Palin's Stand on Mining Initiative Leaves Many Feeling Burned (WaPo)

[struggle4progress]

By Alec MacGillis
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 28, 2008; Page A12

For months, the confrontation mounted, a face-off that arguably held in the balance the fates of two of Alaska's biggest industries. On one side were companies hoping to open Pebble Mine at a huge gold and copper reserve adjacent to one of the world's largest salmon runs, Bristol Bay. On the other side were fishermen and environmentalists pushing a referendum that would make it harder for the mine to open ...

Then, six days before the Aug. 26 vote, with the race looking close, Palin broke her silence. Asked about the initiative at a news conference, she invoked "personal privilege" to give an opinion. "Let me take my governor's hat off for just a minute here and tell you, personally, Prop. 4 -- I vote no on that," she said ...

Palin's comments rocked the contest. Within a day, the pro-mining coalition fighting the referendum had placed full-page ads with a picture of the governor and the word "NO." The initiative went down to defeat, with 57 percent of voters rejecting it ...

Former governor Tony Knowles, a Democrat who lost to Palin in 2006, went further and said she may have violated the law against using state resources to advocate on initiatives. He said he never took such a decisive stand on a ballot initiative ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/27/AR2008092702834.html?%20hpid=topnews

[joewicker_TX]

1. Her inexperience shows in everything she does.

Every time she does something, she violates a law. This is exactly the kind of person I want 1 heartbeat away from the little red button. What a freak!