AP: Sarah Palin Charged Alaska for Kids' Expenses

I'm not too sure what to make of this Associated Press story:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Gov. Sarah Palin charged the state for her children to travel with her, including to events where they were not invited, and later amended expense reports to specify that they were on official business.

The charges included costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and a trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel.

In all, Palin has charged the state $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. In some other cases, she has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls.

Alaska law does not specifically address expenses for a governor's children. The law allows for payment of expenses for anyone conducting official state business.

Is this just good, old-fashioned investigative journalism?

Or yet another chapter in one of the messiest, meanest, attack-laden elections I can recall?

And by the way, I'm getting really weary of hearing Republicans spouting the political theories of Joe the Plumber, as if he was the leader of their party.

The gimmicky, unrelenting reliance on the colourful Mr. Wurzelbacher as the McCain-Palin mascot does little to bring dignity or depth to a campaign sorely lacking in both.

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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