"A word means whatever I want it to mean." I'm beginning to think that Sarah Palin will have a brilliant career in politics. (Eb)

"She's feeling shackled, she can't really do her job in the fullest because of the record requests, ethics complaints, the lawsuits," said Mike Nizich, Palin's chief of staff, at a press conference following her resignation.

"Nizich said that was a tactic of Palin's opponents, to "throw the governor on her heels" and keep her from being able to govern.

"Those claims are contradicted by records released under the Alaska Public Records Law and interviews with administration and other sources. They show a pattern of the Palin administration using public resources and the state's ethics laws in an effort to block and discredit both frivolous and credible charges made against the governor.

"Most of the cost so far stems from that obstructionist effort and not the complaints themselves, the Empire's inquiry shows.

"That's a disappointment for some of Palin's early allies on ethics issues, including former House Minority Leader Ethan Berkowitz of Anchorage.

"The administration has been bullying people who lodge complaints," he said. "That's a completely unacceptable use of the government's power."

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"Palin and her staff also have been misstating the outcome of at least two known investigations. In her resignation statement, she claimed that all the complaints against her - 15 by her count on July 3 - had been dismissed."We've won!" she said."

"To claim an unbroken string of victories, Palin had to exclude the legislative investigation that found she had abused her power, a Personnel Board case in which she reimbursed the state for questionable travel expenses, and another Personnel Board case in which a staff member was referred for ethics training.
That her characterization of them as frivolous has been accepted by many in the media is frustrating to some observers."

http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/072609/loc_471000849.shtml