Palin Investigation Spells Trouble for McCain

The investigation into whether Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her staff were unethical in their use of power in the firing of the state's public safety commissioner for not firing her former brother-in-law just went from a local story to a national one.



The trooper was her former brother-in-law who went through a messy divorce from Palin's sister. Domenico Montanaro writes about the choice on MSNBC's site:

The potential to grab some of those women voters is perhaps the best asset Palin brings to a McCain ticket. She also reinforces McCain's maverick image. She bucked her own party, launching an ethics investigation into the state party chairman with regard to his dealings with oil companies in the state. And being from Alaska, she's the ultimate outsider. She also also reinforces McCain's drilling message -- though she's for drilling in ANWR; McCain is not. She also represents the next generation of Republican leaders -- she's a fresh face.

But there are some potential pitfalls as well. Palin is currently under legislative investigation herself, accused of firing the state's public safety commissioner for not firing her former brother-in-law.

"A legislative panel has launched a $100,000 investigation to determine if Palin dismissed Alaska's public safety commissioner because he would not fire the trooper, Mike Wooten," the AP wrote earlier this month. "Wooten went through a messy divorce from Palin's sister. Palin has denied the commissioner's dismissal had anything to do with her former brother-in-law. And she denied orchestrating the dozens of telephone calls made by her husband and members of her administration to Wooten's bosses. Palin said she welcomes the investigation: 'Hold me accountable.'"

This must have been vetted by the McCain staff, right? It will be interesting to see what the McCain answer is on all this. But the last thing any presidential candidate wants to do within 24 hours of picking a running mate is to explain his decision.

Today, McCain has two explanations to make. First, he has to tell America why he picked a governor with about a year's experience after he has been pounding his opponent for his lack of experience. That's easy. He wants a fresh face, out-of-the-beltway conservative as his No. 2. But what will be harder, and more embarrassing, will be why did he pick someone who is currently under an ethics investigation?

She and her staff could be completely innocent of all charges. And, she might even be the best person for the job. Conservatives are jumping for joy over the pick because of her anti-abortion stance. But from a media standpoint, opening a national campaign with an unknown personality who is under an ethics probe is not a good way to start.