See, here's the thing about vetting, Sen. McCain: When you don't do it, you can get fooled into thinking that your running mate is a person of integrity, when in fact she isn't.

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.

The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife.

Okay, from here on out, I declare my rent to be "state business." And the beers I drank last night. And my iPhone. And my MacBook. And the yacht I just put a down payment on. You'll get this, right, Maryland? We cool?

Sure, what she did might be technically legal, but shouldn't Christians in public life have a higher standard than simply the letter of the law? Doesn't this violate the spirit of the law in every way imaginable?

Moreover, isn't this the same woman who claimed (falsely) to have sold the state's private jet on eBay? Sure, she's cutting back in government... except when it benefits her.

She's no reformer. She's no maverick. She's just another typical Bush Republican. Given that there isn't a single measure by which this country isn't in the crapper right now, can we really afford four more years of that?

Labels: Corruption, Republicans, Sarah Palin