The McCain campaign is standing up a truth-squadding operation designed to push what they deem as "smears" about Gov. Sarah Palin out of circulation.
The team, headquartered in Arlington, includes Mark Paoletta, a former chief counsel for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Edward O'Callaghan, a former federal prosecutor for the Southern District, and Brian Jones, a GOP strategist and former RNC research director. Jones, who stepped down as the campaign's communications director last June, and Paoletta, who became a senior adviser to the campaign in August, are volunteers; O'Callaghan is on staff.
The campaign plans to announce the team's existence today in the wake of a report by John Fund about Democratic operatives and lawyers scouring Anchorage for dirt about Palin.
"We're meeting it head on," said Brian Rogers, a campaign spokesperson.
The campaign will dispatch high-profile surrogates -- mostly women -- to combat false info in the press, and the campaign will send "truth squad alerts" as warranted.
Along with validated claims -- that Palin sought and obtained earmarks, that she didn't initially oppose the Bridge to Nowhere, that she raised sales taxes as mayor of Wasilla, that she maintained a working relationship with Sen. Ted Stevens, plenty of inaccurate information has spread , including charges that cut special needs funding (she didn't), was a Buchananite (not true), that she wanted to mandate the teaching of creationism in Alaska public schools (she said that it didn't have to be taught alongside evolution, although she didn't oppose it), that her pastor was a Jew for Jesus (a guest pastor at the church was, not her regular pastor), that she was a member of the Alaska Independence Party (her husband was) and that she covered up her daughter's pregnancy (Nope.) Partisans are currently litigating a slew of other incidents: did Palin want to ban books in Wasilla? No books were banned, but a "rhetorical" question was asked. Did Palin overstep her authority in pressuring a subordinate to fire a former relative? That's pending. Among many others. The battle to define Palin will probably last through the election.
The team reports directly to chief strategist Steve Schmidt.
A full list of the GOP truthsquadders can be found after the jump.
National Members Of The Palin Truth Squad:
· Former Governor Jane Swift (R-MA)
· Governor Linda Lingle (R-HI)
· Lt. Governor Sean Parnell, (R-AK)
· Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN)
· Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
· Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
· Congresswoman Thelma Drake (R-VA)
· Congresswoman Mary Fallin (R-OK)
· Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
· Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX)
· Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
< font face=Arial>· Congresswoman Candice Miller (R-MI)
· Congresswoman Sue Myrick (R-FL)
· Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
· Congresswoman Heather Wilson (R-NM)
· Jo Ann Davidson, RNC Co-Chair
· Rosario Marin, Former U.S. Treasurer
· Meg Stapleton, Former Aide To Governor Palin
· Kristan Cole, Lifelong Friend Of Governor Palin
State Members Of The Palin Truth Squad:
· Former Lt. Governor Jane Norton (CO)
· State Representative Amy Stephens (CO)
· State Board of Education Member Peggy Littleton (CO)
· State Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff (FL)
· County Commissioner Mildred Fernandez (FL)
· Former Iowa Senate President And Former U.S. Ambassador To The Eastern Caribbean, Mary Kramer (IA)
· State Representative Jackie Walorski (IN)
· State Representative Laura Brod (MN)
· Former GOP State Party Chairwoman And Former State Rep. Barb Sykora (MN)
· Jayne Millerick, Former NH GOP Chair (NH)
· State Senator Jennifer Beck, Honorary Co-Chair NJ Women For McCain-Palin (NJ)
· Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose, Honorary Vice Chair NJ Women For McCain-Palin (NJ)
· Bergen County Clerk Kathe Donovan, Honorary Co-Chair NJ Women For McCain-Palin (NJ)
· DA Dona Ana County Susana Martinez (NM)
· Former Lt. Gov. Lorraine Bono-Hunt (NV)
· State Senator Barbara Cegavske (NV)
· State Assemblywoman Heidi Gansert (NV)
· Sue Lowden, Nevada GOP Chair (NV)
&# 183; Kay Ayres, OH GOP Vice Chair (OH)
· Betty Montgomery, Ohio Women For McCain-Palin Chair (OH)
· Mary Taylor, Ohio Auditor Of State (OH)
· Margie Hughes, Clackamas County Chair Of Women For McCain-Palin (OR)
· Linda Neace, West Linn Small Business Owner For McCain-Palin (OR)
· Deanna Smith, Women For McCain-Palin Chairwoman (OR)
· Renee Amoore, PA GOP Deputy Chair (PA)
· Joyce Haas, PA GOP Vice Chair (PA)
· State Senator Lisa Baker (PA)
· Diana Irey, Washington County Commissioner (PA)
· Christine Toretti, RNC National Committeewoman and McCain-Palin Pennsylvania Co-Chair (PA)
· Kim Ward, Westmoreland County Commissioner and McCain-Palin Pennsylvania Regional Chair (PA)
· Former First Lady Susan Allen (VA)
· Lori Ann Miller, Young Republican Federation Of VA Chairman (VA)
· Former Lt. Gov. Margaret Farrow (WI)
· Peggy Oban Boze, McCain-Palin Chairwomen For King County (WA)
· Susan McCaw, Former Ambassador To Austria (WA)
· Della Newman, Former Ambassador To New Zealand (WA)
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