What Do Sarah Palin and Scientology Have in Common?

A lot, it turns out. Both want your money, both elicit strong opinions in Hollywood and both would be unable to find a prayer partner among John McCain staffers.

And both are getting pimped all over Washington by Greta van Susturen's husband. Gawker reports that John Coale-- husband to Greta, 2012 campaign adviser to Sarah-- only turned to the field of presidential consulting when his initial goal of creating a pro-Scientology Political Action Committee flamed out...

John Coale, currently advising Sarah Palin on running for president in 2012, is a Scientologist. And according to a memo obtained by Gawker, Coale once plotted to use friendly politicians to advance the power-hungry cult's agenda.

In 1986, he masterminded a plan-which was never executed-for Scientology to get into the "MONEY and VOTES game" in order to "create power" for Scientology and win influence Washington, D.C.

The idea behind the PAC was to garner access to high-powered Washington lawmakers for the purposes of advancing Scientology. What Coale didn't realize, of course, is that sensible, religiously pure lawmakers like, say, John Ashcroft knew a lunatic religion when they saw one, and so they told him off. (Possibly in tongues.)

So with that failure under his belt, Coale is now charged with getting Palin far deeper into Washington's "MONEY and VOTES game" than he was able to get his own religion. We understand that he's putting the hard sell on Dick Cheney and he's already gotten Rick Santorum on board.

And as if that wasn't enough, Coale also managed to hook Palin up with a slow-pitch puff piece interview with his wife on Fox News. Can you say "MONEY and VOTES game"! (And if not, how about "Xenu, body thetans and the Galactic Confederacy"?)

Pay the man, Governor Palin! (Ideally in auditing credits on the E-meter.)