In her convention speech, Sarah Palin bragged about putting the state airplane up for sale on eBay. "It was over the top," she smirked.

Of course the plane didn't actually sell on eBay because she couldn't get a good enough price. So instead she hired a broker.

In fact, the jet did not sell on eBay. It was sold to a businessman from Valdez named Larry Reynolds, who paid $2.1 million for the plane -- shy of the $2.7 million purchase price -- according to news reports at the time. Reynolds contributed to Palin's campaign in 2006.

So Alaska lost $600,000 in the deal with Palin donor Larry Reynolds. Which raises the question: was it a sweetheart deal designed to enrich Reynolds?

Update 1: Of course John McCain lied about the whole deal:

"You know what I enjoyed the most? She took the luxury jet that was acquired by her predecessor, and sold it on eBay -- and made a profit!" McCain declared in Wisconsin at a campaign stop Friday.