Its a cold Sunday evening, and I am reading the Troopergate report.

To read it in its entirety go here (it makes for some riveting reading.)

The report finds that Gov Palin did abuse her position in attempting to get Trooper Wooten fired. The report highlights the Palin's repeated efforts to get the investigation into Trooper Wooten (the investigation that was investigated and finalized under the previous administration) reopened. The report talks about the Palin's frustration with the fact that Wooten simply received a "slap on the wrist" and that "people" were "protecting him." When it was explained to Todd that the matter was over, and there was no reasonable grounds to open it up again, without exposing the Palin's, other individuals and the State to possible litigation, Todd Palin continued to make a fuss about other issues - the infamous moose hunting, the alleged use of a snowmobile while on a workers' compensation case, and using his vehicle to drop off his children at school. With each incident the complaints were dismissed. Most telling with the moose incident was that if the state were to press charges other people such as the Governor's sister, and her father would also be implicated. On the Workers' compensation issue, that Wooten had received medical clearance to snow mobile, and finally the issue of using a state patrol car to drop off his children he had received his supervisors permission to do so.

What I find astonishing is the role of Todd Palin. It is apparently quite okay for Todd Palin, the so called First Gentleman to use the Governor's office as his own, and to seemingly be very involved in the day to day running of the Governor's office. Simply astonishing.

The Second finding of the report is that the Commissioner's refusal to reopen the investigation to get Trooper Wooten fired, was not the sole reason that the Commissioner was fired but was a "contributing factor." Hypothetically what if Commissioner Monegan had done what he was being told to do and fired Wooten? Would he still have his job today despite his other "problems"?

Well I guess we will never know... but I am deeply skeptical.

What I find so astonishing is that the ethics Palin has demonstrated are the very "cancer" that McCain is against. Ethics in Government is the foundation behind the McCain - Feingold Reforms. Oh McCain! What were you thinking!?