Media personalities have been worked up into a frenzy over allegations of political undertones in the firing of Alaska’s public safety commissioner. Critics contend that she fired him for failing to fire her ex-brother-in-law. The Palins contend that the two are unrelated—and that the ex deserved axing for erratic and dangerous behavior. Yet despite the evidence presented on both sides, this is actually a non-issue.
In the Alaska Constitution, Article III, Section 25 states:
Ҥ 25. Department Heads
“The head of each principal department shall be a single executive unless otherwise provided by law. He shall be appointed by the governor, subject to confirmation by a majority of the members of the legislature in joint session, and shall serve at the pleasure of the governor, except as otherwise provided in this article with respect to the secretary of state. The heads of all principal departments shall be citizens of the United States [emphasis added].”
The Alaskan Public Safety Commissioner is a political appointee, able to be fired for any reason whatsoever. As Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin had the authority to fire Commissioner Walt Monegan. End of discussion.
In fact, she could have fired him (or any other principal department head) for whatever reasons she saw fit: Wearing a purple tie. Dressing like the Joker. Not dressing like the Joker. The list is endless. No, it may not be logical, or even sane, but the constitution addresses the action, not the reason behind it (and for good reason: Thought Crime should be in the realm of the novel, not investigated in the halls of government).
So even if it was for blatantly unfair partisan political reasons, she had the authority. That is something the mainstream media must wrap its head around in this last month before the election. Indeed, for all the complaints of McCain shifting focus away from the “issues that matter” by looking at Obama’s foggy past, liberal Democrats (including the mainstream media) sure seem to be obsessed with finding that one cobweb strand in Governor Palin’s political closet.
The media needs to move past this unimportant exhibit and onto the issues that genuinely matter—the candidates’ records, solutions, and vision for the future of America.
