Is the New York Times Preparing a Hit-Piece on Governor Palin?

(H/T Tommyreport)

The New York Times has sent a reporter to Juneau for an article detailing Governor Palin's governance of Alaska since the end of the 2008 presidential campaign.

The ADN reports:

Earwigs report that New York Times reporter Bill Yardley was in Juneau this past week. He's said to be working on a story about how Sarah's governance has changed since the VP race.

The Juneau Empire also confirms the presence of Mr. Yardley at Governor Palin's most recent press conference:

On Friday, Palin declined to comment on her plans for a future run for national office, or whether that might be affecting her relationship with the Legislature. But the most telling detail may have been the fact that the question was posed by a New York Times reporter who was visiting Juneau to cover Palin

The question asked by Mr. Yardley is very telling as to the intentions of his article. Do not be surprised if the article is similar to that of the anti-Palin piece that appeared in Conde Nast's Portfolio last month. The author of the Portfolio article went out of his way to quote Palin enemies such as Mike Hawker and Andrew Halcro.

A New York Times article centering on Palin's relationship with the legislature will likely be full of quotes from Palin's foes, who include: Jay Ramras, Mike Hawker, Beth Kerttula, Hollis French, Johnny Ellis and others. My prediction is that the article will paint Palin as the villian, while the legislature will be depicted as the victim. We have detailed how some in the Alaska Legislature have attacked Governor Palin for a variety of mundane reasons, including Ramras' recent questioning of Palin's choice for attorney general, Wayne Anthony Ross. Ramras was more focused on Governor Palin wearing an Arctic Cat jacket and potentially writing a book than he was on Ross' legal philosophy. The questioning eventually got so out of hand that Ramras was reminded by Rep. Lynn that this was Ross' confirmation, not Governor Palin's. Ramras has also questioned Palin's commitment to state government by sharing his concerns about a one day trip she will be taking during the last week of the legislative session. Ramras must have forgotten to mention the taxpayer junket he took part in to Washington D.C. that closed down the state capitol for a week. Rep. Les Gara also took part in the trip and was so excited at almost meeting the president that he detailed his experience in a letter. Hollis French was the ringleader of the "Tasergate" investigation, and he even went as far as promising an "October surprise." Looks to me as if the Alaska Democrats were playing politics on behalf of the national party. We've been detailing for weeks Beth Kerttula's involvement with the Juneau political machine. It was also rumored that Senate Majority leader Johnny Ellis bragged that he had an Obama campaign issued Blackberry phone during the presidential campaign.

When it comes to the so-called relationship problems between Palin and the legislature, I think it is safe to say that most of the blame lies with lawmakers.