Watchdog groups give Palin mixed reviews

Washington watchdog groups have mixed reviews for John McCain’s  choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

Washington’s leading budget watchdog group, Taxpayers for Common  Sense (TCS), applauded the choice, saying it demonstrated McCain’s commitment to spending reform.

{mosads}Left-leaning Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington  (CREW), however, called the pick risky. They noted Palin is under investigation for her alleged involvement in the dismissal of an Alaska public safety official. The investigation centers on whether Palin was involved in firing the official for not dismissing her sister’s former husband, a state trooper, after their messy divorce.

TCS, which is non-partisan and will not back either candidate in the  race for the White House, for years has called for major reforms of Congress’s earmarking process and hammered Alaska GOP members of Congress for championing the now-notorious “bridge to nowhere." The bridge became a national symbol of  pork-barrel spending.

“The fact that the bridge to nowhere came up in her acceptance speech has shown that reform is going to a major theme in McCain’s campaign,” said Taxpayers for Common Sense’s Steve Ellis. “She killed the bridge to nowhere and certainly has shaken up the establishment in Alaska. Her selection shows that Sen. McCain is serious about talking about spending and earmarks as an issue and is going to run on a reform platform.

The $398 million bridge would have connected Ketchikan, on one island in southeastern Alaska, to its airport on another nearby island.

Palin rejected the money and directed the state transportation department to find a more "fiscally responsible" alternative.

She also encouraged her lieutenant governor, Sean Parnell, to launch a GOP primary challenge of Rep. Don Young (Alaska), who has served as the state’s lone House representative for 35 years. The primary took place earlier  
this week and Young is up just 150 votes over Parnell.

CREW’s Melanie Sloan said the jury literally is still out on whether Palin is a committed reformer, considering the investigation into her role in the firing of the official is ongoing.

“It’s very possible that her entire reputation as a reformer will be undercut if it’s found that there’s anything to these allegations that she abused her office,” Sloan said. “That could be a very big problem for John McCain. If you have a reputation as a reformer, you are not the person who can afford to screw up.”

If it weren’t for the investigation, Sloan said Palin’s reform message would be untarnished.

“She’s done some impressive things,” Sloan said. “She’s not exactly the same old business as usual. She’s not part of the Corrupt Bastards’ Club.”

According to FBI search warrants executed against several Republican Alaska state legislators, the Corrupt Bastards Club was the nickname 11 legislators (including the son of indicted Alaskan GOP Sen. Ted Stevens) used to jokingly refer to  themselves.

Stevens offered a resounding endorsement of Palin on Friday.