For those who know me they know I love politics as much or more than I love game operations…so you know I love it when those worlds collide.  So I got a kick out of this convergence last week.

Palins Repeatedly Pressed Case Against Trooper

ANCHORAGE — The 2007 state fair was days away when Alaska’s public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, took another call about one of his troopers, Michael Wooten. This time, the director of Gov. Sarah Palin’s Anchorage office was on the line.

As Mr. Monegan recalls it, the aide said the governor had heard that Trooper Wooten was assigned to work the kickoff to the fair in late August. If so, Mr. Monegan should do something about it, because Ms. Palin was also planning to attend and did not want him nearby.

Somewhat bewildered, Mr. Monegan soon determined that Trooper Wooten had indeed volunteered for duty at the fairgrounds — in full costume as “Safety Bear,” the troopers’ child-friendly mascot. (NYtimes. com)

Poor Safety Bear getting drug down into the mud with a political campaign.  He deserves better.
Deep down I just with this dust-up would have been called Safety Bear-gate rather than Trooper-gate.

For more of these links (politics and mascots) see this blog entry on the Supreme Mascot Court.

–Cudo