Posted by Jed Lewison on Mon Sep 8, 2008 at 11:20 PM Pacific

Palin Billed State For Nights Spent In Her Own Home

This one should have legs. Washington Post:

ANCHORAGE, Sept. 8 -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.

There's a lot more detail in the article, including questions about why she billed the state $25,000 for expenses related to her daughters. She also was reimbursed for attending a basketball game. Perhaps the kicker is that she charged the state over $2,000 for a three-night stay at a $707 per night hotel room in New York City.

The problem here is obvious: Palin's lavish spending completely undercuts the moosehunter maverick myth being spun by the McCain campaign. This is exactly the kind of politics as usual that they claim to be running against.

Palin Billed State For Nights Spent In Her Own Home

This one should have legs. Washington Post:

ANCHORAGE, Sept. 8 -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.

There's a lot more detail in the article, including questions about why she billed the state $25,000 for expenses related to her daughters. She also was reimbursed for attending a basketball game. Perhaps the kicker is that she charged the state over $2,000 for a three-night stay at a $707 per night hotel room in New York City.

The problem here is obvious: Palin's lavish spending completely undercuts the moosehunter maverick myth being spun by the McCain campaign. This is exactly the kind of politics as usual that they claim to be running against.

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