Blowing Smoke: An American Liar. First False Claim in Palin's Memoir Rebutted by McCain Staffer

It seems Sarah Palin’s new memoir, to be released next week, has gotten into the hands of the AP . . . and they’ve already started checking out the details. A title change may be in order.

Instead of our previously proposed title, “Growing Vague: An American Idiot”, we now wonder if “Blowing Smoke: An American Liar” would be better.

Seems Mrs. Palin claims that she received a $500,000 bill from the McCain campaign after the election debacle, which was to cover the costs of vetting her for VP. As CBS News reports, Palin claimed,

. . . when she asked the McCain campaign if it would help her financially, she was told McCain’s camp would have paid all the bills if he’d won; since he lost, the vetting legal bills were her responsibility.

I find this claim hard to believe. Come on, Sarah, $500,000 for the vetting?

If that’s the vetting job $500,000 buys, I have to wonder . . . How big a 1960s doublewide trailer can I get for $3 million these days?

An unnamed senior McCain campaign staffer, speaking on condition of anonymity, responded to the claim.

$500,000? Hell, no. We spent $500, 650 max! Can’t you tell? After all, you get what you pay for!

Oh, wait. That’s what the Obama administration said when quizzed on the Van Jones “Radical Marxist Green Jobs Czar” debacle. My bad.

The McCain staffer said:

That is one hundred percent untrue. All those bills are from her personal attorney Thomas Van Flein, mostly relating to the Troopergate investigation and other ethics investigations. It is not legal to pay for those investigations out of general election funds, even if the campaign was so inclined.

If Palin lies about things so easily verified and rebutted, what else is she lying about?

According to CBS News, Wailin’ Palin spends much of the book doing what she does best . . . Playing victim.

The vice presidential candidate confirms that she had wanted to speak on election night, but was denied the chance and says she was kept “bottled up” from reporters during the campaign . . .

Palin also writes harshly of CBS anchor Katie Couric, whom she describes as “badgering” and biased . . .

She writes about the “jaded aura” of professional campaign aides and how McCain’s entourage limited her access to the media, leading to allegations – unfounded, she says – that she was avoiding reporters . . .

Watch CBS News Videos OnlinePalin laments that she wasn’t allowed to bring up loads of family members to the stage while McCain gave his election night concession speech . . .

She writes that ABC newsman Charles Gibson, who had an early interview with her, “peered skeptically” at her over his glasses like a disapproving principal . . .

She alleges that Couric and CBS left out her more “substantive” remarks and settled for “gotcha” moments. She writes that Couric had a “partisan agenda” and a condescending manner. Couric was “badgering” . . .

A plate full of lies smothered with a spicy sauce of victimhood and martyrdom, “Going Rogue” is expected to be a hit with the Christian Right. And why not? It’s the same formula that was used to such great success in their favorite historical novel . . . You know, the Bible.

UPDATE: A new Associated Press article lists a dozen more instances of Palin’s smoke-blowing.

Among other lies:

Palin claims that Alaska is independent from Washington and that’s why she fought against receiving stimulus funds. The fact is that Alaska is a teat-sucking state, receiving $1.84 in federal funds for every dollar it sends to Washington.

Palin states that the recession Reagan battled was worse than the present one, and today’s should be solved the same way — repealing the estate tax, and cutting capital gains taxes. The facts are that the estate tax wasn’t repealed or reduced under Reagan, capital gains taxes are presently lower than under Reagan, and economists overwhelmingly agree that today’s recession is far worse than the late 70s/early 80s recession.

Facts? We don’t need no steenking facts . . .

Related articles:

1. Huffington Post Ignores Deepak Chopra's Bizarre Earthquake Claim
2. Huckabee Warns Against "Mushy Middle"
3. Bearing False Witness: The Pope Commits Perjury
4. Netanyahu: Israel's claim to Jerusalem based on Bible
5. FFRF sends video message to Christian right: You're wrong about American history

Jenny Donati is webmistress and co-editor of Secular News Daily. Jenny is an outspoken secularist who believes firmly in the separation of church and state. She demands evidence to support arguments, and holds herself to the same standard. She doesn't write about herself in the third person . . . but there's a first time for everything.

You can follow comments on this article through the RSS Comment Feed. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry.