THE LEFT AND THE MSM ARE TRYING TO SMEAR PALIN BY CONFLATING HER WITH TED STEVENS

ALL OF A SUDDEN - BECAUSE IT'S SO CONVENIENT TO THE LEFT'S NEW ARGUMENT - PALIN IS NO LONGER A RUBE MAYOR, BUT "THE LEADER OF ALASKA":

AP:

Under Palin's leadership, Alaska this year asked for almost $300 per person in requests for pet projects from one of McCain's top adversaries: indicted Sen. Ted Stevens. That's more than any other state received, per person, from Congress for the current budget year. Other states got just $34 worth of local projects per person this year, on average, according to Citizens Against Government Waste, a Washington-based watchdog group.The state government's earmark requests to Congress in her first year in office exceeded $550 million, more than $800 per resident. Palin actually reduced the state government's requests for special projects this year in the wake of President Bush's demand for a cutback in earmarks.

Alaska also has become so accustomed to largess flowing from Congress through Stevens that most of Palin's earmark requests this year — such as studies of Alaskan fisheries, grants to combat drug trafficking, and rural airport upgrades — simply keep ongoing programs going. Among her requests was $150,000 to pay the travel bills of state and fisheries industry representatives on the boards that implement North Pacific fisheries agreements.

ONLY CONGRESSMEN CAN INTRODUCE AN EARMARK. GOVERNORS CANNOT. THIS IS A BALDFACED ATTEMPT TO SMEAR PALIN BY MAKING HER INTO TED STEVENS' BOSS.

BOTTOM-LINE: OBAMA AND BIDEN VOTED FOR THE BRIDGE TO NOWHERE.

PALIN CANCELED IT.

VOTE ACCORDINGLY.