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<p class=MsoPlainText>The Atlantic<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>The Daily Dish<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Andrew Sullivan<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>19 Oct 2008 10:58 pm<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>The Odd Lies Of Sarah Palin, XIX: "Fear" Of
Wooten<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:150%'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Last for now, <a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/us/politics/12trooper.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin">but
not least</a>. Here are some of the ways in which Todd and Sarah Palin
described their alleged "fear" of former brother-in-law state
trooper, Michael Wooten:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in;line-height:150%;background:#E9E9E9'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>One of
the paramount reasons that Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband have given for
voicing their concerns to Alaska public safety officials about Trooper Michael
Wooten, her former brother-in-law, is that they and their relatives live in
fear of him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:30.0pt;
margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:26.25pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:150%;
background:#E9E9E9'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:
"Georgia","serif"'>They have complained that Trooper Wooten made threats of
violence against the family, used a Taser on his 10-year-old stepson and has
generally struggled to control his anger... Mr. Palin said in his written
statement to Mr. Branchflower, “I make no apologies for wanting to
protect my family and wanting to publicize the injustice of a violent trooper
keeping his badge.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-right:15.0pt;line-height:150%'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>All of
this was the usual Palin bullshit:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:30.0pt;
margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:26.25pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:150%;
background:#E9E9E9'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:
"Georgia","serif"'>An independent investigator for the State Legislature, who
has concluded that Ms. Palin abused the powers of her office by pressuring
subordinates to dismiss the trooper, contends that the claims of fear were a facade
to mask a maneuver in a family dispute.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:30.0pt;
margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:26.25pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:150%;
background:#E9E9E9'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:
"Georgia","serif"'>In a report released Friday, the investigator, Stephen E.
Branchflower, said evidence, like the governor’s decision to reduce the
manpower of her security detail, showed that “such claims of fear were
not bona fide and were offered to provide cover for the Palins’ real
motivation: to get Trooper Wooten fired for personal family related
reasons.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:30.0pt;
margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:26.25pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:150%;
background:#E9E9E9'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:
"Georgia","serif"'>Mr. Branchflower described what he considered another
inconsistency: If Trooper Wooten was inclined to harm any of the Palins, then
having him terminated could lead to an act of retaliation. Forcing him out of
his job, the report stated, “would not have de-escalated the situation or
provided” Ms. Palin or her family with “greater security.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-right:15.0pt;line-height:150%'><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>If you
genuinely fear for your family's physical safety from a disgruntled employee,
does it really make sense to get him fired in a personal vendetta?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><a
href="http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/the-odd-lies--5.html">http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/the-odd-lies--5.html</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
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