Other-Shoe-Drop Watch

Stephen Branchflower is going to deliver his report in the Troopergate probe sometime this morning. Of course, he could always back out, because Sarah Palin has exonerated herself.

On the eve of a report on a legislative panel's abuse-of-power investigation into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, campaign officials released their own report clearing her of any wrongdoing.

Palin, running mate to Republican presidential nominee John McCain, is the subject of two inquiries into whether she abused her power by firing her public safety commissioner. The commissioner says he was dismissed for resisting pressure to fire Palin's former brother-in-law, a state trooper.

Neat trick. I'm going to try it the next time I want to get out of paying my own parking tickets. "I wrote myself a voucher!"

Back on planet Earth, the New York Times reports that Palin and her associated simply harangued the heck out of Walt Monegan in their quest to harpoon Moby Michael Wooten.

By now, the outlines of the matter have been widely reported. Mr. Monegan believes he was ousted because he would not bow to pressure to dismiss Trooper Wooten. The Alaska Legislature is investigating the firing and whether the governor abused the powers of her office to pursue a personal vendetta. Its report is due Friday.

Ms. Palin has denied that anyone told Mr. Monegan to dismiss Trooper Wooten, or that the commissioner’s ouster had anything to do with him. But an examination of the case, based on interviews with Mr. Monegan and several top aides, indicates that, to a far greater degree than was previously known, the governor, her husband and her administration pressed the commissioner and his staff to get Trooper Wooten off the force, though without directly ordering it.

In all, the commissioner and his aides were contacted about Trooper Wooten three dozen times over 19 months by the governor, her husband and seven administration officials, interviews and documents show.

It goes without saying that this is not a person or a family to whom you should designate more power.

...OK, she's calling this thing Tasergate? She's actually getting ideas FROM the likes of Ace of Spades and Confederate Yankee?

Why do we wonder why we're melting down under this kind of conservative rule?