Odds and Ends that never seem to end....

(4/12/09) There is a certain amount of...how shall I say...house cleaning, that needs to be done after Friday's press conference where Governor Palin spent some quality time with the media.

The Federal Stimulus Money

On Friday, the governor reversed her position on taking the federal stimulus funds. A month ago at a press conference, she announced she was rejecting over a third of the money because it had strings attached.

After both her own staff and the legislature proved her wrong by showing there were no strings attached, Palin then said she was opposed to taking the money because it would drive up the federal debt. 

“I think that the worst thing that a governor can do is be part of this problem of growing national debt and not doing all that they can to eliminate that problem," Palin said on Friday.

But then Palin turned around and said she'd take the remaining money if the federal stimulus funds could be used to replace state funds on items like education.

So she's opposed to accepting the federal stimulus funds because it will increase the national debt, but she's not opposed to taking federal stimulus funds if the funds can be used to replace state funds.

That seems like an odd position for someone who is supposedly worried about the national debt; "I'll only take the Federal money if they incur the cost and my state doesn't have to."

Emerson was right; foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.

Less than Exxon-est

During the Friday press briefing, Palin said the work Exxon was doing up at Point Thomson was welcomed and it was a result of her administration taking a "hard line" approach.

Time for a little Exxon-esty.

The reason why Exxon is now working up at Point Thomson after the state's long drawn out battle of trying to take Exxon leases back, isn't because of the administration's hard line approach, it's because the Palin administration was on the verge of having their asses handed to them in court. 

The work Exxon is doing up at Point Thomson is the exact same work they proposed doing in April of 2008, when they submitted their plan of development. However, not only did the Palin administration reject that plan twice, but the governor herself put out a press release supporting the rejection.  

DNR Commissioner Tom Irwin caved in because they faced two unpleasant prospects; a high profile ass whipping in court over a contract dispute that was driven by politics not contract law and the reality that if Irwin and company had screwed around any longer Exxon would have missed out on the 2009 drilling season.

It also helped that at a hearing on Point Thomson this winter, Exxon paraded a number of Alaskan contractors who talked about the potential loss of jobs and investment if the Palin administration didn't get out of the way and let them drill baby, drill.

Saying Exxon's Point Thomson work is a product of this administration's hard line, ignores the fact that their hard line was always based on a legal case that was faulty and stood to leave them with egg on their face and Alaskans out of work.

When words mean nothing

The last gem of the day on Friday came about when Palin was asked to explain her call for Senator Mark Begich to step down to allow for a special election. Palin shocked the room by saying she never called for Begich to step down.

On April 2, the Alaska Republican Party issued a press release stating the following:

"The Alaska Republican Party further believes that current Senator Mark Begich should resign his position to allow for a new, special election, so Alaskans may have the chance to vote for a Senator without the improper influence of the corrupt Department of Justice."

Dermot Cole, a journalist with the Fairbanks Daily News Miner, sent a note to Governor Palin's office asking, "Does the governor agree with the GOP statement that Begich should resign?"

According to Cole, four hours later the governor's spokeswoman responded by e-mail:

"Regarding your question re: GOP's statement today: 'I absolutely agree.'   Sarah Palin

But yet she says she didn't ask for Begich to step down?

My brain hurts.