Governor Palin's Victories Against Ethics Complaints

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Winning Streak

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is batting 1,000 against ethics charges. The Washington Times reports the former Republican vice presidential nominee has fought off all 14 complaints since being put on the ticket.

The latest came from an Anchorage resident who said Palin abused her position for financial gain by wearing a jacket in public that was manufactured by the snowmobile company that sponsors her husband. That complaint was dismissed last week.

Governor Palin had called the charge, "asinine political grandstanding."

On Second Thought

Taking public transportation may not be as environmentally-friendly as you think. Two University of California environmental engineers, Mikhail Chester and Arpad Horvath, say seat occupancy and the underlying carbon costs can skew our understanding of emissions. They say pollution that comes from building infrastructure and supporting mass transit is rarely factored into emissions reports.

They maintain that in some circumstances, it is better to drive into a city in an SUV rather than take a train. That's because a car that is fully occupied may be responsible for less greenhouse gas per-mile traveled per-person, than a train that is only a-quarter full.

The study also points out that some so-called energy-efficient trains actually use large amounts of dirty fossil fuels. Other trains that are considered less energy-efficient are powered by higher percentages of clean energy.

Minding Their Own Business

And there is more backlash against the "Buy American" provision in President Obama's stimulus package. Canada's mayors have passed a non-binding resolution barring American bidders from city contracts. Similar rules have already been adopted by some city councils.

Supporters say they hope the moves will strengthen Prime Minister Stephen Harper's case as he lobbies against the "Buy American" provision. President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Jean Perrault, says: "The U.S. protectionist policy is hurting Canadian firms, costing Canadian jobs and damaging Canadian efforts to grow our economy in the midst of a worldwide recession."

More than 70 percent of Canada's exports go to the U.S.

— FOX News Channel's Zachary Kenworthy contributed to this report.