Alaska. Iran.

Capital J

By Ron Kampeas · October 7, 2008

Get the connection?

Umm, winter sports? Check. (Iran has some killer ski slopes, I hear.)

Indigenous religious beliefs tied to the apocalypse? Okay.

Crazed political leaders anticipating the demise of the United States? And forming a mutual admiration society? Whoa.

In fairness, the Salon story on the Alaska Independence Party's oddball founder Joe Vogler and his chumminess with the Iranians covers a period predating Todd Palin's membership in the party. (Palin, of course, is husband to the current Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential pick, Sarah Palin.) The party reportedly cleaned up its act after Vogler's mysterious death and has since nominated candidates who comport with its new goals of making independence one of many options for Alaska.

In double, cross-your-fingers, tfoo-tfoo-tfoo fairness, though, Salon's point is not that the Palins are insurrectionists: it's that it's easy to tie just about anyone in American politics to an unsavory character - and that the Palin-Vogler stretch is about as taut as the Obama-Ayers "palship."

Hattip: TPM