Todd Palin: As a power behind the throne, First Dude abides

Though he is not officially a member of the executive branch, Todd Palin is renowned for attending meetings with the governor and legislators or other public officials, many of whom have described his (almost totally silent) presence as odd or even discomfiting. Todd Palin, for example, has been copied on e-mails related to policy and personnel matters, and he’s taken numerous trips — with and without his wife — as a representative of the state.

By his own account, Palin regards none of this as inappropriate.

Branchflower’s Troopergate report: Palins’ behavior ran afoul of Gov. Sarah’s ethics statute

The floral essence of the Branchflower report is simple: For the first 18 months of her administration, Palin allowed the resources of her office to be used to further a private grievance against a state employee. Given the almost total lack of cooperation offered by Palin, her attorney general, and nearly a dozen state employees who refused to comply with legislative subpoenas, the report is surprisingly courteous to the governor. It concludes that while Palin was empowered by the state’s constitution to fire Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan without cause, she was nevertheless not free to use her public office to pursue an essentially private vendetta against Wooten, whose misconduct had already been investigated and reprimanded.