Anchorage Daily News

TICKET FLIP . . . The Associated Press reported Friday that Sarah finally slipped up and said in public what we've all been thinking: She referred to it as the "Palin and McCain administration." Ear just wonders what took her so long.

She can't actually kick him off the ticket, can she?

Along those lines, here's a scary bumper sticker from an earwig: "McCain in '08. Palin in '09." Another, presumably pro-Obama, reads simply: "McCaint." Also, someone is driving around Anchorage with the license plate, "4 sara."

A FOOTNOTE . . . to the continuing flap over Sarah's e-mail. Unless you just got back from Pluto, you know that hackers broke into one of the governor's personal e-mail accounts last week and published a couple of the exchanges, one with Lite Gov. Sean Parnell. In it, Sarah and Sean lament over criticism of candidate Sean leveled by radiomouth Dan Fagan, who's about as right wing as they are.

Sarah's actually kind of nice in her comments, sounding more hurt than angry at Fagan's flaying. But along with commiseration, she offers the following: "His fighting you reveals some evil stuff going on with him."

"Evil?" Alors! That's pretty dark.

"I think she's saying I'm like devil-possessed," said a bemused Fagan. "I really think that's what she means."

Satan declined comment.

AUDITIONING? . . . Here's the question Ear got asked most often this past week: "What's up with Meg Stapleton?"

The grapevine is rumbling overtime about Meg's shrill public performances on behalf of Palin-McCain. The former KTUU anchor and flack for ACS is now a pit bull for the campaign in Alaska.

Earwigs report Stapleton went bananas when Channel 2 News pointed out a "mistake" by the so-called McCain "truth squad" during an attack on the Troopergate investigation. The squadies called the probe politically motivated by Obama supporters.

Oh please.

Specifically, they blamed Democrat Hollis French for not subpoenaing Palin's former chief of staff Mike Tibbles when actually it was Republican Jay Ramras who asked that Tibbles not be subpoenaed.

In addition to savaging Walt Monegan at a press conference, Stapleton made a number of angry phone calls, several to her old colleague, KTUU news director Steve MacDonald, complaining that the station's coverage was biased. Apparently pointing out the error was proof of bias.

She even called reporter Jason Moore's wife at home. Jason confirmed the call but declined to comment.

Ramras, who called the Palin-McCain hysteria over Troopergate "bizarre," said he thought it was unfair to pull Tibbles into the subpoena fight because he doesn't work for the state anymore and would have to hire his own lawyer. Jay didn't mention Tibbles is running the Ted Stevens re-election campaign. Ear can't help but suspect that regular Republicans (non-Palistas) like Ramras shudder at the thought of Ted's guy being subpoenaed for any reason.

Jay said he also asked the committee not to subpoena Sarah herself.

Asked about the Stapleton calls, Steve MacDonald was determinedly diplomatic, as befits a news director. "I don't blame her for it," he said of the complaints. "She's just doing her job. And we're doing ours."

NOW IN PAPERBACK . . . Word is Kent Sturgis, co-owner of Epicenter Press in Seattle, has brokered a lucrative deal for paperback rights to his unexpected best seller, "Sarah: how a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment Upside Down," by Kaylene Johnson. Industry gossip is that Kent, a former News-Miner editor, licensed the rights to Tyndale, a publisher that appears to specialize in religious books. Word is post-nomination demand led to the printing of 350,000 new copies.

Talk about good timing.

A NEW APPROACH . . . Ethan Berkowitz was scheduled to attend a fundraiser Friday in Los Angeles, called "Bagels and Bloggers for Berkowitz." What's new? It was billed as a "small-dollar" event. Fifty bucks got you through the door, although they suggested $100 and the VIP reception was $250.

Small dollar? How unAlaskan.

NO COMMENT . . . Here's a note from the Earmail: "Lets get this straight. Eddie Burke gets suspended for five days for giving out people's phone numbers on the air and State Trooper Mike Wooten gets suspended for five days for Tasering his 10-year-old son, taking a moose without a permit and drinking and driving ... in a patrol car!"

WELCOME TO THE WORLD . . . as we know it, Milo Van Emerson, first child of Ross and Laura Rasmuson Emerson, born Wednesday in Anchorage. Milo is the fourth grandchild for retired NBA mogul Ed Rasmuson and wife Cathy. Which means great grandma is Mary Louise.

MUM'S THE WORD . . . Add to the list of citizens urged not to talk to reporters about Sarah: High School students who are members of the Youth Court in the Valley. An Earwig reports they were told mid-week that if anyone from the press asks them about Palin or the election they should refer them to the Wasilla mayor's office.

Not the campaign office d'Ears. The mayor's office.

WELL, OK . . . Susan Morgan writes from the Department of Health and Social Services that last week's item about her commissioner e-mailing pro-Sarah stuff to staff on the state computer was flawed. The information about where to find an online video of Sarah's speech was only in the letter posted on the Department's Web site, not in the original distribution.

NAUGHTY . . . Some people who don't much like Sarah have found a clever way to drive her nuts. They are suggesting donations to Planned Parenthood in Sarah's name. "A Planned Parenthood donation is tax deductible, while a political donation isn't," they point out in an anonymous e-mail making the rounds. Ear got it from a couple of Valley folks.

"And here's the good part," the message says. "When you make a donation to PP in her name, they'll send her a card telling her that the donation has been made in her honor."

Compiled by Sheila Toomey. E-mail ear@adn.com. Find Ear online at adn.com/ear.

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