John McCain’s choice for Vice President, Alaska’s first-term Governor, Sarah Palin, was daring, audacious, novel, disturbing to some Democrats, and – most likely – very, very lame. As August unfolds into September and October, the national spotlight will now inspect Alaska politics more closely than ever. The upcoming corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens is already due to bring more scrutiny toward our politics, but the little-known “Branchflower Investigation” into Palin’s firing of her top cop, will now also become a national story.

firedoglake had hoped to wrap up the TedFest! poetry contest here today because it is the first anniversary of the FBI raid on his Girdwood chalet. The raid was the first in the history of the United States upon the home state dwelling of a sitting member of the U.S. Senate.

But serendipity mucked up our plans. I don’t think “anybody could have predicted” that between the beginning of TedFest! and its wrap-up, Ted would be busted. To answer once and for all the question I’ve dealt with dozens of times since yesterday morning – no – I didn’t know in advance. And I’m not sure Ted did.