2 Top Alaska Newspapers Question Palin's Fitness

Since yesterday's shocking arrival of Gov. Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate there has been the usual cable news and print blathering about the pick from those who know little about her. But what about the journalists close to home -- in Alaska -- who know her best and have followed her career for years?

For the past 24 hours, the pages and web sites of the two leading papers up there have raised all sorts of issues surrounding Palin, from her ethics problems to general lack of readiness for this big step up. Right now the top story on the Anchorage Daily News web site looks at new info in what it calls "troopergate" and opens: "Alaska's former commissioner of public safety says Gov. Sarah Palin, John McCain's pick to be vice president, personally talked him on two occasions about a state trooper who was locked in a bitter custody battle with the governor's sister.

"In a phone conversation Friday night, Walt Monegan, who was Alaska's top cop until Palin fired him July 11, told the Daily News that the governor also had e-mailed him two or three times about her ex-brother-in-law, Trooper Mike Wooten, though the e-mails didn't mention Wooten by name. Monegan claims his refusal to fire Wooten was a major reason that Palin dismissed him. Wooten had been suspended for five days previously, based largely on complaints that Palin's family had initiated before Palin was governor."

A reporter for the Anchorage daily, Gregg Erickson, even did an online chat with the Washington Post, in which he revealed that Palin's approval rating in the state was not the much-touted 80%, but 65% and sinking -- and that among journalists who followed her it might be in the "teens." He added: "I have a hard time seeing how her qualifications stack up against the duties and responsibilities of being president.... I expect her to stick with simple truths. When asked about continued American troop presence in Iraq, she said she knows only one thing about that (I paraphrase): no one has attacked the American homeland since George Bush took the war to Iraq."

His paper found a number of leading Republican officeholders in the state who mocked Palin's qualifications. "She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president?" said Lyda Green, the president of the State Senate, a Republican from Palin's hometown of Wasilla. "Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?"

Another top Republican, John Harris, the speaker of the House, when asked about her qualifications for Veep, replied with this: "She's old enough. She's a U.S. citizen."


Source

McCain is imploding as we speak.

Just two?

Given the number of newspapers in Alaska, I'd say just having 2 newspapers pick on you would be a good thing.

http://www.dexknows.com/category_Newspapers_Alaska.html

there's more than 2

If you'd click on my link, you would find that there are hundreds.

You can check out this news story about Palin here:

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/ne...t_id=1003844476

You see peak...here's where that little phenomenon called "relevance" comes in...

The Anchorage Daily News is a daily newspaper based in Anchorage, Alaska, in the United States. With a circulation of about 71,711 daily and 89,423 Sundays[1], it is by far the most widely read newspaper in the state of Alaska.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchorage_Daily_News


Edit for link.

.....or a sense of humor

Well, if you were as wrong as often as he is, how would your sense of humour be?

Nope ... If I click on your link I find a list of links to cities ... if I click through on those list of cities I find 2 newspapers in Fairbanks and all the rest of the links turn up nothing found.

Now, there definitely are more than just 2 newspapers in Alaska, but not very many major daily ones.

true

Go back and read my first response and you will see it is very tongue-in-cheek.

No doubt she has made a few waves in Alaska and has shaken up the good-ole-boy GOP establishment. Its no surprise there are more than a few who don't very much like her up there.

You assume that your opinions are right and my opinions are wrong.

From my perspective, I see just the opposite.

You weren't actually supposed to click on the links.

Got link?

Then why DIDN't McCain just pick David Hasselhoff?

She came in after a very corrupt 'n' nasty crew. Don't know if she's a reformer or Good Ol' Gal, but she's got enemies already up there, no doubt.