In today's Wall Street Journal - Gov. Sarah Palin requested $453 million in federal funding for various projects in Alaska.  But the Journal does not specify whether the funding was delivered through the normal legislative process or through so-called "earmarks."  Both John McCain and Sarah Palin have come out strongaly against earmarks abuse, so these funding requests -- though not illegal -- could potentially cause ethics problems for Palin. 

Captain Ed Morrisey investigated (something, apparently, that the WSJ reporters failed to do in detail) and notes that records detailing Gov. Palin's funding requests do not specify the mechanisms used to obtain the funding, but the cover letter sent by Palin specifies that, "In preparing these requests, the State has been mindful of Congressional concerns about budget deficits and earmarks."

Morrisey also notes that, as a state governor (and not a member of Congress), Sarah Palin can neither introduce Congressional legislation nor request earmarks.  Palin would have to send her funding requests via the Alaskan Congressional delegation (Ted Stevens, Lisa Murkowski, or Don Young), thus relying solely on them to make sure that the state received the requested funds.  Unfortunately, Ted Stevens is one of the Senate's biggest earmark and pork kings.

Even so, it's hard to see how normal federal funding requests which she cannot directly control could turn into a scandal for Sarah Palin.