Washington Post Attacks Palin For Spending 80% Less Than Predecessor For Travel

Just another example of the extreme the media elites are willing to go to destroy Gov. Sarah Palin is a front-page story in the Washington Post challenging Palin's travel expenses to date as Alaska's governor. The story attacks Palin for accepting a per diem allowance for nights she spends in her home, which the state finance director explained to the newspaper is permitted under Alaskan law. Buried deep in the story is the nugget of information:

Gov. Palin has spent far less on her personal travel than her predecessor: $93,000 on airfare in 2007, compared with $463,000 spent the year before by her predecessor, Frank Murkowski. He traveled often in an executive jet that Palin called an extravagance during her campaign. She sold it after she was sworn into office.

That's right. Gov. Palin spent 80% less than her predecessor and sold the state jet to save money for taxpayers. Instead, she flies coach on commercial airlines when she travels by plane. The story complains that Palin billed the state for her children who accompanied her on some trips, but as the Governor's staff noted, Palin did not claim per diem allowances Alaska law would have permitted her to claim for her children as well. Quick question here. Has the mainstream media done any analysis of the travel habits of Sen. Obama, Sen. Biden or Sen. McCain? The Center for Public Integrity did. It shows Sen. Biden accepted more than $200,000 in free travel for more than 75 trips across the U.S. and around the world from special interest groups over a recent 5-year period. Sen. McCain accepted just one free trip during the same period, a trip to Indianapolis paid by General Electric where McCain was interviewed by Hardball's Chris Matthews.