The Dead End Road to An Empty Beach

So it turns out that the McCain campaign is being less-than-truthful when it comes to their claims about Governor Palin and the now infamous "bridge to nowhere". In her speeches, Palin is saying she rejected the bridge project, but it turns out she campaigned in support of the construction project.

Then there's this bit-of-trivia from a McClatchy article:

The Alaska governor campaigned in 2006 on a build-the-bridge platform, telling Ketchikan residents she felt their pain when politicians called them "nowhere." They're still feeling pain today in Ketchikan, over Palin's subsequent decision to use the bridge funds for other projects -- and over the timing of her announcement, which they say came in a pre-dawn press release that seemed aimed at national news deadlines.

"I think that's when the campaign for national office began," said Ketchikan Mayor Bob Weinstein on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Weinstein noted, the state is continuing to build a road on Gravina Island to an empty beach where the bridge would have gone -- because federal money for the access road, unlike the bridge money, would have otherwise been returned to the federal government.

Yup, instead of a bridge, they built a dead end-road to an empty beach. You probably won't hear Governor Palin mentioning that on the campaign trail. Then again, the Governor might need a line in her speech to replace the Clinton stuff. I see this as an opportunity, but I've always been a bit of an optimist.

Added: But seriously, I can sympathize with Palin. I grew up in Northern Ontario, and though I've never been to Alaska I think there are similarities, if not culturally at least geographically. Both places have a lot of rocks, moose, and great fishing. Hockey is a big deal, but so is NASCAR. People love to camp and hunt and generally be left alone, unless they need your help. I also know that people in these areas, where towns are few and bear are plentiful, they tend to feel neglected by national leadership, maybe even more so in Canada where it's a parliamentary system.

There's nothing wrong with Sarah Palin wanting the best for Alaskans and she should be proud of her efforts. So why is she not telling the full story?