More developments in the Troopergate story.

Palin has become very fond of the preemptive strike. Once again, in a less than shocking pre-emptive power play, Governor Palin’s Personnel Board has concluded Palin’s investigation of herself. That’s right, she decided to just jump right in there and investigate herself, because the bipartisan Legislative investigation just couldn’t be impartial. Like her.

So, drumroll please……Palin has declared herself INNOCENT! She’s done nothing wrong! Boy that was a nail-biter.

But now, we leave Sarah’s Fantasy Land and come back to reality. After overcoming every hurdle, every stonewalling tactic and every flimsy legal challenge imaginable, the report is in the hands of Legislators. Tomorrow, the Alaska Legislative Council will decide what to do with the results of the real investigation – the one that John McCain and Sarah Palin would rather you not see. For weeks now, Special Investigator Stephen Branchflower has been investigating Palin’s firing of the Commissioner of Public Safety, Walt Monegan to see if she abused her power as governor to fire him because he, in turn, would not fire her ex-brother in law because of a family squabble. Questions were also asked about the Palins’ role in what appears to be interference in a workers compensation claim filed by the ex-brother-in-law, Trooper Michael Wooten.

But before the report is released, the Legislative Council must vote to do so. There is EXTREME pressure coming from very high in the Republican Party to keep this report from coming out. If this report is released to the public tomorrow, it will be because of the principled bravery of a majority of members of the Legislative Council, particularly the Republicans who will have had to stand up to their own party. And that’s where we stand.

Meanwhile, on a lighter note…

This brings us to our final installment of the Countdown to Truth, and the Top 10 Reasons the report should be released:

10: Maybe once the report comes out people will stop naming their pitbulls “Sarah” and making them wear lipstick. Because that is just all kinds of wrong. 9: It will give Meg Stapleton the opportunity to stop lying about Walt Monegan and Troopergate, and to start lying about why Sarah Palin got her ass handed to her in the debate. 8: If it doesn’t come out then what will Alaska Progressive bloggers write about all weekend? 7: This investigation has cost Alaskans $100,000. The last time Alaskans spent that kind of money with nothing to show for it, was on exotic dancers and cocaine back in the oil drenched 1980’s. 6: Because the McCain campaign does not want the report to be made public, and when was the last time ANYBODY told Alaskans not to do something and we listened? 5: Once this report is finally out we can all stop pretending to like Dan Fagan. 4: The report will undoubtedly convince the Palins that they need to return home where surely they will be inspired to add yet another offspring to their brood, perhaps this one to be named “Phlegm Wingnut Palin”? 3: It will allow Alaskans to stop focusing on this distraction and get back to watching for Russians trying to come over the border so that we can shoo them back to where they belong. 2: Once it is released perhaps it can be given as reading material to poor little Bristol Palin who apparently is secreted, along with Cathy Baldwin-Johnson and hockey stud Levi Johnston, in a secret vault deep under the White House, or in a bear cache in the wilds of Wasilla, until her mother’s doomed run for Vice President comes to an end. 1: It will clear the name of Walt Monegan and make his mother, possibly the sweetest woman in Alaska , very happy. So this is the last day to send your emails urging that the report be released. The Legislative Council will meet tomorrow at 9:00am Alaska time (1:00pm EST, 10:00am PST). At this point it really could go either way. Great forces are at work here, and we’ll have to just wait and see. Thanks to all who have been helping from near and far. Email addresses are in the comments. (h/t to Gryphen, our Top 10 Guy)