Tuesday, July 07, 2009

SARAH PALIN

Hey, Even if There's No Actual Palin Scandal, We Can Still Say There Is

You can say a lot of things about Sarah Palin's resignation as governor of Alaska. It's certainly a surprise, and a shock. You can say it's genius, or you can say it's political suicide. You can say it's unwise, as I have, much to the outrage of many readers. (I think calling my coverage of Palin a "hit piece" is ridiculous.)

What you really can't call it — presuming that words have meanings anymore — is a scandal.

Unless you're the Huffington Post*:

"Scandal" implies "discredit" or a "a flagrant violation of morality, propriety, or religious opinion." Does anyone want to argue that Palin's resignation represents a moral failing? Entirely separate from whether it's wise for her political future, does Palin have any moral obligation to remain in the position if she chooses not to?

If there were a scandal, the collective political world wouldn't be scratching its head over the decision. But there's none. The FBI isn't investigating her. She's 15 for 15 on those ethics complaints, with each one dismissed as baseless and without merit.

Sam Stein, who is better than his publication,  refers to "self-inflicted drama" in his piece, "Palin's PAC Profits From the Saga That Surrounds Her." Drama? Saga? Sure. But as far as anyone knows — and it's not like no one has been looking for scandal around Palin — there's no moral or legal wrongdoing here.

* UPDATE: Not too long after this item ran, the headline was changed, thankfully.

07/07 04:24 PMShare