From Bill White in Anchorage --

The campaign of Ethan Berkowitz issued the following statement today after Lisa Murkowski lost her re-election bid:

September 1, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

In U.S. Senate Race, Parnell-Treadwell Team Threw Lisa Murkowski and Alaskas Power in D.C. Under the Bus

ANCHORAGE, AK Ethan Berkowitz, the Democratic Party of Alaskas candidate for Governor, issued the following statement today concerning Senator Lisa Murkowskis defeat in the Republican Primary:

I have known Lisa Murkowski for over a decade. I worked with her when we were both in the Alaska State Legislature. Lisa was, and remains today, an honest, decent, truthful hardworking Alaskan. While we did not always agree on every issue, she was always respectful and reasonable. Beyond that, she was a good person with a good heart.

Since Ted Stevens left the United States Senate in 2008, Lisa Murkowski has been Alaskas sway and power in Washington, DC., and has amassed stature and influence. In just 8 short years of service in D.C., she was the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. That committee has direct jurisdiction over most of Alaskas key issues, including Alaska Native lands and related programs, federally owned land in Alaska, federal energy (oil and gas) policy, wildlife management, renewable energy policy, and a host of other issues.

More recently Lisa was appointed to the Senate Appropriations Committee, a key committee with direct oversight on issues of critical importance to Alaskas stability and economy, including defense spending, homeland security spending, and transportation and renewable energy investments, among other issues. Were there wasteful projects and needless pork spending in the process? Absolutely. But I think Lisa was soon going to be in a position to be able to respond to the publics growing concerns about our national deficits and the soaring debt by taking the Appropriations Committee and the budget in general in a new, more focused and more austere direction.

Given that Alaska has always been so dependent on getting permission from DC to do much of anything, be it seeking investments in our infrastructure or the use of our own land, Alaska now finds itself in the wilderness with no seniority in the U.S. Senate.

That is why I pose the following question: As Governor, why did Sean Parnell not intervene in the GOP Senate Primary to endorse Lisa Murkowski? Surely his support could have garnered Lisa another few thousand votes. As Governor you have to be able to put partisan issues aside to govern for the good of the whole state. Alaskas Governors have always relied on the strength and power of our Congressional Delegation to fend of attacks against our state from federal bureaucracies and Outside interests.

Sean Parnell is acting-Governor today because he rode into office on the Sarah Palin ticket, and he has been keeping her seat warm since she left the state prematurely. We all know what Sarah Palin feels about Lisa Murkowski since she endorsed, raised money and made robo-calls for Joe Miller. That was an easy call for Sarah Palin to make since she long ago stopped thinking about Alaskas future in favor of her own national ambitions. But Sean Parnell has real responsibilities as acting-Governor. Those responsibilities now become exponentially more difficult without real leadership and real seniority in the U.S. Senate.

And as for Mead Treadwell, someone who I know was both a supporter and a close personal friend to Lisa Murkowski and her family for decades, I am astounded that he would abandon her just to secure an endorsement from the Tea Party for his primary race. I cannot fathom the betrayal and hurt that Lisa Murkowski feels today given how she was treated by Mead Treadwell this summer. I guess that is what happens when you put your own political ambitions ahead of true friends and personal loyalty.

But this all feeds into a pattern: In 2008 when Sarah Palin was on the GOP ticket for the White House, she threw Ted Stevens under the bus. At the same time I called for Alaskans to wait before jumping to conclusions on the Ted Stevens matter. This year, Sean Parnell threw Lisa Murkowski under the bus through his silence, and later Mead Treadwell threw Lisa under the bus by his direct actions. In all three cases, these actions were motivated by personal ambition and the desire for personal, temporary gain. None of these people or their actions were taken in the long term interests of Alaska when it comes to defending our freedoms from the overreach of the federal government.

Alaskans now are faced with a choice in November in the Governors race knowing that Alaska now sits in a more vulnerable position given our lack of power and seniority in the U.S. Senate, will voters stay with the Parnell-Treadwell status quo that is stagnating our future? Or will voters give the Berkowitz-Benson plan a hard look in the interest of bringing the power and focus of Alaskas decision-making back to Alaska through a strong Governor with a bold vision?

As for Lisa Murkowski, I join the tens of thousands of other Alaskans who thank her for her energy, efforts and service. I am sorry to see how Lisa was treated in her primary by her own party leaders and her friends. I hope we have not seen the last of Lisa Murkowski she has too much to offer Alaska. Something tells me she will be back, and I look forward to working with her when that time comes.