October 2006 Archives

Speaking as a 20 year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, I'd like to let John Kerry know that I didn't join because I was lazy and stupid. Even more insulting than his statement is this attempt to blame others for his greasy smear against the troops:

Washington – Senator John Kerry issued the following statement in response to White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, assorted right wing nut-jobs, and right wing talk show hosts desperately distorting Kerry’s comments about President Bush to divert attention from their disastrous record:

Nut-jobs? What Kerry said was clear as day. But if you quote it, you're a nut-job?

“If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they're crazy. This is the classic G.O.P. playbook. I’m sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did.

Yes I do think a veteran would - if he's in the Democratic Party. Kerry forgets about his own remarks about our troops "terrorizing women and children in the dark of night", and the infamous verbal criminal conviction bestowed on our troops by his pal Murtha. Oh, and I did serve - a hell of a lot longer than Kerry, too. Having met Kerry's criteria, I suppose he would respect my right to speak out:

Mr. Kerry, you're a despicable excuse for a human being. To denigrate me and the millions of veterans and active duty in order to get a cheap shot during a political speech shows you to be lacking in both intelligence and soul.

Ahem. Back to Kerry's misdirection:

I’m not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium, or doughy Rush Limbaugh, who no doubt today will take a break from belittling Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s disease to start lying about me just as they have lied about Iraq. It disgusts me that these Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country lie and distort so blatantly and carelessly about those who have.

Typical - drag in the sick guy as a sympathetic victim - maybe it will distract someone from Kerry's sad remarks about our military professionals.

The people who owe our troops an apology are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney who misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it. These Republicans are afraid to debate veterans who live and breathe the concerns of our troops, not the empty slogans of an Administration that sent our brave troops to war without body armor.

This entire line has been proven a lie time and time again. Oh, and when did Katrina become a country?

Bottom line, these Republicans want to debate straw men because they’re afraid to debate real men. And this time it won’t work because we’re going to stay in their face with the truth and deny them even a sliver of light for their distortions. No Democrat will be bullied by an administration that has a cut and run policy in Afghanistan and a stand still and lose strategy in Iraq.”

"Real Men"? Going for laughs won't get him out of this. Kerry has shown his contempt for servicemen over and over again, even as he aspired to lead them. Thank God he didn't get the chance.

Kerry screwed up big this time. And has the gall to declare himself a "real man" while he tries to blame his mistakes on President Bush and "right wing nut-jobs". In the meantime, real men (and women) are putting their asses on the line in Iraq and elsewhere. And Mr. Kerry better hope for all our sakes that what he thinks about them isn't true.

Update: Kerry makes a statement to the press, says it was a botched joke. I'm hoping to link a site with video soon.

Update 2: As usual, Hot Air has it!

With only a week to go until election day, this would be a good day for these two to come out of hiding.

That's two houses you shouldn't take your kids to. Neither is a treat.

Ken Mehlman replies to Howard Dean's request to look the other way while Democrats commit voter fraud:

Dear Chairman Dean:

I write in response to your October 30, 2006 letter, in which you asked me to join in working to make next week's election one in which "all eligible registered voters can be assured of a fair election and of having the opportunity to vote free from harassment, intimidation or other efforts to deny them the right to cast their vote and have it counted." The Republican Party works to further these goals in every election. It is my hope that you are making the Democrat Party, and all of its affiliated and allied organizations, aware of your own support for this concept. I request that you please do so.

As I stated in my October 6, 2006 letter to you, recent history suggests some in your Party view the right to vote merely as a political tool. For example, just two years ago, a Democratic "Election Day Manual" (a copy of which is attached) encouraged Democrats to launch "preemptive strikes" and report voter suppression where none exists. It is my hope that this year Democrats will refrain from such activity; the right to vote is not a partisan issue.

As you are also aware, recent elections have revealed your party's actions in this regard to be cause for serious concern. For example, in 2004 Florida Seminole Circuit Judge Nancy Alley had to issue an order before the DNC, Florida Democratic Party, and Democratic Executive Committee of Seminole County stopped "further intimidation, (and) further dissemination of () materials ... designed or intended to intimidate or unduly threaten the activities of poll watchers who are duly carrying out their responsibilities" under Florida law.

The following are other recent examples demonstrating that your party's efforts in support of your stated goal have been less than genuine.

Marion County Ohio Court Enjoined Democrat Operatives Targeting Ohio Voters With Phone Calls Providing Deceptive Information to Voters

-- Ohio voters who had identified themselves as Republicans received telephone calls telling them that the election was to be held a day later than Election Day, that their polling locations had been changed, and that they could only vote if they brought four separate pieces of identification to the poll.

-- The Marion County Common Pleas Court issued a temporary restraining order against the Marion and Greene County Democratic Parties, the Ohio Democratic Party and America Coming Together (ACT) enjoining them from making inaccurate and deceptive phone calls to targeted voters.

Intimidating And Misleading Phone Calls Made in Florida To GOP Volunteers By, Among Others, The DNC's General Counsel.

-- In addition to the aforementioned intimidating material sent by the DNC to Republican volunteers in Seminole County, the DNC paid for recorded phone calls to Republican poll observers' homes in Florida featuring the same message that the court found to be intimidating.

-- These phone calls were recorded by former President Bill Clinton and the DNC General Counsel.

Five Democrat Operatives In Milwaukee Criminally Charged For Slashing Tires Of Republican Vans On Morning Of Election Day

-- Democrat Party employees and operatives slashed 40 tires on 25 separate get-out-the-vote vehicles, causing $4,192.35 of damage to the tires, plus $1,125 in towing charges. Five Democrat employees and operatives were charged with felony "criminal damage to property," which carries a maximum punishment of 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

-- While the Kerry-Edwards campaign and Wisconsin Democrat Party denied knowledge of the plan to vandalize the Republican get-out-the-vote vehicles, the vehicle used by the defendants was rented by a political consultant working for the DNC in Wisconsin. When questioned by police on the night of November 2, the consultant said he knew that five of his workers were involved in slashing tires at Republican headquarters early that morning, and identified all five defendants to police.

-- According to the criminal complaint, when one of the defendants saw the newspaper article he stated that he wanted to frame it and put it on his wall.

Ohio Lucas County Court Ordered Democrat Polling Place Challengers To Remove Deceptive Arm Bands and Badges.

-- On Election Day, several Lucas County voters brought suit against the Lucas County Board of Elections and Democratic challengers in the polling place who were wearing armbands and/or badges identifying them as "Voter Protection Staff," "Voting Rights Staff," and other similar terms. The Lucas County Court of Common Pleas granted the temporary restraining order prohibiting the use of such intimidating insignia.

Cuyahoga County Ohio Prosecutor Sent Letters Threatening Criminal Prosecution To Republican Poll Watchers. Virtually identical letters to the prosecutor's (containing the same spelling errors) were sent to the same poll watchers by the DNC.

Vote fraud is another example of, in your words, "other efforts to deny voters the right to cast their vote and have it counted." Unfortunately, the list of fraudulent election activity connected to Democrat affiliated groups such as ACORN is long and growing longer. For example, this month alone, the St. Louis Election Board has found nearly 1,500 potentially fraudulent registration cards, all submitted by Democrat- affiliated ACORN. In 2004, more than 1,000 similar fraudulent cards were uncovered in St. Louis. The Kansas City Election Board has found more than 3,000 fraudulent cards, all submitted by ACORN. Similar occurrences have taken place in, among other states, Ohio and Pennsylvania. It has also been reported that some of these Democrat-affiliated groups have gone so far as submitting false change of address cards for legitimate voters - in order to prevent those voters from being able to cast a ballot on Election Day. Indeed, recent press reports indicate that ACORN is being investigated by the local United States Attorney in Missouri. Yet you have remained silent.

Sadly, this list of intimidation and fraud by Democrats is not exhaustive. It is my hope that this year Democrats' rhetoric concerning the right to vote will be matched by action, and that you will do your best stop such suppressive and intimidating Democrat activity.

Sincerely,

Ken Mehlman

Chairman, Republican National Committee

Well said, Ken.

You know, I like this guy more and more all the time...

We fully expected that the New York Times, given its strong anti-war stance and clear partisan agenda, would repeat their misguided primary endorsement of Ned Lamont for the general election. But we never imagined the Times of all papers would produce such an intellectually dishonest and shoddy editorial as they published Sunday.

Personally, I think it's a mistake for Lieberman's campaign to respond in such an angry manner. Instead, pointing out how in 11 paragraphs the only nice thing they had to say about Lamont is that he's not Lieberman as I did yesterday would have done more to educate the voters. After all, when even the NYT admits that Lamont is an empty suit...

On the other hand, the editorial was pretty dishonest, and it's understandable that Joe's campaign felt it deserved some sort of response. Now that Joe is outside the (D) bubble, he's having to deal with a vicious media just like us on the right. Hell of a learning curve he's got ahead of him - the NYT won't care about any facts Joe has to offer. Neither will many on the left, either.

Why, just responding at all is liable to make him seem desperate to folks in the land of blackface and bigotry. And here's a suggestion from one of their commenters on where someone like Joe could go if he loses the election:

That's two. I really hope it's not what it looks like. Very sad indeed.

Alec runs away from his moonbattery. But just enough to temper the bad publicity he's gonna get from narrating an Arnold Schwarzenegger hate-fest complete with Nazi imagery. He doesn't feel bad enough to issue an apology - can't let go of all the hate, you know...

"Running with Arnold" is not a bad film. It isn't a good one either. The people of California have the right to reelect an unqualified man to lead their state, and they have the right to do so without unfair and ultimately offensive images of the Third Reich thrown in for bad measure. Don't forget to vote on November 7th.

And Alec knows bad films:

The comments are interesting. While many of them praise Alec for getting it off his chest, some are claiming that the Nazi images are nothing to feel bad about. And not one that I saw suggested he apologize to Arnold, which he should. I guess they also see he's not really sorry.

Update: Maybe I have it wrong - perhaps Alec's retreat is because Nazi comparisons are out of fashion. The truly unglued are now comparing Republican elected officials (and their families!) to Iranian Mullahs. Just when I think I've seen it all, the hate-obsessed left ascends to new levels of offensive.

This comes up every election - the agreement made with the Dems promising not to notice voter fraud unless it happens right in front of a poll-watcher's nose:

That consent decree prohibits the RNC from engaging in, assisting in or participating in any "ballot security program," other than "normal poll watch functions," "unless the program (including the method and timing of any challenges resulting from the program) has been determined by this Court to comply with the provisions of the Consent Order and applicable law." Applications by the RNC "for determination of ballot security programs by the Court shall be made following 20 days notice to the DNC which notice shall include a description of the program to be undertaken, the purpose(s) to be served and the reasons why the program complies with the Consent Order and applicable law."

At this point, it is too late for the RNC to comply with the 20 day deadline for notifying the DNC of any intended application to the Court for approval of any ballot security program. We assume, therefore, that the RNC does not intend to apply to the Court for approval of any such program, and that you intend to respect both the letter and the spirit of the law. For that reason, we also assume that the RNC will refrain from engaging in, assisting in or participating in any "ballot security program" carried out by anyone, including the RNC itself, its state or local parties, Republican candidates or allied organizations such as the Republican National Lawyers Association or National Republican Senatorial Committee.

It doesn't matter 25 years after the fact why there's a consent decree - it's what the Dems use it for here and now. And if a Republican sees voter fraud outside the scope of the decree, the Dems will use the decree to prevent any consequences.

It's comical that Howard would issue this letter decades after its relevance ended when in much more recent times, he and his party have blocked (or attempted to block) every single proposal to stem voter fraud. And illegal immigrants, imaginary people, and the dead are voting in droves, mostly for Democrats.

No, I guess it really isn't comical, is it?

...but occasionally it comes out for all to see. There's a pattern this year - the racist treatment of Steele, racism (and yesterday's possible anti-semitism) in liberal blogs. The constant screeching of "racism" at conservatives in cases where there is none.

Hate does this - nothing else can.

Does anyone really think these people will calm down and start acting like adults if they win?

Of course, we know where they aren't:

Jack Carter has tried to reach out to Nevada voters who the Carters say 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry ignored. He talks openly about his Baptist faith, and appeared last weekend with his father at a black church in Las Vegas.

But it's okay when they do it....

When Lynne Cheney was ambushed last Friday on CNN, she make Blitzer look like an idiot. So it should be unsurprising that CNN would retaliate:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Lynne Cheney is deflecting talk of the sexual content in her novel "Sisters," a 25-year-old book that resurfaced in a campaign Friday and is stirring up controversy.

The novel, featuring a lesbian love affair, was brought up Friday amid a contentious Senate race in Virginia. Soon a Democratic committee and Cheney herself -- in an interview on CNN -- were weighing in.

This is probably one of the weakest hit jobs ever, though. The author of the article clearly has not read the book "Sisters", makes no quotes to back up the assertion, and is confident that you won't be able to either:

Readers will have a hard time judging the content of the book for themselves. The few copies available are selling for hundreds of dollars each.

On Amazon.com Sunday, four used copies of "Sisters" were being sold, ranging from $695.95 for one in "acceptable" condition to $999 for a copy in "collectible -- good" condition. Ebay had two copies available, with requested opening bids of $200 and $500. Froogle.com, on Sunday afternoon, found the cheapest copies available barely under $300.

Some of these prices were set before the latest blow-up over the work of fiction. It was not immediately clear what impact the last few days have had.

So where does CNN expect you to get the information to judge for yourself? The Democrats:

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee sent out a news release listing sexual passages in books by Cheney and other GOP conservatives, including Dick Cheney's former chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

The DSCC said Cheney's books featured brothels and attempted rape.

'Cause we all know the Dems would never say anything mean or untrue about a Republican, right? And after all, that seems to be where CNN gets much of their news nowadays, so why shouldn't you?

Harold Ford shoots a campaign commercial in a church. Seems like material support to me...

Think Melanie Sloan will notice?

The NYT today wrote an endorsement of Ned Lamont that strangely mentions almost nothing about Ned Lamont. For the NYT, it all boils down to one thing:

He and Mr. Bush are still on the very same page, encouraging the American people to believe that there is a happy ending for American involvement in Iraq, and that all it takes is the perseverance to keep marching toward the end of the rainbow.

Save for the war, Ned Lamont's positions are not mentioned. For that matter, Leiberman's aren't either. The entire endorsement is a nutty wild-eyed "Leiberman = Bush so vote Lamont because he's not" rant.

It's so pathetic and narrow I'd be surprised if it wasn't taken as an insult by Connecticut voters.

BTW, I cheer for neither. Lieberman, despite his views on the GWOT, is a liberal through and through. Ned Lamont is simply an empty shirt who apparently can't form complete sentences without his handlers flapping his lips. I just think it's a pity that the NYT apparently thinks the voters in Connecticut are that one-dimensional.

Update: What does Ned Lamont's biggest fan and full-time cheerleader think of the Times belittling the voters of CT as sad one-dimensional comic-strip characters mindlessly blinded to all but the NYT's BDS-driven hatred for Joe? No surprise here:

"I think this rocks."

And from the comments, a somewhat dark and disturbing reason to vote for Lamont. Well, what apparently passes for one from this FDL commenter:

...Joe has a lot of nose hairs and that really bothers me.

Hmmm. Is that what it really sounds like?

Gee, I sure hope not. Such tolerance. Very, very sad.

Update 2: Here's an example of an endorsement that actually considers the candidate being endorsed.

Update 3: Come to think about it, I can't imagine this spurring a whole lot of high-fiving over at Lamont headquarters. Lamont can't be happy about getting an endorsement based on nothing more than "we hate Joe". Kinda like being the next to the last guy picked at a sandlot game - nobody wants him, but they want the last guy even less....

If you heard of a company:

- A large U.S. company.
- A company whose suppliers were almost all overseas.
- A company whose profit has increased at high levels for years.
- A company who, upon learning that of of it's third world supplier nations was attempting to increase wages for its impoverished workers, actively worked to block them in order to keep costs low.

What would you think? If you're on the left, you're might be thinking I'm talking about Wal-Mart. But you'd be wrong:

Starbucks, the giant US coffee chain, has used its muscle to block an attempt by Ethiopia's farmers to copyright their most famous coffee bean types, denying them potential earnings of up to £47m a year, said Oxfam.

The development agency said the Ethiopian government last year filed copyright applications to trademark its most famous coffee names - Sidamo, Harar and Yirgacheffe. Securing the rights to these names would enable the impoverished African country to control their use in the market and allow farmers to receive a greater share of the retail price.

The move would have increased its annual export earnings from coffee by 25%.

But Oxfam said Starbucks, which enjoyed a 22% rise in annual global turnover to £7.8bn in the year to October, has acted to block Ethiopia's application to the US patent and trademark office.

Starbucks claims they pay an average of $1.28 / lb for coffee worldwide, but in Ethiopia, it's as low as 60 cents. No wonder they feature an Ethiopian blend on the Starbucks website.

Hmmm. I wonder if a price increase would affect its sustainability?

Considering their target demographic here in the US, you'd think Starbucks would be more sensitive. On the other hand, considering where the money goes, do ya think the left will even notice? Next time you enter a Starbucks, if you happen to pass a couple of forty-something women with unshaved legs and "Impeach Bush" bumper stickers on the lids of their laptops discussing the evils of Wal-Mart, smile and nod as you pass.

That's according to an Associated Press-AOL News poll:

WASHINGTON - Increasing numbers of people looking for political news are going online — with more than a third now saying they check the Internet for such information.

That group is more likely to be younger, better educated and male than the population in general, an Associated Press-AOL News poll found.

Hey, that's me! Well, except for the younger part. Sigh.

I found this part interesting considering that both the left and right blogosphere spend a considerable amount of time and energy poking well-deserved holes in mainstream news coverage:

While the online browsers go to a wide variety of sites, they overwhelmingly trust what they see on the news sites.

That's 70% who trust news sites, according to the poll. Of course, they don't specify what defines "political web sites" that the news sites are compared with. I think it's a given that blogs are included, but there are other political web sites as well.

Still, I see this as a plus for the blogosphere. Although some days it doesn't seem that way, the news sites by and large are doing a better job than they were a few years ago because they know how much more closely they're being watched. Eo ipso, the blogs are having a larger effect than the surface numbers suggest.

That's a good thing, folks.

It also underlines the need for bloggers to continue watching and correcting. Even with their frequent errors and proclivity toward bias, the MSM will always score high on this type of poll. No group of bloggers is likely to replace AP or Reuters anytime soon.

For the vast majority of political bloggers, that translates into a hobby with job security. What color lining this gives your clouds is up to you.

One of the left's most repugnant figures is Michael Rogers. He's the sleaze who's been claiming to have a list of gay Republicans he intends to expose. The rest of the left seems to at least privately applaud his disgusting campaign - as long as it helps the cause, right, guys?

Outing a few minor staffers has been greeted by collective snores, I guess he's decided to up the ante with a little guilt by association. Press release here.

Anyway, the pond was left uncovered for a brief time today as Rogers set his sights on none other than Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican Party. Apparently in Michael Roger's world, if you have a gay friend, you must be gay yourself:

Today, I challenge to James Dobson to ask Ken directly: Are you a member of the so-called "homosexual lifestyle" and do you expect my followers to support you at the polls?

Rogers seem to forget an itty bitty fact - Ken Mehlman isn't running for office, and Dobson's "followers" won't see Ken's name on any ballot. Oh, and there's also a very lame video there with nothing to support his innuendo. Zzzzzzzzzz.

I'm waiting for his claim that President Bush is gay cause he knows Dick Cheney's daughter. What a pathetic loser.

The left, through their shills in the media, have been enjoying themselves thoroughly over the remarks made by Rush about Michael J. Fox. Here's what they're reporting about the interview had last night with Katie Couric:

NEW YORK (AP) -- In a response to charges by conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, Michael J. Fox defended his appearance in recent political campaign ads, saying he was neither acting nor off his medication for Parkinson's disease.

On the contrary, he had been overmedicated, the actor said during an interview aired on Thursday's "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric."

"The irony of it is that I was too medicated," Fox told Couric, adding that his jumpy condition as he spoke to her reflected "a dearth of medication -- not by design. I just take it, and it kicks in when it kicks in."

"That's funny -- the notion that you could calculate it for effect," he said. "Would that we could."

The 7 1/2-minute interview with Fox, whose shaking at one point dislodged the microphone clipped to his jacket lapel, aired in two segments taped Thursday afternoon on the "Evening News" set. (Watch fox tell Couric that he doesn't want pity -- :32)

Fox drew some conservative criticism after an ad began running in Missouri during the World Series. It showed Fox visibly shaking while urging fans to vote yes for stem-cell research and Democratic Senate challenger Claire McCaskill -- and no to the Republican incumbent Jim Talent. (Watch the visibly ill Fox make a pitch for McCatskill -- 2:35)

"They say all politics is local, but it's not always the case," Fox says in the 30-second spot. "What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans -- Americans like me."

The Democrats have largely succeeded with the ads - a prominent conservative figure gave them the soundbite they wanted: "either off his medication or acting". And Ann Coulter, despite her ill-chosen words about the 9-11 widows, has been proven right once again about the tactics of the left. The right is villified as cruel and uncaring about the sick and dying in the ads, and in the aftermath, now stand accused of attacking the sick and defenseless messenger.

Were it not for the fact that left's entire argument is built on a lie, it would be perfect. As a result, I predict little effect on the elections. While the ads will sway a few of the gullible, those who already have views that disagree with their premise will just be angered.

In the interview last night, Fox claims to respect the views of those who object to killing human embryos for medical research. But the message in his ads shows that he in fact has none. Indeed, Michael's message is "If you don't vote for the Democrats, I will suffer. If the Republicans win, my blood will be on your hands." How selfish and cynical he is in this galling demagoguery. Rather than tiptoe around Fox's illness (wouldn't want to offend, after all), the true nature of these repugnant ads should be held up as an example of the of why the left is unfit to lead.

To Michael (and the Democrats who you support):

How dare you?

How dare you suggest that my belief that we shouldn't kill the unborn for medical research equates to a desire for you to suffer?

How dare you infer that my belief that all lives are equally important and deserving of our protection equates to a desire for you to die?

Again, how dare you? You and those you campaign for show an ugliness that should have become extinct long ago, along with the medical experiments that were routinely performed on those who couldn't defend themselves in asylums, prisons, and most recently, concentration camps. To those of us who believe that life begins at conception, your side has ressurected that barbaristic and inhumane mindset. Apparently the presence of shiny stainless steel equipment and starched white labcoats makes it all oh-so clinical, emotionless, and acceptable to you. To me, it's same twisted reasoning that defended slavery as natural order because "they aren't really human".

You also claim you want respect and not pity. But if the only way, in your view, for that respect to be shown is to accede to your selfish and barbaristic wants, then you shall not have it. For your small-minded and disrespectful view of my beliefs, and your inability to shed a brutal ethos that should have perished at Dachau, you have earned my pity.

Oh, and about the flap with Rush - his statements have been argued completely elsewhere, I feel no need to go into them at length. For what it's worth, though, I disagree with Captain Ed, who appears to feel that Rush's remarks were appropriate. Instead, I fall on the side that feels Rush erred in his phrasing. He nearly got it right - then he backed off, fearing what the reaction would be. I wish he had been more bold instead.

Yes, CREW gave me a visit. I didn't believe it at first, so I emailed CREW through their contact page and received confirmation that the comment was genuine. I'll have to admit to being very surprised - I'm not usually kind in my posts about CREW.

I posted a few days ago about CREW's complaint to the DOJ concerning Curt Weldon. A comment was posted by Naomi Seligman Steiner, CREW's Deputy Director, taking issue with what I posted. Here's her comment:

In response to your wrongful assertion, CREW did recieve the e-mails as they appear. They were redacted upon receipt. CREW did not edit them in any way.

Naomi Seligman Steiner
CREW

The statement challenged by Ms. Stein was this sentence following the images of the emails:

"All of the dark line redacting was CREW's doing, I smudged out a few names they left in place."

I wrote this to explain the two visually different types of editing done on the images - the heavy black lines vs the smudging I added. No other point was intended by the statement. However, I should have worded it differently. CREW's letter to the DOJ states that the emails were provided to them in pre-redacted form:

"Although the emails CREW received were heavily redacted, we have been able to authenticate them."

My apologies to CREW for the error, and the original post has been corrected.

The remainder of the post stays as is - please note that no other portions of the post were challenged in any way.

Iran continues it's quest for nuclear weaponry:

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran has expanded its controversial nuclear work by starting a second cascade of centrifuges to enrich uranium, a semiofficial news agency reported Wednesday.

The news came as world powers moved toward introducing a draft resolution in the U.N. Security Council that would impose limited sanctions on Iran because of its refusal to cease enrichment — a process that can produce material for nuclear power reactors or weapons.

The Iranian Students News Agency quoted an anonymous official Wednesday as saying that Iran had started a second cascade of centrifuges two weeks ago and that "gas will be injected into the cascade during the current week."

"We will exploit the new product from the injection," ISNA quoted the official as saying, meaning that Iran would use the enriched uranium obtained by inserting gas into the centrifuges.

Will we soon be seeing more creepy celebrating as before?

An article about donut juggernaut Dunkin' Donuts and their expansion plans.

Kinda reminds me of the fast food wars in the 70's and 80's. For what it's worth, I don't have a preference for either Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts (we have both in my area). I'd be happy if Winchell's would expand to Delaware instead, I always thought they were better.

Alas, they seem to be determined to remain on the west coast only.

Another front:

NAIROBI, Kenya - From the Red Sea to Lake Victoria, the Horn of Africa is one of the few places in the world where, if careful, a traveler can move 1,400 miles across four countries without producing a passport or encountering a single government official.

These footpaths, back roads and rivers have been used for centuries by merchants and slave traders, explorers, smugglers and bandits. Rebels easily sneak around the central governments in the big cities.

So could any traveler. Even a terrorist.

Sigh.

And apparently not listening, either. When the GOP candidate says an NRCC ad is "over the line", someone there should pay attention:

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A Democratic congressional candidate accused in a political ad of billing taxpayers for a call to a phone-sex line suggested he may have misdialed the number while trying to reach a state agency.

The ad that began airing Friday shows Democrat Michael Arcuri leering at the silhouette of a dancing woman who says, "Hi, sexy. You've reached the live, one-on-one fantasy line."

But Arcuri's campaign released records showing the call two years ago from his New York City hotel room to the 800-number sex line was followed the next minute by a call to the state Department of Criminal Justice Services. The last seven digits of the two numbers are the same.

Arcuri, the district attorney in Oneida County, said the ad was "clearly libelous" and threatened to file a lawsuit. His GOP opponent, state Sen. Ray Meier, described it as "way over the line."

At least seven television stations in Syracuse, Utica and Binghamton refused to run the ad, Arcuri said.

The ad's sponsor, the National Republican Congressional Committee, stood by the 30-second message. Spokesman Ed Patru insisted it was "totally true" and said Meier was not consulted.

The two candidates, who say they are friends, are running to fill the seat left open by the retirement of Republican Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (news, bio, voting record). Political analysts have said the race is among the nation's most competitive.

Arcuri said he had "never seen such an unfair commercial. I have a 12-year-old daughter. She's going to have to go to school and hear other kids talk about this."

I have to agree with Arcuri on this. A single call, 2 years ago, to a sex line that was immediately followed in records by a similar number belonging to a government department? It's not enough to base an ad on, and Rebublicans should be more responsible than this. We have enough trouble this election season without having to defend our own employing the same tactics we've been complaining about from the left.

NRCC, please let it go and stick to the issues - something the Dems can't compete against.

The National Republican Congressional Committee needs to pull the ad and issue an apology. Period.

Well, they're at it again - a second October surprise for Curt Weldon. This hasn't shown up yet in the usual places, so this is from CREW's press release:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Earlier today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked the Department of Justice to investigate whether Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) violated the law by threatening those who made contributions to his political opponent Joe Sestak with retribution.

CREW received two emails describing Rep. Weldon's efforts. The first, sent to Mr. Sestak on June 29, 2006, described a "hit list" compiled by someone on Rep. Weldon's staff identifying people in the national security field who had made contributions to Mr. Sestak. The email indicates that a retired Navy flag officer reported that Rep. Weldon said something to the effect of "If they don't think there will be retribution before or after the election, they're kidding themselves." A second email, sent on July 21, 2006 states that Rep. Weldon had his staff contact Navy personnel to get information on Mr. Sestak.

Here are the emails, from CREW's blog:

All of the dark line redacting was CREW's doing already present in the documents I downloaded from CREW (They received them in pre-redacted condition). I smudged out a few names they left in place. (see this post for explanation of the change.)

I really like Curt Weldon. He's done a fine job for his district. But if this turns out to be genuine, it doesn't look good. Not being a lawyer, I can't say whether any of this would amount to any more than that. Of course, if it turns out that Weldon actually committed a crime, I'll applaud as he leaves office.

Also, notice that once again, CREW is admitting that they have hip-pocketed evidence of a crime (so they say) for several months in order to use it for political advantage. This time, apparently, with the assistance and knowlege of Sestak's campaign.

A few folks have predicted that these tactics will backlash against the Dems. I hope so. CREW (and their accomplices in the Sestak campaign) gets no points for their behavior here. Either they hid a crime for 3-4 months for political convenience, or it's a vile smear launched late enough into the campaign so that an investigation wouldn't be complete to clear Weldon before the election.

CREW and the Democrats have attained a new low in politics. These tactics should be enough alone to show the American public how unsuited to lead the Democratic Party really is.

I'd heard about this, stored it, then promptly forgot about it. Thank goodness for this press release:

The National Museum of the Marine Corps Dedication will take place on Friday, Nov. 10, in conjunction with the Marine Corps Birthday, with some 15,000 invited guests including the President of the United States, Cabinet members, all living former Commandants of the Marine Corps and Marine delegations from 50 states. The Dedication Ceremony will be hosted by Jim Lehrer, Marine, executive editor and anchor of "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," on PBS. Marine and American Idol finalist Josh Gracin will perform in the dedication's prelude program. All media are invited to attend; museum dedication credentials are required.

To commemorate Veterans Day, Saturday, Nov. 11, veterans groups and military families will tour the museum. A candlelight memorial service for fallen Marines and the dedication of Semper Fidelis Park will also be held at the museum at 5 p.m. All media are invited to attend; museum dedication credentials are required.

I don't know if it will be open to the general public on either of those days, but if you're in the area, it would be worth looking in to. If you go, let me know what you think. I work with several retired marines who would all be there if they could.

My personal view from knowing lots of Marines over the years is that the museum will be wholly inadequate. There are far more great Marine stories than any museum could tell. Even so, it would still be worth the trip.

And the Democrats are outraged. How do we know they are outraged? Because they leaked it:

A conference call to the committee's nine Democrats on Wednesday to inform them of the aide's suspension prompted outrage, said two congressional officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about internal committee business.

The officials said that the National Intelligence Estimate was marked "secret," rather than "top secret" or another more restrictive classification. As a result, thousands of people would have had access to it, including the intelligence, armed services and international relations committees of the House.

While I'm encouraged that some effort is being made to determine the sources of the leaks, this story is near zero for me. Why? 'Cause there is nothing but suspicion here so far. The Democrats correctly state that a large number of people have access to the NIE, and we don't know if the staffer ordered the report for someone else or for himself.

What I still don't get is why Congress ignores the press (and their role) in all of this. Classified information requires controls and boundaries. Once it crosses outside of those boundaries, it's no longer classified information - it's stolen classified information. One would think the government could leverage this to compell reporters to reveal the leakers as part of a criminal investigation, since receiving stolen goods is a crime. Until we do, the leaks will never stop. And while the left may think it's cute to leak classified data for political purposes, the fact is that it harms our country when they do so.

So until I see someone being prosecuted, I'm going to have to assume that this staffer suspension (along with all of the promises of investigation for past leaks) is simply intended to be eyewash - red meat for the base.

For me, though, it's a flavorless meal that leaves me not just unsatified, but starving.

Sure looks sorry, doesn't he?

The question is whether Beijing will fall for it:

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il expressed regret about his country's nuclear test to a Chinese delegation and said Pyongyang would return to international nuclear talks if Washington backs off a campaign to financially isolate the country, a South Korean newspaper reported Friday.

"If the U.S. makes a concession to some degree, we will also make a concession to some degree, whether it be bilateral talks or six-party talks," Kim was quoted as telling a Chinese envoy, the mass-circulation Chosun Ilbo reported, citing a diplomatic source in China.

Kim told the Chinese delegation that "he is sorry about the nuclear test," the newspaper reported.

Standard fare for NK - "if only those mean Americans will get off my back, we can talk" is a familiar tune.

I hope China shows some resolve this time. The sanctions should be lifted after he de-nukes, not before. Otherwise he'll just keep playing games.

Most mothers don't get enough sleep

They needed a study for this? The lovely TB is eight years ahead of science on this one. They also discovered tired moms are less happy - who knew?

This is cool:

WASHINGTON - Scientists are boldly going where only fiction has gone before — to develop a Cloak of Invisibility. It isn't quite ready to hide a Romulan space ship from Capt. James T. Kirk or to disguise Harry Potter, but it is a significant start and could show the way to more sophisticated designs.

When my kids grow up and have their own kids , hide and seek will be ever so much different.

That's how the Dow closed today. I'm sure in spite of the record high market, historically low unemployment, reduced deficit, and scores of other positive indicators someone on the left is out there right now trying to figure out how to distort and twist this into a negative.

A press release this morning from Harry Reid:

To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor

Contact: The Office of Sen. Harry Reid, 702-388-5020

News Advisory:

WHO:

-- Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.)

-- Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco

-- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

-- Citibank

-- Nevada State Bank

-- ACORN Housing

WHAT: Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, (FHLBank San Francisco) will co-host a homebuyer fair to increase first-time homebuyers in the Las Vegas valley. The fair will include English and Spanish language workshops to provide valuable information that will help first- time homebuyers.

Participants will learn how to qualify for home loans, repair their credit, and access up to $25,000 in down payment assistance. The fair is a collaborative effort of the FHLBank San Francisco in partnership with financial services and housing community leaders to increase first-time homebuyers through education and access to affordable housing programs. Since 1990, the FHLBank San Francisco has awarded more than $12 million to 55 affordable housing projects in Nevada to increase the supply of affordable housing. The event is free and open to the public. Activities for children will also be available.

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 21 (Light lunch will be provided to program participants) 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. (Doors will open at 9:30 a.m.)

WHERE: Advance Technology Academy, 2501 Vegas Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89106

Makes sense to me. After all, he's an expert on creative real estate strategies!

Thanks, AllahPundit! Welcome, Hot Air readers!

H/T Think Progress, where there's a video and transcript posted. They briefly discuss the accusations made about Congressman Kolbe. (Disclaimer - I haven't followed the story about Kolbe and will not discuss it save to say that if he preyed on a child, he's absolute scum and deserves any bad consequence the law allows. If he didn't, he deserves some big apologies from those making the accusation.)

Washington Post reporter Dana Milbank was on Olbermann's show last night with not one, but two interesting admissions about media motives (well, at least his) in scandal coverage:

OLBERMANN: We know very little about these allegations, at least from Congressman Kildee’s remarks, and if it is Congressman Kolbe of Arizona, it’s important to stress we know nothing about the actual allegation yet, nor the investigation. But did the scandal, by dint of this one mention from Mr. Kildee, just get another set of legs?

MILBANK: Legs would be the least offensive body part. But, yes, we–Jim Kolbe is retiring, so it’s not necessarily a big deal about him. Already, there are rumors now about a third, this one involving a 16-year-old girl. That’s been swirling around Washington today.

To Dana, Kolbe isn't important since he's retiring. Can't harm him politically, eh, Dana? But this other rumor - if it's a Republican running for re-election, now that's a big deal. Nice sense of humanity, huh?

OLBERMANN: Congressman Kildee had complained that he had been shut out by the Republican chairman of the page board when he had learned about Mark Foley’s conduct in the fall of 2005. Presumably, he testified to that before the House Ethics Committee. We–do we know more than the presumption? And do we know if they’re taking it as evidence of a coverup, or how they’re treating that testimony?

MILBANK: Well, it’s hard to know exactly what the Ethics Committee is doing. But clearly, the public has made its decision. There’s a poll out today saying 57 percent of the people believe that there was, in fact, a coverup, 77 percent saying it was handled badly.

In other words, all that matters is public perception. Truth doesn't matter as the media's flogging of this story has been effective.

Should the Ethics committee clear Hastert (and I'm not saying they will), I wonder how hard "responsible" reporters like Dana will try to correct that perception?

Considering that Dana joked with Olbermann about an accusation involving an adult with a minor before dismissing it as no big deal because no political hay could be made of it, I think we know the answer. Disgusting. And jeers to Nico and the commenters for not catching it.

This time in Kansas:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today asked for an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigation into the activities surrounding the reelection efforts of Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline.

During the week of September 12, 2006 several Kansas-based news organizations published an internal campaign memorandum authored by Attorney General Kline that detailed his efforts to recruit churches to aid his reelection efforts. The memorandum includes several activities that may constitute illegal support of the Kline campaign by Kansas churches.

Kline identified Light of the World and Wanamaker Woods Nazarene, both in Topeka, and an unspecified Basehor-Linwood church as churches that had agreed to help disseminate his campaign literature. Redistributing partisan campaign literature is a violation of tax laws that forbid churches and other public charities from intervening in elections.

Three guesses which party Kline belongs to - and the first two don't count. Don't Democrats ever step into churches, Melanie?

Or maybe not. Seems like it was less than first reported.

I don't listen to Rush very often, but what I've heard didn't resemble this.

I largely agreed with Glenn's "premortem", and also with his sentiment from today regarding being taken for granted. I expect my elected officials to spend the time between elections earning my next vote. This Republican Congress has has fallen short in that area. Spending and immigration are the two biggest bumbles in my view.

Nonetheless, I am prepared to pull the handle for them once again. Considering that even two years in charge (in the most rosy scenario) gives the left lots of time to dismantle the things that Republicans did right, and it's simply not worth the risk of sitting it out.

Via AP/Yahoo:

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley will reveal to the Archdiocese of Miami the name of the Roman Catholic clergyman he says abused him as a teenager, Foley's civil attorney said Tuesday.

"It's going to be very clear in the coming days that it is a fact as opposed to any possible allegations that it was a fantasy or something made up for political purposes," attorney Gerald Richman said.

Who the hell cares? It doesn't erase what he did. And he's not going to get his seat back. In the event he faces some charges out of all this (either civil or criminal), it's probably not going to help him there, either. I can't possibly imagine what he thinks these announcements will gain for him. Simply asinine.

Sometime last night BlogRolling got back up and running. Whatever the problem was, thanks guys, for getting it fixed.

I guess, though, as soon as folks notice then the ping abuse will start again. I know of one blog that rarely makes more than one post a day, usually in the early morning. But you can find it at the top of the 101st list at right repeatedly throughout the day. Wish BlogRolling would find a fix for that...

The "non-partisan" Soros-funded liberal group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is having a busy month. Now they're bragging about trying to take away a church's non-profit tax status:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today filed an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) complaint against the Living Word Christian Center in Brooklyn Park, Minn., for violating IRS law by openly endorsing State Sen. Michele Bachmann's candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Do you wonder, as I do, how many churches endorsing liberal candidates have been targeted by CREW? I'm sure it must be dozens, right?

Right?

CREW apparently doesn't think they need to, though. It appears that they see themselves as champions of fairness, seeking Republican institutions to attack as retribution for any liberal ones that may get in trouble:

Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW said today, "The IRS has pledged to investigate non-profits that violate the law. So far the IRS has targeted only progressive organizations such as the All Saints Church in Pasadena, Calif., the NAACP and Texans for Public Justice.

"This complaint and the clear evidence supporting it should spur the IRS to investigate the Living Word Christian Center and all 501(c)(3) charities that abuse their status, regardless of ideology."

Of course, if it intimidates conservative voters, that's just gravy, right?

What a cynical, bitter, and self-loathing soul Ms. Sloan must be.

If a church is truly violating the law, I don't have a problem with that church being investigated. An organization that attacks conservative churches exclusively while claiming to be non-partisan - well, that just displays hatred and dishonesty instead of ethics, responsibility, or citizenship.

John Conyers has released a new book, based on his "Constitution in Crisis" report. From the press release:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A report by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers and the Democratic staff, "George W. Bush versus the U.S. Constitution", is now available in book form, with an introduction by Ambassador Joseph Wilson, whose wife, Valerie Plame, is a former CIA agent, outed and harassed by the Administration, and a Foreword by Congressman Conyers.

Having an introduction by "Ambassador Joseph Wilson, whose wife, Valerie Plame, is a former CIA agent, outed and harassed by the Administration", gives an appropriately delusional beginning to a tome that promises to be full of delusion and deception. I'm sure Conyers and his partners in this saw the news last month on Plamegate. To continue this nutty tinfoil hat stuff when even the NYT now concedes that there wasn't a coordinated outing from the White House of Valerie Plame, places Rep. Conyers outside the mainstream of sane and rational thought. Don't expect the rest of the book to reverse that trend.

But it's not just his thoughts at play here. The press release claims the book is based on "A report by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers and the Democratic staff". It isn't even that. This report started, as I said above, as a document titled "Constitution in Crisis", a 350 page document you can download here. Written by him and his staff? Maybe partially, but the real credit belongs to a bunch even more delusional and ill-informed than Rep. Conyers (Screen cap here):

Much of the research in this report is a product of the input and hard work of DailyKos, Huffington Post and Conyersblog readers over the last six months (the help with my "timeline project" was particularly useful). I also am so grateful to progressive talk radio hosts and listeners, who have refused to allow the American people to forget the nation was deceived into war.

Get it? Conyers goes past the the arguably nutty Kos and Arianna and shoots staight for their readers. Yup - when you really need info about classified documents and intelligence practices, no better source than the comment threads of Kos and HuffPo. And every single loony BDS theory is in there - from the venerable "BushLied" meme, to the notion that the terrorist surveilance program tapped "millions" of American's domestic calls. Each and every one has been thoroughly disproven countless times, so I won't rehash them here. Consider the source, folks. It was mostly researched not by a respected investigatory agency, but by the readers of the Daily Kos.

This basic document, with the addition of some scary sounding mischaracterizations of the terrorist surveilance program, forms the new book. I'd like to get some tips from Rep. Conyers - usually when I try to get the foil that tight, it rips.

Conyers believes this material forms the justification for his oft-stated desire to impeach President Bush. And if the Democrats get control of the House, he's made no secret of the fact that he intends to utilize his chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee for that exact purpose.

All based on the fever-swamp conspiracy theories of the readers of Daily Kos and the Huffington Post.

More later (maybe) when my lunch digests a little more...

Via AP/Yahoo:

WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid has been using campaign donations instead of his personal money to pay Christmas bonuses for the support staff at the Ritz-Carlton where he lives in an upscale condominium. Federal election law bars candidates from converting political donations for personal use.

Questioned about the campaign expenditures by The Associated Press, Reid's office said Monday his lawyers had approved them but he nonetheless was personally reimbursing his campaign for the $3,300 he had directed to the staff holiday fund at his residence.

Reid also announced he was amending his ethics reports to Congress to more fully account for a Las Vegas land deal, highlighted in an AP story last week, that allowed him to collect $1.1 million in 2004 for property he hadn't personally owned in three years.

A pattern emerging?

Looks like there really is an investigation:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal agents on Monday searched the home of U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon's daughter, an FBI spokeswoman said, amid reports the Pennsylvania Republican used his influence to help his lobbyist daughter win contracts.

As is customary, the FBI didn't divulge what they were looking for. And they also searched the home of an associate:

Debbie Weierman, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Washington field office, said agents also went to the home of a local Republican activist who is close to Weldon.

According to newspaper reports, law enforcement officials are investigating whether Weldon used his influence to help his daughter obtain lobbying contracts of significant value with foreign clients.

Weierman would not provide details on what federal agents were looking for at Karen Weldon's Philadelphia home or the Springfield, Pennsylvania, house of Charles Sexton.

The Philadelphia Inquirer and other newspapers reported that federal agents removed several boxes from the homes of Weldon's daughter and Sexton.

Weierman also would not confirm that the FBI's investigation was related to Rep. Weldon, saying the "affidavits are sealed."

How much ya wanna bet the party of "innocent until proven guilty" will lay off this story until the investigation is complete?

I glad you asked - they won't, since they may be up to their hips in the story. From the Philly Inquirer:

At an event earlier today at Philadelphia International Airport to discuss airport noise, Weldon said the investigation was politically motivated - blaming a complaint filed by Melanie Sloan, director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

"She is the only one I know of who went to the Justice Department and asked for an investigation," Weldon said. "I know that because I have her letter."

He added, "I haven't helped get my daughter anything."

Weldon, who is involved in a tight race for reelection, has said that he has done nothing wrong.

The $1 million contract under investigation was first reported in 2004 by the Los Angeles Times. Sources said the FBI and Justice Department investigation was based on the Times story.

The Inquirer reported in 2004 that Weldon had lobbied federal officials on behalf of Itera, the huge and controversial Russian natural gas company. Weldon also complained to Karl Rove, President Bush's top political adviser, about Itera's treatment by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

Itera paid $500,000 to Karen Weldon and Sexton's firm. The contract was signed Sept. 30, 2002, six days after the congressman helped arrange a dinner at the Library of Congress to honor Itera and Igor Makarov, the firm's chief executive officer.

About noon today, a group of 17 protesters arrived outside Weldon's district office in Upper Darby, carrying signs and the kind of foam hands usually seen at sporting events to proclaim "Number One." But these rose-colored hands said "Caught Red-Handed."

"This is the first time I've come out and done something like this," said Judy Voet of Rose Valley. "This Congress is just so corrupt."

Most of the protesters were Democrats, but they said they were not involved in the campaign of Weldon's opponent, Joe Sestak, and they included at least one Republican, Chuck Ries of Havertown.

"I don't know what to believe anymore, they lie so much," said Ries, holding a sign linking Weldon to current and former Republican colleagues Tom DeLay, Mark Foley and Bob Ney - all of whom have been embroiled in career-ending scandals.

CREW (the same bunch behind the Foley October surprise), according to Rep. Weldon, might have engineered this one as well. Weldon mentions Melanie Sloan, director of CREW. Here's video with her admitting to filing the complaint 2 1/2 years ago from CNN:

She doesn't claim to have been active on this since, however. In the video, they report that Rep. Weldon provided documentation to the Ethics committee at the time and was cleared.

A few things stand out to me from the above stories:

1. It appears that the McClatchy story over the weekend forced the FBI to start speaking publically about their actions. This shores up my suspicion that the folks who leaked this have hampered the investigation, whoever it is deserves a little attention from the FBI as well.

2. The protesters showed up pretty fast after the warrents were issued, didn't they? All prepared with props, no less.

3. CREW filed the complaint 2 1/2 years ago, and the CNN piece suggests that the investigation is around six months old. I simply don't buy that the FBI waited 2 years to begin this. Someone pressed them, CREW is the most likely source. Six months ago they would have been working the Foley complaint as well and forming their Fall election strategy.

4. CNN headlined this pretty quick as well, didn't they?

As I said before, if Weldon is dirty, I'll be first in line to wave goodbye. This post and the previous ones are about the disgusting election season tactics. In the Foley case they may have endangered young folks by holding on to information until maximum political effect could be achieved. In this case, they may have jeopardized an investigation and obstructed justice in order to score some cheap political points.

Update: Allahpundit weighed in earlier this afternoon:

It’s true, CREW did contact the DOJ about Weldon’s possible influence peddling — two and a half years ago. The case suddenly and mysteriously got hot again this past Friday, though, with Weldon currently in a dead heat with Democratic opponent Joe Sestak.

Which is suspicious. But not as suspicious as the fact that there’s enough probable cause here to justify six federal search warrants.

I dealt with the time issue above. But I see the search warrants as desperation to salvage a case that was compromised by the McClatchy story on Saturday exposing an investigation that the FBI wanted to keep confidential. As I believe is fair in any such case, it's best to wait until the justice system does its job before assuming guilt or innocence.

He does take a nice shot at Ms. Sloan, though.

Previous:
Weldon in trouble?
Weldon "investigation" story picked up by AP

A terrific column about the Harry Reid real estate scandal by Ed Morrissey (of Captain's Quarters fame): Reid's Smelly Windfall.

...in today's Washington Post to decry Republican name-calling. In the process, he continues to show why Democrats like him don't deserve to be in power. His message is unmistakably clear - Iraq is hard, we might lose, so we should give up.

Had the forefathers of this country decided that the possibility of losing was enough not to try, we'd still be a colony today. How about WWII? Winning wasn't a given when we engaged in Europe - matter of fact, we went over there because our allies were losing. Murtha's head-in-the-sand brand of defeatism would have condemned Europe to defeat at the hands of Hitler all because it was too hard.

Is Iraq a mess? Yes. Do the Iraqi people deserve the even worse chaos and loss of life that would ensue if we simply pulled up stakes and abandoned them? No.

Murtha was quite the humanitarian when speaking out on the loss of Iraqi life when he claimed our troops were killing them in cold blood without the benefit of a complete investigation. If our continued presence while the Iraqis gradually take over saves lives that would otherwise be lost in the expanded sectarian violence that would surely erupt if we left now, why wouldn't Murtha support that? Cause it wouldn't further his political ambitions? Some humanitarian, eh?

Lots of things are hard, Jack. Lots are painful, too. Running away from things that are right because they might be hard and/or painful shouldn't be the trademark of a decorated veteran.

Yesterday I wrote about left-wing McClatchy Newspapers pushing the story of an alleged FBI investigation of Representative Curt Weldon regarding some business dealings of his daughter. Today the story is getting drawn into the mainstream news cycle:

WASHINGTON - The FBI is investigating whether Rep. Curt Weldon (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., used his influence to secure lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, two people familiar with the inquiry said Saturday.

The story contains all the elements that we've come to expect from the left when any issue is used by them for political gain - shadowy informants and Democratic party knowledge of a supposedly secret investigation pre-dating the leak to the media:

...They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidentiality of the criminal investigation.

...This account cited two individuals with specific knowledge of the existence of the investigation; they declined to be identified because of the confidentiality of criminal investigations.

...Over the last few days, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has mailed fliers to voters in Weldon's district accusing Karen Weldon of getting help from her father on lobbying projects.

Well, it's not confidential now, is it?

As I said yesterday, if Rep. Weldon has done something wrong, I'll be the first to wave goodbye. No room in my party for that kind of shenanigans. Unlike the left, though, I prefer that the FBI come to the right conclusion in their investigation. Depending on the reason they kept it confidential, that goal no longer be attainable. Obstructing justice for political gain - is this the kind of political party you want in power?

That said, the actions of the left in this matter are disgusting. The investigation was apparently secret enough so that Weldon's office wasn't informed, and now it has been compromised by the left for political gain. The fact that leakers went to the DCCC prior to approaching the media shows all you need to know. Presumably the two "people familiar with the investigation" approached the DCCC and the media for the most cynical of reasons - It had become evident to them that the investigation would not be complete in time for the election. So a decision was made to sacrifice the FBI's sleuthing in favor of politics.

Truly vile.

Update: A reader (name withheld by request) points out correctly that Weldon has been accused by the left over his daughter's contracts for a couple of years, and the story is not new. However, the FBI's involvement, along with the apparent interferance in that investigation by left operatives/sympathizers, is new and newsworthy. It's ironic that the left claims to stand for accountability when the leak and opportunistic use of it may actually prevent that accountability that they pretend to want.

I had to read it twice, as this is the most dramatic departure from established Democratic Party patterns that I've ever seen:

BATON ROUGE, La. - The Louisiana Democratic Party turned down eight-term U.S. Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record) on Saturday and endorsed state Rep. Karen Carter, one of a dozen challengers who emerged after Jefferson became the target of a federal bribery investigation.

The State Central Committee's 69-53 vote, at a special meeting to decide whom to endorse in Louisiana's open primaries Nov. 7, was the first time in recent memory that an incumbent had failed to win the state party's endorsement.

Of course, he still has endorsements of labor and local Dem committees. Still, it's a start. Color me shocked. Maybe the left is starting to look inward a little.

Via AP/Yahoo:

UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to impose punishing sanctions on North Korea for its claimed nuclear test, declaring that its action posed "a clear threat to international peace and security."

North Korea immediately rejected the resolution, and its U.N. ambassador walked out of the council chamber after accusing its members of a "gangster-like" action which neglects the nuclear threat posed by the United States. Ambassador Pak Gil Yon said North Korea wants talks but warned that it will consider increased U.S. pressure a declaration of war.

Captain Ed has more.

Update: Allahpundit has video!

First lady Laura Bush poses with Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., and his granddaughter, Reagan Perri, during a campaign rally for Weldon at a morning breakfast Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2006 in Springfield, Pa. At left is Weldon's wife, Mary. (AP Photo/Bradley C Bower)

Sigh - another October surprise. I don't know yet what to make of this, as Weldon's office say's there's no investigation. Still, it could be that the FBI simply hasn't told Weldon yet, as the story implies:

FBI investigates Rep. Curt Weldon:

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is investigating whether Republican Rep. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania traded his political influence for lucrative lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, according to sources with direct knowledge of the inquiry.

The FBI, which opened an investigation in recent months, has formally referred the matter to the department's Public Integrity Section for additional scrutiny. At issue are Weldon's efforts between 2002 and 2004 to aid two Russian companies and two Serbian brothers with ties to strongman Slobodan Milosevic, a federal law enforcement official said.

The Russian companies and a Serbian foundation run by the brothers' family each hired a firm co-owned by Weldon's daughter, Karen, for fees totaling nearly $1 million a year, public records show.

The race between Weldon and Joe Sestak, his Democrat challenger, is yet another very tight race. This brings the timing of the article, along with the leaks from what is apparently an investigation so confidential that the FBI saw fit not to notify Weldon about it, into question. That is, if there really is an investigation:

Word of the inquiry, which has been closely held within the Justice Department and the FBI, comes from two individuals with specific knowledge of the existence of the investigation. They both declined to be identified because of the confidentiality of criminal investigations.

Spokesmen for the FBI and the Justice Department declined to confirm or deny that an inquiry is under way.

William Canfield, a lawyer who represented Weldon when a Los Angeles Times report prompted the House ethics committee to briefly explore the issue two years ago, said the congressman is unaware of a Justice Department investigation and is confident that none exists.

"Is there is an inquiry going on in the Justice Department?" Canfield asked. "The answer is no. . . . Curt knows nothing about this, his chief of staff knows nothing about it and I know nothing about it. I think we would have heard about it."

Canfield said Weldon, a 10-term House member who's vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and active in U.S. foreign affairs, dismissed the report as "crazy" while campaigning for reelection in a tight contest in Philadelphia's southwestern suburbs.

But McClatchy Newspapers' sources said the FBI only over the last few months obtained evidence suggesting that the congressman may have broken the law. One of the sources, a federal law enforcement official, said that Weldon had not yet been told about the inquiry.

The official said that the FBI recently sought the assistance of federal prosecutors in pressuring an unidentified person to provide evidence about the 59-year-old congressman. The attempt to "squeeze" this individual appeared to be an early step, the two sources said.

It is uncertain whether the current investigation will blossom into a full-blown inquiry that will result in criminal charges being filed. It is possible at this stage of the investigation that nothing will come of it. But the FBI typically does not seek the involvement of the Justice Department unless it finds substance to the evidence it has gathered.

I'll be keeping an eye on this and update if anything more develops. At the very least, this is the pattern for the Dems at election time - the timing, the (likely) illegal leaks, the anonymous sources to a sympathetic lefty news agency all fit. Another October surprise.

Of course, there's also the chance that Curt Weldon has indeed done something wrong. If so, I'll be the first to wave goodbye.

Update: Here's a story from William Bender of the Delaware County Times:

A glossy Democratic mailer has been circulating the district all week about how U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon allegedly used his political influence to steer lucrative contracts to his daughter. Today, McClatchy Newspapers is expected to publish a report that could further diminish Weldon’s chances of holding on to his seat in what will likely be the closest 7th District election since 1984.

It appears the local Democratic Party knew about this before McClatchy Newspapers saw fit to inform the public - far enough in advance to have glossy mailers published and mailed. Question the timing.

A convicted female drug dealer in Viet Nam gets pregnant while on death row, and police are befuddled:

The report said it was the first time that a death-row prisoner had become pregnant in Vietnam and that police were investigating how it had happened.

Someone should send 'em here. I'm sure they're old enough to let them in on the secret...

BA coddles Muslims and Sikhs but punishes Christians:

LONDON - A British Airways employee was suspended from work for refusing to remove a necklace bearing a Christian cross, a British newspaper reported Saturday.

Nadia Eweida, a check-in worker at Heathrow Airport, told the Daily Mail she was suing the airline for religious discrimination after being sent home for breaching BA's dress code.

"British Airways permits Muslims to wear a headscarf, Sikhs to wear a turban and other faiths religious apparel. Only Christians are forbidden to express their faith," Eweida was quoted as saying.

I hope she wins. Of course, BA could solve the problem by banning all religious wear, but won't. Anyone care to guess why?

That's what it sounds like, anyway:

Clooney told reporters at a dinner honoring him on Friday night that he had no intention of entering the political arena. "I'm not running for office. I like my life," Clooney said.

The article suggests this may come as a relief to us on the right. Personally, I feel that he would be a wonderful source of blogging material should he change his mind and run one day.

Has anyone else noticed that Blogrolling isn't updating the group lists? At first, I thought it was just my blog. Checking others, however, tells me this isn't the case.

The blogrolling website has no news about an outage, and their forum is clogged with spam.

Anyone know what's up?

Update: I guess a few folks have noticed, but no answers....

After days of speculation on whether the NK test was really a nuke or not, some official Uncle Sam inconclusiveness:

WASHINGTON - Results from an initial air sampling after North Korea's announced nuclear test showed no evidence of radioactive particles that would be expected from a successful nuclear detonation, a U.S. government intelligence official said Friday.

The test results do not necessarily mean the North Korean blast was not a nuclear explosion, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the sampling results.

President Bush says it matters little:

"The United States is working to confirm North Korea's claim, but this claim itself constitutes a threat to international peace and stability," Bush said.

From the US perspective, President Bush is right. But definitive intel about the test might make a world of difference to others in the 6-party coalition, particularly Japan and South Korea. I hope we don't rush to the table with the other nations involved until we find out for sure.

By the way, would someone in Washington please do something about the non-stop leaks?

Very unusual in an AP story - a tale of heroism:

CORONADO, Calif. - A Navy SEAL sacrificed his life to save his comrades by throwing himself on top of a grenade Iraqi insurgents tossed into their sniper hideout, fellow members of the elite force said.

Please go read the rest.

Update: Must remember to search before posting. Shoulda known Froggy was on top of this over at Blackfive.

In an earlier post, did I say weird? It's much worse than that. These are from a fashion show in Ukraine:

Leaving the plastic caps on was kinda wimpy, if you ask me. Lacks conviction.

Incidentally, I don't think those are balloons on her head. Her expression doesn't seem very festive for someone sporting a hairdo with a reservior tip, does it?

No comment save that only a hardcore BDS-ridden moonbat could call this art:

Truly sick.

Nothing is ever as it seems.

I guess AP had to run it before someone else did. Dingy Harry adds to the stench of corruption he excreted while accepting money from Abramoff:

WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid collected a $1.1 million windfall on a Las Vegas land sale even though he hadn't personally owned the property for three years, property deeds show.

In the process, Reid did not disclose to Congress an earlier sale in which he transferred his land to a company created by a friend and took a financial stake in that company, according to records and interviews.

Captain Ed is on the story with some spot on commentary:

Hilariously, this appears just days after James Webb tried smearing George Allen with a pseudoscandal over stock options that Allen disclosed and never exercised, meaning that he never cleared a dime from the options. Now we have the Democratic caucus leader dodging disclosures and failing to disclose $800,000 in profits from a project on which he partnered with a lawyer suspected of connections to organized crime and a bribery scandal.

Organized crime? My, our filthy little hatemonger has been busy, hasn't he?

Of course, some will be tempted to call for Reid's resignation. No, no, no, no, and no. The right thing to do is call for a complete investigation. We on the right should not sink to the opportunistic low that the power greedy left demonstrated regarding Hastert recently.

It's the right thing to do after all.

Saw this over at Polipundit earlier speculating about Kerry running in '08. Of course that would be a good this for us, with Waffles continuing to say something idiotic nearly every time he opens his mouth.

But I'd have to say to stop speculating. A press release this afternoon gives me confidence that Kerry is not only planning to run, he's pre-ordering the most important supplies for his campaign, giving a needed shot in the arm (well, a shot somewhere) to an industry that's surely missed him since the last election. Lot's of potentially good intel here - the presser also says what their next big thing (or "holy grail") is, but it would be tasteless of me to attach a lefty name to it...

By the way, W.C., I see him as more of a Edgar Winter with darker hair and a chemically-induced tan. Think "Free Ride".

I like hot foods, but this is beyond my tolerance level:

DALLAS - A 62-year-old retired accountant from Nevada swallowed 247 peppers in eight minutes to win the Jalapeno Eating World Championship at the State Fair of Texas.

Richard LeFevre won $2,000 for prevailing in Sunday's contest, which was sponsored by the International Federation of Competitive Eating.

At least AP asked a medical professional to weigh in on the wisdom of this behaviour:

Dr. Daniel DeMarco, a gastroenterologist and director of endoscopy at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, said the amount of jalapenos consumed in an eating contest is more harmful than the burn.

"It's really pretty stupid," DeMarco said. "Like any sort of abuse of your body, it doesn't make any sense."

This time it's your salad:

SAN FRANCISCO - A popular brand of lettuce grown in California's Salinas Valley, the region at the center of a nationwide spinach scare, has been recalled over concerns about E. coli contamination.

The lettuce does not appear to have caused any illnesses, according to the president of Salinas-based Nunes Co. Inc.

Executives ordered the recall Sunday after learning that irrigation water may have been contaminated with E. coli, Tom Nunes Jr. said.

The good news is that they appear to have found out about this one before any serious illness. And unlike the spinach scare, the geographical scope is smaller as well:

It covers green leaf lettuce under the Foxy brand that was purchased in grocery stores Oct. 3-6 in Arizona, California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. It was also sold to distributors in those states who may have sold it to restaurants or institutions.

The recalled lettuce was packaged as "Green Leaf 24 Count, waxed carton," and "Green Leaf 18 Count, cellophane sleeve, returnable carton." Packaging is stamped with lot code 6SL0024.

I'm probably going to have a burger for lunch today. Seems like a safe choice compared to the healthier foods...

Kim Jung Il makes good on his threat:

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea said Monday it had exploded a nuclear weapon for the first time, an underground test that defied international warnings but was hailed by the communist nation as a "great leap forward" for its people.

Good roundups at Stop The ACLU and Hot Air.

Also here. Shhh - MK is sleeping...

Let's see if China changes course. Somehow I doubt it. Japan's response will likely be the one to watch.

A lot of hay being made of the small size of the blast suggesting a less-than-successful test, combined with the failures of NK's long-range missiles. Small points, if you ask me. Surely NK is working to improve their designs.

Added: From the appeasement crowd, a stunning level of ignorance:

All of this, of course, comes after years of the Bush administration alternately mismanaging and ignoring the North Korea situation. President Bush claimed he would not tolerate a nuclear North Korea, but he has done worse than that: he ignored the threat of North Korea as it expanded its nuclear arsenal, and was unable to offer the appropriate carrots and sticks to prevent this hugely destabilizing event. Shameful.

So I guess it's our fault for not cowering to a madman and giving him whatever he wanted, eh? Never mind that this scenario was predetermined back in the 90's, and please lets forget that there was a multilateral effort in dealing with NK. If AJ in DC's views had dominated over history, we'd be having this discussion in a different language. Sick.

Here's the only good idea coming from the left blogosphere this morning (H/T Allahpundit, linked above). I'll be working hard all day to convince TB that the world is ending any day now to test the DUer's suggestions. I will not be providing a full report, however. If blogging tapers off again, you'll know why.

Anchoress: "…something is not sitting just right with me."

I tend to agree. As I theorized yesterday, the House's investigations will lead nowhere. Unless Hastert buckles under pressure and resigns, the damage will be limited to one Republican gone in shame, and a few points lost in the polls. There's still plenty of time for the numbers to recover, so what did the Dems purchase with all this effort?

Anchoress thinks the current Democratic vapors about the Foley mess might be a diversion to keep the GOP busy while they prepare something else. I considered that too - the question is what? Voter fraud occurs every election cycle, I can't imagine how this could provide cover for it. But I won't rule it out, either.

Of course, this may not be the "true" October surprise we've all expected, and the Foley thing was meant just to tank the career of a single Republican. The story subsequently grew much longer legs than anyone anticipated, thus encouraging more attention from the Dem leadership than originally planned - hence the ham-handed and hypocritical rantings from the left that we've all been exposed to.

So is there another shoe yet to drop? Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what it might be?

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel that the current crop of top fashion designers are just plain wierd?

Keep in mind that these are from the creator's "ready to wear" collection. ick.

Added (10/07/06 6:00PM) : I hope they paid this model in cash. She could use a hot meal soonest. It breaks my heart to see young people go hungry:

Update (10/10/06 4:43AM): Allahpundit on the emaciated waif shown above: Scary. And he has a bonus pic that isn't scary at all.

in Larry Margasak's AP article:

WASHINGTON - The House's investigation of a page sex scandal has only one certainty: Former Rep. Mark Foley will escape punishment by his peers.

Escape? He's under investigation by Florida and the feds. He resigned in disgrace. He's become the poster child for a variety of ills that Americans passionately despise. I'd say that so far he's escaped little. And while I feel he deserves far worse than he'll ultimately receive, he'll get the maximum our laws and our society can dish out. It'll have to be enough.

Unfortunately, the optimism in the article about the ethics probe won't pan out:

Unlike the committee's usual practice of identifying the investigative target at the outset, this probe is wide open. Anyone who knew of Foley's salacious messages before the story broke at the end of September has reason for concern.

Larry's (and apparently AP's) optimism is that Republican leadership will be shown to have known all the graphic details from the very first IM and turned a blind eye or even actively enabled Foley. I'm confident that this will not be the result, as it's become obvious that the early emails were unactionable and Hastert and crew's reactions were appropriate. But it's unfortunate that the damage will already have been done long before that result is reached.

Also unfortunate because it appears that those who knew (and hid for months) the true nature of Foley's disgusting advances towards young men weren't in Congress, therefore beyond the reach of the ethics committee. Democratic leadership may have been aware, but the trails the emails and IMs followed to the media were sufficiently distant from the House that no prominent Dem will be successfully called to task. Such a small number of Americans pay close enough attention to politics that few will connect the dots to see that a political party desperate for power is more than willing to place children at risk while they patiently bide their time for the moment with the most political effect.

It's a pattern we've all seen before in politics. Rarely does an elected official have to dirty his/her own hands, there are plenty of folks willing to do it for them. As a result, the ones responsible almost never face consequences. Does anyone really this will play out otherwise? I have a bridge for sale if you do...