When Press Releases Become Garbled in the eMail

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's press people were kept busy today, answering questions about reports she will have to pay taxes on the meals and services she received in her Wasilla home as Governor, but paid for by you and me, the taxpayers of Alaska. Even though she now has to pay taxes on money given her by you and me, her office is unwilling to let us know the details of how she spent our money:

"The amount of taxes owed is a private matter," Sharon Leighow, Palin's spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.

But, Sharon, shouldn't we want to know about how responsibly our money is being spent by Governor Palin, like she wants to know if our money is being responsibly spent by President Obama?

Meanwhile, Governor Palin's spite specialist, Meg Stapletongue, responded today to emerging details in the "unauthorized" book about the Governor, written by Lorenzo Benet. Stapletongue is taking issue with the book's description of a purported February, 2008 meeting between Sen. John McCain and Gov. Palin. Disputing such a meeting ever occurred, Mad Meg wrote:

"Getting such an important fact wrong, casts doubts on whatever else might be in the book. And, attributing his conjecture to the Governor is bad journalism. The Governor did not authorize this book and is not responsible for whatever fantasies the author might conjure up."

Imagine if the emails involving the taxes, the book, her daughter Bristol's interview and the President's jobs legislation had somehow gotten garbled in the Toobz:

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin responded today to baseless allegations that she owes the US Government back taxes for meals, lattes, clothes, automobile use, travel (for her or her family) or anything else except her published gubernatorial salary, since she took office in late 2006.

Speaking for Gov. Palin, her personal spokesperson, Meg Stapleton has stated, "Attributing taxes on these alleged expenditures is simply bad accounting. If this is evidence of how President Obama intends to use American taxpayers' money to create new jobs, we've ALL got a lot to hide. The Governor did not authorize this tax audit, and is not responsible for whatever tax fantasies the IRS seems to want to cook up.

"The Governor wants you to know that this case casts doubts on the ability of the IRS to do anyone's taxes, and suggests you withhold yours until she receives a full written apology, with penalties and interest."

The Governor stresses that her taxes are a personal matter, not the business of the IRS, and that further inquiries about them should be directed to her tax attorney, Wayne Anthony Ross, or to the officers of the Alaska Independence Party.

[The governor refused to take questions from the press, and left the room to sign an executive order making her gubernatorial salary "confidential." Also.]