Vetts For McCain

Who thought it was a good idea to have Bernie Kerik head up the vetting process for John McCain?

The Washington Post reports:

Gov. Palin's husband, Todd Palin, met with [Director of Public Safety] Monegan in January 2007, a month after his wife took office, to say that the trooper was unfit for the force. Monegan also said the governor sent him e-mails, but Monegan declined to disclose them, saying he planned to give them to the independent prosecutor.

Palin initially denied that she or anyone in her administration had ever pressured Monegan to fire Wooten. She said she had raised the matter with Monegan just once, relaying the allegation that Wooten made a death threat against her father.

But this summer, Palin acknowledged that a half-dozen members of her administration had made more than two dozen calls on the matter to various state officials.

...

In a TV interview in July, Todd Palin confirmed that he had talked with Monegan but said he was just "informing," not pressuring.

At a news conference Aug. 13, the governor said, "I do now have to tell Alaskans that such pressure could have been perceived to exist, although I have only now become aware of it."

The New York Times reports that others view the family Palin as slightly deranged:

A judge in the couple's custody case questioned the family's motives for filing the complaints. "It appears for the world that Ms. McCann and her family have decided to take off for the guy's livelihood," the judge said, according to a recording of a hearing.

...

Excerpts of the audio recording released by the governor showed Frank Bailey, the state's director of boards and commissions, pushing Lt. Rodney Dial in February about Mr. Wooten.

"Todd and Sarah are scratching their heads, 'Why on earth hasn't this, why is this guy still representing the department?'" Mr. Bailey said to the lieutenant.

"Todd and Sarah" is a nice touch, in a Biblically correct sort of way. And Toddy's not just a fisherman -- he's a reformer with results.