

But here Huckabee tries to take her down a notch. He tries to gain support as the martyr, the poor Republican who didn't win the Nomination, and wasn't picked as the Running Mate by the guy who did. It just screams bitter, sour grapes at a time when we should be uniting and working hard, damn hard, to get Conservatives back in office.

He makes a point that the Couric and Gibson interviews were not unfair. They weren't - if they also gave Obama or Biden the same type of interviews, but they didn't. That was the injustice. And any kind of agreement I had with him went out the window when he made the "shopping" comment.

Excerpts from his Esquire article:

Mike Huckabee: The Laughing Man
By A.J. Jacobs

"Now I must say I did not think that either the Charlie Gibson interview or the Katie Couric interviews were unfair. In fact, if anything, Katie Couric was extraordinarily gentle, even helpful. [Palin] just...I don't know what happened. I can't explain it. It was not a good interview. I'm being charitable."

He pauses. "I think it was overpreparation. She'd been hammered by McCain's aides, 'Say this, don't say that.'"

Huckabee has met Palin a few times and talked to her backstage at the Republican National Convention.

"Did you give her any advice?"

"I didn't figure that she was shopping for my advice."

"But she sure was shopping."

"Yeah," chuckles Huckabee. Then stays quiet. I set him up for an easy spike, but he holds his tongue.

And, for old time's sake, here's one of his classic Palin jabs where he says she was only picked because she's a woman, with a little dash of boo-hooing on the side:

From Hot Air (November 24, 2008):

And from that day forward, when I actually was no longer running for President, nobody ever said, ‘Gee, Huckabee would be a great Vice-President.’ ”

Neither was he quite so unperturbed by the Palin pick: “I was scratching my head, saying, ‘Hey, wait a minute. She’s wonderful, but the only difference was she looks better in stilettos than I do, and she has better hair.’ It wasn’t so much a gender issue, but it was like they suddenly decided that everything they disliked about me was O.K. . . . She was given a pass by some of the very people who said I wasn’t prepared.”

Palin Notes Limits on Stimulus Package

Like many other Governors, Palin wrote to her state's congressional delegation to discuss the proposed federal Stimulus Package. It's Alaska-specific, but if you're interested her letter is below.

Governor Palin Notes Limits on Stimulus Package
January 12, 2009
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/pdf/ESLletter_Jan12-2009.pdf
Alaska Report

From a State of Alaska press release:

Governor Sarah Palin today emphasized that the stimulus package pending in Congress likely will be based largely on existing federal formulas for appropriations and will not be the vehicle for earmarked spending on specific projects for states.

"As I wrote to our congressional delegation on January 7, our administration recognizes that President-elect Obama and the congressional leadership of both parties favor the use of formulas to ensure fairness among the states and to avoid the earmark abuses of the past," Gov. Palin said. "We also have to be mindful about the effect of the stimulus package on the national debt and the future economic health of the country. We won't achieve long-term stability if we continue borrowing massive sums from foreign countries and remain dependent on foreign sources of oil and gas."

The governor has recommended five specific projects for the stimulus package, all of them in accordance with previous guidelines requiring that any individual spending requests must be in the national interest. Those projects are infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the natural gas pipeline, which will bring clean fuel to Lower 48 markets, and the Kodiak Launch Facility, which is important for the nation's defense. While the latest comments in D.C. suggest that no earmarks will be accepted, the governor is hopeful that the extraordinary nature of these national-interest projects will allow their inclusion.

While others have compiled wish-lists of Alaska-specific projects, many of them meritorious, the governor says the administration will not be commenting on or ranking them, given that they might not be considered for the stimulus package. "We don't want to get hopes up among community leaders that their local projects are likely to be included, when that probably won't be the case," she said.

Meanwhile, formula funds for transportation, health care and other areas, when received by the state through the stimulus package, will be subject to appropriations by the Legislature through its budget process.

President-elect Obama said last week: "We are going to ban all earmarks, the process by which individual members insert pet projects without review. … We are going to bring a long-overdue sense of responsibility and accountability to Washington." A spokesman for Senate Majority Harry Reid was even more blunt: "There will be no earmarks in the stimulus. Nada. Zero. Zilch." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has expressed agreement.

"It's understandable that many Alaskans want to see some local projects advanced," Gov. Palin said. "But it's pretty clear that it won't happen in this stimulus package, and we need to be realistic about that."

Palin discusses her treatment by MSM

First, I'll say that I'm really happy Palin is coming out and saying something about this. In addition to this article, and the interview she did with John Ziegler, which I'll write about shortly, she says some really good things. I'm glad she's getting it out of the way now, before Obama is sworn in and long before campaigning for 2012 starts. I believe she's saying to the media that she's ready for them next time because she'll be calling the shots and she'll be prepared. I'm glad she's also mentioning that the McCain camp really tied her hands with what she was allowed to say and it looked bad for her. I really support her defending herself.

Palin slams 'bored, anonymous, pathetic bloggers who lie'
January 13, 2009
Posted: 11:00 AM ET

(CNN) — Sarah Palin fired a new salvo in her war on the media, unloading in a new interview on her home state paper and “bored, anonymous, pathetic bloggers who lie.”

The Alaska governor, who has granted a steady stream of interviews since Election Day, also told an Esquire reporter that she wishes she had told McCain campaign advisors she’d be “callin’ some of the shots.”

"Bored, anonymous, pathetic bloggers who lie annoy me….I'll tell you, yesterday the Anchorage Daily News, they called again to ask — double-, triple-, quadruple-check — who is Trig's real mom,” she said, in an interview to be published in the magazine’s March issue.

“And I said, Come on, are you kidding me? We're gonna answer this? Do you not believe me or my doctor? And they said, No, it's been quite cryptic the way that my son's birth has been discussed. And I thought, Okay, more indication of continued problems in the world of journalism."

But Palin said she had adopted a philosophical attitude on the downside of the spotlight. "You have to let it go,” she said. “Even hard news sources, credible news sources — the comment about, you can see Russia from Alaska. You can! You can see Russia from Alaska. Something like that — a factual statement that was taken out of context and mocked — what you have to do is let that go."

The former Republican vice presidential candidate said again she regretted not taking a greater leadership role during the campaign season. "If I were giving advice to myself back on the day my candidacy was announced, I'd say, Tell the campaign that you'll be callin' some of the shots,” she said. “Don't just assume that they know you well enough to make all your decisions for ya. Let them know that you're the CEO of a state, you're forty-four years old, you've got a lot of great life experience
that can be put to good use as a candidate."

Despite a season of barbs aimed at the coastal elites, Palin seemed to offer an olive branch to the Big Apple: "I would think we all tear up during the national anthem at the beginning of a baseball game, don't we? That's an alikeness between Alaskans and New Yorkers," she said.

The embarrassing stupidity of Hollywood

Hollywood award shows are the platform that brainless, airhead actors use to plug their unfounded, un-researched political beliefs. I used to get upset at the acceptance speeches-turned-political-diatribes but now it's just laughable. Take for instance, last night's Golden Globes.

Tom Hanks had a gem of a comment last night regarding Prop 8 passing. "It's un-American." Yeah. The state of California passes laws by proposition, these are laws the citizens vote on. Whatever is the majority vote, wins, and becomes the law. How exactly is that not American? He added: "You put some good commercials on the air, you can convince anybody of anything." He's referring to some commercials paid for by the Morman Church in support of Prop 8. Not only is Hanks is apparently against free speech, but against the right to support propositions of your choosing. He also fails to recognize that his beloved Barack Obama is against gay marriage, and Prop 8 was passed largely by blacks and Hispanics. His little dig "you can convince anybody of anything" reeks of elitism, and his view that the citizens of California are just idiots who will vote for whatever is on TV.

Laura Dern (remember her from Jurassic Park? Yeah, didn't think so) decided to take a jab at Sarah Palin. Wow - that's a shocker. Who is Laura Dern again, and why is she at this awards show?

Anne Hathaway is upset that Obama picked Pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at the Inauguration and wants him to "explain that choice." It's amazing to me how the people who thought nothing was wrong with Rev. Jeremiah Wright are now up-in-arms mad about Rick Warren.

I know there are actors who are passionate about their work, and the art of movies and plays. The dolts who parade around Hollywood spewing their political beliefs give real actors a bad name. I don't think artists should use their stage as a political platform. It takes away from the purpose of the art and it's a slap in the face to the people who paid good money to see their movies and bought their albums.

Hanks, Dern Diss Prop 8 and Palin at Globes
Sun., Jan. 11, 2009 5:42 PM PST by Ted Casablanca

Heath Ledger's win wasn't the only thing that got stars emotional backstage at the Globes Prop 8 did it, too!

"It's un-American," Tom Hanks, who nabbed a Globe for producing the terribly popular John Adams, told me. I asked Hanks, one of the Biz's most politically astute members, why he thought the gay-marriage-banning proposition had passed, helped largely by huge sums of media money funneled through the pro-Prop 8 Mormon church. "You put some good commercials on the air," deadpanned (accurately) the two-time Oscar winner, "you can convince anybody of anything."

Hanks was adamant that the Prop should be overturned by the California Supreme Court and that folks should be able to marry who they wish. "Love is love," he twinkled with a knowing fire. Amen, bro.

Also feeling some political oats was Laura Dern. Seconds after winning her Golden Globe for playing overly made-up Katherine Harris in HBO's Recount, Laura said that other mascara addict Sarah Palin should get lost. But she was very polite about it!

When I asked Dern, svelte in Marc Jacobs, what course would she suggest for the infamous recent veep candidate, she at first lampooned the abuse of the word "rogue" in connection with Palin. Then she laid down the benevolent law: "I wish much happiness for Sarah Palin and her family," Dern professed with a killer half smile, which she obviously perfected playing the not-so-genuine Harris.

"In Alaska."

Message received loud 'n' clear, Laura-love. And congrats!

CNN Scrubs Palin from NewsBusters Covered Criminal Politicians Story

The drama continues! After the public outcry over CNN's story that included Palin among criminals as if she were one of them, CNN removed her from their list without apology or explanation. They thought they could do it quietly, but the blogging and conservative news world is buzzing with this development.

Photo from Newsbusters. The newly scrubbed CNN article is here.

I'm so glad Warner Todd Huston exposed CNN for the cowards they are, and I'm glad CNN's original story prompted a public outrage. Imagine if no one spoke up...Palin's name would still be there and CNN would think it could get away with anything. I'm happy they were forced to have a modicum of journalistic integrity in this story, but her name should have never been there in the first place.

CNN Scrubs Palin from NewsBusters Covered Criminal Politicians Story
By Warner Todd Huston January 6, 2009 - 02:23

As most of you know, I originally posted this story on Sunday under the headline CNN Places Sarah Palin With 2008's Criminals, Sex Addicts, and the Corrupt here at NewsBusters. It raged all day Sunday in the Blogosphere and into the night among Palin fans and center right bloggers. Greta Van Susteren even posted about it on her FoxNews blog (It garnered 4 pages of comments there, too). A quick Google of the title of my NewsBusters piece gives several pages of hits all across the web. FreeRepublic, Lucianne.com, dozens of blogs and message boards took CNN to task for their outrageous inclusion of Sarah Palin's name among the year's worst criminal politicians.

Well by the time Monday morning arrived, CNN quietly and without explanation or apology erased Sarah Palin from the article I describe earlier.

Palin meets with international diplomats

Last Friday, Palin met with diplomats to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Alaska's statehood. Among the dignitaries were Sergey Kislyak, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States and Haijun Wang, Deputy Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of China’s Heilongjiang Province - among nine others from around the world.

Meeting, negotiating with, and maintaining good working relationships with international diplomats, business leaders and local politicians is just all in a day's work for Palin. She once again proves that she can hold her own with anybody for the good of Alaska.

What are the chances this will be widely reported in MSM?

Governor Welcomes International Diplomats
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 09-002

January 2, 2009, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today is welcoming an international delegation of diplomats who are traveling to Alaska to celebrate Alaska Statehood Day on January 3, 2009. Representatives from several Asian and European countries accepted Governor Palin’s invitation to participate in weekend celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Alaska being admitted to the Union.

“We welcome these representatives with our best Alaska hospitality. We are pleased with their recognition of the importance of our 50th anniversary,” Governor Palin said. “It is a special honor to welcome Ambassador Kislyak and to showcase our state to this high-profile international group.”

Among the traveling dignitaries is Mr. Sergey Kislyak, newly appointed Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States, who is making his first visit to Alaska. “I am so pleased to be here this weekend,” Ambassador Kislyak said. “As discussed in my meeting with Governor Palin, it is encouraging to note the similarities between Alaska and the Russian Far East. Our existing commercial connections and the mutually beneficial nature of our professional partnerships can only help provide a measure of stability as, together, we face the global economic challenges that lie ahead.”

Ambassador Kislyak also met with representatives of the Aleut International Association, Institute of the North, Alaska Rule of Law Initiative, National Parks Service, ISER Alaska Chukotka Project, and Turnagain Elementary School Russian Immersion Program, all of whom have been involved in multi-year Russia-related projects.

In addition to Ambassador Kislyak, foreign dignitaries include Yuri Gerasin, Consul General of the Russian Federation; Julian Evans, British Consul General; John Mataira, Consul General of New Zealand; Balazs Bokor, Consul General of Hungary; Sten Arne Rosnes, Consul General of Norway; Haryong Lee, Consul General of Korea; Fred Santos, Consul of The Philippines; Mel Knight, Alberta’s Minister of Energy; Marvin Schneider, Alberta’s Executive Director of the U.S. and Americas; and Haijun Wang, Deputy Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of China’s Heilongjiang Province. Mr. Wang is leading a four-person delegation from Heilongjiang Province, a sister province to Alaska, and China’s northernmost region.

Members of the Alaska consular corps will also be participating in the weekend events. Among them: Karen Matthias, of Canada; Hideo Fujita, of Japan; Hee-chul Kim, of South Korea; and Jose Luis Cuevas, of Mexico. They will be joined by honorary consuls of the Czech Republic, Poland, Finland, Seychelles, and Norway.

“We are thrilled that so many of our esteemed international friends are joining us for the auspicious occasion of our statehood celebration,” said Kris Perry, director of the Governor’s Office of International Trade. “These trade partners have been critical to the economic development of this state in the last 50 years and have helped grow the market for Alaska exports to a nearly $4 billion enterprise. Their presence here this weekend demonstrates how far Alaska has come in the arena of international commerce, and also how much promise we have for the next 50 years and beyond.”

Photo available at: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/large_photo.php?id=229 Photo caption: Governor Sarah Palin meets with Mr. Sergey Kislyak, newly appointed Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States, on his first visit to Alaska. Ambassador Kislyak is part of a large group of foreign dignitaries on hand for weekend celebrations marking Alaska’s 50th anniversary of statehood.

Twilight Zone: CNN Places Sarah Palin With 2008's Criminals, Sex Addicts, and the Corrupt

This is unbelievable, but knowing CNN - not unexpected.

From Newsbusters, CNN ran a story about the "most prominent politicians who fell from grace" in 2008. Eight of them are profiled. Seven of them are either convicted criminals or sex addicts. The last one is Sarah Palin. Why is she lumped in with those losers? What exactly did she do that would warrant her being featured with these extremely corrupt politicians as if she were one of them?

CNN must think their readership is very stupid. Do they honestly think the average reader would believe that Palin is as corrupt as those politicians simply by putting her in the mix, too? I can just imagine their edit-board meetings over this story - they were probably doubled over with laughter thinking about how this would further put her in the gutter. CNN just hates the fact that so many people continue to support Palin don't they? I wonder why anyone takes CNN seriously. This garbage is not journalism, the whole institution is just one giant leftist wind bag.

The Newsbusters article had the best line of this story: "The only thing 'exposed' here is CNN's hate for Palin, its leftist agenda to destroy her and its extreme bias." Exactly.

CNN Places Sarah Palin With 2008's Criminals, Sex Addicts, and the Corrupt
By Warner Todd Huston (Bio Archive)
January 4, 2009 - 07:06 ET

Showing they have no sense of morality, no grasp of corruption and no understanding of what defines a criminal, CNN gives us another one of those ubiquitous year in review stories, this one titled "Politicians who fell from grace in 2008." In this one, CNN has decided to reveal for us their top eight politicians that found 2008 to be a "career-buster" because of their "crimes and misdemeanors" or their outrageous controversies.

CNN features corruption mired Rod Blagojevich, the sex crazed Elliot Spitzer and John Edwards, and the criminal bribe taker Ted Stevens among four others. Each of these men in the CNN list have either been convicted of criminal actions, are indicted for corruption, lost their positions, been drummed out of their party, or are soon to face jail time. Among these eight criminals, however, is a name that doesn't belong among this class of serial abuser of the public trust. It won't be shocking to note that among the worst sex criminals, bribe takers, liars and thieves in politics for 2008, CNN ridiculously included the name of Governor Sarah Palin.

Palin, however, has done nothing remotely like what these other political ner-do-wells have done. She did not take bribes, she did not indulge in sexual dalliances with co-workers or call girls, she did not get booted from her party or lose her job as Governor. She is not under indictment nor does she face jail time, yet CNN includes her in a list with Rob Blagojevich, John Edwards, Kwame Kilpatrick, Larry Langford, Tim Maloney, Elliot Spitzer and Ted Stevens.

This CNN slide show is based on the idea that these eight politicians have fallen from grace because of their criminal actions. Many of them have lost their political office either by being thrown out, voted out or having resigned. Some of them are about to go to jail and nearly all of them took bribes and illicit freebies and then made false statements to investigators as well as filing false tax statements. Seven of these politicians are criminals and right there, before our eyes, CNN has Sarah Palin among them.

Of course, there is no legitimate reason at all to lump Sarah Palin among these creeps as she has done nothing even remotely like what they have done. Each of the other seven at the very least have been disowned by their party. None of them could rally 10 people to their side should they try to make a public appeal. On the other hand, Palin has been an in demand participant in rallies all across the country as well as a sought after media guest.

Just this past December, for instance, Palin was asked to go to Georgia to rally voters to return Senator Saxby Chambliss to office in a runoff election. This request was fully a month after she lost her bid to become vice president on the McCain ticket, yet Chambliss has repeatedly said that he won the reelection in part because she rallied the voters to his side. If Palin had a "fall from grace" as CNN claims, how was this possible?

Palin is even supposedly an odds on favorite to be nominated president in 2012! How is that evidence of her being disgraced in 2008?

Now, let's have a quick review what the other seven have done:

• Rob Blagojevich (D-IL)- Caught in a criminal bribe taking pay-to-play scheme to sell Barack Obama's senate seat to the highest bidder


• John Edwards(D-NC)- Had an affair with an underling as his wife was dying of cancer, an affair he hid from public knowledge as he ran for president


• Kwame Kilpatrick (D-MI)- Sentenced to 4 months in jail for obstruction of justice for impeding a criminal investigation into his actions as Detroit's mayor


• Larry Langford (D-AL)- Birmingham, Alabama mayor arrested on charges of bribery, fraud, money laundering and filing a false income tax statement


• Tim Mahoney (D-FL)- Replaced sex crazed Rep. Mark Foley in Florida while hiding his own extra-marital affairs from the voters, then lost his bid for reelection once the truth came out


• Elliot Spitzer (D-NY)- Caught with a prostitute, lost his job as governor of New York


• Ted Stevens (R-AK)- Faces jail for bribery and making false statements to the feds

How does Sarah Palin fit in with these criminals and scum? Well, truth is, she does not. Yet CNN placed her among these criminals anyway and termed her a disgraced politician!

The only thing "exposed" here is CNN's hate for Palin, its leftist agenda to destroy her and its extreme bias.

(H/T conservathink.blogspot.com)

Palin second among most-admired women

Palin was second place in "Most Admired Woman," a poll conducted by USA Today and Gallup. First place was Hillary Clinton and third was Oprah.

It seems that even though MSM tried to systematically destroy Palin's image at every opportunity, Americans still know she's the real deal.

Palin second among most-admired women
Juneau Empire
Monday, December 29, 2008
Story last updated at 12/29/2008 - 9:35 am

ANCHORAGE - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was a strong second among the most-admired women, behind Hillary Clinton but ahead of television host Oprah Winfrey, when the USA Today/Gallup poll was conducted Dec. 12-14.

President-elect Barack Obama dethroned President George W. Bush as the nation's most-admired man this year in spectacular fashion. Bush topped the most admired man list in 2007 with a 10 percent showing, his seventh straight year on top. He reached as high as 39 percent shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. This month, however, he sank to 5 percent to finish a distant second to his successor. Obama was named most admired living man by 32 percent of Americans, a figure that Gallup poll analyst Lydia Saad called "extraordinarily high." The poll had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Congratulations to the Palin family!

Sarah Palin is a grandma. Congratulations!

Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston were blessed with a healthy baby boy, named Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, on December 27.

I originally wasn't going to post this because Palin didn't make an official statement about it, but she finally did on December 31.

Congratulations to all of them. Levi and Bristol seem very happy and the baby is healthy so I'm happy for them.

Palin's comments on first grandchild
Posted by Alaska_Politics
Posted: December 31, 2008 - 4:35 pm

From Kyle Hopkins in Anchorage --
The governor's office just sent out this statement:

Governor Sarah Palin Welcomes Her First Grandchild

December 31, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin has welcomed her first grandchild, Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, born to Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston on December 27.

“We are over the moon with the arrival of this healthy, beautiful baby,” Governor Palin said. “The road ahead for this young couple will not be easy, but nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Bristol and Levi are committed to accomplish what millions of other young parents have accomplished, to provide a loving and secure environment for their child. They are both hard workers, they’re very strong, and have faith they’ve made the right decision in setting aside their own interests to make this child their highest priority.”

Palin added, “When Bristol and Levi first told us the shocking news that she was pregnant, to be honest, we all at first looked at the situation with some fear and a bit of despair. Isn’t it just like God to turn those circumstances into such an amazing, joyful blessing when you ask Him to help you through?”

Bristol Palin said she “obviously discourages” teen pregnancy and knows that plans she previously made for herself will now forever be changed. “Teenagers need to prevent pregnancy to begin with – this isn’t ideal. But I’m fortunate to have a supportive family which is dealing with this together. Tripp is so perfectly precious; we love him with all our hearts. I can’t imagine life without him now.”

Bristol begins her final semester of high school next week where she’ll get her last credit needed to graduate. She looks forward to continuing her record of good grades and high achievement. Levi is continuing his online high school work in addition to working as an electrical apprentice on the North Slope.

Bill McAllister, the governor’s office communications director, adds: "The governor's office previously declined to comment to honor the family's wishes that the event remain as private as possible. However, the high volume of press inquiries, along with some erroneous information that was published, prompted the governor to make a statement.

Welcome back

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season. I was blessed by being able to spend quality time with friends and family, and I hope you were, too!

It's good to be back in a normal routine, though, and catching up with all the political events. 2009 will be a big year politically, and hopefully a great year for Palin.