To be clear, the job of a governor is to benefit the state. If Gov. Palin was able to redistribute federal tax dollars from the lower 48 to Alaska, she was doing her job. But to say (as she did) that she "championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress" is just silly. She might argue that only earmarks going to other states were "abused" and that Alaska's earmarks were necessary, but that argument can be made by every earmark recipient.

Palin played the earmark game just as enthusiastically when she was mayor -- and again, that's likely what her constituents wanted her to do.

In her earlier political career as mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a private lobbyist to help the tiny town secure earmarks from Stevens, entering Washington's "pay to play" culture in which lobbyists, campaign contributions and lawmakers are intertwined. The town obtained 14 earmarks, totaling $27 million between 2000-2003, according to data compiled by Taxpayers for Common Sense.

The earmarks undoubtedly benefited Wasilla. They included funding for a youth shelter, a transportation hub, and sewer repairs. Whether Wasilla, population 7,000 and a moose, needed $15 million for a rail project might be questionable, but Wasillans likely welcomed the money. Palin got it for them. That's what effective politicians do.

But painting oneself as a "reformer" in light of that record is a hard sell to anyone who lets facts stand in the way of perception.