Palin will fit in fine with Team McCain. She lies about fighting the "bridge to nowhere."

[jefferson_dem]

Did Palin Really Fight The “Bridge To Nowhere”?
from The Plank by Brad Plumer

Republicans are touting Sarah Palin's reformist credentials pretty heavily, with her opposition to Alaska's infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" being trotted out as Exhibit A. But how hard did she really fight the project? Here, after all, is what she told the Anchorage Daily News on October 22, 2006, back when she was running for governor (via Nexis):

5. Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?

Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now - while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist.

Okay, so she was very much for the bridge and appeared to be saying that Alaska had to act quickly—Ted Stevens and Don Young might not be in the majority much longer to secure pork for the state. By that point, though, the bridge was in trouble for reasons that had nothing to do with Palin—it had become a national laughingstock, Congress had stripped away the offending earmark, and future federal funding seemed unlikely. Now, true, after Palin was sworn into office that fall, her first state budget didn't contain any money for the bridge. But when the Daily News asked on December 16 if she still supported the project, she demurred and said she was simply trying to figure out where the project fit on the state's list of priorities, given the lack of federal support. Finally, on September 19, 2007, she redirected funds away from the bridge with this statement:

"Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but the $398 million bridge is not the answer," said Governor Palin. "Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it's clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island," Governor Palin added. "Much of the public's attitude toward Alaska bridges is based on inaccurate portrayals of the projects here. But we need to focus on what we can do, rather than fight over what has happened."

Maybe I've missed something, but it sure sounds like she was fine with the bridge in theory, never had a problem with the earmarks, bristled at all the mockery, and only gave up the project when it was clear that federal money wasn't forthcoming. Now, Charles Homans, who knows Alaska well, says Palin's reformist credentials are pretty solid (she sold off the governor's private jet, for instance), and a casual Nexis search suggests that she's fiscally conservative (insofar as that term makes sense in a quasi-socialistic state like Alaska), but from what I can tell, this wasn't exactly a "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" moment.

--Bradford Plumer

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/08/29/did-palin-really-fight-the-bridge-to-nowhere.aspx

[Ichingcarpenter]

1. The more I know about her the more I know we are gonna win

she is a mayberry mayor and no Andy Griffth. I don't see the wisdom, vision or experience
from her, she makes the case for the Peter Principle..

[Undercurrent]

2. Now that's the way to attack Palin!