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September 5th, 2008
06:19 PM ET

AC360 Exclusive: The trooper who worried Sarah Palin

Palin's ex-in-law speaks out. Here is a preview of tonight's AC360° report:
Palin's ex-in-law speaks out. Here is a preview of tonight's AC360° report:

Drew Griffin
CNN Investigative Reporter

The Alaska state trooper at the center of a probe into whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power says he has "made mistakes, and I've learned from those mistakes." But in an exclusive interview with us, Mike Wooten, Palin's former brother-in-law, also denies some of the biggest allegations against him.

Wooten says he has been offered $30,000 to tell his story to a tabloid. The Obama campaign has reached out to the head of his union. And he no longer answers any phone number he doesn’t recognize for fear it is another pesky reporter who wants his story.

The story is how he married into, then divorced out of, Alaska’s first family. The trooper finds his life at the center of the one and only potential scandal I can find concerning Gov. Palin, John McCain's choice for running mate.

The scandalous allegation is the governor used her power to try and get her sister’s ex fired. When that didn’t work, it's alleged Gov. Palin fired the public safety commissioner.

In our interview, Wooten rattled off a disturbing number of “mistakes” he’s made in his career. He admits tasering his stepson, illegally killing a moose and admits to multiple reprimands in his file. A state trooper investigation even found credible evidence he was drinking in his patrol car.

But please tell me if you think his tale - dubbed Troopergate by Gov. Palin’s political enemies - is really the scandal that will bring down the newest star on the political scene.

By the way, I hear Gov. Palin is in Florida. Here’s a shot of the CNN crew using a fly-away satellite out of a U-Haul on a rainy, cold Friday in Anchorage.


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Filed under: Drew Griffin • Mike Wooten • Sarah Palin
soundoff (49 Responses)
  1. siyoni

    Im sad to see how people try to find any reason to not like someone. I see people chatting about the Obama's Rev wright in here, but no mention of Mc cain's blatant racial and dis respect of the greatest civil rights leader in Dr.King by not allowing celebrations in his state ( Ariz.) You never hear Obama folks bring it up. That's important to know info. before you vote. This is not an Obama story so why is he brought up? If she abuses powers given to her by the people, look out world if she gets in office. Because America has alot of axes to grind with other countries, and we see what those axes bring everyday in Iraq. and we see what a power hungry admin. can offer us.....trouble! And as far as the Michelle basketball comment, like the republican convention..it has no substance behind that statement.

    September 7, 2008 at 1:07 pm |
  2. Lino

    "one and only potential scandal involving Gov. Palin"?!?!?!

    you're not looking hard enough.. or at all.

    Let's see, here's a few:

    The bridge to nowhere money that she asked for and then kept – later claiming to have heroically rejected it.

    Wasilla school library censorship.

    Community organizer insults.

    Her own hypocrisy on abstinence education and a woman's right to choose

    any of this ringing a bell??

    September 7, 2008 at 1:05 pm |
  3. Chris - Colorado Spring

    This guy is not State Trooper quality. Tell me, would you want to be pulled over by this guy?

    The fact that Sarah Palin is involved is simple. The problem was not being dealt with at his level. The only reason it probably popped up on her radar is that she was close enough via family to see his misdeeds.

    I'm sure there are other "rotten" state troopers that need to be addressed. It was obvious the public safety commissioner wasn't going to deal with them, so Palin fired him for not doing his job.

    September 7, 2008 at 1:05 pm |
  4. bev

    I've held these exhaulted notions of the type of people the leaders of our country should be...individuals with the academic knowledge and experiential background needed to govern and lead, individuals who can select the best and the brightest as advisors; individuals who can put bias aside and measure and weigh each issue on its merit and severity. I'm so naive. Instead, starting with Monicagate, followed by 8 years of Bushism, the office has degenerated into a position where "hockey moms" become the standard of excellence, where family scandals become the focus for media discussion, where religious extremisms is favored over moderation and rational thought, where a degree from the University of Idaho in Journalism is sufficient academic preparation for the highest leadership position in the nation, perhaps the world. I'm stunned. Why are we telling our kids to strive to do their best? To get the best academic training possible? To learn about the world, its people, its belief systems/cultures/ life styles/ geography/political and social differences? If these aren't qualifications anymore for leadership of our Nation, then they shouldn't be needed for any job. Silly me...

    September 7, 2008 at 1:04 pm |
  5. Dave

    The issue is NOT Wooten people, the issue at hand is whether or not Palin abused her power to try to get him removed. Wooten may be a scumbag for all we know, but its NOT THE REASON THIS IS AN ISSUE.

    Just because you don't like someone, or think that person is dangerous or an idiot, doesn't mean you can be a bully and use your power to remove them outside of the due process system.

    Ask yourself this question: say you were at work and some co-worker of yours said that you beat their kid with a baseball bat. What if your boss'es boss came down and said "Fire them, immediately!" before any investigation or formal charges were rendered? How fair do you think that would feel.

    Stop getting led by these moronic posts and press coverage and actually follow the thoughts through. Whether the end result is right or not, it may have still been an abuse of power – which then leads us to question not only Palin's judgement, but how she will react to similar situations if she is elected. All you have to do is look at the Bush administration's flagrant abuse of power and "executive priviledge" to see what kind of damage this can cause to our Constitution and our Nation.

    A strong union is built on strong values. Not end-runs around any process we don't like.

    September 7, 2008 at 1:03 pm |
  6. JDE

    Based on his own admission, this trooper should have been fired. He wasn't because he's in a good union.

    I don't think that Gov. Palin did anything wrong in this instance. I like her and I like Sen. McCain but I don't agree with their politics. They've criticized Sen. Obama for not saying precisely how he intends to implement his plans but he oulined them in detail during the Democratic convention and if you go to barackobama.com you'll find detailed writings on his policies.

    During their speeches at the Republican convention both Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin used a lot of flowery speech, which they like to criticize Sen. Obama for, and said little in the way of concrete policies. What about the economy? What about the war?

    I'm not voting for a party or personality, I'm voting for a president who's ideals are most closely aligned with my own. Instead of focusing on these stupid distractions we need to focus on the issues and demand the same from the candidates.

    September 7, 2008 at 1:03 pm |
  7. Bill - Colorado

    Drew,
    If a Colorado state trooper poached a moose or an elk, I would expect him to be fired. He is sworn to uphold the constitution and the laws of the state of Colorado. Poaching is a deliberate act, not one where you can say "I forgot or I didn't know I was over the speed limit". We the people of Colorado don't equip our lawmen with tasers so they can taser their relatives. I don't know if it is against the law in Alaska, but it certainly shows very poor judgment. As for drinking in his patrol car, that alone should get him fired. If the Public Safety Commissioner knew of these actions and didn't fire him, then the Commissioner should be fired. And if the Governor of Colorado knew of a state trooper that had commited these offenses and didn't take action, it makes him an accessory after the fact and he should be impeached and removed from office. I don't know what actions Governor Palin took behind the scene or overtly in this case, but the trooper should have been fired and anyone in the chain of command that didn't take action should also be fired. The trooper intentionally broke the law numerous times and can not be trusted as a public servant and should be dismissed.

    September 7, 2008 at 1:03 pm |
  8. milton

    Ohhhhh, I can see a book coming.

    September 7, 2008 at 1:01 pm |
  9. Robert Vail

    The trooper should have been fired by the Safety Director, by order of the Governor. The Safety Director is a "at will" employee which means he is not protected and serves at the pleasure of the Gov. The Trooper, as a State Employee has legal recourse to contest his firing thru the State Employee management system. It may have been inapproriate for the Gov. to demand the firing of someone who is linked to her immediate family, but not illegal. Besides, because the Trooper admits to other wrong doings, whose to say that the Gov. wasn't receiving complaints about the Trooper bcause the Safety Director was not acting on the complaints he was presented? When citizens complain to their Government regarding State Employees, they usually styart at the Agency responsible. If they feel no actions are being taken or that they are being ignored, they will escalate their complaints to the Governor. I know, I am a State Employye in Florida and see this stuff all the time.

    September 7, 2008 at 1:01 pm |
  10. Jim F

    He tasered his stepson? Shouldn't we first understand the mind of a cop who does that before we consider him a credible witness to anything?

    September 7, 2008 at 1:00 pm |
  11. Felix

    Just another attempt to to disgrace Governor Palin with dirty politics.

    September 7, 2008 at 1:00 pm |
  12. Joe

    This guy is a scumbag, no doubt. Whether he should have been fired is another story. Truly the excuses he gave don't hold a lot of water and anyone who tasers a kid should have their head examined.

    if I were a relative, further a former sister-in-law of Wooten, I'd be outraged like Sarah Palin is. And I'd do what ever I can to protect my sister and her family. This guy is scary.

    However no matter what anyone thinks of Wooten, as governor of a state, there are no grounds to use your power to settle a personal matter. And another man appears to have lost his job as a result of not firing Wooten, and Palin's excuse for his dismissal is very unconvincing. It appears Palin abused her power here. When the truth comes out (before the election), McCain and his campaign had better have another VP candidate in waiting. This would be a disaster for him and his campaign if she was indicted. This issue is not about Wooten, a scumbag. It is about Sarah Palin, a power abuser.

    September 7, 2008 at 1:00 pm |
  13. James A Primrose

    First of all, I am an Obama supporter. Now, #2, Palin is a fine candidate and so is McCain. Both of them have qualities that qualify them fit for the office of President. They both have my respect. But they don't have my vote. We need to turn an economy completely around; and we need some serious changes to our foreign policy. I am taking a chance on Obama and Biden because I believe this is the only viable method of achieving that change. And I hope Gore has a place on that cabinet, too. Palin's family is her business. But I do think she is apt to be our Chief Executive sooner than later if the Republican ticket carries this November. You might want to think about that.

    September 7, 2008 at 12:59 pm |
  14. Corey

    Finally, the real story comes out. I feel like if he used his taser on his stepson and illegally killed a moose he should've been fired. I think it's time to put this little story to a rest. Palin is a legitimate candidate and something new to the political scene because she isn't clouded by DC lobbyists and media attention (well, now she has the media attention). Give her a break and let this election get back to the focus on the main candidates.

    September 7, 2008 at 12:58 pm |
  15. BobSacomano

    Listen. these guys put their lives on the line for us citizens every day. These guys are true American heroes, what would we do without their service and dedication to our protection? These charges were not totally proven and not enough to warrant his dismissal anyway, we don't really know the whole 'taser' story either.

    We should be thanking these guys instead of firing them. Are we all perfect in our own jobs?

    September 7, 2008 at 12:55 pm |
  16. Jamie

    You know, this election is being touted by the Republicans as a "small town America" versus "big town elite DC" struggle in the fight for the presidency. Well where do they think all these people in DC come from? Most aren't born in th DC area; most come to DC from small towns to do the nation's business...Having myself come from a small blue collar town in the rustbelt, spending half my life there and less than half my life here in DC, I can see the irony of this "small town versus big town" battle with "troopergate". I have no doubt that Mr. Wooten is a jerk. I grew up around law enforcement, as my dad was a cop for 30 years. I know that often cops from small towns get a little carried away with the power trip and think that they are untouchable. But, the things that Wooten is accused of–at least the ones that have been sustained by internal investigations–strike me as punishible, but not fireable offenses. On the other hand, for a Governor of a State to insist on the firing of a state trooper, who just happens to be her ex-brother in law embroiled in an ugly divorce and custody battle dispute, seems exceptionally unethical and smacks of the petty disputes typical to small towns. To then fire people who haven't carried out her wishes borders on criminal. We've already suffered eight years with someone who claims to be "one of the people" and proven to pull similar antics with people who disagree. Ms. Palin would be only a heartbeat away and we don't need more of the same. I certainly will not be voting for McCain.

    September 7, 2008 at 12:53 pm |
  17. Nicole

    Although the guy sounds like a jerk, one thing that's been left out in a lot of reports is that, when her sister began seeing Wooten, Palin had nothing but praise for him, and actually wrote him a glowing recommendation to help him get ahead. Then, when she didn't like him anymore, she intervened again to get him fired. And also took out her grudge on other people, firing the commissioner who was standing in her way. It's a question of judgement - if he was so shady, why did she recommend him in the first place? Just because her sister was dating him? *That's* the part that makes me really question her on this incident.

    September 7, 2008 at 12:53 pm |
  18. DAN KEMETICK

    OK, rightys, let me get this straight, it's sexist and wrong for us to want to know everything there is to know about Sarah Palin, but despising Barack Obama and his "friends" is OK. All I can say is I hope that this womans past doesn't destroy my country's future. Now,she's had an affair? We should believe it in the Enquirer, they were right about John Edwards AND Rush Limbaugh! I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK FROM THESE CRAZY EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS!

    September 7, 2008 at 12:51 pm |
  19. Kim in Houston

    This is stupid fodder with the exception that if Palin committed a crime as governor for snooping into this jerk's record and not letting the state troopers or unions deal with him. In that case, I might begin to believe she is mean and vindictive and lacks class and respect for others like what we saw in parts of her now famous convention speech. I'm more concerned that this self-proclaimed "bulldog" is really a miniature dachsund now that she may have been quickly elevated to this new role which may be beyond her level of competence – we don't know yet – the "bulldog" won't meet with mainstream press now that it's time to answer tough questions. Maybe Obama is the real bulldog since he showed himself tough (but always classy and respectful) in his interview with Bill O'Reilly. I imagine that if I had a boss in my corporation who talked about our competitiion like Palin and others did, I would get sick to my stomach – it may sound funny at first then you start to feel real ill. Fortunately, I happen to work for a company that has leaders that only focus the troops on what to do better to win rather than waisting time on mindless critiques of the competition – I was disappointed with McCain for allowing such nonsense to dominate. Then again, he's not really in charge of his party – it's that enxtreme, radical right wing religious set of cooks (kinda like the kooky extreme Islamic fundamentalists) running the show over there. They pointed their finger in McCain's face and told him what he'd better do and he fell in line like a good soldier, not the commander he claims he is – go figure. Who the hell is he, really?

    If the McCain-Palin ticket wins in November, I'm sure average Americans have lost their collective minds – who honestly believes after the last 8 years the Republican have the best economic interests of the average citizen in mind? I'm convinced they hate "big government" so much they don't know how to govern anything larger than the state of Alaska. After all, if you put all the big lobbyists that they love and revere in one large hotel, probably would be the same size as the population of Alaska – that's as much as they can handle ya'll.

    September 7, 2008 at 12:49 pm |
  20. William

    People on the left are so bitter, angry and cruel. Almost every post I read from a liberal or Democrat is so full of hate it's pathetic.

    And why would anybody care what you think of Sarah Palin? She's not on your side of the ticket – so get over it. It's funny though how now all of a sudden the left is all up in arms about Palin, who they claim has no experience.... but when these same arguments come up for Obama, it's totally off limits and we must be RACISTS or something if we want to question his experience.

    As for the nut job that said we should look into her brother being in jail.... you're exactly the kind of person that brings this country down. Why on Earth should anyone be blamed for a family member that does something stupid?

    September 7, 2008 at 12:48 pm |
  21. Mark

    Does anyone really care about Wooten, Palin or McCain? The election is Obama's to lose – pretty simple. Unless Obama does a total screw up – the election is over. The sensationalism surround Palin is a small town potatoes thrown in to a big pot of mashed potatoes...

    September 7, 2008 at 12:48 pm |
  22. John

    Mccain is a phony war hero,has no vision ,and has himself surrounded by lobbyists in his campaign,.The only reason you wouldn't vote for Obama is your a racist,or rich or both

    September 7, 2008 at 12:47 pm |
  23. D. Kennedy

    Since when has any of the press been unbiased. I don't believe naything they say anymore.

    To the person who wrote, "Where are all the statesman types?" Most are in jail or should be!

    September 7, 2008 at 12:47 pm |
  24. Rich

    Anderson,
    How about looking into Linda's (previous blogger) remark's about Palin having a Brother(s) in jail ?
    I think she is extremely devious and overly obsessed with power and is hungerily hoping for more.
    On another note, how about finding some of the Navy's former pilots that flew with John McCain ? From my understanding he was a major screwup as a pilot from the beginning to the end and only made it through any Military training because of his Father's influence as a Navy Admiral. His Squadron mates had too look after him while deployed on Aircraft Carriers, because his flying was lousy.
    To attest to that, he got shot down, while the good pilots made it back to the ship.
    Also, he can try to dodge from George W. Bush all he wants, but I hope the American public has enough sense too realize that he is a carbon copy of GWB !

    September 7, 2008 at 12:47 pm |
  25. Elaine

    I live in Canada but have been watching this election side-show closely. I can't get my mind around the fact that there are actually people in the USA that would have no problem with Sarah Palin running the country should something happen to McCain! These people should take a look into the faces of their children and really consider the fact that their lives may be in the hands someday of a person that has 0 experience in almost everything that themselves and their childrens life and for that matter every-day life depends on. Does it not bother these people that this woman one day may have "the power" and the amazing lack of experience or worldliness that she has. I have a 5 yr and 3yr old grandsons and would be literally sick to think that their well-being someday would depend on a person as Palin.

    September 7, 2008 at 12:44 pm |
  26. KB - NY, NY

    To put it simply, Palin was not allowed to use her position as governor to get the public safety commissioner fired. That she did so, is an abuse of power. Wooten might not be a good guy. He might be a bad guy. He might be an evil guy. Or, he might be Santa Claus. But, it was not under Gov. Palin's purview to a) use her influence to get the trooper fired when he had already been disciplined by the proper authorities and b) when that didn't work, get the public safety commissioner fired. It's an abuse of power pure and simple and some people might be okay with that. Others, might not. But, call it what it is. Abuse of power.

    September 7, 2008 at 12:43 pm |
  27. Maryanne

    .This troopergate is nothing but there are plenty of qualified women of substance in the Republican Party McCain could have picked- Palin was picked to placate the fundamentalist “Christian” extremists – she is a divisive pick at a time when we can least afford to be divided! Tell us about how Palin is against sex education in schools (even though you can exempt you child if you don’t want them to have it)…she wants to make sure my child can’t have it. She brags about how her daughter made the right “choice” to marry the father and keep her baby but doesn’t want other families to have the privilege and opportunity make that choice and feel good about it. Tell us about the Alaskan sales tax being raised when she says she’s against raising taxes. Tell us about cutting the budget for special needs children and now claiming to desperate parents of special needs children that they will have a “friend” in the White House (oh now she gets it). Tell us about how she does not believe climate change could be man made- did she never build that terrarium in third grade? Tell us that she does not realize that drilling is not the solution to our long term energy problems -she missed the studies that show there is not enough oil reserve even if we drill to help for more than a few years at the rate we are using oil and the sooner we solve the long term problem the better off we are. Tell us about how she thinks God led us into the war in Iraq and how we are not really ALL Gods children (unless we are Americans- not exactly the Christian teachings I was brought up with). Tell us the REAL issues about Palin– CNN your bias is showing- get on with real news and issues will you and stop giving us bias reporting… every time you say something about Obama even it is positive, it is prefaced with some sentence that has a negative slant…. Also you’ve played McCain’s negative untrue ads that propagate lies on air more than he’s paid to play them as commercials. Wake up people we are being hijacked.

    September 7, 2008 at 12:43 pm |
  28. Andrew

    I dont think focusing on the ex brother in law is fair. Sounds like he's an idiot. But Palin and him arent even family. Their moral and family value system is from two different sources. Wooten should be made accountable for all his wrongdoings just like anyone else. At least jail for killing the moose. I know I would get jail time if I did that. But in reality, Palin had nothing to do with any of those things. If someone wants to make another sound bad, at least find a credible source.

    September 7, 2008 at 12:42 pm |
  29. Annette, Washington, DC

    America wake up! To start a VP nomination with a ethics investigation in your home state, the mere talk of an investigation is not good for the McCain camp. We don't know all the facts in the case, however, the appearance that this leads is overwhelming. The American people that includes reps, indeps, and demo and undecided, need to pay close attention to her judgement, we have not heard one thing from this Governor, except what has been scripted for her to say. She has not been tested. If there is nothing to hide, she should be the very first person to speak out strongly against this claim.

    September 7, 2008 at 12:42 pm |
  30. Kit Wilson

    Only ONE scandal? How 'bout "Bridge to nowhere", cult church, entitlements, executive orders to the national guard, funding for teen pregnancy? The worms and bugs are just beginning to scamper out from beneath the Alaska rocks. Good job McSame.

    September 7, 2008 at 12:42 pm |
  31. Patsy Sanders

    Well, the "smoke and mirrors" gang is busy again.... all of a sudden, we have Gov. Palin out of nowhere with her fundamentalist agenda and her 17 yr. old pregnant daughter for VP – a gov. of a state with a population less than Orlando or Jacksonville, Fl...and she's gonna be a "heartbeat away" from the highest office in the WORLD.... nice move, it has turned the attention of the election away from the real problems- the economy, the growing unemployment rate, the Iraq war and its drain on our very, very unbalanced budget, our national debt, our lack of respect from what few allies we have left, and the fact that our country is in serious trouble.... But, with this new addition of Gov. Palin and the "huzzzaaaahhh" around her and its tabloid frenzy the U.S. citizens eat up (a land of voyeurs and trash lovers) – they don't have to explain how they are going to fix any of it... Republicans can defend their choice – and the Democrats can say "families are out of bounds" - and neither has to come up with any solutions...
    We have been "snowed" again.....

    September 7, 2008 at 12:41 pm |
  32. Smita

    One of the first things Senator McCain said about Sara Palin the day he introduced her to the nation was that she took the former Governor's private jet, listed and sold it on EBay at a profit. Now we hear that she did list it on EBay, but it didnt' sell. Then later it was sold privately at a loss. This isn't a big deal, but it was a lie McCain used when introducing her to the country. If he lies about little things, how do we know what else he (or she) may lie to us about in order to win over our vote. I'm sitting on the fence about who to vote for, but why stretch the truth or cover things up? A person who lies about small things also lies about the biggers things too.

    September 7, 2008 at 12:40 pm |
  33. Rita

    To bad CNN or any other news media refuses to investigate Obama with the same feeding frenza they are using against Gov. Palin. Seems to me this trooper needed to be fired to protect the public from his abuse of his powers. Tazering a child, driking while working for heaven's sake, had I been the mother of the child, I would have shot him right between the eyes and told God He died! As far as I can see everyone is denying the Gov. abused her powers, let her be ok, get on with this election ! Please, at least act like you are trying to investigate Obama's relationship with all his unsavory friends, guess that is to much to ask right?

    September 7, 2008 at 12:40 pm |
  34. George Burke

    If tasering a child (especially your son), drinking on duty and illegally shooting a mouse is OK, what does a state trooper have to do in Alaska to get fired?
    Sarah Palin did what was right, despite the potential political fallout. I admire her for it. I still intend to vote for Obama. But, fair is fair.

    September 7, 2008 at 12:39 pm |
  35. Paul

    The question isn't whether this guy was worth firing, it's whether Gov. Palin used her power appropriately. I don't have the answer to that, but I can say she's not exactly forthright about other issues, like her former love for Congressional earmarks for Alaska. For someone who knows ethics, talk to Barack Obama who has AUTHORED and pushed major bi-partisan ethics reform bills in the Illinois legislature and the US Senate. In the Senate, that was with Republican Senator Coburn who could give Gov. Palin some lessons in pork.

    September 7, 2008 at 12:39 pm |
  36. Stacey

    I understand that the media goes into a frenzy when stories of a scandal are at hand, but I'm very disappointed at the definitively lopsided discussion this last month. Every time I turn on my television or sign into CNN, I am hearing about some recent juicy news related to Sarah Palin/her family, etc . Well, if we are going to discuss VPs, what about Joe Biden and his repeated problem with plagiarism? Does this concern anyone besides myself? Whether I like it or not, I expect to hear news of scandal when I turn on my television...it's just disappointing that the media doesn't even pretend to attempt a discussion of possible scandal in both parties. Is this too much to expect?

    September 7, 2008 at 12:39 pm |
  37. JS-Miami

    Scandal? I thought scandals involved money in freezers and taking money from crooks. Let's say the Governor of any state has a trooper fired just for the one fact of tasering a child, any child, That Governor will have my support.

    September 7, 2008 at 6:39 am |
  38. JC-Los Angeles

    Mike Wooten admits to using a taser on a child; after learning of something like this, if a politician or executive didn't demand his firing than the politcian or executive should be let go.

    If Obama were in charge, maybe he'd have Michelle schedule a basketball game with Wooten and they could get to know each other better as they drove the lane.

    September 5, 2008 at 8:07 pm |
  39. Elaine wilson

    Sounds to me like he should have been fired. I can't imagine a trooper using a taser on a child. I can't imagine a trooper drinking while in his cruiser either. That in itself tells me he is a man of little character and I wouldn't believe anything he would say.

    September 5, 2008 at 8:04 pm |
  40. Jolene

    Tasered his stepson and illegally killed a moose. Doesn't sound like I'm going to like this guy too much, especially since he's a trooper who is suppose to serve and protect. Sorry, but this guy sounds like a loser.

    Jolene, St. Joseph, MI

    September 5, 2008 at 7:53 pm |
  41. Joe Alloway

    I’ve been sick of Campbell Brown and here obvious bias reporting on this election—and never thought I’d feel the same about Anderson – what’s going on with CNN?

    September 5, 2008 at 7:50 pm |
  42. Tom

    The scariest thing about Palin is not troopergate – It's that she's even in the equation at all.

    The hypocrisy of the Christian right to look the other way on ethics and moral questions that serve them is almost comical.

    What happened to getting qualified, educated statesmen (and woman) who can comport themselves in a manner commensurate with office? Hockey moms for president? What the hell is going on in this country? This is the best the "Greatest and Most Blessed Country in the world" can dig up??? Have we dumbed things down that much? She has a number of laudable accomplishments, I'll give her that, but I'm sorry, she's not qualified. She is an anomaly. From the way McCain stands behind her at the podium, she comes off as a curiosity – a cutesy, tough talking spokes model from Wasillia Lane – not a unifying, problem solving executive.

    I don't feel that Obama is qualified either by the way.

    If either Obama or McCain had any real credibility as reformers, they'd allow real reformers and independent candidates like Ron Paul and even Nader into the debate. Not that I really want either of them at the helm, but if McCain and Obama and their respective, sycophantic minions are the best the two party system has to offer, I may even consider prayer if there's a chance it would bring better choices into our political process.

    September 5, 2008 at 7:45 pm |
  43. Carol Seaback

    I am tired of hearing about Sarah Palin. We need to get into the important issues between Obama and McCaine. The media should focus on each of the presidential candidates and get to the issued of health care, umemployment, rising gas prices and forclusures. This is what most Americans are interested in. These are the things the media should be focuses on. This race is between Obama and McCain. We heard as much as we are going to hear about her and no more. The Republicans are not going to let anyone get to close, so stop focusing on her. We will see her at the debates. So, lets get on with the important issues that Americans are interested in.

    September 5, 2008 at 7:44 pm |
  44. Barbara in Culver City, CA

    Regardless of whether Wooten is a skilled or incompetent state trooper, I just don't see how a governor of a state would have the time or interest to interfere with such personnel matters, if Wooten were not her former brother-in-law. This seems to me like taking micro-managing to a whole new level. I can't imagine the governor of my state having the time to be involved with the case of an individual state trooper. A governor needs to look at the bigger picture and should have subordinates to take care of details. I guess things are different in Alaska.

    September 5, 2008 at 7:32 pm |
  45. Tammy, Berwick, LA

    Had you all "investigated" Obama's shady deals as part of the Chicago political machine and shady dealings with everyone from terrorists (Ayers) to crooks (Rezko) to reverse racists (Pfleuger and Wright) maybe we wouldn't be stuck with him as a presidential candidate. Then again, that would mean you actually did your job as reporters as opposed to being part of the liberal left media tank. However, since you are part of that group of Obama worshippers, you're getting at a case Sarah Palin has asked to be investigated by the state (so I'm guessing she must be willing to accept whatever is found, and it mustn't be much). Good job on impartiality, fair and balanced reporting, and ethics in journalism in this election once again!

    September 5, 2008 at 7:30 pm |
  46. Linda

    Anderson,

    Wooten might have done some things wrong and he definitly should suffer the consequences given by the State Troopers office. But it is not up to Sara Palin to make that determination.

    As a life long Alaskan, there was a lot of sneaky things that she did in roder to win the election for governor. I will be so glad when she is exposed for the fake lier that she is. Also did you know she has brothers in jail? check it out!!

    September 5, 2008 at 7:11 pm |
  47. FRAN

    Drew,
    As you state in your blog- The trooper finds his life at the center of the one and only potential scandal I can find concerning Gov. Sarah Palin.” Try looking on the other side of the campaign. I’m sure you will find something. Yea, Obama ended up on the top of his party’s ticket all on his own. No back room deals-right

    September 5, 2008 at 6:37 pm |
  48. Cindy

    It seems like to me that Wooten just has an ax to grind. If there was real evidence that Palin called anyone to have him fired I'm sure they'd have that out in the media by now. Because you better believe Obama and his men have went through everything with a fine tooth comb.

    From what you say here Wooten is not much of a man if he tasered his own stepson...gotta hear the explanation for that!

    Cindy...Ga.

    September 5, 2008 at 6:32 pm |