The Troopergate findings apparently show that Sarah Palin abused her power as Governor of the state of Alaska in the matter of the dismissal of Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.  While the bi-partisan board which conducted the investigation cannot prosecute the unlawful action, they can make a recommendation on criminal proceedings.  Commissioner Monegan now also has, it seems, plenty of ammunition for a wrongful termination suit, at the least.

The political implications of this are enormous.  We’ll see how it plays out over the next 24 hours.  Let’s all remember that the board which conducted this investigation was bi-partisan.  They unanimously agreed to investigate and they unanimously agreed to release the findings to the public.  That’s probably the end of the bi-partisanship in this matter, dontcha think?

**Update:  You can read the entire report here.

***Update:  I said yesterday that the decision to release the report was unanimous.  Apparently, that’s innacurate, based on reporting from MSNBC this morning:

After a court fight to block the report failed, the panel of lawmakers voted to release it — though not without dissension. The panel did not vote on whether to endorse its findings.

“I think there are some problems in this report,” said Republican state Sen. Gary Stevens, a member of the panel. “I would encourage people to be very cautious, to look at this with a jaundiced eye.”

How is it possible that Todd Palin, the “First Dude” of Alaska, can “refuse” to comply with the subponae issued for him in the Troopergate scandal?  What would happen if you or I refused to comply with a subponae?  We’d be cited for contempt, that’s what would happen.  The First Dude, however, has a team of McCain’s lawyers on his side who are throwing more paper and legal mumbo jumbo at this thing than Alaska can stand.  I heard on MSNBC today, via a report from David Corn of Mother Jones Magazine, that they’re citing some bullshit provision of the Alaska Constitution which says that Palin cannot be subponaed while Gov. Palin is campaigning for office.  As my four year old would say, quoting Johnny Test from Cartoon Network, “Say what?”  Honestly.

All of this is happening while John McCain is on the trail with the temerity to suggest that it was Obama instead of McCain who was stuck in the middle of lobbyists’ influence in Congress while the financial system was imploding.  WTF????  More revisionist history out of the McCain campaign.  It was just last January that ABC News reported this in an article entitled ‘McCain’s Lobbyist Friends Rally ‘Round Their Man’:

McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates ….

I mean, come on, John.  Let’s get real.

Shocker of shocks, the Attorney General of Alaska (Republican) has advised that the State employees subpoenaed in the Troopergate investigation won’t testify.  gasp.

Troopergate gets more and more interesting.  Sarah Palin’s husband, Todd (aka Mr. Mom) has been subpoenaed in the Troopergate scandal.  I wonder why they had to subpoenae him?  Was he not cooperating?  Hmmmm ….

The McCain camp is, of course, blaming this on the Democrats in Alaska.  It’s interesting, though, that the crucial vote came from a fellow Republican from, of all places, Palin’s little town of Wasilla.  State Senator Charlie Huggins came in from moose hunting to cast the vote which allowed the investigation to proceed, thwarting GOP efforts to postpone the investigation until after the Nov. 4 election.  So, sorry, Mac, you can’t cast this one as solely a Dem effort. 

Palin, herself, has not been subpoenaed.  I suppose no one had that much chutzpah.