Alaska bloggers cost Levi Johnston his North Slope job. Oops.

Levi Johnston, the Wasilla teenager planning to marry Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, has quit his North Slope oil field job over questions about his eligibility to participate in an electrical apprenticeship program, Johnston's father said today.

Johnston this fall began working at the Milne Point oil field through the ASRC Energy Services apprenticeship program.

However, radio talk show commentator Dan Fagan, in a newspaper column published Sunday, questioned how Johnston could take part in the apprenticeship program without the required high school education.

Johnston's father, Keith Johnston, said in a telephone interview that his son decided to resign today and return home to work on his education.

"He felt it was the best thing to do to kind of calm the waters, so to speak," the elder Johnston said.

I doubt very seriously that it was only Dan Fagan's column that contributed to Alaskans questioning whether Levi was qualified for that sweet apprentice electrician job or not.

The topic was extensively covered by this blog, as well as Mudlfats, Andrew Halcro, Progressive Alaska, Celtic Diva, not to mention a number of national blogs and websites, that found the story much too juicy to pass up.

Now I am sure that Dan Fagan's article may have started the ball rolling (Even though it was at least two days after my first post on the subject), but I would hardly give him all of the credit. I think that Papa Johnston would just rather give him credit because he is "one them". In other words a conservative.

Don't want to give those "liberal bloggers" too much publicity now do we?

The senior Mr. Johnston also undermines the main premise of the Fagan article by saying that Governor Sarah did NOT have anything to do with Levi's preferential treatment.

Keith Johnston also said the governor had nothing to do with getting Levi Johnston the oil field job. Keith Johnston said his own position as an ASRC construction engineer accounts for any help his son received in landing work.

Whether Mr. Johnston's account is true, or Dan Fagan's is true, I think we can all rest assured that if Levi was indeed qualified for that slope job he would still be up there making a boatload of money. You don't just walk away from that kind of cash simply because somebody hurt your feelings.