John McCain Running Mate Sarah Palin Misled Republican Supporters

[kristopher]

John McCain Running Mate Sarah Palin Misled Republican Supporters

by: Alex Spillius, The Telegraph UK

St Paul, Minnesota - The Governor of Alaska gave a misleading version of events over a controversial bridge project in her home state when she made her maiden speech as the presumptive nominee.

Mrs Palin told a cheering audience in Ohio that she had turned down an offer from the US Congress to build the so-called "Bridge to Nowhere", which would have connected Gravina Island with Ketchikan International, an airport in Alaska's southeast serving just 200,000 passengers a year. Mr McCain routinely cites the $100 million project as a symbol of wasteful central government spending.

As she introduced herself to Republicans and the American public on Friday, the virtually unknown Mrs Palin said: "I championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress ... 'thanks, but no thanks' on that bridge to nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, I said we'd build it ourselves."

However it emerged that in a 2006 interview with the Anchorage Daily News during her gubernatorial campaign, Mrs Palin had a different view of the bridge.

Asked "would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?" she replied: "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."

When Congressional funding was withdrawn because of an uproar in Washington about the expense of the project, she cancelled it, but in a regretful tone.

"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."

With a platoon of Senator Barack Obama's campaign researchers travelling to Alaska to...

http://www.truthout.org/article/mccain-running-mate-sarah-palin-misled-gop-supporters

[Muttocracy]

1. but I thought she was so independent of that corruption Congressional delegation.... nt

[silverojo]

2. I heard that "Thanks, but no thanks"

Kind of stolen--I mean, borrowed--from Bill Clinton's speech at the Dem convention, didn't she? :puke:

[sandnsea]

3. What happened to "build it ourselves"

These anti-government types always say that shit. I wish somebody would call her on that too. Is she rejecting federal road money so Alaska can build everything themselves?

[kristopher]

4. Press interviews, and one debate. Not much of a platform to strip off the 'thuglican' mythos. nt