Fiscal responsibility?

For all the hoopla about former Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski's private jet allegedly sold by newbie Governor Sarah Palin on Ebay for a profit, I hate to revisit this tired story. But I just wanted to see what was out there, doing my own fact checking to understand what the GOP was telling the truth about, and what were lies. The Anchorage Daily News (ADN) published an impressive list of Sarah Palin's accomplishments as Governor of Alaska during her 20 month tenure. In pride of place, at the very top of the list: "The state-owned jet: Sold." For how much and to whom? John McCain would have his audiences believe on the campaign trail that the jet was truly sold on Ebay for a profit. He made this assertion in Wisconsin and he will make it again. See the video of his speech on MSNBC. The statement is at 7:58 if you prefer to skip ahead.

Meanwhile, although the ADN is clearly pro-Palin, their archives state clearly that the private jet was NOT sold on Ebay and that it was sold for a LOSS of $600,000. That of course is a loss absorbed by tax-payers. The highest bidder on Ebay had offered only $1.9 million for the $2.7 million jet. This can be checked on the ADN website here.

So what is up with the thousand little points of lies from this Republican ticket? It takes time to fact-check, as I have just done here. The strategy is obvious. Assume your constituents and any independent still undecided will absorb these small details which define a non-existent rectitude of a fictional character, without taking the time to check every detail. The assumption is probably well-founded, sadly.