It was the speech that electrified the nation and shook up the Republican campaign for the presidency. But when Gov. Sarah Palin talked about what she's done for the state of Alaska, not all are calling it accurate.

"Is it truthful? Well, no, I mean, she certainly embellished some of the details," said UAA political science Prof. Carl Shepro.

Among the more noticeable to Alaskans—her statements on the gasline.

"That pipeline, when its last section is laid and its valves are opened, will lead America one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers," Palin said.

Rep. Les Gara (D-Anchorage) said that was misleading.

"I know some people interpreted what she said to say that we're going to have a gasline very soon," Gara said. "I don't know if she meant to say that, but a gasline is coming, we hope in 2018 or 2020. And we have a lot of major hurdles, a lot of work ahead of us."

Shepro said, "Certainly taking credit for a gasline that isn't created is probably an embellishment."

But Shepro said, even more egregious than the gasline comment "is that she's taken credit for cleaning up corruption in Alaskan government."

"I came to office promising major ethics reform, to end the culture of self-dealing," Palin said. "And today that ethics reform is law."

Irksome to local lawmakers is that she takes credit for what was a team effort.

"Well, I've spent my last six years in this Legislature trying to clean it up. And she has, at times, worked with us on that, and I appreciate that," Gara said. "For me to take credit, or for her to take credit for something we've all done together, I think is a bit of a stretch."

Shepro was more blunt in his criticism: "Everything that has taken place was done by the feds."

But what was, perhaps, most offensive to some Alaskans is when she said, "I told the Congress, 'Thanks, but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

Gara said he was taken aback, "to hear her for the first time call it a 'Bridge to Nowhere' when Alaskans have sort of bristled at that term."

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Moreover, Palin declined to elaborate, Shepro said.

"The bridge wasn't built, but that's because the feds took the bridge out, Congress took the bridge, but left the money. And the money was used for other things," he said.

The $233 million was used for state transportation. Also, Congress killed off the earmark before Palin even had the chance to say, "No thanks."

But what puzzles most Alaskans is that she made the statement two years after she publicly supported that very bridge during her run for governor in 2006.

"I got the sense that someone not familiar with local issues wrote part of the speech for her," Gara said.

Analysts pointed out another discrepancy when Palin said she "suspended the state fuel tax and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress."

But under Gov. Palin, the state applied for nearly $200 million of earmarks for the fiscal year of 2009. And when Palin was mayor, she helped secure more than $11 million worth of earmarks for Wasilla.

Analysts say, all in all, it was a good speech and did the job of establishing her as a national figure.

"I thought it was good political theater," Shepro said.

To contact Grace, call 907-273-3186.