RTFA: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-naif/todd-pali…

The security clearance investigation is based on the Standard Form 86, a 21-plus page government form that gathers information on an individual’s family, friends, education, employment, residences, finances, law enforcement history, drug and computer use, foreign contacts, and associations with violent or subversive political groups. I have filled out the SF 86 dozens of times. When I was the security officer for an intelligence contractor, I routinely reviewed our employees’ SF 86 forms before asking the government to process them for security clearances, looking for obvious disqualifications. The idea here was to avoid the costs of investigating employees who were obviously not eligible for a clearance, like the guy who “experimented” with marijuana at least 100 times in the previous year.

Above all, honesty is the rule for anyone filling out an SF 86 — do you think CIA or DoD will want to hire or retain someone who lied on a security form?

Which gets us back to Todd Palin. From the security officer’s perspective, Todd Palin the hypothetical applicant should be truthful and disclose his former association with AIP on the SF 86 in Section 29, Association Record. And because AIP has been associated with the Revolutionary Government of Iran, he probably should also disclose his AIP membership on Section 20, Foreign Activities.

How would government security officials who administer the security clearance process view the facts of Todd Palin’s association with AIP? The answer is not clear cut, but his involvement in a secessionist party with foreign and violent connections would inject serious doubts about his security suitability. At best, the AIP association would raise questions that might be resolved favorably with further investigative work. However, many security officials would likely view the AIP association negatively — especially the Iranian connection — and deny Todd Palin a clearance.

This article is really cool, if only because it contains a reference to the actual form: SF86. Here’s a screencap from “Section 29″

Via boingboing, the following is an interesting interview with former Alaskan Independence Party chairman, Mark Chryson.

I guess the point is that the Alaska Independence Party really is a separatist movement. I really recommend the interview.

RTFA: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4496829n

Watch CBS Videos Online

Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin share their thoughts on the best and worst parts of current Vice President Dick Cheney’s career. Katie Couric reports.

Good point in the CBS comment thread: just because Biden has tons of experience with interviews doesn’t mean he’s the better candidate. Biden is a known critic of Cheney, so is this answer surprising? …but once again, I think this clip speaks to the preparedness of the two VP candidates.

It’s possible to be critical of Cheney’s actions without getting overly partisan.

For example, consider Cheney’s closed-door Energy Task Force which happens to have preceded the Enron scandal, California’s blackouts, inflation of energy costs unseen since the 1970s, and the inherent conflict of interest involved in being the former CEO of Halliburton, an energy services company. By the way: Halliburton has moved its headquarters from Texas to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, with the partial justification being that it will reduce costs by lowering their taxes.

As another example, consider the infamous Cheney decision to shoot down United Flight 93, which was the 9/11 hijacking airplane that crashed in Pennsylvania. According to the official 9/11 Report, Cheney deliberated over this decision in “the time it takes a batter to decide to swing.” Those are literally the words. While I do not disagree with the decision, I would like to believe that a world leader would be more considerate in a situation like that.

There are Cheney’s repeated attempts to deceive the US people into believing that Iraq was somehow involved with 9/11, even though there was no evidence to support this … even though Cheney’s office has now been convicted of criminal activity in attempting to fabricate the evidence and cover it up. It was Cheney’s office (if not Cheney himself) who blew Plame’s CIA cover, in retaliation for questioning the Iraq-9/11 link. …and Palin was caught red-handed repeating the Cheney rhetoric.

Finally, there is the duck hunting incident, and the attempt to cover it up during the days immediately following. It’s embarrassing, in the first place, but the attempt to keep the story from the media is par for the course, and damning.

…but that is seriously the worst Palin is willing to be critical of? This is scandalously wrong! As Biden points out, detention and torture is wrong, and so is Unitary Executive Theory. Palin seems to have no problems with any of this, and that in and of itself is troubling.

RTFA: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4493093n

Katie Couric sat down with Sarah Palin and Joe Biden and asked them their thoughts on Roe v. Wade.

Watch CBS Videos Online

I’m not going to step up in favor of United States Senator Joe Biden, from Delaware. In this video, Biden specifically comments on a disagreement with the Supreme Court over Federal jurisdiction in cases of violence against women, and I tend to agree with the Court. The VAWA isn’t a bad idea at all, but there are parts of the act that really concern me and a lot of other people. I take issue with a number of other Biden initiatives, like the RAVE act and his general involvement in criminalizing drug issues.

…but I am going to be a detractor of Alaska’s Governor, Sarah Palin. Her response is totally pathetic - it’s not even a good evasion of the question. At least in terms of preparation, Biden stomps all over Palin. Terrible performance!

So, while I may disagree with some of Biden’s previous actions, Palin hasn’t even done anything that can be examined, and it’s obvious from this interview that she isn’t ready to take a Federal leadership role like Vice President. She doesn’t know anything about the Federal government! She couldn’t even be a House Rep with that kind of background, and we’re supposed to seriously consider her as a viable Vice President? Astonishing…

RTFA: http://www.nation.co.ke/News/world/-/1068/466702/-…

John McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, said yesterday her 17-year-old unmarried daughter was five months pregnant, one of a string of disclosures that left the McCain campaign defending the thoroughness of its background check of the little-known Alaska governor.

It was also revealed on Monday that a lawyer had been hired to represent Ms Palin in a state ethics investigation and that her husband, Todd, had been arrested for drunken driving two decades ago. The man who led Mr McCain’s vice presidential search team said he thought everything that came up as a possible red flag during the background check had now been made public.

“I think so,” Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr said. “Yes. I think so. Correct.”

The pregnancy statement, attributed to Sarah and Todd Palin and released by the campaign, said that Bristol Palin would keep her baby and marry the child’s father, identified only as a young man named Levi.

“Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents,” Sarah and Todd Palin said in their statement.

Why didn’t McCain simply choose Giuliani for VP? This is SCANDALOUS! YEAH BABY!