The Sarah Palin String of Lies - And What it Suggests
By Brandon R. Cornett
I stopped construction of the "Bridge to Nowhere" by telling Congress thanks, but no thanks. I visited the troops in Iraq. I sold the luxury plane on eBay for a profit. I am against earmarks and wasteful "pork barrel" spending. I stand up to lobbyists.
These are the key points and credentials most often cited by Sarah Palin in her campaign speeches. Sadly, they are all completely false as well. Let's address them one at a time:
On Stopping the Bridge to Nowhere
If you're not familiar with it, the so-called "Bridge to Nowhere" was going to be a colossal waste of government funds to construct an overpriced bridge in a tiny town in Alaska. Halting this project is something Sarah Palin frequently claims as a personal victory. At least, she used to claim it, before ABC's Charles Gibson called her on the falsehood.
In truth, Palin was initially a staunch and vocal supporter of the bridge project. In 2006, she told the local chamber of commerce: "This [bridge] link is a commitment to help Ketchikan expand its access, to help this community prosper." She pushed for it and pushed for it. Eventually, the project became seen as a national embarrassment -- pork barrel spending at its worst. So the federal government essentially pulled the plug on the financing.
Sarah Palin never told the Congress, "Thanks, but no thanks" on the bridge. It makes a good applause line at speeches, and it makes her come off like a caped crusader who stood up in front of bulldozers with hands on hips. But she was staunchly for the project until it became an embarrassment. Ultimately, the bridge idea was scrapped (though Alaska kept the money).
On Visiting the Troops in Iraq
When questioned about her foreign policy experience and travels, Sarah Palin has often spoken emotionally about "visiting the troops in Iraq." Here again, we have a complete falsehood. In fact, on September 13, 2008, her campaign officials were forced to officially and publicly revise her statement. She has been to Kuwait, but not Iraq. They are two different countries -- one safe, the other a battleground. Once again, Palin has altered the truth to make herself seem like a solid candidate.
On a humorous side note, she also frequently mentioned her travels to Ireland. Her plane made a refueling stop there once.
On Selling the Luxury Plane
In further attempts to establish her strong character and fiscal savvy, Palin has often stated that she sold the Alaska governor's plane on eBay for a profit. This one is almost true, but not quite. She put the plane on eBay, but it went unsold for months. The plane was sold after it was removed from eBay -- and for a loss, not a profit.
On Challenging Earmarks and Wasteful Spending
Sarah Palin often cites how she has stood up against earmarks and wasteful "pork barrel" spending over the years. She even told ABC News that "the abuse of earmarks, it's un-American, it's undemocratic, and it's not going to be accepted in a McCain-Palin administration. Earmark abuse will stop."
It makes for another good applause line, but is it true? Hardly.
As the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Palin hired lobbyist Steve Silver to secure federal earmarks for the small town. The town was awarded $27 million in earmarked federal funding during Palin's two terms.
In 2008, Alaska received $155 million in earmark funding. Alaska has a population of around 670,000 people. That equates to around $231 per person in earmark funding, more than most states.
According to the Wall Street Journal: "In the current fiscal year [as governor], she is seeking $197 million for 31 projects." The year before that, she sought $256 million. Some of these "important" projects include the study of harbor seal genetics and the mating habits of crabs.
When questioned by ABC's Charlie Gibson about all of this earmark spending under her leadership (as both mayor and governor), she admitted to it. Then she went on to explain how it won't be tolerated in a McCain-Palin administration, adding that "earmark abuse will stop." Does anyone else find this one-woman performance of good cop / bad cop disturbing?
A Disturbing Psychological Pattern
We all know that politicians stretch the truth. Some stretch it further than others. That's not what I find shocking. What bewilders me -- and quite frankly, what frightens me -- is the fact that most of the statements Governor Palin uses to prove her qualifications can be easily disproved. But she just keeps doing it, like the pathological liar character Jon Lovitz used to play on Saturday Night Live.
Even more baffling is the reason why she says these things. It's a disturbing pattern of speaking before thinking, and then backpedaling when the truth comes out -- with greater frequency than any other politician I've seen in decades.
Palin said it herself, describing how her husband Todd says she "has no filter" when speaking. Some people applaud this as meaning Palin is a straight shooter. But when you weigh the evidence, you get the feeling she was referring to a filter between lies and truth. And she clearly lacks one of those. Can you buy them on eBay?
My question to you is this: Do we really need a Vice President who says the first thing that pops into her head, regardless of the accuracy of the statement? Do we need somebody who positions themselves on a mountain of lies and calls it a platform? I guess we will find out on November 4.
On the positive side, there is one credential Sarah Palin often touts that is completely true. She often cites the fact that she's a "hockey mom." That part, at least, is an indisputable fact.
Brandon Cornett is the editor of 21Facts.com, which has recently published a Sarah Palin information sheet to help voters learn more about the vice presidential candidate. For more on this subject, please visit http://www.21facts.com/people/palin.php
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The election is over. We have a new President. Yet we are not finished, unfortunately, with Sarah Palin. She is being groomed to run for president again in 2012. That is why this article is important:
I have decided that Sarah Palin is indeed a neocon despite what Pat Buchanan says. Not only is she a buffoon but she is a neocon buffoon. That is like putting gasoline in the hands of an insane man and giving him a match. Bill Kristol, the Fox News commentator, and more importantly founder of PNAC, wants her to be the conservative candidate of 2012. You should all go to Wikipeda and study PNAC very carefully. I will list more websites that explain what a danger Palin below.
Why is it such a big deal that Palin is to be considered a neocon? Well the answer is pretty simple:
1. The neocons had a plan to take over the oil resources of the world thereby seeking to invade Iraq with whatever excuse possible, WMD's, Saddam/Al Qaida connection, etc. The neocons wanted the oil and lied according to the philosophy of Leo Strauss, teacher of Paul Wolfowitz, the neocon who planned the Iraq War. Strauss believed that you can keep the form of democracy but that the elite can lie to the masses. Wolfowitz slipped up in a speech when he said that Iraq was swimming on a sea of oil. It is evident that the WMD lie, etc were just that, plain lies conceiling the truth of greed and desire for petrodollar domination.
The neocon position was primarily fostered by PNAC, and also by the Heritage Foundation and the Rand Corporation.
2. The neocons have sought to surround Russia with NATO, running the risk of provoking a cornered Russia who still has enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world with our help. We are pushing Russia with the shield that Condi Rice wants and we are pushing Russia by not coming down on Georgia for killing all those people in cold blood without any warning. The neocons want to provoke the bear and this is a guarantee, the leaders of Russia will not back down in their own sphere like they backed down regarding Cuba in the 60's.
I have a list of websites to the right that show Sarah Palin for exactly what she is. She believes in confronting Russia, in making war with Russia, even though historically presidents have avoided that very thing. The world was brought to the brink with the Cuba Missle Crisis. Russia backed off because they were intruding into the USA sphere, where the Monroe doctrine was important to us.
Palin also wants to continue making war in Iraq even though the Iraq government wants us completely out by 2011. This woman is dangerous, and should not be underestimated.
It has been explained that Sarah Palin is, from a religious prospective, a theonomist, or a Dominionist. She has never denied this fact. A merger of Theonomy, the belief that the government must make the world "Christian", with neoconservatism is just absolutely horrifying. If you want your children and grandchildren to live to old age you simply CANNOT support Sarah Palin. The risk of war against the world is just too great!
Sarah Palin brings a religious world view to her political activism. This religious world view would generally be thought of as being harmless folly except for the fact that the neocons have embraced her. This is the danger, neocon empire building meets Dominionism and world control by a "Christian" United States.
Never mind that church state fusion has caused massive wars, persecutions, and all manner of mischief. Call it what you will, Dominionism, Theonomy, Reconstructionism, etc, but whatever name you give it coupled with amoral neocon thirst for power and you have a major danger to future course of the United States foreign policy.
Don't be mistaken, Sarah Palin is not going away. She represents to the neocons, as does Jeb Bush, and to the former members of PNAC who want to provoke Russia and control world resources, a popular manifestation of their misguided desires.
Remember that Mrs Palin has already stated that the Iraq War was a holy war. This is not an accidental one time misspeak. This is at the core of her dangerous beliefs. Even though Christ himself has said that His kingdom was not of this world, carnal and lustful men and woman have continually tried to tear down that barrier Christ himself set between church and state. Because of this we have not heard the last from Sarah Palin, or her pals the neocons (Jeb Bush, Bill Kristol, Karl Rove).
