Well, this is a first. I just paid for some news. $3.39, as a matter of fact, but I just had to learn more about the SECRET AFFAIR SCANDAL that FORCES SARAH PALIN OUT! That and the SHOCKING REASON SHE QUIT.

The National Examiner story does contain some news. Buried at the end is a link to Max Blumenthal’s website and Max’s allegations that the investigation into Palin’s unholy relationship with Spenard Building Services drove her out of office. (Clicking that link worked out well because I notices that Ed Markey has called bullshit on Palin’s ridiculous statements about energy and global warming.)

The National Examiner, however, still thinks their scoop on Sarah’s affair with Todd’s former business partner Brad Hanson is to blame. Nothing new in the story, really, but it gave the National Examiner an excuse to remind their readers about Hanson.

The story first surfaced during the campaign last year when she was Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s running mate.

“The story definitely tested her marriage,” says an insider.

And recently, as her name kept popping up as the top Republican to run for president in 2012, the 45-year-old governor feared the talk of her so-called affair with Brad Hanson would surface again.

Steamy romance

Sarah has continued to strongly deny the affair, but the sources say the steamy romance blossomed in 1996 when she was mayor of Wasilla and Brad was a councilman in the nearby town of Palmer and also Todd’s partner in a snowmobile dealership.

“Sarah’s husband Todd had been away a lot fishing and working on Alaska’s North Slope and Sarah was spending a lot of time with Brad,” says a source close to Brad’s wife Carolyn.

“They shared a common interest in politics and started an affair.” Adds another source: “Todd was away on business a lot and Sarah felt lonely. Brad was a good listener, and Sarah talked to him at length.

“Eventually, she realized that she was falling in love with him.”

When Todd returned, Sarah confessed that she had become close to Brad, but denied the relationship was physical, says a source.

“She told Todd that it was an affair of the heart and it hadn’t been consummated,” says the source. “But Todd took the news badly and dissolved the snowmobile dealership with Brad.”

The shocking tale of an alleged affair also nearly destroyed Hanson’s marriage to Carolyn, who reportedly later confirmed to her family members that it was true, say sources.

Yeah, you’ll definitely want to buy a copy for yourself. The story is remarkably sympathetic to Sarah Palin, but I’m sure that’s the winning formula for the Examiner here. The issues are bought by the wives who cluck their tongues then try not to notice when the copy disappears only to resurface months later when wifey redisovers it tucked in amongst hubby’s Penthouse stash.

Sarah fools around?!

Yeah, I think that will boost the Examiner’s circ down at the trailer park.

See also Wolcott on Palin and the f-word, and Maha has a great musical video on Palin quitting.

-

Speaking of adulterers, another C Street resident admits to porking someone other than his wife. Chip Pickering was so enamored of his paramour that he turned down Trent Lott’s Senate seat so as to avoid having to publicly re-assert the sanctity of his failed marriage.

You know, it sounds to me like those C Streeters take that King David shit pretty seriously.

TBogg’s take.

[video of Jeff Sharlet on Rachel Maddow talking about C Street]

-

If you haven’t seen this video lifted from Matt Taibbi yet, you really, really want to, trust me on that.

I’m not sure what I’m feeling right now, but I think it’s my body telling me it wants to have Max Keiser’s baby. (I think my prostate’s having a midlife identity crisis.)

Digby has a nice graph of how Goldman Sachs took the bailout money and used it to leverage themselves even more than they had been.

In other financial news there’s more on how the Republicans gamed the new Pecora Commission, even as Dennis Kucinich was going on CNBC to rip on Hank Paulson.

-

For an even more incendiary video, check out Orcinus for Bill O’Reilly’s grossly misleading attack on Rick Perlstein.

Neiwert analyzes the video and Perlstein’s piece, and BillO doesn’t come off looking too good.

As usual. I read that Times piece and it was more than respectful of Palin. The disrespect here are the lies O’Reilly flings to make Perlstein look bad.

-

The ribbon for most disgusting shit today, however, goes to Barry Graham for his long piece in Harper’s about Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The first segment will hook you, and the remarkable details about the depths of Arpaio’s politicized sheriffing will keep you reading.

Damned good stuff.

-

A USN commodore testifies to Congress and the censors shut off the P.A. system to the audience when she mentions Gitmo.

One of those “proud to be an American” moments.

-

I liked Jon Stewart’s tribute to Lindsey Graham’s use of anonymous sources to ream Sotomayor. Stewart called on his own anonymous sources to talk about Lindsey:

“Lindsey Graham takes it up the cornhole.”
“He is a sad sack of shit and is an embarrassment to the state of South Carolina.”
“He’s such a white Southern pig racist idiot douchebag.”

FAIR’s Peter Hart looks at the NYTimes’ analysis of the hearings that called on five Republicans and one liberal (who has been critical of Sotomayor) to rip on Sotomayor. The rest is pretty much what you’d expect.

The Republicans are fighting the next SCOTUS nominee, trying to box Obama into going more and more conservative. Given how petulant they were this time around, I really do think Obama’s next appointment needs to be Lani Guinier.

No point in compromising with assholes who refuse to give an inch ever.

-

Scott Horton interviews Jack Balkin on our national surveillance state.

-

Gov. Sanford’s penny pinching with state money didn’t apply to the governor.

-

I like this graph:

It’s always good to remember that the Greatest Generation’s accomplishments were paid for by high taxes on the rich.

-

The story isn’t that David beat Goliath. The real story is what happened to David after he became king.

-

The competition is pretty fierce but for my money there is no bigger douche bag in the U.S. Senate than Diane Feinstein. [more]

-

Chiquita and Honduras.

-

Efforts are being renewed to get justice for one of America’s longest serving political prisoners.

-

I didn’t know Hillary Clinton has been trying to bring Sid Blumenthal aboard at State.

I love Max Blumenthal but neither he or his dad have any place in government.

Red meat partisans are great for campaigns, but not for governing. You’d think Clinton would have learned that from Dick Morris.

-

Pennsylvania jury decides that yes, you can bring a handgun to an Obama rally.

-

Lugar’s voting for Sotomayor.

-

Romenesko notes the PiPress byline strike, and Bob Woodward’s fatuous remark that Katharine Weymouth is now more qualified to head the WaPost after her boneheaded blunder on solons.

-

Virginia’s Michele Bachmann wannabee.

Accept no substitutes.

-

It’s Friday so I’ll probably post this week’s Bible verse later tonight. Until then be good.