chris have you visited palinaspresident.com?  It's awesome.

And if McCain loses? Even "Julia Roberts" got to keep the clothes in Pretty Woman.

I would argue that the former - the fudging of travel expenses - is the greater offense.

The travel expense fiasco represents a blatant breach of ethics, at a minimum.  The money spent outfitting the Governor is simply poor judgment in spending choices.  

Unfortunately, both have become hallmarks of the Repubican party over the past 8 years.

Please don't make jokes about McCain's shoes, Chris. When McCain was a POW, he didn't have any shoes.

How could she have spent "Alaskan taxpayer dollars" when Alaskans don't pay state tax?  In fact Alaskans RECEIVE a petro kickback...er, bonus.

I do, however, think that that hot pink leather bomber jacket she's wearing in the video posted below is pretty spiffy and not at all what I'm used to seeing on politicians' backs.  Anyone think she might be taking the piss (Cockney/Aussie expression) out of Hillary?  Getting a dig in for all those hideous pantsuits?  Saying, "Now *this* is how a real woman dresses?"

I would expect Gov. Palin to pay tax on those payments for her kids and the free clothes, because the internal revenue code requires it.  I heard the clothes are going to charity.  Wow, talk about a fashion addict, wear them a couple times then give them away.  Paris Hilton would be jealous.  Who'e the elitest now?

From the 2008 musical, Sarita.  With abject apologies to Webber & Rice.

Dan

Don't Cry For Me My Mate McCain

It won't be easy, you'll think it strange

When I try to explain how I feel

that I still need your love after all that I've done

You won't believe me

All you will see is a girl you once knew

Although she's dressed up to the nines

At sixes and sevens with you

I had to let it happen, I had to change

Couldn't stay all my life down at heel

Looking out of the window, staying out of the sun

So I chose freedom

Running around, trying everything new

But nothing impressed me at all

I never expected it to

Chorus:

Don't cry for me my mate McCain

The truth is I never left you

All through my wild days

My mad existence

I kept my promise

Don't keep your distance

And as for fortune, and as for fame

I never invited them in

Though it seemed to the world they were all I desired

They are illusions

They are not the solutions they promised to be

The answer was here all the time

I love you and hope you love me

Don't cry for me my mate McCain

(chorus)

Have I said too much?

There's nothing more I can think of to say to you.  But all you have to do is look at me to know

That every word is true

=======================================================

Nieman Marcus? What, did Norm Coleman take her shopping?

dbuck: What's the difference between Eva Peron and Sarah Palin?  One's a power-mad, sex-hungry, demogogic, and dictatorial trollop.  And so is the other one.  The Palin has better teeth, though.

I decry trivialities in politics, but this one ... she and the RNC should be hammered, repeatedly, on this.  He's got oodles of money - in Western Pennsylvania, in WV, in Georgia, in Alabama, ads should be running, "Sarah Palin spent $150,000 on clothes.  In New York.  In one month.  She'll wear them only once.  Average Joe Six-pack?  Not a chance."

Did anyone take a close look at the Palin's tax returns?  Aside from the fact that they seem to have become relatively wealthy on relatively little income.  I noticed they only reported one welfare, uh oil royalty check, when I assume they were entitled to 6.  Perhaps the children would file their own returns, although I never heard that they did; but she and Todd should at least have reported two.

Palin plans to repay the RNC after the election by auctioning off her panties. That way, she gets to keep the outfits. That's one reason you haven't seen any expenses from Victoria's Secret or Fredericks of Wassilla. She's quite happy to invest her own money in underwear because she's expecting a huge return. There are some hardcore collectors down on the Corner salivating at the prospect.

There are two aspects of this story that most seem to be missing.  First, the act of using funds from the public fisc to finance personal trips for family is undoubtedly unethical.  Apparently in Alaska, it may not be illegal as well.  Secondly, and more to the point, is the fact that after Palin was first selected as V.P. candidate, one question on everyone's mind was 'how could she do it all?'   I.e. be a mother, governor, etc.  Well, the answer is now pretty clear.  She 'did it all' by cheating.  She was pretty much a 'stay at home' mom operating state government by blackberry, while claiming an unethical per diem to be at home.   She relied on state funds to transport and house her children to be where she was, regardless of the nature of the event. She allowed (or even encouraged) her husband to abuse the office of governor to enforce a personal vendetta.  This is not a pretty picture of anyone.  While it is clear from the revelations in the Stevens' trial that Alaska is pretty much run as a corrupt banana republic, these same actions in almost any other state would have resulted in indictments by now, if not outright resignations.

How many working mothers would love to be a better mother--if only their employers would pay them to stay at home, pay for expensive trips for children to stay with mother while she traveled on business, allow their husbands to enter the work environment to intimidate other workers, etc.  Palin is nothing more than Sarah the Mooch.  Mooching is about as far from reform as one can get.

Gosh darn.  $50,000 at Saks and $75,000 at Needless-Markup.  Sounds pretty elitist to me.  Definitely not representative of small town, real American values like thrift and personal responsibility.  The Palins sure seem to enjoy livin' off other people's dimes.  In Brooklyn (AKA Unreal America), we call these kind of people leeches.  You bethca!

Now that she knows where the "Washington insiders" shop, she can find out where they read the Constitution and learn "exactly what it is that the VP does".

Answers to questions non-Alaskans pose:

(1) We somehow still think of them as OUR tax dollars, even though somebody else paid them. I think billing the state for her kids travel, and retroactively amending the reports to claim official business was the last straw for my wife (a Republican). Sarah took down King Frank, only to become Queen Sarah.

(2) About the tax return, it is cheaper to have the kids file their own return. It takes about 5 minutes to fill out a 1040EZ for each kid, so that' what all smart Alaskans do. A couple lists both of their PFD on the same line of the 1040, so for tax year 2007 the Palins should have listed a bit over $3000 (can't remember out last handout amount).

(3) I don't know if she broke LAWS by billing the state for her kids travel and for the per diem claimed at home. But she clearly broke the state travel RULES with the kids, and she gamed the system (at best) with the per diem. I don't know if there would be criminal penalties, probably not, but in a just world there will be a political penalty. I can tell you that this state employee, who has always followed the rules, is very pissed off at the Governor's mooching. Plus, as a result, we will probably soon be hit by new rules and restrictions, like we were when her un-mourned predecessor, Governor-King Frank Murkowski's travel excesses were exposed.

Geoff G, nasty but has the ring of truth!

Palin's problems keep piling up!