Former Governor Sarah Palin left Alaska with the highest state debt burden in the United States

Former less than one-term Governor Sarah Palin has long sold herself as a fiscal conservative, arguing against the Democrats' health overhaul on the grounds that the nation simply can't afford it.

But when the former losing vice presidential candidate resigned as governor of Alaska in the summer of 2009, she left the state with a 70 percent debt-to-GDP ratio, the highest state debt burden in the United States.

By comparison, crisis-stricken California has a debt ratio of less than 40 percent. All the more confounding about Alaska's debt is the fact that it is an oil-producing region with a small population to share in that wealth. 

Palin did face similar debt problems while mayor of Wasilla, and those appear to be of her own making. Wasilla's municipal debt went from around $1 million when she came in to office, to around $22 million when she left.

Karl Rove, former top Bush adviser, threatened with citizen's arrest for lying to take the US into Iraq war

Karl Rove, the former White House Deputy Chief of Staff and top Bush adviser was threatened with a citizen's arrest at a recent book signing event in California.

A co-founder of the activist group Code Pink, which has repeatedly interrupted both Republican and Democratic political figures' speeches with questions about the Iraq war in the past, brandished handcuffs at the former Bush adviser during a speech Monday night in Beverly Hills.

"Look what you did, you outed a CIA officer,'' Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans asserted, referring to former CIA officer Valerie Plame. "You lied to take us to war. You ruined a country.''

A second protester then called Rove a "war criminal." "The only comfort I take is that you're going to rot in hell,'' she said.

"With all due respect, this goes to show the totalitarianism of the left," Rove countered. "They don't believe in dialogue. They don't believe in courtesy. They don't believe in First Amendment rights for anybody but themselves.'' "If you want to keep interrupting me, you can get the heck out of here,'' Rove said.

Top Republican National Committee donor convicted of securities fraud

A top Republican National Committee donor was convicted last week of securities fraud, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Former Brocade CEO Gregory Reyes, who was convicted in federal court last Friday on nine counts of security fraud, donated $75,000 to the RNC between 2003 and 2006, according to FEC filings. 

Reyes's conviction marks one of the most high-profile victories for the government in prosecuting financial malfeasance. Reyes was convicted due to the practice of backdating, a process of listing options on a contract at a different date than they were actually offered.

The GOP donor's conviction also comes as a debate over financial reform legislation is set to take center stage in Washington when lawmakers return from recess. 

Members of the RNC's communications staff could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon regarding Reyes's donations because they were all at ‘Voyeur’, the risqué bondage club in West Hollywood.