Far From Over! (The Re-energized Report)

The straws in the wind today favor the continuation of Republican hegemony and oppression sensible governance:

1.  Arianna Huffington is writing Ned Lamont's concession speech - it is not fair to say the darling of the left is out of ideas - let's say that he never actually had any idea other than to run as a mainstream, bowl-of-oatmeal anti-war Democrat, which certainly seemed like a plausible approach in Blue Connecticut.  [More on Ned's woes from the WaPo.]

2.  Matt Yglesias (probably not temperamentally a glass-half-full guy anyway), is fretting about the Republican cash advantage.

3.  Dick Cheney is feeling the love. (I have a feeling he's not in Washington anymore...)

4.  As Mickey Kaus noted, the Faster Failure Philosophy tells us that the 24/7 media slice. dice and digest one scandal and move on the next more quickly than ever.  Iraq?  Last week! (see Ned Lamont).  mark Foley and Dennis Hastert?  Sooo five minute ago!  The media must be fed and write now they are pawing at Senate Minority Leader Harry REIT.  By the end of October every thumbsucking pundit worth his salt will be pondering the possibilities of Speaker Pelosi - Happy Halloween!

Far from over.

Comments

[Tomf]

TM

"Speaker Pelosi". Please don't make the stomach turn so early in the morning.

Three weeks to go. I'm feeling better, but not good. Yet.

[Jimmy's Attack Rabbit]

Polls are for donks. I'm chomping at the bit to vote for my Republican Congress-critter, Senator, Gov., etc. I'd vote "straight ticket" but that reduces the joy of voting Republican in each race.

[Davis]

Americans are not 100% happy with the Republican leadership, but will cringe after giving more though to the alternative. There will never be a Speaker Pelosi.

With Democrats in charge, there would be a stalemate for 2 years between the Executive Branch and Congress. Two years from now, Social Security would still be intact, heading for bankruptcy. Illegal immigrants would still be streaming across the border. Taxes would be higher. Republicans will keep taxes low, seal the borders, and make the necessary changes to Social Security.

[dmh]

Never mind Iraq, Weldon, the increasinly competitive Republican districts where the incumbents poll under forty and have a single diget, or worse no, lead. Yes indeed, Lamont will lose giving the Republicans zero additional seats. The Republicans have the largest money advantage ever. All the voter energy is on the side of the Republicans. Reid's failure to report the transfer of property to a REIT is much worse than Abramoff, Foley, Ney, Weldon, et al combined. All the straws are blowing the Republican's way and in the face of the Democrats.

[maryrose]

TM:
Great thread! I totally agree -too close to call. Rasmussen whom I trust above all others has Talent in Missouri up 1 point. GOTV is crucial and repubs will make it happen. Contrary to MSM Ohioans don't heart Sherrod Brown. We know him for the blowhard that he is. People in northwest and southern Ohio go-Sherrod Who? DeWine in a nailbiter because Brown is known in Cuyahoga and Lorain county.

[Pofarmer]

Other Polls have Talent up by 6.

Talent will take the rural areas by a landslide. The only places McCaskill has a chance are St. Louis, Kansas City, Boone(College town), and Cape Girardeau(her home district. It will look like the Presidential election map. A few blue Dot's in a sea of Red.

[Cecil Turner]

Never mind Iraq . . .

Yeah, you gotta love the Democrats' offering such a clear choice. Moreover, they claim it's not a bug, it's a feature:

Democrats use strategy of ambiguity on Iraq [. . .]
"For a lot of Democrats it is a very successful strategy to simply mirror the voters' underlying discontent with the war, but not to offer specifics that make them a vulnerable target," said Matthew Woessner, an assistant professor of public policy at Pennsylvania State University.

I think we could make a campaign slogan out of that one . . . let's see how this sells:

Vote Democrat: because Winning the Election is more important than Winning the War

Personally, I don't think that approach is going to work, even with a complicit press corps, and that the longer the issues focus on defense, the worse off the Dems will be. However, that's hardly the number one issue when electing a congressman. If they could just keep from cheerleading for the enemy . . .

[Jane]

All the voter energy is on the side of the Republicans. Reid's failure to report the transfer of property to a REIT is much worse than Abramoff, Foley, Ney, Weldon, et al combined. All the straws are blowing the Republican's way and in the face of the Democrats.

I like your optimism. I never thought the right was as down in the dumps as portrayed, nor do I think it is at this point republican victory is a sure thing.

Now if we had a fair media it would be a landslide. But we don't.

[maryrose]

Jane:
Fair media is not going to be the determining factor. Fox is getting the real news out as are some newspapers. Bottomline-individual candidates have to sell themselves and campaign furiously between now and election day.Sara is correct GOTV efforts and phone -banks can be crucial as well as a lot of money. Even Jeff Greenfield on Imus today didn't thinka dem takeover was a done deal. # weks is an eternity inpolitics. I think the dems peaked too soon.
I love the fact that Howard Dean is monitoring dems. How typical of that party hat thinks nothing of perusing private republican FBI files brought to the WH and then denies knowledge of it. Dems are always sliding down a slippery slope..The recent CREW wiretaps on Weldon prove that.

[clarice]

Oh thank goodness..Mr. 70% chance of Rove being indicted woke up on the right side of the bed again. (Kidding TM).

OT: But here's a piece I did on Armitage which weaves his perfidy on Plame with his perfidy at DoS. http://americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5954

[maryrose]

Please excuse spelling errors above ;I'm mutitasking as well as talking on the phone so accuracy is not evident.

[Jane]

Fair media is not going to be the determining factor. Fox is getting the real news out as are some newspapers.

Maryrose,

Fox has been close to silent on Harry Reid - to my disappointment.

But I agree with you on the GOTV stuff. It's hard to know what people who don't pay attention are thinking. And since I'm in the liberal bastion of the universe, I'm not sure that I'd be able to gauge it anyway.

I'm convinced that going forward, the issue to deal with is the media. Even if we beat down the NY Times, I'm distressed by the Google influence at this point, because it feels like we are going in the wrong direction.

[MayBee]

What happened to the Mortgage Moms? They were just about to have their moment as the Hot New Demographic and suddenly BAM! They are off the front page; they are yesterday's news. Will they make a comeback? This is way more exciting than Entourage.

[Semanticleo]

"Out of ideas", "oatmeal..."?

Maguire, read your own post. Heh.

[Rick Ballard]

The RNC just laid out $725K for another ad buy for DeWine in Ohio. 'Big Time' Adam Nagourney sure has his fingers on the political pulse.

Jane,

Consider the implications of a Republican hold (which will be a 'win' based upon current media hype). After two (or six, depending) years of Mediacrat doom and gloom they still will not have been able to move the public. That's not a bad thing at all. They never, ever deserved anything but disdain and the best way to have that disdain demonstrated (after not purchasing or tuning in) is to hit ye olde ballot box.

The election comes down to the same thirty or so races in the end that were obviously worth watching in the beginning. I count about four potential 'surprises' due to scandal but thats it. Four out of 468 is no big deal.

I ran the numbers on campaign giving in the 3rd quarter for the top 25 competitive Republican seats (according to Real Clear Politics). The Reps took in $25.4M and the Dems took in $13.3. The Dem candidates raised more than the Reps in eight districts - and four of those were open seats. The four incumbents who didn't beat their opponents were Weldon in PA 7 (there is a slug of money coming in against him), Simmons in CT-02 (very slightly behind), Hostettler in IN-08 (a truly mediocre politician) and Taylor in NC-11 (a self financing candidate who immediately stepped up and refilled the pot).

Campaign donations are tangible evidence of support and while it is totally unsurprising that an incumbent takes in more money than the challenger the disparity between the totals does not indicate any 'Dem wave'.

I would also note that there are only eight seats within the 25 that require less than 10K votes to move the district (out of an average total votes cast of 190K).

The real campaign starts today and the Republicans have the money and organizational edge. The polling results show the height of the mountain that must be climbed - and it ain't Everest. It's closer to Stowe.

[clarice]

Rick, How boring to analyze elections that way instead of just sitting on the bar stools at the press watering holes and munching on the CW.

[Extraneus]

OT: Need a break from the roller-coaster ride of US electoral politics, nevermind life? Here's a short, scholarly discourse on the official Muslim response to the Pope's point about reason and faith. :-)

[TCO]

Look at the futures markets, guy. 'pugs are going down. It really doesn't bother me anymore. I'm sick of fatass elected for life 'pugs who are more worried about getting elected then about conservative issues. You can't scare me none with the Pelosi threat, either. You've been to that well too often. World did not end with Clinton in charge. As long as there are 40 'pugs in the Senate, world is safe.

[cboldt]

-- Republicans will keep taxes low, seal the borders, and make the necessary changes to Social Security. --

I doubt it - plus, taxes aren't exactly "low" now. Republicans don't need to promise completely effective "end results" for taxes, immigration or social security. And making the promises creates a risk of being called out for not performing up to promise.

All that is needed to justify a vote for the Republican is a belief that they will perform marginally better than the alternative.

[Pofarmer]

Fair media is not going to be the determining factor. Fox is getting the real news out as are some newspapers.

Maryrose,

Fox has been close to silent on Harry Reid - to my disappointment.

Whenever I watch Fox, I'm always dissapointed by how conservative they aren't. What little polling I've seen show's that Fox is still left of avg Americans.

Clintoon and the Libs here might think it's "a Right Wing hit machine" but they have leagues to go to even get close to that moniker.

[Sue]

It isn't Pelosi so much as it is Conyers and Rangel that I fear. Massive tax increases and endless impeachment proceedings are not what need for the next 2 years.

[danking70]

"Oh thank goodness..Mr. 70% chance of Rove being indicted woke up on the right side of the bed again."

I was going to make reference to a leaf in the wind but Clarice comes along with the perfect poke.

[SunnyDay]

Clarince, good article on Armitage. I'm amazed - over and over again.

[SunnyDay]

sorry didn't mean to give you a new name. clarince

[Jane]

I'm not thrilled with any of them and I continue to believe we would be better off to throw all the bums out. Except for the President, who for some reason I truly like.

[clarice]

Thanks, Sunny Day.
Danking, TM is so often right, we have to stand behind him in the chariot and remind him he's not always perfect as his does his trimuphal ride with the train of Greenwald etc trailing behind in chains.

[maryrose]

clarice:
Your analogy reminded me of that scene in Ben Hur. The infamous chariot race. As I see it it is TM as Ben Hur and KOS as the person in the other chariot.

[Other Tom]

The guy in the other chariot was the evil Mesalla, played by Stephen Boyd. He sure got his, didn't he?

[The Unbeliever]

As I see it it is TM as Ben Hur and KOS as the person in the other chariot.

I think that makes Ned Lamont the guy who got run over and killed during the race.

[Florence Schmieg]

Placing your decisions on the betters?? They follow the polls like the media does. Also, it is pretty easy to swarm them to get the desired result. Weekends and evenings, they always drop. I think that is when the college students move in. I know, I know, they are usually accurate you will tell me. And I will answer that they are accurate until they are not.

Rom Emmanuel and Chuck Schumer however will make sure we have endless Republican scandals until election day. The Clintonista war machine (Emmanuel and his ex buddies) is alive and well. To the Republicans here: How will you like a return to the Clinton era of politics once again?? Get everyone you know to go out and vote for the Republicans. Also brace yourself for whatever is going to be thrown at them in the next 3 weeks.

[Gary Maxwell]

You can't scare me none with the Pelosi threat, either

NO? OK how about Chairman Rangel? Majority Leader Murtha?

Still no?

This will do it.

Chairman Conyers.

Get off your dead ass and vote and ignor the pollsters. Or you will get the government and consequent burdens you deserve.

[anonymous]

"Republican" and "sensible governance" in the same sentence ...

who said conservatives can't be funny?

[azredneck]

Clarice: Great article. Chilling, no?

[Sara (Squiggler)]

On the "Deenergized thread" it was suggested that we start our own CREW-type watchdog group starting with a core of JOMers.

What's to prevent folks like us from forming a non-profit, non-partisan ethics watchdog organization?

Paperwork, a website, mail drop, some volunteer labor... put out a newsletter...

Posted by: SunnyDay | October 17, 2006 at 05:10 AM

I am reposting my reply here.

I think we should start a watchdog group. Jane, Clarice, and any of the other lawyers can help set up the legal side, I'll do the website and be your webmistress, Verner, Slimguy, TS and several others can be our crack research staff, Cahtyf can be our statistical guru, PeterUK can be our historian, etc, etc. Larwyn can be our liason person.

[anonymous]

Come on, kids, let's put on a show! My mom can make the costumes and we can all pitch in and paint the scenery. Come on, it'll be fun. Just like the grown-ups.

[Sara (Squiggler)]

Putting the "Children of the Nutroots" (sort of like the Children of the Corn) in charge of the government would be like locking a pedophile up with a bunch of Kindergarden girls. And let's face it, the Democratic party has been completely saboutaged and captured by the far far left.

We would have Auschwitz type facilities built all over America, the military would either be disbanded or the uniforms would be dyed pink and guns and bombs would be replaced with silly putty. Communes and co-op farms would be set up and corporations and businesses would be commandeered and become government controlled with only their leaders reaping the profits while the rest of us stand in bread lines. Only those who swear allegiance to Arianna and Kos would be allowed communication devices like cell phones, computers, cable TV, etc. Anyone even remotely disabled would be euthanized, only designer babies would be allowed to be born, all others would be forced to be aborted.

[maryrose]

Sara:
I like how you think. I'll help in anyway I can.

[Jane]

I'll repost my reply too:

I'm in

[hit and run]

Sara: several others can be our crack research staff

Hey, I want to be on the crack staff. Alas, not the crack research staff. I am not qualified.

But perhaps the wisecrack staff?

[anonymous]

It's beginning to sound like you've all been smoking it.

[clarice]

azredneck, Thanks.
People have no idea how little sway the elected officials have over the mandarinate. And if you really want to be scared, read Gertz' new book on our terrible CI,"Enemies".If you think the CIA is bad, get a gander at the far worse FBI.

The anti-CREW notion is good. Why stop there? Let's get our own Tides Foundation where we launder contributions and use the money to fund groups no one would want their name associated with?

[SlimGuy]

Sorry to have been so quiet (even as much as you all enjoyed the vacation) but last night around 11:30 I lost my ISP's.

Note thats plural of ISP. I am a daytrader and I have a router here in the house fed with 7 six meg DSL modems provisioned from 3 seperate internet providers for fallback purposes.

Everyone had assured me independent routes that I paid extra for.

Obviously something was wrong since they all went out at the same time last night.

I finally did enough emailing (via another set of computers I use only for business purposes that is fed by a fiber optic line with a fallback to a satelite feed) I finally got everyone to admit they had goofed a little.

Seems there was one place where all three providers used a group of six telephone poles as they crossed an interstate highway, and that last night a sleepy semi driver did a little agricultural driving and took out 3 of those 6 poles.

I hold stock positions in two of the three isp's of a rather signigicant amount, which is the reason they listened to me to get the coordination between all three control centers to look at their routing maps.

Don't ya just love it.

Sorry ..Rant mode off

[Sara (Squiggler)]

I'm in Clarice and if we have a budget and can pay the staff, I'll even move to DC or NYC. I'll even convert my seniorpal site, which allows for individual journals, and user added news, plus a blog. Plus it has builtin tracking for registered users and contributors.

[maryrose]

clarice:
Great article! Any punishment for Armitage for dereliction of duty or thwarting the will of Congress and the executive branch?

[Sara (Squiggler)]

We need someone very rich to be our Theresa Hines or George Soros. Ross Perot?

[T Miller]

Will the TOM reader watchdog group target only Democrats, or also help weed out Republican House members like Cunningham and Ney, and supporters like Abramoff, whose election-year convictions aren't helping the incumbent party?

[Syl]

The head of the ACLU, Shapiro, just said on CSPAN that those Guantanimo detainees that no country will take should be brought to America.

That, people, is the voice of the other side in America, the side that doesn't believe in the laws of war. The side that literally is attempting to outlaw war but refuses to take its arguments to such as bin laden and Zawahiri who have declared and are waging war against us.

To them it is America that has to change, not the Islamic fascists.

And people in the audience were applauding!

[Tom Maguire]

Oh thank goodness..Mr. 70% chance of Rove being indicted woke up on the right side of the bed again. (Kidding TM).

"Just One Minute" may need to be renamed "Just One Lithium Pill" any day now...

[Sara (Squiggler)]

Hey, I'll donate my pal2pal name. We could have it stand for "Policing All Liberals" LOL.

[SlimGuy]

Have toyed with the idea of creating a blog.

Would name it after my old Electronic Bullentin Board BBS system I ran many years ago.

One Nanosecond From Nowhere!

[Florence Schmieg]

Oh My!! Back when Guantanamo started my husband joked to me that pretty soon we would see all of these guys driving cabs in New York City. He may have been more prescient than he realized!!

[Sara (Squiggler)]

Via Drudge/Breitbart:

Overseers of the House page program this week discussed a camping trip that Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz. took with two former pages and others in 1996 _ an outing now under review by the Justice Department, a congressional source said Tuesday.

The House Page Board, consisting of three lawmakers and two senior House officials, did not have any new information beyond recent news stories on the Kolbe trip. The source is familiar with the discussions but is not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The conference call Monday involving the Kolbe trip shows that the people responsible for the teenage page program are casting a wider net following revelations that ex-Rep. Mark Foley was sending overly friendly e-mails and sexually explicit instant messages to former male pages.

The meeting was first revealed Monday by the lone Democrat on the Page Board, Rep. Dale Kildee of Michigan, who declined to say which lawmakers were discussed.

Meanwhile, the House ethics committee Tuesday continued investigating the Foley matter. Investigators, pressing ahead with closed-door interviews, questioned Paula Nowakowski, chief of staff to House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Kolbe took the former pages as well as staff members and National Park Service officials on a Fourth of July rafting trip in the Grand Canyon in 1996, his spokeswoman Korenna Cline said last week.

A federal law enforcement official said last week an allegation related to the trip was given to the U.S. attorney's office in Phoenix. It was not immediately clear whether it concerned any contention of improper activity by the retiring Kolbe _ the only openly gay Republican in Congress.

The official described the inquiry as preliminary and as far narrower in scope than the federal investigation into Foley, R-Fla., who resigned Sept. 29 after he was confronted with sexually explicit instant messages sent to former pages.

A second law enforcement official said the 1996 Kolbe trip may be too old to investigate as a criminal matter. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation. A Justice Department spokeswoman declined comment.

Cline said last week the rafting party included five current staffers, two former pages and Kolbe's sister. Nothing inappropriate happened on the trip, she said. She did not know who the pages were or what year they worked for Kolbe, but she said they paid their own way.

Beth Kolbe, the congressman's younger sister, who was on the three- night trip, said nothing inappropriate happened and that she had not heard of any concerns from anyone until the story of the camping trip appeared in the media.

In his unexpected remarks Monday, Kildee _ who is unhappy tha Republicans did not tell him about Foley's improper approaches _ said: "It was about other allegations and I'd like to leave it at that. Let me just say, not about Mr. Foley. It's only been allegations."

The page panel is only one Washington entity reviewing the congressional page program, in which teenagers are nominated by lawmakers to serve as errand-runners and receive firsthand experience with the legislative process. The high school students also attend classes at a congressional school.

Separately, the FBI also is investigating.

The chairman of the Page Board is Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., who acknowledged freezing out Kildee and Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R- W.Va., when he learned there were questions about Foley's conduct in the fall of 2005. Capito also has expressed concern that she was not informed, and her Democratic opponent has accused her of failing teenagers in Congress' care.

Shimkus testified before the ethics committee last week, and told reporters he was following the wishes of the parents of a Louisiana page when he decided not to inform Capito and Kildee.

[Sara (Squiggler)]

Newly translated documents show Saddam planning to attack US using suicide planes.

Jveritas posted this translated Saddam document (Document CMPC-2003-006758.pdf ) yesterday at Free Republic.

The memo dated March 28, 2001 talks about plans to "Strike US presence and interest” in response to the new policies of President Bush toward Iraq and that aims at toppling the regime". I am reposting here since this will most likely be missed by the mainstream media:

In the name of God the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

The Presidency of the Republic

The Intelligence Service

Mr: The Respectful Assistant Director of the Apparatus Operations.

Subject: The New American Policy Toward Iraq

Aside is a notice for the 10th Directorate and attached is a note from the respectful Mr. Director of the Apparatus on 24/3/2001 that your Excellency and the two gentlemen directors of the 4th Directorate and 10th Directorate to study in what is issued on the 10th Directorate memo and which includes:

1. The available signs indicate the intentions of America under the presidency of Bush the Son that aim to damage the political leadership in the country, and among it is their seeking to apply what it called the smart sanctions and it summarize as:

A. Allow the importing of humanitarian goods to Iraq without prior approval and this aim to make the leadership in Iraq responsible for the starvation of the Iraqi people and not the responsibility of the United Nations.

B. The return of the Inspectors.

C. The massing of the World opinion around the special procedures to contain Iraq.

D. Travel prohibition for the Iraqi officials and the freezing of their special accounts.

2. The 10th Directorate suggested the following to encounter what was mentioned above.

A. Prepare a public relation plan that aims to clarify the rights of Iraq, and bring up what is related to the Palestinian cause, and the call to strike the presence and interests of America.

B. Work to commit some nations like France, China, Russia and Japan to economical agreements that make the implementation of the smart sanctions to have negative effect to the interests of these nations.

C. Strengthen our embassies with new remarkable staff that is can go toward new windows in the international relations.

D. Make a list of the citizens including those who are in the Apparatus that have in their names foreign accounts and do the procedures to protect these accounts from any enemy action.

E. Insist that that Iraq money will stay local.

Notice the Presidency of what was mentioned above.

Please review and please consider the opinions of the 4th Directorate, the 5th Directorate, and the 40th Directorate in regards to what was mentioned above… with regards.

Signature

Director/ S. A. AA.

[clarice]

What's to investigate? Aren't those casting aspersions the same folks who insist the Boy Scouts be denied access to all federal facilities because they won't allow gay scout leaders?

PHEH.One can take only so much stupid at a time.

[hit and run]

Hmmmm, names?

How about:

Citizens for
Political Legal And Media Ethics

Now...how could we abbreviate that?

[clarice]

Really, Sara, Salman Pak was just a stewardess training program. And all those Baluchis are simply one big family--forget that the Baluch were key in the Iraqi intel service. (BTW I don't believe our crack intel agencies have even yet done any DNA testing on those bozos in out custody)

[Jimbo]

btw - not to nitpick, but it's the "Faster Feiler Philosphy" (as in Bruce Feiler) not the "Faster Failure Philosophy".

[Daddy]

Rush is as motivated this morning as I have heard him in a long, long time. The reason is that this reduced sentence travesty for terrorist attorney Lynne Stewart, from 30 years to 28 months, is a perfect example of the total lack of seriousness of the left in combating terror. This meme will have traction because unlike the buried Harry Reid financial obfuscations this story is exceedingly simple to understand. In 30 seconds anyone with ears will get the gist of it: Liberal Clinton appointed Judge, swayed by former Clinton legal apologists, reduces sentence of unrepentant attorney convicted of illegally passing secret messages from imprisoned blind bomber Sheik terrorist to his fellow terrorists. That's the guts of it. Add in the video of the extremely obnoxious and grossly unsympathetic Miz Stewart and, and suddenly Red State America is back on offense on the fundamental issue of our time, The War on Terror.
Now certainly how it plays out is another matter. Will it die out among Limbaugh's audience or be advanced down the field by conservatives? It's not up on Drudge as I type this, yet already NRO's Andy McCarthy is fact checking the NYTimes for flaws in their reporting of it. My guess is that the alphabet media will unsuccessfully try to sit on it, but in the end we're going to be seeing more video of that Blind Sheik and the repellant Miz Stewart, framed by smoking New York Skyscrapers, than you can shake a stick at. And if that is so, then IMHO, this election is far from a done deal.

[Sara (Squiggler)]

H&R -- love it. You are hired as our "crack wisecracker" for sure.

[Sara (Squiggler)]

I don't think Stewart should have gotten a death sentence of 30 years, but she should have gotten at least five years. She shows absolutely no remorse and stands outside and says she can do 28 mo. standing on her head. She is gloating. It makes me sick. And, how do we know no one was hurt. We don't know that and neither does the judge. The Blind Sheik was responsible for a whole lot of deaths and she was his conduit to his minions.

[Sara (Squiggler)]

Dems trying to say the Republican Party has abandoned DeWine in Ohio. Of course, this completely ignores the fact that they've spent over $4 million already on his behalf and DeWine himself has a warchest of $4 million to spend the last three weeks of the race.

[Daddy]

Sara I agree with you. We can all have our different ideas of exactly how long she should have been in jail. But 28 months is an in your face poke in the eye with a sharp stick, just guaranteed to piss off Red State Americans who take this terrorism business seriously. Rove himself couldn't have concocted a more visceral, motivational example of why its essential we show up in those voting booths come election day.

[anonymous]

Only $8 million to buy a seat in the U.S. Senate?

A bargain at twice the price.

[T Miller]

Now that most voters have tired of hearing about Foley and assorted other individual examples of bad behavior, the discussion is returning to Iraq. And there the situation can only be described as worsening. Is there any action that the Administration can take in the next 3 weeks to reassure voters that the Iraq situation won't continue to move "sideways" as Sen. Warner described it, or become still worse?

[anonymous]

Is "sideways" a Republican euphemism for straight to Hell?

[clarice]

We can start showing pics of helicopters landing on the roof of the US Embassy in Saigon and telling stories of what happened when we cut and ran.

Of course, it's escalated. If you were the Syrians and Iranis wouldn't you be putting on the afterburners in the hope that the Dems could achieve what they could not?

[maryrose]

anonymous: Once again your ignorance of history is showing. Jon Corzine used 60 million of his own dough to buy his Senate seat and got bored being in the minority after 5 years.Of course New Jerseyites voted him in over way more qualified candidates for the senate and the governors seat.

[anonymous]

Is "cut and run" a Republican way of describing what defeated armies do? Retreat.

[jwest]

Clarice,

Congratulations on your article. You are truly one of the brightest stars on the web.

Hope that the mention by Rush doesn’t melt your server.

[anonymous]

60 million? Mr. Corzine was not a very smart consumer. Maybe he should have done some comparison shopping in other states.

[topsecretk9]

Nice.

...A seven-term assemblyman and labor leader who was credited with revitalizing the nation’s biggest municipal labor council was arrested on federal racketeering charges today and accused of stealing more than $2 million in union and public money.

The indictment charges the union leader, Brian McLaughlin, with a pattern of thefts over the last decade, including siphoning $95,000 from bank accounts for a Little League for the children of union members; installing a relative to head a commission on the dignity of immigrants, then collecting the relative’s salary; and using union members to walk his dog, hang his Christmas lights and renovate his $760,000 home on Long Island.

Michael Garcia, the United States attorney for Manhattan, characterized the pattern of thefts as “stunning in its breadth and scope” at a news conference today. “This case lends a new meaning to the term, ‘hand in the tiller,’ ” Mr. Garcia said. “It is a case about greed.”

...The indictment charges that, as founding member and district leader of the William Jefferson Clinton Democratic Club of Queens, a nonprofit club that raised money to support candidates for public office, Mr. McLaughlin misappropriated more than $19,000 for personal expenses, like the rent at his Albany home, and to install a wide-screen plasma television at the home of “a person with whom he maintained a personal relationship.”

He is also accused of using more than $330,000 from his political campaign committee to pay for personal expenses, including bills for his son’s wedding, renovating his home in Nissequogue, N.Y., paying his country club initiation fee and house cleaning.

link

[Terrye]

It ain't over til the fat lady sings and I am not talking about hat commie lawyer Stewart.

I wonder if the media will just ignore all of Saddam's documents?

[ed]

Hmmm.

What I think is absurd is that every two years, like clockwork, the Democrats engineer a series of scandals that target Republicans with the help of the MSM.

So why is it that every single time this happens the Republicans have this "deer in the headlights" look on their faces?

Why aren't Republicans hammering back at the Democrats? Why don't they prepare for this stuff?

[Sara (Squiggler)]

anonymous, you obviously have little knowledge of what it takes to run for office these days. $4 million would barely cover one media buy here in California. How much you think Soros and Hines spent trying to buy all branches of government in the last election and this? Both under the table and above board?

Don't you ever get embarrassed about the stupid things you say about our military and war efforts? You sound like a high schooler who has no conception of tactics, strategy or even what the Iraqis want. We should be building bases in Iraq like crazy. We should have a PERMANENT FORCE established there like we have had in Germany for the last 60 years.

I know you want the Koran to replace our Constitution and bin Laden/Chavez/Ahmadinejad as our president, Secretary of State and Defense Secretary. But, guess what, it ain't goin' to happen.

[clarice]

Thanks, jwest. Did he mention it? Great. I didn't know that.

I had the goods on Armitage and it fit into Woodward's book where whoever spoke the most to him got a hagiography, but it seems to me that it is futile to expect a great deal from elected officials. Until there is a way to remove the entrenched bureaucracy they have little to say with what happens on their watch.

Add to that, the President's key responsibility on domestic defense and imagine how impossible that is with the info you get from the CIA and FBI..Look at the last NIE and tell me what actionable intel is contained there? NADA. ZIP. GORNISHT. You could do as well flipping a coin---and then remember whichever course you do take, those who hate you will leak counter intel to a waiting den of thieves at the Press Corps Bien Pensant Bar & Grille.

[Sara (Squiggler)]

Ed:

Because Republicans have class and don't move in circles where integrity has no meaning and people knife each other in the back to get ahead all the time. It is hard to prepare to fight a battle when you have no personal experience with the type of people these nutroots types/Soros represent. How many people do you know who live for a free iPod and think if you don't use f**k at least 3 times in every sentence, you aren't a good writer and thinker? Most of them are rote readers so never understand the context of anything they read. They get their news from the Daily Report and whatever their tinfoil hat leaders tell them to parrot for the day.

[Terrye]

T. Miller:

Iraq again huh?

I thought Democrats thought every vote counts, unless of course you ae talking about Iraqis in which case the history making election is worthless.

The idea that we could just ignore Saddam and back down and not even enforce our own cease fire, or that we would just abandon Iraq leaving God only knows what behind just because Democrats want to win an election makes me sick.

No one will ever respect this country again if we bug out of there. No one will take a risk on our word, no one will have any faith in our word and no one will believe we mean anything we say.

For years I listened to liberals bitch and moan about the US supporting dictators and now they bitch and moan that we took one out. They have no alternative ideas or solutions, they are just one big endless bitch fest and right now the terrorists are hoping they win.

They are killing our soldiers in the hopes a Democrat will win and pull out the troops and they can put an end to this whole democracy thing.

So how about giving it a rest. We know you do not support democracy in Iraq. We know that you think the fire bombing of Dresden was a walk in the park compared to 2600 soldiers in three and a half years in Iraq. We know you want failure. We know that if there is ultimately any success in Iraq it will not be in your name.

We get the picture. We hear it over and over and over and over again.

[Rick]

Is "cut and run" a Republican way of describing what defeated armies do? Retreat

Charitably assuming anonymous is asking this question in all seriousness, then the answer is no. "Cut & run" is what unbeaten, maybe even triumphant armies do when the civilian leaders lose all sense of will, consequence, urgency and proportion.

You may have heard of it: "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory." Now a tenet of The World's Oldest Political Party.

Cordially...

[Terrye]

anonymous:

The U.S. military has not been defeated in Iraq, not even close. They are just not prepared to do the kinds of things the enemy does. Like lobbing off some guy's head on video. Or deliberately targetting women and children. The kill ratio is about 100 to 1, there is no contest in a military sense.

Right now the problem is more political than military and that will take time to resolve.

Or we could just bring in some strong arm man and he could bring down the hammer on the people and put an end to this whole silly democracy thing. No doubt that is your dream, your idea of what is a good outcome. A dictator.

[jwest]

Clarice,

Rush mentioned you as a “must read” towards the end of the second hour or in the beginning of the third. I checked his website, but the link isn’t up yet.

His staff is good at posting summaries and links fairly quickly, so it should be available later tonight.

Don’t forget us when you’re a famous TV pundit.

[SlimGuy]

Wow AJ then Clarice on Rush mentions...

Must be that vast right wing conspiracy at work

Ohhhhh I know AJ's gonna slap me into next week for that one

LOL

[anonymous]

"Republicans have class and don't move in circles where integrity has no meaning ... "

Randall "Duke" Cunningham
Bob Ney
Mark Foley
Tom Delay
Curt Wheldon
David Safavian
Jack Abramoff
Ralph Reed
Tom Noe

... the ever-widening circle of Republican integrity

[anonymous]

And let's not forget the immortal I. Lewis "Scooter" (to his pals) Libby.

[T Miller]

Terrye, I agree that it is vital that we win in Iraq. That's why it is so discouraging that so little progress is being made, and equally discouraging that the majority of Americans no longer want to "stay the course". So how can voters be convinced that the situation can be turned around? Very few voters are interested now in the rationale for going to war. They just want to win and get out. Are the only 2 alternatives "stay the course" and a staged withdrawal?

[Terrye]

anonymous:

Oh puhzleaze, TM does not have enough bandwith to accomadate the list of Democrats, beginning with the previous president, as well as the members of his cabinet to make a list like that.

And by the way, Tom DeLay and Curt Weldon have not been convicted of anything, in fact Weldon has not even been accused of anything.

And Jack Abramoff did business with both parties. No my dear, when Republicans do wrong and they do ofcourse, their party tends to show them the door. When Democrats do wrong their party tends to lie and cover for them. Big difference.

[Tulsan]

Terrye -- please list the Democrat candidates that Abramoff or his firm donated to.

[anonymous]

Yes, indeed, the ever upright and virtuous Republican Party.

But you really should go over your deep Abramoff research again.
(Not that you will. As Mr. Reagain famously misquoted: "Facts are stupid things.")

And the F.B.I. has finished searching Wheldon's daughter's home. Apparently, they took out quite a lot of evidence. Look into it.

[Rick]

Thanks for the list. Gee, save for Weldon, what the common denominator?

They're politically kaput.

Now, we can put together a list of crooks, pedophiles & brib-ees like Reps. Jefferson & Hastings, the late Studds, Jack Murtha, Jim McDermott, Sens. Harry Reid, Grand Kleagle and Cattle Futures, and find that for the D's, integrity truly has no meaning. Lacking it is a good career move.

There's the difference in the parties, even if the 'pubbies have let me down by quailing before the predictable lies in re: social security reform.

Anyway, this is pretty easy. Got more, anon?

Cordially...

[Rick Ballard]

Here's a list.

Lobbyists who don't feed both sides don't stay in business. To maintain otherwise is to provoke derision.

[Terrye]

T. Miller:

The majority of Americans do not want to cut and run and last month I saw three polls that put support for the war at higher levels. In fact the polls all had support between 49% and 53%. I don't have links but I am sure I am remembering correctly because I was surprised the level of support was that high.

Now that might be different if the polls were done now, it seems the numbers are volatile, but so far most people want to win.

When people say they do not want to stay the course, that just means they want the news to get better. My point is that as long as the Iranians and Syrians and militia and AlQaida think that they can win this thing just by blowing something up every day and by killing each other they will not just stop. And as long as people like Murtha lead them to believe that all they have to do is keep it up a little bit longer and the Great Satan will run home with its tail between its legs they will continue to find young fanatics willing to slaughter and be slaughtered.

If the media would spend as much time talking about the rise of functioning local governments, the return of the Marsh Arabs, the improvement in life in the rural areas where the violence is not so intense it might help give a more balanced picture of the state of things. Schools, clinics, water treatment facilities, sewage systems. All of that will help improve the lives of the people, they need something to look forward to. Not just war.

People seem to think the world is like a microwave, give it so many minutes and it will be done. That is not life.

[anonymous]

By ELI LAKE - Staff Reporter of the NYSun
October 12, 2006

WASHINGTON — A commission formed to assess the Iraq war and recommend a new course has ruled out the prospect of victory for America, according to draft policy options shared with The New York Sun by commission officials.

Currently, the 10-member commission — headed by a secretary of state for President George H.W. Bush, James Baker — is considering two option papers, "Stability First" and "Redeploy and Contain," both of which rule out any prospect of making Iraq a stable democracy in the near term.

[Terrye]

anonymous:

I know that as a liberal you do not have a lot of faith in that whole innocent until proven thing, but when CREW sics the FBI on some guy and that guy happens to be a Republican and they show no interest at all in anything some crooked Demcorat might be up to, well excuse me if I think it might be poltically motivated.

Just like that whole Plame fiasco that turned out to be a Godawful waste of time and money.

BTW, if you want to see a crooked family check out Ford of TN. His family indictments go way back.

[anonymous]

FBI raids four homes, two offices in Weldon probe

By John Shiffman, Mitch Lipka and Patrick Kerkstra
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

FBI agents investigating U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon (R., Pa.) conducted six raids this morning - including at the homes of his daughter and a longtime friend.

In all, agents executed four search warrants in the Philadelphia area and two in Jacksonville, Fla., officials said.

In Center City, agents searched the law office of John Gallagher, a Weldon friend who has conducted extensive business in Russia and former Soviet Republics.

In Media, agents searched the offices of the public relations firm formed by Weldon's longtime friend Charles P. Sexton Jr., and the congressman's daughter, Karen.

[anonymous]

Are you suggesting that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is in league with the Democrat Party to falsely discredit a fine, upstanding Republican?

[Terrye]

anonymous:

There are two people who should by law never be allowed to give any kind of advice on the M.E. Jimmy Carter and James Baker.

And Lee Hamilton used to be a Congressman here in Indiana. He is so damn old most folks around here marvel that he is still alive. Say something about Lee Hamilton they get a disgusted look on their faces and say "That man ain't dead yet?"

The interesting thing is seeing the liberals slobber all over the "realist" James Baker. Once upon a time they hated him. Strange bedfellows.

From what I hear they have no real authority or real power. Thank God.

[Sara (Squiggler)]

Anonymous, more stupidity out of your mouth. First of all, Weldon was cleared over 2 years ago. This is a rehashed story that is old news. And at least our guys resign and take their punishment when they screw up. Can you say the same? Jefferson, Kennedy and Clinton come to mind without even giving any thought to making a list. And tell me again what was Foley's crime? Oh, he voted against gay marriage? So terrible!

[Rick]

Well, at least we can say anonymous make Semanticleo appear slightly interesting.

Not coherent, but marginally readable. That's progress.

Cordially...

P.S. In my quite tick-off of D rogues, I forgot Sen. Menendez (and Toricelli before him). Mary Jo Kopeche might tell of another, if she could speak.

[Terrye]

anonymous:

You are so funny.

[anonymous]

"From what you hear ..." ? From whom?

[anonymous]

Has it occurred to you yet who might have sent Mr. Baker to the White House to baby-sit?