Sarah Palin Controversy-Watch: What's True, What's False

Published: 09/16/2008 09:55:14

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has gone from virtual unknown to become the first female Republican vice presidential nominee. In the weeks since John McCain selected her as his running mate, Palin has become ensnared in several controversies.

The questions range from her instillation of a tanning bed in the governor's mansion to charging "per diem" expenses to the state to the pregnancy of her unwed teenage daughter.

Of the various allegations surrounding Palin, which are legitimate and which are way off base? Here's Daily News political reporter Michael Saul's quick guide to the controversies dogging the governor.

Credit: Beck/Getty

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and her family

ITEM: Sarah Palin, governor of the coldest state in the union, had a private tanning bed installed in the Governor's Mansion in Juneau, Alaska.

VERDICT: TRUE. "She did. She paid for it with her own money," Roger Wetherell, spokesman for Alaska's Department of Transportation and Public Facilities told Us Magazine.

IMPACT: While tanning beds can reportedly cost upward of $35,000 to install, having the device doesn't seem to have burned Palin too badly. The self-described "hockey mom" used her own money, buying a used bed from a health club.

ITEM: Palin charged Alaska taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars for her family's travel expenses.

VERDICT: INCONCLUSIVE. Being governor of Alaska offered some nice perks to GOP veep pick Sarah Palin. Palin was entitled to collect a per diem allowance while staying in her home – more than 600 miles away from her duty station at the State Capitol in Juneau. She received $16,951 on top of her $125,000 annual salary, the Washington Post reported. She was also permitted to expense her family expenses when they traveled alongside her on official business, a bill to the tune of $43,490.

IMPACT: Alaska officials say the expenses and allowances are above board, and considered part of the state’s chief executive compensation package. Officials pointed out to MSNBC that the Republican VP candidate flies coach and spent just $93,000 on airfare in 2007, compared with $463,000 spent the year before by her predecessor, Frank Murkowski.

ITEM: Teenage, unwed daughter is pregnant

VERDICT: TRUE. The governor announced on Monday that her unmarried daughter Bristol, 17, is five months pregnant. Bristol is planning to marry the baby's father, Levi Johnston, 18.

IMPACT: The pregnancy announcement has dominated media coverage for days, but most voters interviewed by the Daily News have said it will not sway how they vote. The Obama campaign has said candidates' children are off limits. For some voters, the issue raises questions about Palin's stance on abstinence-only education in public schools.

ITEM: Fired State Public Safety Commissioner for personal reasons

VERDICT: INCONCLUSIVE. The state Legislature is investigating whether Palin forced Walt Monegan, the former state public safety commissioner, into resigning. Monegan alleges Palin pressured him to fire state trooper Mike Wooten, who was involved in an ugly custody battle with Palin's sister. Palin has denied any wrongdoing. Team McCain has suggested Wooten, who has been accused of violence, doesn't belong in law enforcement.

IMPACT: The allegations here are serious and could prove problematic for Palin over the course of the campaign when tidbits about the case get leaked to the media. The legislature is expected to file a report by the second week of October.

ITEM: Was a member of an Alaskan separatist party

VERDICT: FALSE. The head of the Alaskan Independence Party issued a false statement this week saying Palin was a member of the party for two years in the 1990s. The party issued a second statement on Tuesday saying its original statement was incorrect. The McCain campaign insists Palin has always belonged to the Republican Party.

IMPACT: Allegation debunked.

ITEM: Has virtually no experience, especially on foreign affairs

VERDICT: SOME TRUTH. Palin served on the Wasilla City Council in Alaska from 1992-96 and then served as mayor until 2002. She became governor in December 2006. Palin has never served in the federal government and doesn't have any experience with foreign affairs.

IMPACT: Experience will be a major issue in the fall campaign. The McCain campaign has argued that Palin has more "executive experience" than Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden, combined. The Obama campaign will highlight Biden's expertise in foreign affairs and suggest Palin has no business being a "heartbeat" away from the presidency.

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ITEM: Husband arrested for DWI

VERDICT: TRUE. Todd Palin, who prefers the title of "first dude" in Alaska, was arrested on drunken driving charges 22 years ago.

IMPACT: Many politicians have family members who have occasionally had problems with the law. If Todd Palin's troubles are isolated to this one incident, it won't be a factor in the fall contest.

ITEM: Supported "bridge to nowhere," then changed positions

VERDICT: TRUE. At the news conference announcing her selection as McCain's running mate, Palin noted that she told Congress "no thanks on that bridge to nowhere," referring to the controversial Ketchikan's Gravina Island bridge in Alaska. She didn't mention that in 2006, when running for governor, she supported the bridge.

IMPACT: Flip-flop alert. Democrats will have a field day with this one.

ITEM: Tried to censor public library

VERDICT: HIGHLY EXAGGERATED. Palin, as mayor of Wasilla, discussed the possibility of banning some books. Palin fired the town librarian, but rehired her after residents voiced disapproval. Palin later told a local newspaper that her discussion about book banning was "rhetorical."And there's no evidence she actually sought to ban any books.

IMPACT: In a federal campaign where war and the economy are the two dominant issues, this controversy won't be the elephant in the room. Still, there's nothing like the prospect of government book censorship to fire up the liberal base.