Critics charge Palin lacks follow-through

JUNEAU, Alaska, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's leadership style has been criticized as lacking follow-through and punitive to those who contradict her, critics say.

Critics cited as an example Palin's efforts on a bipartisan bill in the Alaskan legislature to investigate charges of unethical conduct by a senior Republican official waned after she became governor, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

A spokesman for the governor's office said such criticism is misplaced. Palin's press secretary Bill McAllister said the governor has always been "sufficiently" informed and engaged.

"In just two years in office, she accomplished more than most governors in their entire careers," McAllister told the Times.

Her critics do credit Palin with moving a state rocked by ethics scandals into cleaning house and pushed to make oil companies pay more to access Alaska's oil and gas reserves.

Her administration also hasn't been as transparent as she promised, the Times said. Palin invoked executive privilege in refusing to disclose information about one ethics case, and last week she moved to block a legislative inquiry into her role a state public safety official's firing.

Several legislators told the Times Palin does not brook much dissent, sometimes cutting off relations with those she deemed unhelpful or critical.