If you thought news articles about Palin’s future son-in-law’s minor fishing infractions were bad enough, bet a load of this:

WASHINGTON - GOP vice presidential pick Sarah Palin accepted at least $4,500 in campaign contributions in the same fundraising scheme at the center of a public corruption scandal that led to the indictment of Sen. Ted Stevens.

The contributions, made during Palin’s failed 2002 bid to become Alaska’s lieutenant governor, were not illegal for her to accept. But they show how Palin, a self-proclaimed reformer who has bucked Stevens and his allies, is nonetheless a product of a political system in Alaska now under the cloud of an ongoing FBI investigation.

So how did the fine reporters at the Associated Press come up with this link between Palin and corruption?  We find out with details buried after no less than 14 nasty paragraphs rehashing Todd Palin’s DUI, Sarah Palin’s college-aged pot use and Bristol Palin’s baby (because it’s important they pile on so you really know what disgusting people the Palins are):

...Alaska’s first female governor has at times benefited from Alaska’s entrenched political system.

As Palin campaigned unsuccessfully in 2002 to become lieutenant governor, she received contributions from executives at VECO Corp., a powerful Alaska oil field services company. Company founder Bill Allen has admitted the company steers its donations through a “special bonus program” in which executives received money and the company instructed them to donate it to favored politicians.

So what’s the significance of VECO?  Well we have to wade through another 14 paragraphs describing what utter schmucks the Palins are before we get to this:

In the fundraising corruption probe, VECO founder Allen is cooperating with an FBI investigation that has already sent several state political figures to prison. He is expected to be the Justice Department’s star witness at Stevens’ trial later this month when he testifies about home renovations and other gifts he provided the longtime senator — gifts Stevens is charged with concealing on Senate documents.

So, basically, VECO and its founder Bill Allen made illegal contributions to Alaskan political figures.  Of course none of the contributions made to Palin were illegal and all of them were made before Allen/VECO’s illegal contributions to other candidates were exposed, but that doesn’t matter.  It’s “guilt by association” for that nasty Sarah Palin.

Forget that, when the VECO matter was brewing, Palin publicly called on now-indicted Alaska Senator Ted Stevens to come clean about his relationship with the organization.  Forget that Palin turned on Stevens the moment she learned that he was involved in illegal campaign transactions.  Forget that Palin has a long history of exposing government corruption, particularly among Republicans.

None of that matters because none of that is convenient for AP’s liberal agenda.

On a related note, anyone else remember any media organization anywhere in the world devoting so much time and effort into exposing Barack Obama’s background?  His connections with Tony Rezko?  His connections with Rev. Jeremiah “God Damn America” Wright?  His connections with William “I Wish I’d Set More Bombs” Ayers?  Not once in Obama’s years of campaigning for both the Senate and for the White House has that level of effort been put into checking his background.

But Sarah Palin, a vibrant young Republican who has conservatives fired up in a race Obama was already just barely winning, walks on the scene five days ago and already the nation’s reporters have spent more time digging up dirt on her than they ever have with Obama.