McCain's VP keeps telling the private jet/eBay story: It wasn't her idea and it didn't sell

Watching CNN a few minutes, saw Sarah Palin, standing next to John McCain, say her now classic line about the private jet, "I put it on eBay." She certainly leaves the impression that it was her idea and the sale was successful. Neither are true. In fact, the eBay gimmick cost the state of Alaska money. Nico Pitney explains:

"It was the practice of the state to dispose of items such as this via eBay prior to listing the jet," Vern Jones, Alaska's Chief Procurement Officer, acknowledged on Tuesday.

Despite being a normal state procedure and, in the end, a costly one, Palin has highlighted her decision to put Alaska's luxury jet on eBay in every speech she has given since being chosen as McCain's vice president. It is a significantly abridged version of what happened.

By the time she was elected, there were many state items being offered on eBay. As the Anchorage Daily News reported on December 13, 2006, nine days after Palin took office and the day she announced the jet posting, the state was "auctioning 38 items on the site, including three aircraft -- two Super Cubs and a Cessna... Other items for sale included two sets of used helicopter floats ($300) and King Air exhaust stacks ($500)."

Back in 2003, the state sold an old ferry, The Bartlett, for $389,500. As Jones noted in a Daily News article at that time, "it [was] not usual for Alaska to sell big-ticket items on eBay because the site is cheap and has a big audience."

The state jet, in contrast, was not a good fit for eBay. Palin never actually sold the aircraft online (though, unlike John McCain, she never claimed that to be the case). But more important, while the jet sat unsold, Alaska was on the hook to pay $62,492.79 every three months as part of the initial purchasing deal.

But, it's such a good story and the GOPers love it. Why should facts matter. And, anyone who challenges the veracity of John McCain or his v.p. pick will be branded a sexist and un-American.

Also, maybe that for eBay CEO, Meg Whitman, who is a big McCain supporter can school Palin and McCain on how eBay works.