Meet the hypocrites: Governor Sarah Palin, back for another round

Not content to be profiled as a hypocrite just once by this esteemed publication, Governor Sarah Palin has come back for a second round of shame, by joining the Alaska Republican Party in calling for a special election for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democratic Senator Mark Begich.

You see, since the Justice Department isn't pursuing continued legal action against former Senator Ted Stevens, the Republicans and Governor Palin think he ought to have his seat back. The problem for them is that Begich was legally elected and hasn't (and won't) resign the seat.

Gov. Sarah Palin and the head of the Alaska Republican Party said Thursday that Sen. Mark Begich should give his Senate seat up to a special election now that prosecutors have abandoned their case against Ted Stevens.

"Alaskans deserve to have a fair election not tainted by some announcement that one of the candidates was convicted fairly of seven felonies, when in fact it wasn't a fair conviction," Palin said in a Thursday interview with the Daily News.

But that's not what Governor Palin said last October.

"After being found guilty on seven felony counts, I had hoped Senator Stevens would take the opportunity to do the statesman-like thing and erase the cloud that is covering his Senate seat," Palin said in a written statement. "He has not done so. Alaskans are grateful for his decades of public service but the time has come for him to step aside.

Putting Ted Stevens in and then putting Ted Stevens out isn't a dance you do to serve your political interests. This ain't the hokey pokey, Sarah.

But it sure reeks of hypocrisy.