Analysis: Sarah Palin inquiry will reinforce voters' existing prejudices

[CatWoman]

The ethics inquiry into Sarah Palin's behaviour as Governor of Alaska is likely to reinforce voters' existing prejudices about her, rather than profoundly change the race for the White House.

The conclusions of the politically charged investigation, by a council of the Alaska Legislature, are, on the face of it, serious.

The report found that the Republican vice presidential nominee abused her power by, at least in part, firing state official Walt Monegan because he refused to sack her estranged brother in law, state trooper Mike Wooten. That breaches ethics guidelines banning the use of public office to advance personal interests.

For a candidate who has tried to depict herself as a fearless campaigner for truth and rectitude in government, it is at least embarrassing that Mrs Palin's explanations for the demise of Mr Monegan (that she fired him because of budget disagreements) have been rejected as, at best, half-truths.

But, politically, there are three factors here. First is the immediate impact on the trajectory of the presidential race, which is likely to be minimal since most voters have already hold firm views on whether Mrs Palin is a virtuous fresh face who will shake up Washington or an airhead who is barely equipped to string a sentence together - still less to serve a heartbeat from the presidency.

Secondly, there the long term implications for Mrs Palin's future in Alaska, which are uncertain; the state legislature recommended no sanctions against her and the issue now passes to a personnel board, many of whose members were appointed by her.

Finally there is what the report tells us about the kind of vice president she would be and the kind of governor she is. It is this final area which might have the most impact on her public image.

The report reprimands Mrs Palin for failing to act to quell what appears to have been an obsessive vendetta by her husband Todd, Alaska's First Dude, to hound officials about Mr Wooten, who stands accused of threatening the Palin family, violating state laws on moose hunting and using a Taser stun gun on his step son.

The case shows Mr Palin had unusual levels of access for a political spouse. The report found Mrs Palin knowingly "permitted Todd to use the Governor's office and the resources of the Governor's office, including access to state employees, to continue to contact subordinate state employees in an effort to find some way to get Trooper Wooten fired."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/sarahpalin/3178568/Analysis-Sarah-Palin-inquiry-will-reinforce-voters-existing-prejudices.html