Political Videos

Murtha: Pelosi's First Big Mistake

2006-11-15T07:27:00.000-08:00

Americans had a chance to send some strong messages to Congress when we voted. We voted to end congressional corruption and the Iraq war. We didn't vote against one or the other. We voted against both.

The Democrats have chosen to ignore the message about corruption, so they will have to be reminded. We want ethics reform, new lobbying rules, the elimination of money-laundering through PACs. We do not want corrupt politicians in leadership positions.

John Murtha, by absolutely every account, is one of the most corrupt Democrats in Congress. He has been watch-listed by CREW, which cites a host of offenses, including influence-peddling through his brother's defense lobbying company.

Murtha's ethics problems go back years, as this Abscam video shows. In his 1980 meeting with undercover FBI agents, Murtha says he'll wait a bit before taking a $50,000 bribe, but wants money deposited in banks and other companies in his home district. Here is some of the transcript, provided by columnist Jack Anderson in 1980:

"You give us the banks where you want the money deposited," offered one of the bagmen.

"All right," agreed Murtha. "How much money we talking about?"

"Well, you tell me."

"Well, let me find out what is a reasonable figure that will get their attention," said Murtha, "because there are a couple of banks that have really done me some favors in the past, and I'd like to put some money in....["]

The full transcript is here and it is damning. The full video of Murtha's Abscam interview is available on-line.

Google Video (53:40)

Nicaragua: Rapid Count Suggests Ortega Win

2006-11-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

Old U.S. foe set to become new Nicaraguan president

The Grupo Cívico Ética y Transparencia, a chapter of Transparency International in Nicaragua, has released its rapid count data from Sunday's presidential election. The data shows FSLN candidate Daniel Ortega winning the election with about 38% of the vote. According to Nicaraguan electoral law, a candidate must win at least 40% of the vote, or 35% with at least 5% more votes than the closest competitor, to avoid a run-off. The runner-up in the election is Eduardo Montealegre, of the ALN party, with about 29% of the votes, or substantially less than would be required for a run-off election.

According to the Grupo Cívico's data, therefore, Ortega has won the election and will be Nicaragua's next president. The margin of error in its results is +/- 1.7%.

The rapid count results are:

Daniel Ortega (FSLN): 38.49%
Eduardo Montealegre (ALN): 29.52%
José Rizo (PLC): 24.15%
Edmundo Jarquín (MRS): 7.44%
Edén Pastora (AC): 0.40%

The official count is proceeding slowly, with just 15% of the votes counted by mid-morning on Monday. In that count, Ortega currently has 40% of the vote, and Montealegre has 33%. None of the international observer groups monitoring the elections have noted serious problems thus far.

Rasmussen: 48 All & 4 Toss-Ups in Senate

2006-11-06T06:25:00.000-08:00

As campaigning draws to a close today, Rasmussen Reports has filed its final Senate tally, which shows toss-up elections in Missouri, Montana, Tennessee and Virginia. Democrats must win three of those four states to take control of the Senate. Most pollsters give Tester the edge in Montana, where incumbent Conrad Burns has largely fought a campaign against himself - embroiled in the Ambramoff scandal and committing one political faux pas after another.

That leaves Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia. Polls indicate that James Webb, who consistently leads Virginia Senator George Allen by a few points, has the best chance for victory. Tennessee polls are all over the place - some show Bob Corker with a 12-point lead over Democrat Harold Ford, while others give him an edge of only a few points. Our sense is that circumstances on the ground favor Ford. Corker was not the Republican base's choice in the primary, and GOP turnout may be lower than most pollsters expect. In Missouri, McCaskill and Talent continue to run neck and neck, meaning the battle will come down to GOTV, which probably gives Talent the advantage.

It would be pointless to make predictions about these three races. If one was flipping a coin, the chances it would come up heads at least twice in three tosses are 50%. Less than a year ago, most pollsters gave Democrats virtually no chance of taking control of the Senate, and most people would have been content just to see Rick Santorum's despicable career ended. It's a measure of how much the political climate has changed that today Democrats have an even chance of winning control.

Ted Haggard Fired by Church

2006-11-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

Update: In a statement written by Haggard and read to the New Life congregation Sunday morning, he said, "The fact is I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem. I am a deceiver and liar there is part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it all of my adult life."

The following statement was released by the New Life Church in Colorado Springs this afternoon:

November 4, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New Life Church Colorado Springs, Colorado

We, the Overseer Board of New Life Church, have concluded our deliberations concerning the moral failings of Pastor Ted Haggard. Our investigation and Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has committed sexually immoral conduct.

The language of our church bylaws state that as Overseers we must decide in cases where the Senior Pastor has "demonstrated immoral conduct" whether we must "remove the pastor from his position or to discipline him in any way they deem necessary."

In consultation with leading evangelicals and experts familiar with the type of behavior Pastor Haggard has demonstrated, we have decided that the most positive and productive direction for our church is his dismissal and removal. In addition, the Overseers will continue to explore the depth of Pastor Haggard's offense so that a plan of healing and restoration can begin.

Pastor Haggard and his wife have been informed of this decision. They have agreed as well that he should be dismissed and that a new pastor for New Life Church should be selected according to the rules of replacement in the bylaws.

That process will begin immediately in hopes that a new pastor can be confirmed by the end of the year 2006. In the interim, Ross Parsley will function as the leader of the church with full support of the Overseers.

A letter of explanation and apology by Pastor Haggard as well as a word of encouragement from Gayle Haggard will be read in the 9:00 and 11:00 service of New Life Church.

If This Was Clue, We'd Have a Winner

2006-11-03T13:32:00.000-08:00

Pastor Haggard in the Male Prostitute's Apartment with the Methamphetamine

Haggard Says He Bought Meth & Threw It Away

2006-11-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

Ted Haggard's story just became a little weirder, after he was interviewed outside his home by a Colorado reporter. Haggard said he bought methamphetamine from Mike Jones, but threw it out because "I knew it was wrong." He admitted to phoning him for the drug.

He said he first met Jones when he went to him for a massage. He was placed in contact with the male prostitute through a "referral" from a Denver hotel.

Haggard denied having sex with Jones and said, "We're so grateful that he failed the polygraph test this morning."

(Kudos to the CNN reporter in this video, who kept a straight face after watching the interview.)

YouTube video (3:16)

Ted Haggard's Fantasies & Sexual Practices

2006-11-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

In an interview with Denver's KHOW radio station, former male prostitute Mike Jones said evangelical leader Ted Haggard told him his fantasy was to have an orgy with college guys, from 18 to 22 years old. Certainly, Haggard had plenty of access to such a group.

Via Good Morning America
YouTube video (4:56)

Jones also told KHOW this morning that he and the minister practiced oral sex on each other, and that they had only engaged in "something else" (presumably anal sex) once. Jones said he was the one wearing the condom during that encounter.

Meanwhile, PageOneQ dug up an ad for Mike Jones' services. Is this part of the War on Christmas?

Is Ted Haggard the Final Nail in the Republican Coffin?

2006-11-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

The overnight revelation by a New Life church pastor that Ted Haggard had, in fact, admitted to some of the allegations of homosexual encounters and/or methamphetamine use is huge. Haggard is president of the National Association of Evangelicals, which boasts 30 million members. He was known to be an ardent Bush supporter. He was invited, at the president's personal request, to the signing of the partial birth abortion legislation on November 3, 2003. This is from an e-mail Haggard sent far and wide about the invitation.

Well, on Monday I was in the World Prayer Center and my cell phone rang. It was one of the special assistants to President Bush calling from the White House. It turns out that when the President was reviewing the list of those attending the signing of the partial birth abortion ban, he asked why I wasn't attending and asked that they call me. So the White House staff got onto the phones and were calling the NAE Washington office, our church office and my cell phone at the same time trying to see if I could come to the signing.

Haggard also claimed to participate in weekly conference calls with the White House. The NAE publishes a regular newsletter, which it encourages its 45,000 member churches to place in their Sunday bulletins. Here is an excerpt from the latest edition (PDF):

The fate of the Republican Party’s political dominance depends in large measure upon how evangelicals vote this November 7. Making up over one-third of the GOP, polls show that evangelicals still remain the most supportive group, but at levels significantly below that they were in the 2002 and 2004 elections.

Evangelicals have, in just a few short weeks, been hit by the Foley scandal, the revelations of David Kuo's book and now by the Ted Haggard scandal. Separately, each of those events might not have weighed very heavily on the elections. The weight of all three, however, will be crushing to evangelical voters who must now decide whether it's worth the effort to vote, much less for Republicans, on November 7.

We noted with some amusement yesterday that National Review Online's The Corner included 189 (yes, we counted them) references to John Kerry on its home page, but had not one reference to Ted Haggard. Is there any question which story will have a greater impact on the elections?

In this tense election climate, the timing and magnitude of the Haggard scandal could not be worse for Republicans. It may very well be the final nail in the coffin as election day quickly approaches.

KKTV: Haggard Admits to Allegations!

2006-11-02T23:02:00.000-08:00

Update 1: Text of e-mail message sent by pastor Ross Parsley

Update 2: Voice-mail messages released - Haggard buying drugs

In a stunning overnight development in the Ted Haggard sex scandal, Colorado Springs' KKTV is reporting that the besieged minister has admitted to some of the allegations made against him:

After a day of whirlwind controversy surrounding New Life Church and its leader Ted Haggard, who went on administrative leave earlier Thursday, the acting Senior Pastor, Ross Parsley tells KKTV 11 News that Pastor Haggard has admitted to some of the indiscretions.

Thursday morning, Mike Jones went on a Denver radio talk show and said Pastor Haggard paid him for sex over the past 3 years. Jones also claims Haggard did drugs with him. Pastor Parsley says Haggard admitted that some of the allegations are true, but not all of them. The church is not saying what Haggard admitted to.

Haggard initially denied the allegations and said he did not know Mike Jones.

Update 1: The Ross Parsley statement was sent out via e-mail late this evening to members of the New Life Church:

From: Pastor Ross Parsley Mailed-By: newlifechurch.org
To: n.prophet@gmail.com
Date: Nov 2, 2006 10:59 PM
Subject: Update from Pastor Ross

Dear New Lifers and friends of New Life Church,

Many of you have expressed concern about today's news regarding our pastor. Thank you all for your prayers and support, and for your concern for our church family.

As you've likely heard by now, Pastor Ted has voluntarily placed himself on administrative leave as New Life's senior pastor to allow our external board of overseers to work effectively. Below is the statement that we released to the media on Thursday afternoon.

Since that time, the board of overseers has met with Pastor Ted. It is important for you to know that he confessed to the overseers that some of the accusations against him are true. He has willingly and humbly submitted to the authority of the board of overseers, and will remain on administrative leave during the course of the investigation.

Update 2: The voice-mail messages have now been released to Colorado's KUSA, and reveal that Ted Haggard was requesting methamphetamine from Mike Jones. The transcripts of the voice mail messages and analysis by a voice recognition expert have been published by KUSA.

The first voice message, left on August 4 at 2:18 p.m., says:

"Hi Mike, this is Art. Hey, I was just calling to see if we could get any more. Either $100 or $200 supply. And I could pick it up really anytime I could get it tomorrow or we could wait till next week sometime and so I also wanted to get your address. I could send you some money for inventory but that's probably not working, so if you have it then go ahead and get what you can and I may buzz up there later today, but I doubt your schedule would allow that unless you have some in the house. Okay, I'll check in with you later. Thanks a lot, bye."

The second voice message, left on August 4 at 5:10 p.m., says:

"Hi Mike, this is Art, I am here in Denver and sorry that I missed you. But as I said, if you want to go ahead and get the stuff, then that would be great. And I'll get it sometime next week or the week after or whenever. I will call though you early next week to see what's most convenient for you. Okay? Thanks a lot, bye."

Ted Haggard used the name "Art" in his dealings with Jones. His middle name is Arthur.

Video: Haggard on Homosexuality

2006-11-02T17:20:00.000-08:00

This is from the documentary "Jesus Camp."

Haggard:

We've decided the Bible is the word of God. We don't have to have a general assembly about what we believe. It's written in the Bible. Alright? So we don't have to debate about what we should think about homosexual activity. It's written in the Bible. [closeup] I think I know what you did last night. If you send me a thousand dollars, I won't tell your wife. If you use any of this, I'll sue you.

Ted Haggard, pastor of the New Life Church and president of the National Association of Evangelicals stepped down today after the Denver Post published allegations of a three-year, sexual affair with a male prostitute and methamphetamine use.

YouTube video (0:42)

The Ecstasy of Ted Haggard

2006-11-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

Too cute to be straight?

Ouch. One of the nation's most influential wingnuts has been outed, as a practicing homosexual and ecstasy user, according to the Denver Post. We're talking Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, which claims to represent 45,000 churches and 30 million followers who receive a pro-Republican mailer in their church bulletins every week. Haggard is pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, with 14,000 members.

He was personally invited by President Bush to attend the signing of the partial birth abortion legislation and had a 56-minute, private "sit-down" in the Oval Office afterwards. (Is that what they're calling it these days?)

Haggard was outed by a male prostitute who says he and the good reverend had a three year sexual history, claims to have a letter and voicemail from Haggard and says the minister used methamphetamine in his presence.

Haggard has stepped down from his posts at the NAE and New Life Church, pending an internal investigation.

Arizona Senate Seat Up for Grabs?

2006-11-02T09:31:00.000-08:00

Here's an ad Jim Pederson began running in Arizona in early October. Looks like it's working. As we reported below, he has a 4 point lead over Republican incumbent Jon Kyl in early voting. The Democrats are buying up all available air time for last minute advertising that could push Pederson over the top in his Senate challenge. This is not a race any pollster seriously thought was competitive. The implications for toss-up races in Missouri, Virginia, Tennessee and Montana are enormous.

YouTube video (0:29)

Quiet Week is Bad News for Republicans

2006-11-02T07:22:00.000-08:00

Surprising Dem strength in Arizona senate race

When the Republicans have nothing more than a flubbed line from John Kerry to hang their hopes on, you know the situation is desperate. It's actually been funny to watch them blow it out of all proportion and their reaction confirms our sense that Rove is slipping. Our best guess is that the affair was a net loss for Republicans, because a) it kept the discussion on Iraq and b) the American public doesn't fetishize the army as Washington does. This is one of those Beltway things that the public doesn't relate to very well. Meanwhile, Republican candidates started talking about Iraq, which is absolutely kryptonite to their campaigns, when any smart pollster would have advised them to keep their mouths shut.

When Seymour Hersh talks about American soldiers gunning down a soccer team in Iraq, the public's sense is not to blame the soldiers, or Hersh for reporting it, but Washington for putting our soldiers in this mess. The outrage over Kerry's remarks is feigned by "Anal Cyst" Limbaugh, a long line of Republican candidates and the cadre of non-volunteers at NRO, and, yes, the public knows the outrage is fake. Bottom line: the issue has further demoralized Republican voters and will negatively affect turnout.

The news cycle abhors a vacuum, and, as we said, when there's nothing more than Kerry to talk about for two cycles, you know it's a quiet week. Meanwhile, Democrats have started pouring money into the Arizona senate race, where early voting has shown surprisingly strong turnout for Democrat Jim Pederson. The National Journal reports via its blog:

Why AZ? Here's a memo from pollsters Paul Harstad and Chris Keating the DSCC will release today: "According to our October 29 to 31 survey of 745 likely Arizona voters, fully 30% of the Arizona electorate has already voted. We expect that perhaps up to two-fifths of the voters in this election will vote early or by absentee ballot. In our October 8 to 31 tracking polls (since early voting started) we have interviewed a total of 594 early voters. Among these early voters, Jim Pederson is leading Jon Kyl by 4 points: 44% for Pederson compared to 40% for Kyl, with 4% for other candidates and 12% refused. This 4% Pederson lead is all the more remarkable since registered Republicans and Democrats are equally likely to have voted early, and in fact there are more Republicans than Democrats in this early-voting sample of 594 respondents."

Arizona hasn't been on anyone's list of competitive states. This news will strike fear into the hearts of Republican candidates across the nation.

Limbaugh to Interview Bush Today

2006-11-01T05:18:00.000-08:00

It's hard to think of anything less presidential the president could do than sit down for an interview with Rush Limbaugh, one of the pioneers of hate radio. Yet, the AP is reporting that's just what Bush has planned for the day. The president and first lady have pulled out all the stops, as they hurry around the country to try to keep subpoena power from falling into the hands of an adversary Congress. Given the public's disgust with recent Limbaugh comments on Michael J. Fox, will this interview backfire? We'd like to think so.

Is Bob Corker Tall Enough to be Senator?

2006-10-31T08:49:00.000-08:00

The Fox News interview with Bob Corker last Sunday really set us to thinking. Far be it for us to use a man's physical attributes against him, but is he tall enough to be Tennessee's senator?

Wendi Thomas, a Memphis columnist, has wondered about Corker's height as well:

Height shouldn't matter, but it does. Corker says he's 5 foot 7 inches tall, but when I met him at a debate, we stood just about eye to eye. And I'm 5-1. On a good day. With thick socks and heels.

Here's our best guess at how he'd look posing with French President Jacques Chirac, who is 6 foot 3 inches tall.

Gary Wills on Faith-Based Government

2006-10-30T09:57:00.000-08:00

How Bush launched an anti-smoking campaign in Iraq

Historian Gary Wills, a professor of history at Northwestern and Pulitzer winner for Lincoln at Gettysburg, provides an excellent summary of the extent to which, for the first time ever in America, the Bush administration has brought religion into government. His article appears in the latest issue of The New York Review of Books.

The right wing in America likes to think that the United States government was, at its inception, highly religious, specifically highly Christian, and even more specifically highly biblical. That was not true of that government or any later government—until 2000, when the fiction of the past became the reality of the present.

Some of the details of Bush's promotion of religion are well-known. Wills breaks the categories down: faith-based justice, faith-based social services, faith-based science, faith-based health and faith-based war. The latter category includes this sad anecdote:

Those recruited to serve in the CPA were asked if they had voted for Bush, and what their views were on Roe v. Wade and capital punishment. O'Beirne trolled the conservative foundations, Republican congressional staffs, and evangelical schools for his loyalist appointees. Relatives of prominent Republicans were appointed, and staffers from offices like that of Senator Rick Santorum. Right moral attitude was more important than competence.

That was proved when the first director of Iraqi health services, Dr. Frederick Burkle, was dismissed. Burkle, a distinguished physician, was a specialist in disaster relief, with experience in Kosovo, Somalia, and Kurdish Iraq. His replacement, James Haverman, had run a Christian adoption agency meant to discourage women from having abortions. Haverman placed an early emphasis on preventing Iraqis from smoking, while ruined hospitals went untended. This may suggest the policy on appointments that put Michael Brown in charge of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but the parallel is insufficiently harsh. Chris Matthews brought it up on his television show while interviewing the Washington Post reporter who had covered the CPA in Iraq, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, who said, "There were a hundred Browns in Iraq."But there were Bible study groups in the Green Zone.

Unfortunately for all of us, tales of Bush's incompetence are no longer surprising. Faith-based incompetence from the president is what we've come to expect.

5' 7" Bob? Really?

2006-10-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

FoxNews provided this interesting, er, perspective on Bob Corker yesterday.

We can't help wondering if the point of Harold Ford's parking lot offensive was to give us this perspective.

There are some very humorous ideas one could think of for background music, if one wished to respond to Corker's "jungle drums" ad in kind.

Calling the GOP Base to Vote

2006-10-30T06:10:00.000-08:00

Jesus' General at Patriot Boy is on a roll. He's put together a get out the vote ad for candidates George Allen (welcome to America, Macaca), Conrad Burns (little Guatemalan man) and Bob Corker (jungle drums in Africa). It will be hard for Move On to top this.

YouTube video (0:57)

A Quiet Week Ahead?

2006-10-29T18:50:00.000-08:00

When George Allen starts doing book reports on Jim Webb's novels and peddling them to the media via Drudge, you can pretty much assume the campaigning is almost over. With any luck, this will be a quiet week ahead, as the campaigns go dark with their GOTV operations. The last few days have been remarkably devoid of news that has much political significance.

Nothing interesting popped out of the Sunday news shows. A few people are still kicking Rush around, but the general public lost interest in that issue late last week. The airwaves are likely to be saturated with negative ads all week, but it appears that everyone's cards are pretty much on the table now and all that remains is for any undecided voters to make up their minds. There are still rumors of more Foley-related disclosures, but we've heard that before and anything new is unlikely to affect more than one race. The timing of Conrad Burns' indictment is unclear and there's a slight chance that could hit the fan this week.

There's not much that could sway the most likely outcome of the November 7 election at this point: House to the Dems; Senate to the Republicans.

Kicking Off With the Chicks

2006-10-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

No better way to start the weekend than with our gals, the Dixie Chicks. Here they are singing the national anthem at the January 26, 2003, Super Bowl.

YouTube video (2:10)

Public Interest in Limbaugh Feud Over

2006-10-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

Judging by the Alexa traffic ratings for Rush Limbaugh's web site, public interest in his feud with Michael J. Fox peaked on Thursday, October 26, and is now over. It's time to move on. There are only 11 days left until the election. Don't waste them beating a dead horse.

The Worst Congress Ever

2006-10-27T15:21:00.000-07:00

"A stable of thieves and perverts"

Rolling Stone's contributing editor Matt Taibbi presents a devastating report card on the do-nothing Congress. Laziness is just a part of it:

In the Sixties and Seventies, Congress met an average of 162 days a year. In the Eighties and Nineties, the average went down to 139 days. This year, the second session of the 109th Congress will set the all-time record for fewest days worked by a U.S. Congress: ninety-three. That means that House members will collect their $165,000 paychecks for only three months of actual work.

What this means is that the current Congress will not only beat but shatter the record for laziness set by the notorious "Do-Nothing" Congress of 1948, which met for a combined 252 days between the House and the Senate. This Congress -- the Do-Even-Less Congress -- met for 218 days, just over half a year, between the House and the Senate combined.

The problems run much deeper, of course, and include rampant corruption, plus an institutional failure to act as a check on the executive branch. Taibbi lays out what it takes to become the worst Congress ever in five easy steps.

If you want the short version, watch the interview Taibbi did with Amy Goodman this morning on Democracy Now!

Are Corker's Racist Ads Too Subtle?

2006-10-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

Jesus' General, over at Patriot Boy, thinks he might know how to help Bob Corker:

I'm worried that the ads Tennessee senatorial candidate Bob Corker and the RNCC are running might be a bit too subtle. Sure, the jungle drums and the "he's after our white women" pitch are cues most people would get, but I'm not sure the audience they're trying to target will catch on. Those good old boys ain't none too bright.

He's put together a new Corker ad that makes it all a bit clearer.

YouTube video (0:50)

Dixie Chicks "Shut Up and Sing" Opens Today

2006-10-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

NBC refuses to run ad

The Dixie Chicks' powerful documentary, "Shut Up and Sing," opens today in New York and Los Angeles, and it's already stirring up controversy as NBC refuses to run a Chicks ad. According to the Hollywood Reporter:

In a press release issued late Thursday, the Weinstein Co. said that NBC had rejected a spot for the docu, which opens today in New York and Los Angeles, because the spot included material that "disparages President Bush."

Golly. There's not a lot that NBC could air these days if they won't let people disparage Dubya. The good news is that all the other networks have approved the spot.

Movie trailer (YouTube - 2:30)

Limbaugh: All About Ratings

2006-10-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what would possess a man to willfully make himself the butt of national jokes or distort himself into a cruel caricature of a human being? Money. And in show business, ratings equals money.

Rush Limbaugh will milk his "dispute" with Michael J. Fox for all it's worth, not because he believes a word coming out of his own mouth or because he's ideologically driven, but because it's good for ratings. Here's what's happened with his web site, which has nearly tripled in page views over the past two days according to Alexa's data. The same thing is probably going on with his radio show. People can't resist a freak show, and Rush's is free.

It's all too bad for Republicans, who are dying a slow death in the strangle-hold of Limbaugh's fat grip. He's done more for Democrats in this election than the Foley scandal ever could.

Instant Messaging to Victory

2006-10-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

Mark Fiore does it again. Don't miss his Flash animation, "GOP 2.0 - Instant Messaging to Victory." This new GOP instant messaging software enhances your political perversion experience, lets you keep track of all the people in your influence peddling network, and offers other nifty features!

Michael J. Fox on CBS. What an Interview!

2006-10-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

"If bringing the message means the messenger gets roughed up a little bit, I'm happy to be that guy"

Katie Couric adjusts Fox's microphone after he accidentally kicks it off. Will Rush Limbaugh accuse CBS of staging this moment?

Wow. What an interview. Please watch this Katie Couric interview with Michael J. Fox from CBS. Fox is an incredibly powerful and astute spokesman for Parkinson's research and has indeed not, as he put it, just been plucked off the apple cart.

From the transcript:

KC: Rush Limbaugh, I contacted him because I wanted to fairly represent what he was saying because he believes that that clip was played and his real issues were not represented. So he told me, I called Rush Limbaugh and he told me, "I believe Democrats have a long history of using victims of various things as political spokespeople because they believe they are untouchable, infallible. They are immune from criticism". He went on to say "Michael J Fox is stumping for Democrats in the political arena and is, therefore, open to analysis and criticism as we all are."

MF: Well, first thing, he used the word victim, and in another occasion, I heard him use the word “pitiable. And I don’t understand, nobody in this position wants pity. We don’t want pity. I could give a damn about Rush Limbaugh’s pity or anyone else’s pity. I'm not a victim. I'm someone who’s in this situation. I'm in this situation with millions of other Americans, whether it’s like I said, for Parkinson’s, or Alzheimer’s, or ALS, or diabetes or spinal cord injury or what have you. And we have a right, if there’s answers out there, to pursue those answers with the full support of our politicians. And so I don't need anyone’s permission to do that. As far as democratic politics go, you know it’s kind of funny, because the argument that I heard from that quarter, was first, that I was manipulating it, that I was a con-man essentially, and I didn’t have the symptoms and was putting them on, so I was perpetrating fraud. And when he backed off then, then it became that I was a dupe of the, a shill for the Democrats, that I was being exploited. And the truth is, I've been involved with this issue since 2000. And in the meantime, separate and apart from my political involvement, I've started a foundation that’s raised $85 million for research and is the second leading fundraiser for Parkinson’s research after the federal government. And um, you know, I'm not a Johnny-come-lately. No one plucked me off the apple cart to come and do this. I mean, I believe in this cause. I’ve put a lot of my life and energy into it, and we're serious about it.

YouTube video (10:10)

National Review Online Gets Aramaic Right, Then Wrong

2006-10-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

NRO sells out its readers for 30 pieces of silver

It's always interesting, and disappointing, to catch a cover-up or a lie in the making. After Jim Caviezel recorded his commercial about stem cell research, speaking Aramaic, people naturally wondered what he'd said.

Rush Limbaugh's translation was the oddest:

CAVIEZEL (in Aramaic): You know now. Don't do it. Vote "no" on two.

As one might expect of a blog with a well-educated and diverse readership, National Review Online came up with a transcription and translation very quickly, provided by a student of Aramaic:

Happened to be reading the Corner this evening in between sporadic bouts of translating Aramaic (actually Syriac, but same difference) for my grad studies. What Caviezel said was "l'bar nash b'nashak", or "the son of man with a kiss". Which isn't even a complete sentence, but whatever.

The reference, obviously, was to a biblical passage in which Jesus asks Judas, "Would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" But something had gone awry. Caviezel, or the commercial's editors, had chopped off the first part of the quote.

We have independently confirmed with an Aramaic scholar that the transcription and translation provided by the student are accurate, and that the first part of the quote was in fact lopped off.

What happens next in the story of the Caviezel quote is fascinating. The Washington Times (nobody's paragon of journalistic excellence) reported that it had the "exclusive" translation:

When presented with Mr. Fulco's translation, which was confirmed by several other Aramaic scholars, the group agreed to release the exact translation exclusively to The Times.

"It means 'You betray me with a kiss,' which means Amendment Two is a betrayal because it is deceptive," Ms. Ruse said. "It promises one thing and delivers another."

Suddenly, the word "betray" had inserted itself into the translation, although its Aramaic equivalent was nowhere to be found in the transcription, which the Times confirmed as "le-bar nash be-neshak," exactly what the Aramaic student had provided.

Back we go to the National Review, which suddenly changed its translation to match that of the Washington Times:

The Corner can end all suspense and officially confirm that in the commercial airing in St. Louis tonight Jim Caviezel says in Aramaic, "You betray me with a kiss." (Which is what a few readers, including one Aramaic student told The Corner last night.)

Actually, it wasn't what the Aramaic student told The Corner, and it isn't the proper translation. But, there you have it. The National Review sold its readers and its credibility for 30 pieces of silver, or its equivalent in whatever political capital might have been gained by lying about the quote.

Chris Matthews on GOP Racism

2006-10-26T08:37:00.000-07:00

Speaking on MSNBC yesterday, Chris Matthews emphatically accused the Republicans of using racist tactics in Tennessee. From his comments:

These are racist ads. This ad running in Tennessee is not rough, it's racist. There's a difference between tagging the other side, having some fun with them, making them pay for their mistakes in the past, but you should never make a person pay for being a certain race. And that's what this is about. It crosses the line.

YouTube video (1:50)

The GOP's recourse to racism in Tennessee is more than a little disheartening, as Americans are trying to find a way to united warring ethnic groups under our rule in Iraq. This isn't just Bob Corker. It's the Republican National Committee ("bimbo ad"), the Republican National Senate Committee ("Fancy Ford") and Corker's own campaign ("jungle drums").

This is about much more than partisan politcs. We will be the first to denounce Democrats for racism if examples are brought to our attention. This blog has repeatedly denounced Democrat Jim Webb for trying to justify sexist comments he's made in the past. As a nation, we simply can not survive in this atmosphere of hate, perpetuated by commentators like Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity, and carried forward by politicians like Bob Corker. It is tearing our society to shreds and it's high time Americans said "enough."

When Republicans Run Amok: Jungle Drums on Anti-Ford Radio Ad

2006-10-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

By our count, this is the third Republican ad with racist overtones in Tennessee. The Republican National Committee paid for the first one, the "bimbo ad" that has been widely denounced for race-baiting. The Los Angeles Times reported on October 24:

A new Republican Party television ad featuring a scantily clad white woman winking and inviting a black candidate to "call me" is drawing charges of race-baiting, with critics saying it contradicts a landmark GOP statement last year that the party was wrong in past decades to use racial appeals to win support from white voters.

Critics said the ad, which is funded by the Republican National Committee and has aired since Friday, plays on fears of interracial relationships to scare some white voters in rural Tennessee to oppose Democratic Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr.

The second, in our opinion, is a web site funded by the National Republican Senate Committee called "Fancy Ford." The site reveals the shocking news that Ford spent $3,100 in 60 visits to the U.S. House Members' Dining Room in 2005, or about $50 per visit. Would the NRSC have thought anything was amiss if a white-skinned House member dined well? We doubt it.

The third was reported yesterday by TPM's Election Central. A new radio ad endorsed by Bob Corker lays out the differences between himself and Ford. (Ford studied UPenn while poor Bob stayed home to study in Tennessee, etc. We kind of doubt Bob was Ivy League material, but that's beside the point.) Whenever Ford's name occurs in the ad, jungle drums can be heard in the background. Whenever Corker's name occurs, a sort of bland, angelic music is played. The TPM article about the ad is very interesting, and recommended reading. Listen to the ad here (MP3).

Jesus Responds to Michael J. Fox in New Ad

2006-10-25T07:31:00.000-07:00

Well, that didn't take long. Jesus didn't like the Michael J. Fox ad and, just like Rush Limbaugh, he's said so. In Aramaic.

OK, so it wasn't Jesus himself. It was Jim Caviezel who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ.

Jesus, or, uh, Caviezel, speaks to us in his boyhood Aramaic about stem cell research. His words?

"L'bar nash b'nashak."

In case you've forgotten all the Aramaic you ever knew, it means "the son of man with a kiss."

Jesus doesn't have to use verbs, or even make sense. He just has to show up every once in a while and put sick people in their place.

YouTube video (1:01)

Update: We've received word that Jesus will be doing ads for the NRA next. Like Moses. Some difficulties are expected in translating "assault weapons" into Aramaic.

Botero Does Abu Ghraib

2006-10-24T22:13:00.000-07:00

What do Botero's pudgy, comic figures have to do with Abu Ghraib? The 50 or so paintings and drawings he did on the subject were exhibited last year in Italy and Germany. They're on display now at the Marlborough Gallery in New York. Bloomberg reports:

In a couple of canvases, the bulbous figures appear in the mournfully familiar pyramid of naked, hooded bodies on a spotless cellblock floor, hands and feet shackled by rope bracelets. In several works that isolate one or two inmates in ignominious positions, flesh bursts out of pink, red or green bra and panties or diapers.

Other canvases depict men being sodomized with a broken stick, suffering a rain of urine or cowering before green attack dogs that are combination wolf, bull and stegosaurus.

You can see 25 of the paintings and drawings here.

Senate Looking Bleaker for Dems

2006-10-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

Republicans mount racist attacks on Harold Ford

There's no good news for Democrats this week about Senate races. The Montana race, which looked like an easy pick-off for Democrats just a few weeks ago, has tightened, and Tester barely holds the lead, according to Rasmussen.

The states where Democrats are virtually assured of winning seats from Republicans are Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Wins in those three states would give the Dems 48 Senate seats, assuming they hold on to New Jersey. To take control, they would have to win three of the following four races: Missouri, Montana, Tennessee and Virginia.

Of those, we're guessing Democrats will only win Montana. The Republican incumbents in Missouri and Virginia have weathered the campaign well, with Missouri's Senator Jim Talent displaying a remarkable prowess for public debate. His challenger, Claire McCaskill, is a second-rate candidate and political hack who, let's face it, just doesn't belong in the Senate. In Virginia, Democrats have fielded a Republican Lite candidate, Jim Webb, who hasn't demonstrated much political agility in the field and won't do much to change the direction of the country. Both McCaskill and Webb are weak Democratic candidates whose voices won't be missed in the national discourse.

On the other hand, Democrat Harold Ford of Tennessee is superior in all respects to his opponent and deserves to win his election. Whether we want to talk it about it as a nation or not, the outcome of this election will depend on Ford's race. The negative ads ("Fancy Ford" is a good example) are obliquely racist, and Republicans obviously understand all too well that success in Tennessee will hinge on turning out their trailer park base.

(This graphic is taken from a National Republican Senate Committee web site. The message? Black men shouldn't dine well.)

Limbaugh Mocks Michael J. Fox

2006-10-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

Liposuck 200 pounds off, stuff him in black cocktail dress and you'd never know the difference between Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter. The market for hate politics has turned bearish and Rush is getting desperate. More at Crooks and Liars.

Jon Stewart on Republican Paranoia

2006-10-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

It's not just Republican congressman Curt Weldon who sees a sinister hand behind investigations into his apparent influence peddling. The entire GOP apparatus, from George Bush to Bill O'Reilly, believes there's a massive, international conspiracy to turn Congress over to Democrats.

YouTube video (3:20)

Robert Dreyfuss on Democracy Now!

2006-10-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

Amy Goodman interviewed Robert Dreyfuss on Democracy Now! this morning. Watch it for an excellent summation of his views about a coup in Iraq, or read the Asia Times article we suggested.

From the transcript:

Now there are rumors all over the place, in Washington, in Baghdad, in other places, that there are forces trying to come up with a non-democratic solution, some sort of coup d'etat, some sort of military takeover that would oust the elected government. It could be done under a constitutional fig leaf, let's say, if Maliki were to resign in favor of some junta of national salvation. It could be done in the middle of the night by some enterprising colonel or general, where the United States would look the other way.

I don’t think any of this could happen without American support, but I do know that there are a number of people inside the Baker commission, within the U.S. government, in the CIA and elsewhere, who are thinking about this.

Audio/video links and transcript at Democracy Now!

Bad News for Webb: He Needs Women Voters

2006-10-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

According to a Washington Post article this morning, Democrat Jim Webb's chances of ousting Republican Senator George Allen will depend on women voters.

We return to the postulate we formulated after the Webb/Allen Meet the Press debate: A racist Republican can win, but not a sexist Democrat. Webb has consistently attempted to justify his sexist comments throughout his campaign, on Meet the Press and more recently on CNN's Situation Room. The Democratic party and Democratic bloggers have done Webb a grave disservice. They could have told him months ago to stop justifying himself and simply apologize.

It's bad luck for Webb that women will have the last word in the Virginia race. Nowhere, and especially not in the South, is it ever appropriate, nor has it ever been appropriate, to publish remarks about "horny women." Webb just can't get that through his thick head.

(The graphic below is from a truly idiotic web site sponsored by the NRSC, with a Halloween theme.)

Required Reading: "A Coup in the Air"

2006-10-21T09:20:00.000-07:00

Would a military coup in Iraq solve Bush's problems?

Writing in today's Asia Times, Robert Dreyfuss discusses the signs that Iraq is headed for a coup and military dictatorship. Dreyfuss writes in a well-researched article called "A Coup in the Air":

Of course, no coup will happen at all - no general or colonel would dare try - without, at the very least, a wink and a nod from the CIA, the US military, or Khalilzad. And most likely, it would take significantly more than a wink, something like explicit support and promises of assistance.

But, according to my reporting, that is precisely what is being discussed in Washington, even among the inner councils of Baker's Iraq Study Group, the realist (that is, anti-neo-conservative) commission set up last spring to figure out what to do about Iraq.

Salah Mukhtar, a former top Iraqi official who served as Iraq's ambassador to India and then Vietnam in the period just before the US invasion of Iraq, is not a spokesman for the Iraqi resistance. But he is very well plugged in to the thinking of that country's insurgent leaders. When I spoke to him this week by telephone, he assured me the resistance was well aware that elements in the Bush administration might be planning a coup. According to him, the main focus of such a coup - even one fostered by the United States - would be to mobilize the Iraqi Army against the Shi'ite militias.

The United States is not good at wars against insurgents because, Rumsfeld's protestations to the contrary, they require large numbers of troops. The Pentagon's rule of thumb is 10 troops per insurgent, and all the technology in the world doesn't change that basic rule of insurgent warfare.

The United States is quite good, on the other hand, at counter-insurgency by proxy, providing training, weapons and advice behind the scenes to ruthless dictatorships. A coup in Iraq would permit the U.S. to draw on its ample experience from Latin America during the Cold War. It would absolve the U.S. from all responsibility to Iraqis once the coup has been completed. In short, it would be the most expedient and cynical of all options that are on the table for Iraq.

Make no mistake: A new military dictatorship in Iraq will be one of the bloodiest affairs the world has ever witnessed. The complications arising from warring ethnic groups, rival international interests, a surfeit of arms and deteriorating health conditions practically guarantee that more than three million Iraqis will eventually lose their lives in the ensuing chaos.

Sadly, all Americans will bear the judgment of history and the ire of the Muslim world for that death toll, yet we will have no voice in making the decision to abandon democracy for dictatorship in Iraq, a decision that will be made covertly, without our informed approval, as part of a domestic political calculus to rescue President Bush and the Republicans from the tragic mess they've created.

Weller Accuses Congressman of Drinks with 21-Year-Old

2006-10-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

Weller story gets weirder

Republican congressman Jerry Weller (IL-11) has informed the congressional Ethics Committee that a colleague once invited a 21-year-old intern to his home for drinks. His campaign spokesman, Steven Shearer, said the campaign obtained that information from reporters who phoned to ask about Weller's rumored involvement with a teenage congressional page.

The Morris Daily Herald in Weller's home district reports:

With the Mark Foley page scandal looming over Washington, Shearer said Weller felt it appropriate to inform the committee even though nothing illegal appears to have occurred. Unlike congressional pages, who are high school juniors who help out at the Capitol, interns are college students who work in offices."It seems a little strange that a congressman would do that with a 21-year-old," Shearer said. "In light of everything going on, we were just letting them know."

Given that the age of consent in every country on the planet, including Madagascar, is 21 years of age or younger, it is not clear how Weller's allegation might relate to the Ethics Committee investigation. If Shearer's story is correct, reporters phoned up to ask about a case that would not fall under the committee's purview, somehow confused Jerry Weller with the congressman who invited the adult intern for drinks, and convinced him their information was credible enough to warrant him phoning the Ethics Committee to report something he'd heard third-hand about a non-existent crime.

Does anybody buy this story?

Michael J. Fox Ad in Missouri

2006-10-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

Claire McCaskill's campaign in Missouri began running an ad that features Michael J. Fox last week. Transcript:

As you might know, I care deeply about stem cell research. In Missouri, you can elect Claire McCaskill who shares my hope for cures. Unfortunately, Senator Jim Talent opposes expanding stem cell research. Senator Talent even wants to criminalize the science that gives us a chance for hope. They say all politics is local, but it's not always the case. What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans. Americans like me.

YouTube video (0:37)

David Kuo on Colbert Report

2006-10-21T07:25:00.000-07:00

David Kuo, author of Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction, appeared on the Colbert Report last Wednesday, October 18. Here's a brief excerpt from the exchange with Stephen Colbert.

Colbert: Why'd you write this book?

Kuo: Because I think someone had to point out that Jesus and George W. Bush are different people.

Colbert: OK, maybe so. I'm not confused about whether George W. Bush is God, ok, but clearly God hired George W. Bush.

YouTube video (6:09)

David Kuo launched a blog at Beliefnet on October 13, where people from many faiths are discussing his book tour experiences (including an encounter with a "teamster" who had been given a question by Cheney's chief of staff), ideas about a fast from politics, the relationship of religion to the state and other topics.

Rep. Jerry Weller Denies Sexual Involvement with Page

2006-10-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

Republican congressman Jerry Weller (IL-11) issued a statement yesterday denying sexual involvement with teenage congressional pages, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Weller said a page or intern sponsored by his office was subject to questionable behavior by another congressman.

His campaign manager, Steve Shearer, told the newspaper:

We believe we have now gotten to the bottom of this and other reporters who have researched this agree -- that what we have been told is that a page or intern who was sponsored by Cong. Weller was inappropriately invited to a social event with another congressman.

Shearer said that "wild rumors" circulating in the blogosphere "is a new way of political assassination," and that there were no facts to back up any story about Weller.

According to Shearer, the page in question is male and Weller has not been contacted by any investigative agency. It was unclear from his account whether the congressman had prior knowledge of the incident or had contacted authorities, such as the special ethics subcommittee, about it. The committee had previously issued a letter asking all congressmen to interview former pages and report their findings. The FBI is also reportedly interviewing both male and female pages.

Internet Afire with New Page Scandal Rumors

2006-10-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

Rumors began circulating on the Internet yesterday evening that Republican congressman Jerry Weller (IL-11) will be named soon in a third congressional page scandal that may involve a 16-year-old girl. None of those claiming to have information about the congressman have posted a source or other evidence so far.

Most of the rumors track back to this diary on DailyKos, which names the congressman directly.

Gonna have to trust me on this, but I have fantastic information that Weller R-IL (11th District) is the next one coming down in the page scandal. Can't reveal source.

Another post by blogger ArchPundit claims to have three sources, all different from that of the Kos diarist. ArchPundit writes:

Sometime, probably in the next 48 hours though I'm betting sooner than later, an Illinois Congressional race is going topsy turvy. It's another pick-up for Dems. If you are observant around the net you'll find the information. Mobilization is already occurring around the state to get ground troops.

The Chicago Tribune refused to endorse his candidacy this morning, citing concerns about a conflict of interest between his congressional work and his marriage:

His wife is a leading member of Guatemala's Congress and the daughter of a former Guatemalan dictator who has been accused of war crimes, yet Weller continues as vice chair of a House subcommittee on the western hemisphere.

Weller also appears to have performed a favor for a campaign contributor when he hand-delivered a letter to the Belizean prime minister about a matter in which the contributor was involved.

Rep. Jerry Weller (left) with President Bush.

Senator Larry Craig Denies Reports of Homosexuality

2006-10-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Republican Senator Larry Craig of Idaho denied reports of homosexual encounters yesterday to Washington state's Spokesman Review newspaper, calling them "completely ridiculous." The Review reported:

Craig, who is married, denied the allegations through his staff, saying they "have no basis in fact." Sid Smith, spokesman for the Idaho Republican, said it would be hard to independently check Rogers' sources, adding, "saying you have anonymous sources doesn't seem very convincing to me."

A lawsuit "isn't out of the question," but Craig hasn't considered it at this point, Smith said. "That would be taking it a little more seriously than it deserves," he added.

The allegations surfaced yesterday through gay activist blogger Mike Rogers, who published them on his web site BlogActive.com and in a nationally broadcast radio interview with Ed Schultz. Rogers said he is confident about his information, telling the newspaper, "I have never been wrong, and in this, you can't be 99 percent right. It's 100 percent or nothing."

On his website, Rogers writes:

I have done extensive research into this case, including trips to the Pacific Northwest to meet with men who have say they have physical relations with the Senator. I have also met with a man here in Washington, D.C., who says the same -- and that these incidents occurred in the bathrooms of Union Station. None of these men know each other, or knew that I was talking to others. They all reported similar personal characteristics about the Senator, which lead me to believe, beyond any doubt, that their stories are valid.

Rogers said the issue is one of hypocrisy, not lifestyle. Craig has voted against numerous legislative initiatives for gays, and supports a constitutional marriage amendment. His home state of Idaho is one of the most conservative in the nation.

Bush: Iraq is a Mess

2006-10-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

Bill O'Reilly of Fox News interviewed President Bush this morning and broadcast the interview on his television show, popular with older Americans, this evening. Discussing the division of Iraq into autonomous regions, Bush said:

Dividing is basically saying there's gonna be three autonomous regions will create, Bill, a situation where Sunnis and Sunni nations and Sunni radicals will be competing against Shia radicals, the Kurds will then create problems for Turkey and Syria and you've got a bigger mess than we have at this point in time which I believe is gonna be solved.

Who knew O'Reilly would get a scoop? Iraq is a mess.

Chapter 1 of "Tempting Faith"

2006-10-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

The first chapter of David Kuo's controversial new book, Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction, is on-line at ABC News.

The excerpted chapter deals with his childhood and first experiences with religion. Kuo's style is lean, honest and eminently readable. For years the religious scene in the United States has been dominated by the shrill, obnoxious, self-serving voices of those who capitalize on faith, turning Christianity on its head to vile and unnatural uses, the voices of men like Gary Bauer, James Dobson, Donald Wildmon, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Kuo's voice is refreshingly gentle and meek, the small still voice that speaks after the storm.

Highly recommended.

CNN Poll: 64% Now Oppose Iraq War

2006-10-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

According to a new CNN poll, 64% of the American public now opposes the Iraq war. The poll, with a margin of error of +/-3%, was conducted from October 13-15. Respondents were asked "Do you favor or oppose the U.S. war in Iraq?"

That's the highest number yet registered in this particular poll, up 2% from two weeks ago and 10% since June. Asked whether they approve or disapprove with the way George W. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, 64% said they disapproved.

The poll was conducted after the publication last Thursday, October 12, of a study in The Lancet which determined that about 650,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the U.S. invasion. The study's results do not appear to have significantly swayed public opinion, either because they were not widely publicized or because the public believed George Bush's assertion that the methodology was not credible.

Battle for the Senate: Virginia Now a Toss-Up

2006-10-16T06:52:00.000-07:00

According to this morning's Rasmussen Reports, the Virginia senate race has narrowed, with incumbent Republican George Allen now leading by just 3 points. In the Rasmussen count of senate races, that leaves Democrats and Republicans now tied at 48 all, with four toss-ups: Missouri, New Jersey, Tennessee and now Virginia. Democrats will have to win at least three of those tight races to take control of the Senate.

Rasmussen's latest poll shows Allen leading Webb 47 to 44%, marking a 3-point shift since October 1 polling when Allen led by a larger 49 to 43% margin. About 17% of poll respondents said the Foley scandal was "very important" in their decision, suggesting Webb may have picked up some support after the Foley scandal that he lost after his sexist comments were widely publicized.

At this moment, Democrats are favored to take Republican seats in Pennsylvania, Montana, Ohio and Rhode Island. Republicans have reportedly written off Pennsylvania and Ohio. The only Democratic seat threatened in the November election is New Jersey.

In Missouri, Democratic candidate Claire McCaskill dropped 2 points following her Meet the Press debate and is still locked in a statistical dead heat with incumbent Jim Talent. Whatever benefit she may have gained from the Foley scandal may have been negated by her poor showing on MTP.

Reichen Lehmkuhl and Lance Bass Accept HRC Awards

2006-10-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

Here are the videos of Reichen Lehmkuhl and Lance Bass accepting their Visibility Awards at the Human Rights Campaign's national dinner last week. The HRC is one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington, and certainly the most powerful for LGBT rights.

Lehmkuhl is a retired captain of the U.S. Air Force and the winner of "Amazing Race." He said his number one priority is to end discrimination against gays in the military. He recently published a book called Here's What We'll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Lance Bass was a member of the 'N Sync band.

YouTube videos:
Lehmkuhl (7:51)
Bass (2:46)

Rev. Barry Lynn on the White House "Judas Moment"

2006-10-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

The Rev. Barry Lynn, Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, discusses the White House's betrayal of conservative Christian groups in this interview with Keith Olbermann. The sordid, backroom dealings of the White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives have been detailed by David Kuo, in his book Tempting Faith, to be released on October 16. Kuo describes how White House officials constantly mocked conservative Christians behind their backs.

Lynn:

I don't think that most of the people who would consider themselves religious right members or conservative evangelicals have any idea that within Karl Rove's office they are being referred to as nuts or ridiculous or any of the other language. You know a lot of religious right leaders say to me that I'm either the biggest thorn in their side or the biggest enemy in their midst and sometimes things even more impolite but all I do is argue with them on the merits of issues. But to have the top leaders of the White House refer to them with this kind of language becomes a Judas moment, a moment where they feel betrayed and they're going to feel betrayed as this story gets out more and more.

YouTube video (5:01)

The Santorum Meltdown

2006-10-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

We all know old "man-on-dog" Rick Santorum's a nut, but it's nice to have video evidence. This footage is taken from the October 12 Pittsburgh debate between Santorum and his Democratic challenger Bob Casey. Rick gets testy whenever the question of his state residency, and the huge sum he charged Pennsylvania tax payers to cyberschool his children, comes up. You can practically see the steam coming out of his ears as Casey goads him on. Santorum is at least 14 points behind in the polls. You can see why.

YouTube video (2:35)

Polls, Polls and More Polls

2006-10-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

Let's not lose our heads. Yes, the political environment looks good for throwing some bums out of Congress, perhaps good enough to give Democrats majority control of the House, but still not good enough to win the Senate. Recall that at least one pollster, Rasmussen, hasn't found any partisan shift or shift of evangelical votes after the Foley scandal. Remember that Jim Webb in Virginia still hasn't come to terms with his sexism and probably never will, and he's making no headway in his campaign. Recall that Claire McCaskill gave a pitiful performance in her Meet the Press debate last Sunday. Remember that we're talking about Democrats, who, given the slightest chance to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, will do so every time, versus Republicans, who play an admirable end game with an awesome machine for turning out votes where they count.

We're back to toss-up status in the Tennessee senate race, where Democrat Harold Ford's lead over Bob Corker has narrowed, after briefly moving into a more comfortable zone. In the Rasmussen count, that makes 49 Republican seats, 48 Democrat seats and three toss-ups in Tennessee, New Jersey and Missouri. Democrats have to win all three to take control of the Senate. Again, one could almost weep for the lost opportunities. If Democratic blogs had taken Jim Webb to task early on and insisted that he humble himself over his sexist comments, Virginia might be in play now. If Democrats had coached Claire McCaskill for her Meet the Press debate, she might have a runaway lead this week. Anyway, the Senate is looking worse post-Foley than it did before.

The House, on the other hand, is probably better. If you want to add some sparkle and sunshine to your day, take a look at Charlie Cook's "National Overview" at the Cook Report:

Category 5 Hurricane Heads for House GOP

This is without question the worst political situation for the GOP since the Watergate disaster in 1974. I think a 30-seat gain today for Democrats is more likely to occur than a 15-seat gain, the minimum that would tip the majority. The chances of that number going higher are also strong, unless something occurs that fundamentally changes the dynamic of this election. This is what Republican strategists' nightmares look like.

This Democracy Corps memo (pdf) is brightly optimistic, but don't expect us to vouch for anything with James Carville's name on it. Carville is to political analysis what Wayne Madsen is to investigative reporting.

RE: MELTDOWN

We do not often get to write such a report — changes so large over such a short period that they certainly portend a whole new playing field for the November election . . . The end of the Congress — with the increased pessimism and anger about Iraq and the Foley scandal and subsequent partisan brawl — has moved voters to shift their assessments of the parties and their votes. The 1994 election broke at the end; this one just broke. The shift is evident on every indicator — party, Bush, war, intensity and morale. The shift this poll shows in the Republican held seats reflects a dramatic change nationally in the generic congressional ballot. On Monday, Democracy Corps will release a report that shows that a 5-point swing on average to the Democrats in the ten media polls conducted in October. The Democratic vote, stuck at 49 percent for months, suddenly jumped to 53 percent in the last two weeks. We highlight these findings this Friday afternoon because Democrats and progressives need to think radically differently about the 2006 battle — in this three-week window. In 1994, the race shifted dramatically at the end, but Democrats have a chance to consolidate gains large enough to affect congressional control over this decade. That means allocating resources and finding new resources to lock in the gains, as the Republicans move their much greater resources up to the new barricades.

Sound analysis or a sales pitch for Carville's services? We rather expect it's the latter.

David Kuo Launches Blog

2006-10-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

David Kuo has launched a new blog at Beliefnet, a moderate Christian website, called "J-Walking" (the J is for Jesus.) His first post was logged yesterday at 7:17 pm and describes some elements of his faith, concluding, "Check back soon because we are going to get off to a quick start... trust me." A bio on the same page mentions his work at the White House, his family and his membership in the Association of Professional Bass Fishermen.

Kuo is the author of Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction, which contains shocking revelations about the White House, extremist religious leaders and the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives. The book is scheduled for publication on October 16.

Beliefnet also features a blog by Jim Wallis, author of God's Politics and another critic of extremist religious groups. Wallis wrote, in a blog post this morning:

The release of God’s Politics simply revealed what was already there—a large and growing constituency of faith-inspired people who had felt unrepresented by a small group of narrow, vitriolic, and partisan religious voices. That they feel their voice is now being heard is one of the greatest satisfactions for me. The best thing I hear after God's Politics events from so many people is, "I don't feel alone anymore." As I say at almost every stop, “The monologue of the Religious Right is finally over, and a new dialogue has just begun.” Now all our voices are changing the conversation. Amen.

With an Alexa traffic ranking of 3,412, Beliefnet has far more visitors than websites on the extreme religious fringe, like the American Family Association (afa.net), which ranks only 55,092 . Both Kuo's and Wallis' blogs use Haloscan commenting.

Stay tuned. This is getting really interesting . . .

White House Reassuring Religious Leaders Over Kuo

2006-10-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

The National Journal is reporting this morning that the White House office of public liaison and Karl Rove's office have been busy phoning religious "leaders" to reassure them over the David Kuo book. The book, Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction, contains devastating allegations that the White House ridiculed conservative Christians, while using them for political gain. It will be released on October 16.

But it is unclear whether the White House can do much to limit the damage if Kuo's allegations are widely reported. In many cases, these religious groups were established to further the political agendas of their founders, and "membership" consists of nothing more than a mailing list of publication subscribers and a donor list. Donald Wildmon's American Family Association, for example, bases its membership numbers on nothing more than web site hits. Plying gullible Christians for donations, the owners of these enterprises receive substantial salaries for themselves and their families, plus high-level political access as they work to turn out voters for the Republican party.

The relationship between these men and the Republican party is symbiotic. Republican leaders at the highest level lend credibility to the owners of conservative groups, which they use to solicit donations, in return for votes. As in any symbiotic relationship, one organism could not survive without the other. Kuo has previously accused the religious "leaders" of complicity in the White House's abuse of its Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, saying they didn't care because they are not concerned about social issues such as poverty.

It is therefore not surprising that the owners of these groups have been quick to denounce David Kuo's book. James Dobson of Focus on the Family issued a statement which called the book, "little more than a mix of sour grapes and political timing." Dobson went on to say, "While Focus on the Family does not participate in the faith-based initiative program, we are allies with many who do -- and they have far different impressions of the people and events documented in Kuo's book. Our support for the program is unchanged, and we applaud the president's hard work in reducing dependency on government programs while connecting people to their communities."

Tony Perkins, the owner of the Family Research Council group, told MSNBC, "The timing comes out right before an election. It's another one of those kiss-and-tell books that we see so often."

The danger was never that James Dobson and Tony Perkins would become disillusioned with Republicans, who help them earn a living. It was that their gullible donors would begin to sense they've been duped by the parasites who feed off them, and that the well of donations and votes would run dry. Like the White House, Dobson and Perkins are doing their utmost to limit the damage.

Pollster Finds No Partisan Shift After Foley

2006-10-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

Rasmussen Reports has found no partisan shift in its polling since the Foley affair. For polls conducted during a 7-day period ending October 11, after the time the scandal first broke, the polling agency determined that 37% of respondents identified themselves as Democrats, and 32.3% as Republicans. That is unchanged from poll results prior to the Foley scandal.

Rasmussen has seen a noticeable decrease in the number of people who identify themselves as Republicans since the 2004 elections. Two years ago, the numbers for Democrats and Republicans were virtually the same.

Rasmussen has also found no evidence so far of a shift in evangelical voter support for Republican candidates and says its polling data "suggests limited if any movement as a result of the Foley fall-out." The agency believes the scandal's biggest impact will be the time it cost Republicans, eating up at least 10 days of the final campaign push.

It is possible a national discussion about David Kuo's new book will diminish the Republicans' appeal to evangelicals, but given the highly partisan rhetoric with which some liberals, including Keith Olbermann, have already framed the discussion, that is looking increasingly unlikely.

Extremist Candidate Bachmann: Schiavo Was Healthy

2006-10-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

You have to give Republican Michele Bachmann credit: She's all crazy all the time. The extremist candidate in Minnesota's 6th congressional district wants creationism taught in public schools, doesn't believe in minimum wage, doesn't believe in global warming and says Terri Schiavo was healthy. George Bush just loves her and has helped in her fund-raising efforts.

Fortunately, she faces a strong contender in her district: Patty Wetterling, who hit the national spotlight during the Foley scandal because of her tireless efforts to protect the nation's children after her own 11-year-old son was kidnapped and never found.

Transcript of Bachmann's Schiavo comments from a recent debate:

I would have voted in favor of protecting the life of Terri Schiavo. She was a woman who was healthy [audience laughter] and she had brain damage. There was brain damage, there's no question, but from a health point of view, she was not terminally ill.

Of all the Republican clowns running for Congress this year, Bachmann is definitely a contender for the silliest candidate award.

YouTube video (0:17)

Lancet Study Co-author on Democracy Now!

2006-10-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

Press could easily confirm 650,000 number by talking to graveyard attendants

Speaking on this morning's Democracy Now!, Les Roberts, a co-author of the study published yesterday in The Lancet which shows 650,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the U.S. invasion, responded to President Bush's comment that the methodology was not credible:

I just want to say that what we did, this cluster survey approach, is the standard way of measuring mortality in very poor countries where the government isn’t very functional or in times of war. And when UNICEF goes out and measures mortality in any developing country, this is what they do. When the U.S. government went at the end of the war in Kosovo or went at the end of the war in Afghanistan and the U.S. government measured the death rate, this is how they did it. And most ironically, the U.S. government has been spending millions of dollars per year, through something called the Smart Initiative, to train NGOs and UN workers to do cluster surveys to measure mortality in times of wars and disasters.

Are Americans more willing now to face the tragic human death toll in Iraq? Roberts sees a significant change in how the American press and public is responding to this study, compared to a similar study two years ago.

AMY GOODMAN: Finally, Les Roberts, I saw you Upstate New York a while ago, after your first study came out, and you commented on how little it was commented on or picked up here in this country, though cited all over the world. But now you have the report out in The Lancet, and you have the President Bush responding to it, even if he is discounting it. You’ve got General Casey responding to it. What about the U.S. press looking at these figures?

LES ROBERTS: You know, I think that -- this is just my opinion -- the U.S. press sort of follows public opinion. It doesn’t necessarily lead it, except in a few circumstances, like AIDS in Africa. And the public is ready to think, “Wow, things might be going badly in Iraq.” And I don’t think the public was ready to say that two years ago.

And so, when this study came out, Tony Blair was asked three times -- I’m sorry, the 2004 study came out, Tony Blair was asked three times in the week that followed, "What do you think of this estimate that 100,000 Iraqis had died in the first 18 months of occupation?" No one asked George Bush about how many civilians had died or about our study for 14 months after the study came out. And then, when he was asked, it was just by a member of the public in a forum in Philadelphia.

And now, within about four hours of the study coming out, he was asked directly, he was forced to respond, there was a dialogue going on. So, I think that the nation, as a whole, is more ready to honestly talk about Iraq, and that’s led the press to be more able to honestly talk about Iraq.

Roberts said the press working in Iraq could easily verify the information by simply asking graveyard attendants how many more bodies are being buried now than in 2002.

Would the embedded U.S. press do anything so daring that might require a little independent research? We're not holding our breath.

Transcript, audio and video links at Democracy Now!

CNN Poll: 52% Say Bush Should Fire Rumsfeld

2006-10-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

A CNN poll reported today reveals that 52% of the American public believes President Bush should fire Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Only 33% of those polled said Rumsfeld should not be fired and 15% were unsure. The results mark a significant change in public opinion since CNN asked the same question in April this year, when only 39% said Rumsfeld should be fired.

Rumsfeld has come under continuous attack for flubbing the occupation of Iraq, most recently from high-ranking military officers who served there. Yesterday, a scientific study revealed that the U.S. invasion of Iraq may have caused 650,000 Iraqi deaths, as violence spirals out of control and the country descends into anarchy and civil war.

Rumsfeld was a political mentor to Dick Cheney and gave him his first big break in politics. In 1974, when Rumsfeld became Gerald Ford's chief of staff, he made Cheney his deputy.

Dennis Hastert's Other Side

2006-10-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

A side of Hastert the world didn't see during his October 10 news conference in Illinois. What was that AP photographer thinking? We have a pretty good idea.

The David Zucker Ad

2006-10-12T01:04:00.000-07:00

Republicans have moved with force into YouTube, posting a new video ad by David Zucker yesterday which criticizes former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Democrats for treating the safety of the U.S. as a "game." The ad depicts Albright serving cookies to terrorists, singing "Kum Ba Ya," mowing their grass and changing a flat tire. The ad was filmed by David Zucker, who directed "Naked Gun" and a number of other parody films. Zucker switched to the Republican party in 2004, citing his concerns about security. The YouTube video has been seen by nearly half a million viewers so far and has a nearly perfect rating. Wikipedia has more.

YouTube video (1:32)

John Zogby: 650,000 Number Highly Reliable

2006-10-12T00:17:00.000-07:00

CNN International interviewed pollster John Zogby, of Zogby International, about the statistical methodology used in the study, published in The Lancet, which concluded that more than 650,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the U.S. invasion, about 600,000 of them violently. Zogby said:

I can't vouch for it 100 percent, but I'll vouch for it 95 percent, which is as good as it gets in survey research. I know PIPA, the group at the university that conducted the polling in the U.S. I know of the group that -- the university that published and conducted the survey on the Iraq side. In fact, we've used them ourselves. These are good researchers. I have read their methodology statement. It is a good one and a sound one . . . in terms of the sampling of methodology that was used, this is sound and this is going to generate quite a bit of debate.

I don't think that there's anybody in my business who responsibly believes that 30,000 to 40,000 or 45,000 Iraqis have been killed since March of 2003.

Earlier today, President Bush dismissed the study, saying it was not credible.

Americans have an urgent responsibility to discover the truth about the number of Iraqi deaths. As Colin Powell famously said in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion, "If you break it, you own it." Our elected president made the decision to invade. He was supported by our elected representatives in Washington, who funded the invasion. As a nation, we are responsible for the consequences.

The numbers of dead revealed by the study are shocking, but future numbers are likely to be even more shocking. Our own Department of Defense uses a 10% rule-of-thumb for civilian deaths in any civil war. Based on these new numbers, one can only conclude that the civil war is well underway, as many experts have warned. We can therefore expect at least 2 million Iraqi deaths before this conflict has finished. Are we, as a nation, prepared to accept responsibility for those deaths and what are we doing to relieve the suffering of the Iraqi people? Has the Defense Department done the necessary planning for such a death toll? The study raises many troubling new questions about the mission in Iraq to which Americans must demand urgent answers.

YouTube video (7:22)

Must-See Video: Olbermann on "Tempting Faith"

2006-10-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

As we wrote last Friday, October 6, David Kuo's new book, Tempting Faith, is appearing at the worst possible moment for Republicans. The book, scheduled for release on October 16, contains some hard-hitting allegations about how the Bush administration, which privately referred to evangelical leaders as "the nuts," used the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives for political projects, while directing a minimal amount of money to charities, faith-based or otherwise. Kuo served as the Office's deputy director during Bush's first term.

Keith Olbermann obtained an advance copy of the book and is doing a two-part analysis of its contents. The first was aired this evening.

Kuo writes, "“White House staff didn't want to have anything to do with the Faith-Based Initiative because they didn't understand it any more than did congressional Republicans. They didn't lie awake at night trying to kill it. They simply didn't care."

Instead the White House used the office for political purposes, sponsoring campaign events under its aegis. The Machiavellian uses of the faith-based initiative, once described by Kuo as the "cross around the White House's neck," appear to be amply documented in the new book.

This is a video everyone should definitely watch. Even more than the Foley affair, Kuo's explosive book promises to drive a deep wedge between Republicans and their religious base, by exposing the cyncism and contempt with which Republicans treat that base. (Urgent criticism of Olbermann: Stop comparing the Southern Baptist Convention to Islamic extremists. That's not Kuo's point and it's not helping.)

Video (wmv) and transcript at Crooks and Liars.

Bush: Lancet Study Not Credible

2006-10-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

Speaking at a news conference today at the White House, President Bush said he did not consider the study published in today's Lancet, which concludes that 654,965 Iraqis have died as a result of the U.S. invasion, to be credible.

From the transcript:

QUESTION: Back on Iraq, a group of American and Iraqi health officials today released a report saying that 655,000 Iraqis have died since the Iraq war. That figure is 20 times the figure that you cited in December at 30,000. Do you care to amend or update your figure? And do you consider this a credible report?

BUSH: No, I don't consider it a credible report. Neither does General Casey and neither do Iraqi officials. I do -- I do know that a lot of innocent people have died, and that troubles me. And it grieves me. And I applaud the Iraqis for their courage in the face of violence. I am, you know, amazed that this is a society which so wants to be free that they're willing to -- you know, that there's a level of violence that they tolerate. And it's now time for the Iraqi government to work hard to bring security in neighborhoods so people can feel -- can feel, you know, at peace. No question it's violent. But this report is one -- they put it out before. It was pretty well -- the methodology is pretty well discredited. But I, you know, talk to people like General Casey. And, of course, the Iraqi government put out a statement talking about the report.

QUESTION: So the figure's 30,000, Mr. President? Do you stand by your figure, 30,000?

BUSH: I, you know, I stand by the figure a lot of innocent people have lost their life. 600,000 or whatever they guessed at is just, it's not credible. Thank you.

Video (wmv) via Crooks and Liars (1:49)

Minuteman Founder Storms Off Democracy Now!

2006-10-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist abruptly ended an interview on Democracy Now! this morning, citing "legal advice" after Columbia student Karina Garcia, of the Chicano Caucus, accused the Minutemen of attacking protestors during his speech last week. Univision coverage of the event shows a man, identified as a member of Gilchrist's organization, kicking a student in the head from the stage.

Transcript and video/audio links at Democracy Now!

Stewart Blasts CNN North Korea Reporting

2006-10-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

Jon Stewart correctly points out that while nobody had confirmed North Korea's "nuclear test," CNN reported it as though a test had actually occurred. (As you might imagine, Fox News was even worse.) The test still has not been confirmed, and some intelligence analysts are now saying privately that the event recorded in North Korea was not nuclear.

YouTube video (1:28)

Study: 601,027 Violent Deaths Since Iraq Invasion

2006-10-11T06:19:00.000-07:00

Defense Department's own data confirms latest household survey?

Deaths due to violent sources per Governorate. Source: The Lancet.

A startling study (pdf) published today in The Lancet, a highly respected British medical journal, estimates that 601,027 Iraqis have died of violent causes since the 2003 invasion, and that there have been 654,965 excess Iraqi deaths in the same time period. The study was conducted by Gilbert Burnham, Riyadh Lafta, Shannon Doocy and Les Roberts. Burnham, the lead author, is an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The study estimate, based on household interviews, is dramatically higher than the death toll reported by other organizations, such as Iraq Body Watch, which are based on passive surveillance methods like monitoring newspaper accounts. The authors note:

Our estimate of excess deaths is far higher than those reported in Iraq through passive surveillance measures. This discrepancy is not unexpected. Data from passive surveillance are rarely complete, even in stable circumstances, and are even less complete during conflict, when access is restricted and fatal events could be intentionally hidden. Aside from Bosnia, we can find no conflict situation where passive surveillance recorded more than 20% of the deaths measured by population based methods. In several outbreaks, disease and death recorded by facility-based methods underestimated events by a factor of ten or more when compared with populationbased estimates.

The death rate found in this study compares favorably with data collected by the Department of Defense itself (via the Multi-National Corps-Iraq), according to a figure in the study report in which the death rates estimated for the May 2004 to May 2005 and the June 2005 to June 2006 periods are virtually identical to those of the household survey. But it is not clear from the report where the DoD data was obtained. The study estimate implies nearly 700 violent deaths per day in Iraq, but the MNC-Iraq estimates only 117 violent civilian deaths per day. The DoD estimate is based only on violent deaths in incidents to which coalition troops respond.

Data from all surveys show a dramatic increase in the Iraqi death rate, which has virtually doubled from 2005 to 2006. Deaths attributable to coalition forces account for 31% of violent deaths, according to the household survey, and the authors note that:

Most violent deaths were due to gunshots (56%); air strikes, car bombs, and other explosions/ordnance each accounted for 13–14% of violent deaths. The number of deaths from gunshots increased consistently over the post-invasion period, and a sharp increase in deaths from car bombs was noted in 2006.

Trends in number of deaths reported by the Iraq Body Count and the MultiNational Corps-Iraq and the mortality rates found by this study. Source: The Lancet.

The authors note that the mortality rate estimates, which have more than doubled since the invasion, meet the Sphere standards for a humanitarian emergency, concluding that, "We continue to believe that an independent international body to monitor compliance with the Geneva Conventions and other humanitarian standards in conflict is urgently needed."

Foley Interest Fades; Did Scandal Tip Public Opinion?

2006-10-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

Traffic data from Alexa for a major Democratic blog and a minor blog that spent a lot of time covering the Foley scandal suggests that interest in the topic has already faded. Traffic to both sites saw an upswing when the scandal broke, peaked in the middle of last week and has now returned to a baseline value.

While public curiosity has waned, the most recent polls of likely voters by CNN and USA Today/Gallup, showed dramatic gains by Democrats on a generic ballot, where they are now favored by 21% and 23%, respectively. Both polls were conducted from October 6-8 and represented a gain of about 10 points for Democrats, compared to September polls by each agency.

What that might mean for the November elections is anyone's guess at this point. Even if the polls stick, it is unclear how they will translate into individual races, some of which are so close that a change of only a few points could determine the outcome. By the weekend, the political fallout from the scandal may be clearer.

Awaiting Confirmation of North Korea Test with Dread

2006-10-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

As in previous addresses about things nuclear, President Bush seemed to be struggling not to laugh this morning as he pronounced the words "nuclear" and "proliferators" during his brief news conference. Undoubtedly, like the infamous "where's the WMD" video he filmed for the Washington press corps, his difficulty with pronouncing those words correctly is a subject of great White House mirth. As usual, Americans watched in dread as our president struggled to put the interest of the nation and the world above his own urgent narcissistic instincts and it was a relief when he concluded without having giggled aloud.

The Bush administration's carelessness over nuclear weapons extends far beyond the president's inability to pronounce the words "nuclear" and "proliferators." In the march to war in Iraq, the administration effectively trivialized them by lumping them with unconventional biological and chemical weapons, which kill limited numbers of people in confined spaces. A nuclear bomb is the only true weapon of mass destruction.

The administration has spoken repeatedly of developing new nuclear bombs, for use as bunker busters, and has effectively threatened Iran with a nuclear strike by leaking "plans" of such a strike to the press. Those positions are abhorrent to the entire world, not least because the United States is the only nation ever to have used nuclear bombs in war.

President Bush and key advisors allowed the A.Q. Khan nuclear proliferation network to operate for nearly three years without intervention, according to a February 13, 2006, article in the New Yorker, written by Steve Coll and unfortunately unavailable on the Internet. The administration chose to monitor the network, from early 2001 to late 2003, rather than shut it down, according to Coll. Perhaps that decision made good sense from an intelligence perspective, but in light of Iran and North Korea's success in acquiring nuclear technology from Khan and the international crises that have resulted, Americans deserve more information about, and a justification for, that decision. It is ironic that, while the administration foisted fake intel on the American public about aluminum rods and yellow cake uranium in Iraq, it may have been monitoring a real, ongoing transfer of nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya.

Radiation and seismic signature studies will have to be concluded, perhaps as early as this evening, before the world knows whether North Korea actually conducted a nuclear test or not. Ironically, the international Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty that would have allowed nations to quickly confirm the test has not been ratified and awaits the signature of both the United States and North Korea. A confirmation of the test would mean that one of the world's most dangerous and unpredictable dictators now has the world's deadliest weapon. It is an announcement the world awaits with dread.

Dems Flub Another Meet the Press Debate

2006-10-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

Claire McCaskill speaks in campaign soundbites

It's impossible to know how important the Meet the Press debates are for the elections, but Democratic candidates have certainly not used them to advantage. Virginia's Jim Webb gave a disastrous performance on September 17 when he became mired in a discussion about sexist comments he had published. Maybe it didn't hurt him, but it certainly didn't help, as his poll numbers continue to hover outside the range that would pose a serious threat to incumbent Senator Allen.

Claire McCaskill is locked in a much closer battle with incumbent Senator Jim Talent in the bellwether state of Missouri, the all-important race that will determine where the Senate balance of power falls for the next two years. Her performance yesterday was certainly not what one might have hoped. Our critique follows:

Style: McCaskill began well, projecting a warm, relaxed, almost folksy image that would appeal to any voter, but became increasingly tense and nervous as the debate wore on. Talent projected the image of a technocrat, sure of his facts, but not particularly affable. His demeanor was relaxed and unflappable throughout the debate. Advantage to Talent.

Time: Talent controlled the time, without appearing to hog it. We did check that, because it appeared to us he spoke far more than McCaskill did, and these are the numbers: Talent used 58% of the time while McCaskill used only 42%. McCaskill frequently gave one word answers ("yes," "no," "certainly"), like a beaming school child who knows the right answer, when she could have elaborated, however briefly.

Substance: Again, it was Talent who controlled the facts, while McCaskill often spoke in disjointed campaign soundbites. She did the best she could in defending an earlier remark that, "George Bush let people die on rooftops in New Orleans because they were poor and because they were black." She became mired in a discussion of her own, personal plan for Iraq that was far too specific and she seemed generally to have a poor grasp of foreign policy. We could all have lived without this comment on Bill Clinton: "I think he's been a great leader, but I don't want my daughter near him." It was tasteless and bound to provoke disagreement from everyone, one way or the other. Compare that to Talent's comment on Bush, "Certainly, he's going to end up better than Jimmy Carter, probably not as good as Ronald Reagan." Properly nuanced, plenty of wiggle room and offensive to hardly anyone. McCaskill did not capitalize on the stem cell issue, her greatest strength, on which she should have spoken at length. Instead, she took the bait as Talent goaded her into a discussion of partial birth abortions. What is surprising is that, after so many years of abject Republican failure on everything from Iraq to Katrina to the invasion of Americans' personal privacy to its rejection of science, Democrats can not find a clear, simple message and express it forcefully. Anyway, the debate goes to Talent.

Maybe the stem cell issue can carry the election for McCaskill or perhaps the Foley thing will tip the scales in Missouri, but it would have been very nice to see a convincing debate performance, too. Is it possible the Democratic party has no debate coaches to polish candidates for these appearances? Why spend millions of dollars on ads if you're going to blow millions of dollars worth of time that's offered, at no charge, by a national network? Thank goodness the only Meet the Press debates remaining are Minnesota and Maryland, not New Jersey and Tennessee.

MSNBC video of the debate here.
Transcript here.

Republicans Knew of Sexually Explicit Foley Messages in 2000

2006-10-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

The plot thickens, as the Washington Post reports Republican congressman Jim Kolbe (AZ8) knew about sexually explicit e-mails sent by Mark Foley to a page as early as 2000. Kolbe, the only uncloseted gay Republican in Congress, confronted Foley directly about the e-mails, but it is unclear whether he notified other House members. His press secretary denied the e-mails contained explicit language and said "corrective action" was taken at the time.

The report appears to push the timeline for when House Republicans were first told of Foley's sexual communications with pages back by at least three years.

Rep. Kolbe, himself a former page, is resigning at the end of his current term. Like Foley, Kolbe was outed by gay publications after voting for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. Kolbe decided to openly declare his sexual preference, and won five more elections, while Foley decided to keep his a secret from constituents.

Patrick McHenry's Unseemly, Short Career

2006-10-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

McHenry dated Susan Ralston, disgraced Rove aide

Not surprisingly, the homework on Republican Representative Patrick McHenry (NC10) has already been done. Washington Monthly published an unflattering profile of the ambitious young congressman in its October 2005 issue. This well-written article, by Benjamin Wallace-Wells,explores McHenry's giddy ascent through the Republican ranks from his days as a College Republican. How did McHenry rise so quickly? It's easy. He has no shame and his district is overwhelmingly Republican so he doesn't need to worry about reelection.

From the article:

No political movement can survive on talking points alone. It requires an endless succession of faces, flesh and bone, elected officials willing to impose their smiling mugs in front of the camera even when the talking points are ridiculous. In the nine months since he came to Washington, McHenry has cultivated a role as a kind of fraternity pledge for the House leadership, willing to do the dirty work on behalf of crusades that the rest of his caucus will no longer touch. He was still pumping Social-Security privatization this summer, months after the GOP leadership had given up on the bill. He was still attacking Terri Schiavo's husband after other Republicans, with an eye toward opinion polls, clammed up. And in June, he was summoned by the cable networks to defend Karl Rove after it began to appear likely that the president's chief strategist had identified Valerie Plame as a CIA agent while talking to reporters.

McHenry is perhaps the most successful and precocious of the endless string of those guys, the youngish Republican representatives who show up on cable television to defend the indefensible. But McHenry has also mastered, far more quickly than most, the inside game, the art of cultivating personal relationships with the powerful. Soon after moving to Congress, McHenry hired Grover Norquist's press secretary as his own. More recently, he's been dating Karl Rove's executive assistant.

We assume that would be Miss Susan Ralston, who resigned Friday after a House Government Reform panel report revealed that she received tickets to sporting and entertainment events from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, for whom she'd previously worked, in exchange for inside information about the White House.

Late Edition: Republican Groundwork All for Naught

2006-10-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

Dana Bash, CNN's congressional correspondent, made an interesting point during a Late Edition discussion on the Mark Foley scandal this morning. Bash observed that the groundwork Republicans have carefully laid in preparing for this election, like forcing congressional votes on a marriage amendment, flag-burning, etc., is "all for naught" because of the Foley scandal. The "do-nothing" Republican Congress has been wasting time all year on those non-issues, when it isn't on vacation.

Mark Halperin and John Harris, authors of The Way to Win, discussed the Republican response in terms of the phenomenon they call "freak show politics," the Republican tactic of polarizing a discussion to the point that there is no agreement even on basic facts. Certainly we're being treated to a giant helping of freak show politics as Republican after Republican appears to blame the current scandal on Nancy Pelosi, CREW and Bill Clinton, talking points that were, according to the Washington Post, distributed by Republican party operatives to sympathetic talk show hosts, conservative blogs and, obviously, congressmen like Patrick McHenry.

The Wall Street Journal has called The Way to Win "a well-sourced, dispassionate look at the grim realities of running for president." You can read the first chapter here.

Late Edition on the Foley Scandal

2006-10-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC10) appeared on CNN's Late Edition this morning with Rep. Chuck Rangel (D-NY15) . He mounted what can only be described as a moronic attack on Nancy Pelosi, claiming that she and others in the Democratic party had information about Mark Foley and timed its release for political gain.

Pressed by Wolf Blitzer about whether he had any evidence to support his allegation, McHenry tried to sidestep the question and even asked, at one point, "Do you have any evidence that they weren't involved?"

(Do you have any evidence I don't own a purple cat? No scholar, McHenry studied history at North Carolina State University and Belmont Abbey College, run by the Dominican order. He might have learned about logical fallacies had he studied with the Jesuits.)

At the age of 30, McHenry is the youngest member of Congress. His only previous experience, aside from his activities as a College Republican, was a single term in the North Carolina legislature. As a political favor, he was appointed special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Labor by President Bush in 2001. Like a surprising number of House Republicans, McHenry is a real estate salesman. He was one of only 20 Republicans who wanted to change House ethics rules to protect Tom DeLay.

McHenry, who would have been 25 when he first went to Washington, said he didn't know Foley well and denied knowing he was gay. "It's not something I'm interested in, to be honest with you," he said.

Asked whether he thought House Speaker Dennis Hastert should resign, McHenry said there was no evidence the speaker had broken the law. Pressed on whether he should resign for committing an error of judgment, McHenry said no.

At that moment, Chuck Rangel piped up and said that he agreed because if Republicans started resigning for their mistakes, many of them would have to leave.

In other news, Tom Reynolds was nowhere to be seen this morning and cancelled his scheduled appearance on ABC's "This Week," citing "flu-like" symptoms. Reynolds apologized (sort of) for his role in the Foley scandal in a TV ad that began running yesterday.

Patrick Buchanan appeared next on Late Edition, and, impossibly, managed to look even sillier than McHenry. His contribution to the national discourse was an announcement that Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton have marched in Gay Pride parades.

More later as we live blog the discussion . . .

Correction: McHenry was 23 when he first went to Washington in 1999, to work for DCI commuications group, the heart of the Republican slime machine. He was 25 and had no relevant experience when appointed by Bush to the Labor Department as a special assistant.

Rep. Patrick McHenry among his constituents.

Sunday Reading on Foley

2006-10-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post has provided two excellent analyses of the Mark Foley scandal in its Sunday edition, from the perspective of information gleaned during the past week.

1. If you're confused by the holes in the story that have sent professional pols into overdrive, don't worry. You're not alone. The Post provides a clear, succinct summary of what is and isn't known about how Republicans in Congress dealt with Foley. For anyone who doesn't have time to follow every twist and turn in the plot line, this is the article for you. It opens:

Despite countless hours of TV coverage and reams of newspaper reporting on the House's handling of the Mark Foley page scandal, numerous fundamental questions remain unanswered as the FBI and the House ethics committee begin their first full week of inquiries.

Gaps and inconsistencies in the public accounts include such basic matters as when House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and his top aides first learned of concerns about Foley's relationships with male pages, and what they did about it. Also unclear is which GOP officials decided that only two members of the six-person House Page Board should confront the Florida lawmaker.

The author, Charles Babington, proceeds to identify some basic questions in the case and explain what is or isn't known at this point. Nothing could be simpler.

2. The second article examines possible political consequences of the scandal. Beyond almost certainly losing Foley's seat in Florida, Republicans may also lose Tom Reynolds' New York seat, for example. The authors quote analysts who expect full-tilt coverage to continue through the coming week. The Republican strategy will be to wait until the furor subsides, while accusing Democrats of exploiting the scandal. They write:

Party operatives are distributing talking points to talk radio and conservative blogs detailing the Democratic ties of groups such as Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and American Family Voices -- two interest groups working to promote the scandal around the country. Republicans have also been working to remind conservatives of Democratic reaction to past sex scandals including those of President Bill Clinton and then-Rep. Gerry Studds (Mass.), who admitted to sexual contact with a page and went on to serve a decade longer in the House.

So we'll also be treated to the time-tested "liberal conspiracy" and "it's all Clinton's fault" defenses from Fox News and other Republican shills for at least another week. It's nothing we haven't been through before. The most important thing is to enjoy the spectacle. Republican scandals are more fun than a barrel of, well, macacas.

The Reynolds Mea Culpa Ad

2006-10-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

Republican apologies as a genre

Republican Representative Tom Reynolds (NY26) began airing an ad today, in which he apologized (sort of) for not doing more in the Foley affair. Reynolds, who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), encouraged Foley to remain in Congress and accepted a $100,000 donation from him, even after he had been advised of the disgraced congressman's e-mails to pages. Reynolds' chief of staff, Kirk Fordham, resigned on Wednesday as a result of his involvement in the scandal.

It's interesting to compare this ad to the Don Sherwood ad we posted earlier, in which Sherwood apologized (sort of) for his 5-year extramarital affair with a Washington mistress. With a few more examples, we could begin to explore the Republican mea culpa ads as a genre. The two ads share some interesting similarities. The open collars of the button-down shirts express a touch of informality, but are not as informal as, say, a sweater or polo shirt. In both ads, blurry family photos lurk in the background, to remind us the congressmen are family men, and heterosexuals to boot. Both men speak in measured, somber tones, with a worried brow and a pursed mouth. Both convey strikingly similar messages: I didn't do anything wrong, but I'm sorry anyway.

Here's the text of Reynolds' 60-second ad, from ABC's Political Radar blog:

I'm Tom Reynolds and I approve this message to let you know the facts. This spring I was told about odd, but not explicit emails between Mark Foley and a page. I never saw a single email, not one. Even so, I reported what I'd been told to the speaker of the house. At the time, I thought I'd done the right thing. I have since learned that newspapers in Florida and the FBI had copies of the emails for months and that Foley had been confronted about them and lied. But, last week, we all learned of other emails, worse than anything I'd heard before. I immediately forced Foley to resign. Nobody's angrier and more disappointed than me that I didn't catch his lies. I trusted that others had investigated. Looking back, more should have been done and for that, I am sorry.

YouTube video (1:00)

Meanwhile, Back at the Alamo . . .

2006-10-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

It was Representative Joe Barton (R-TX6) who, perhaps subconsciously, compared the Republican defense of House Speaker Dennis Hastert to the stand at the Alamo when he wrote last Thursday:

We, the House Republican Conference, ironically a little over 200 strong, have a decision to make, just like the defenders of the Alamo some 170 years ago. We can cross the line and stand with our Speaker in defense of conservative values and common decency, or we can retreat.

But Hastert's boys at the Alamo are decidedly skittish and more than a few are sneaking out of the garrison, at least until they see how the political winds are blowing.

Already, at least four Republicans (Ron Lewis - KY2, Mike Sodrel - IN9, Joy Padgett - OH18 and Shelley Sekula Gibbs - TX22) have cancelled campaign appearances with the House leader.

Republican representatives Martha Rainville (VT1), Rick O’Donnell (CO7) and Peter Roskam (IL6) said they would await results of the Justice Department investigation before deciding whether to support Hastert as leader, according to The Hill. GOP candidates Gus Bilirakis (FL9) and Randy Graf (AZ8) have refused to comment on Hastert.

Rep. Jim Gerlach (PA6) cancelled an appearance with Republican House majority leader John Boehner.

Rep. Christopher Shays (CT4) issued a statement saying, "I will not vote for any leader who knew or should have known about Mark Foley’s conduct." That would seem to cover Hastert.

Senate GOP candidate Thomas Kean, Jr. from New Jersey will presumably not be invited back to the Alamo after calling yesterday for Hastert's resignation. "Hastert should resign as speaker. He is the head of the institution and this happened on his watch. I urge House leaders to go further by appointing an outside panel to review the matter immediately," Kean said.

Democrat Jim Webb Still Spouting the Wrong Answer

2006-10-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

Unbelievably, Democrat James Webb, who hopes to oust Senator George Allen from his Virginia seat in November, has still not learned the proper answer to questions about his 1979 "horny women" comment. For the second time on national television he has spoken of a "rhetorical excess" and tried to justify his remark rather than simply admit it was wrong, in any context and at any time.

Democrats should have been the first to demand that answer and their failure to do so might very well cost them this seat and majority control of the Senate. It is an issue that transcends partisan politics and Webb's answer, for Democrats and Republicans alike, is simply unacceptable. Perhaps he still has time to understand why he was wrong and to state, openly and unequivocally, that he was wrong. Otherwise, it is not immediately clear why he belongs in the Senate any more than George Allen does.

Webb gave his first wrong answer during a debate on Meet the Press. Here's a video of the most recent exchange, with Wolf Blitzer last Thursday, October 5.

YouTube video ( 7:41)

Ethics Committee Investigation Stumbles Out of the Gate

2006-10-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

Committee letter asks congressmen to investigate themselves

The House Ethics Committee investigation into abuse of pages may have already doomed itself to failure, by committing one of the most glaring errors possible in any investigation: Asking those with a potential interest in witholding facts to discover the facts. The committee sent a letter to House members yesterday, asking each representative to contact pages they've sponsored and get back to it with any information:

In order to assist the Investigative Subcommittee with its inquiry, we also request that you contact current and former House Pages sponsored by your office for the purpose of learning whether any of those individuals had any inappropriate communications or interactions with former Representative Foley or any other Member of the House.

The letter is signed by committee chairman Doc Hastings and senior minority member Howard Berman.

Let us assume, in the worst case scenario, that a congressman had "inappropriate interactions" with a House page he himself had sponsored. How would that information find its way into the clumsy hands of the Ethics Committee?

Furthermore, the congressmen are apparently not expected to contact House pages from their districts who had been sponsored by their predecessors. In the worst case, for freshmen representatives, the investigation will therefore only encompass the years 2005 and 2006.

It seems clear that the "investigation" does not have a broad mandate, that it has been cobbled together in the infrequent moments its members can spare from their reelection campaigns and that the House leadership is dedicating a minimum of time and energy to it, in hopes of buying time until the issue fades from public memory.

Anti-Sodrel Ad

2006-10-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

As the campaign season intensifies, the Foley scandal has re-opened the much larger issue of congressional corruption, which Republicans hoped voters had forgotten. This ad, now being run by Democrat Baron Hill in Indiana's 9th district, places the Foley scandal in the broader context of that corruption and the relentless efforts of congressional Republicans to conceal it. Hill is trying to regain the House seat he lost to Republican Mike Sodrel by only 1,500 votes in 2004. Sodrel has a rating of 0 (yes, that's zero) from the Children's Defense Fund.

Ad transcript:

Washington is a mess and Mike Sodrel is part of it. Convicted congressman Cunningham gave Sodrel $2,000 for his campaign. Indicted majority leader Tom DeLay gave $20,000. And $77,000 from the House leadership, who knew about but did nothing to stop sexual predator congressman Foley. Meanwhile Mike, he says nothing, and refuses to return the money. You want change in Washington? Then change the people you send.

The ad doesn't even mention the phone sex money Sodrel obtained through Roy Blunt's "Rely on Your Beliefs" PAC.

Click to watch the ad (Real Player, 0:29)

Extremist Candidate Bachmann Attacks Wetterling

2006-10-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

One of the most extremist candidates being pushed for federal office by Republicans this year is Michele Bachmann, who also happens to be the candidate opposing Patty Wetterling in MN 6. As a Minnesota legislator, Bachmann co-authored legislation to force schools to teach creationism. She opposes any minimum wage whatsoever.

Bachmann, a weird combination of Katherine Harris, Shirley Phelps-Roper and Ann Coulter, attacked Wetterling, who became a national advocate for child safety legislation after her son Jacob was abducted at gunpoint in 1989, and accused her of playing politics with her advocacy.

"What just seems ironic here is that she's more interested, at least from her TV ad, about going after Republicans than protecting the innocence of children," Bachmann told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Wetterling said giving the Saturday radio address was very difficult for her. "It's tied too closely to Jacob's abduction. It's really hard," she said.

Responding to Bachmann's comments, she said, "Nobody was more disheartened than I to find this out. I know Mark Foley; he's a man who's done good things in terms of legislation for missing and exploited children. The betrayal hit me on a very personal level."

Patty Wetterling Radio Address

2006-10-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning. It's going to be a busy Saturday. We'll have lots of campaign news, some new campaign ads and a report from the Alamo, where Hastert's boys are definitely getting skittish.

Let's start things off with the Democratic response to President Bush's weekly radio address. The response was taped this week by Patty Wetterling, Democratic candidate for Congress in Minnesota's 6th district. Wetterling has been a national advocate for child safety laws since her 11-year-old son Jacob was abducted at gunpoint in 1989. He has never been found.

Not surprisingly, Patty Wetterling was the first candidate to run an ad denouncing the failure of the Republican leadership to protect minors working as pages in Congress, which we posted last Tuesday. No one should be surprised that Republicans, in true Ann Coulter fashion, have denounced Wetterling for "capitalizing" on her own grief as a mother touched by the terrible tragedy of child abuse.

Click here to listen to Patty's radio address (MP3), and here to read the full transcript. An excerpt follows:

Good morning, my name is Patty Wetterling.

I am a mother, teacher and child advocate from Minnesota. On October 22, seventeen years ago, my son Jacob was abducted. Jacob is still missing. As I talk to you today I am as concerned as ever about the safety of all of our children.

This week, we all watched in shock and with deep sadness as violence hit our schools and the security of classrooms was violated – and we watched in anger as yet another scandal broke in Washington.

In Colorado, Pennsylvania, here in Minnesota and across the country, we need to be able to tell our children that they are safe when we kiss them goodbye or put them on a school bus in the morning. Our schools must be a safe place for every child.

Seventeen years ago, I committed my self and my work to strengthening penalties for those who harm children and to stopping the sexual exploitation of children. The terrible reality of child sexual abuse is that it almost always involves someone that the child knows. As was the case with Congressman Foley.

Foley sent obvious predatory signals, received loud and clear by members of the congressional leadership, who swept them under the rug to protect their political power.
If a teacher did this and the principal was told but did nothing, once the community found out, that principal would be fired.

If this happened in a church and the minister received information and he did nothing, he’d be fired.

Congressional leaders shouldn’t be held to a lower standard than what we expect of our community leaders.

Too often, even well-intentioned people stand by when there is a suspicion of child abuse because they don’t know what to do and they hope that the problem will just stop or go away. Too often, there is more concern over protecting an institution than protecting our children. That is precisely what happened here.

Secrecy is the common ingredient in all child sexual abuse. When we have reason to believe someone is sexually abusing a child, we must act. When a child has the courage to come forward, we must not become part of the secret. We must make the protection of our children the highest priority.

Jon Stewart Interviews David Rakoff

2006-10-06T22:40:00.000-07:00

Jon Stewart interviews essayist and sometimes-actor David Rakoff. We won't spoil it for you by quoting any excerpts, but it's really funny and begins with a commentary on Mark Foley.

YouTube video (5:52)

Bonus TDS interview from 2005 (5:42)

Super-bonus Rakoff mockumentary about a high-maintenance author being interviewed on a book tour. Just ignore the prissy advice to let the video completely load before playing. (9:54)

Candidates Still Cancelling Hastert Campaign Appearances

2006-10-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

Reps sneaking out of the Alamo?

Despite an outward show of solidarity, Republican candidates are still cancelling campaign appearences with House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Hastert had planned to make a campaign stop in southern Indiana next Tuesday, to appear with Rep. Mike Sodrel. The appearance has been cancelled, according to the Republican congressman, who said, "I expect he's busy with other issues right now." Sodrel is locked in a tight election race with former Representative Baron Hill.

Major Garrett of Fox News reported yesterday that internal Republican polls predict Hastert will have a catastrophic effect on the November elections, and that candidates have been told not to appear with him.

Update: Two more Hastert fundraisers have been cancelled, one for Joy Padgett in OH 18 and another for Shelley Sekula Gibbs in TX 22.

Foley Obsessed with Size

2006-10-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

Another Friday photo, from Reuters, shows Republican Mark Foley, who demonstrated a recurring interest in size when chatting up congressional pages and even talked about a page's foot size during an end-of-the-year speech, speaking with President Bush. (Somehow, we just don't want to know.)

Republicans Rally Around Hastert - For Now

2006-10-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

Holding their noses and hoping the Foley scandal will not hit them as hard in November as polls suggest, Republican lawmakers are rallying around House Speaker Dennis Hastert, at least for now.

"The White House and top House Republicans remain deeply nervous that the scandal will hurt them politically, and that additional information will come out contradicting statements by Hastert and others that they were unaware of Foley's sexual messages to underage boys," the Washington Post reports.

Yesterday, Republican Representative Joe Barton of Texas circulated a letter urging his fellow house members to rally around Hastert as William Barrett Travis's garrison rallied around him at the Alamo.

Two Faces of GOP Hypocrisy

2006-10-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Former Republican Representative Mark Foley pictured with former Republican Attorney-General John Ashcroft.

A Preview of Coming Problems for Republicans

2006-10-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

The publication of David Kuo's new book, Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction, could drive an even greater wedge between Republicans and faith-based groups just before the November elections.

Following closely on the heels of the Mark Foley scandal, Kuo's book, with an October 16 publication date, promises to shine some much-needed light into a very murky corner - the actual uses of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Kuo served as the Office's deputy director during Bush's first term and has questioned the administration's dedication to the program since leaving.

In an article for Beliefnet published last year, Kuo wrote:

I left the White House in December 2003. By that time, I'd grown quite frustrated with White House and Congressional approaches to faith-based issues and I let those in power know it. Virtually everything I've written here I told to those above me more than a year ago. I hoped things would change . . .

In 2000, Gov. Bush said, "I know that economic growth is not the solution to every problem. A rising tide lifts many boats, but not all." He then went on to propose a new approach to those who were still stuck behind. The promises are still there and I am trying to keep the faith.

He blamed the administration for failing to keep its promises and said the White House came to realize it didn't need to give money to charities, faith-based or otherwise, because religious conservatives were content just to have the Office.

And since this community's most powerful leaders - men like James Dobson of Focus on the Family - weren't anti-poverty leaders, they didn't care about money. The Faith-Based Office was the cross around the White Houses' neck showing the president's own faith orientation. That was sufficient.

John J. DiIulio, who headed the Faith-Based Initiatives Office until becoming the first top Bush official to resign in August 2001, told Esquire magazine a year later that the White House was obsessed with the politics of the faith-based initiative but dismissive of the policy itself, according to the Washington Post.

The WSJ Washington Wire said of Kuo's book this morning, "A person familiar with [the] book’s content says it will characterize [the] centerpiece of Bush’s compassionate conservatism as 'big talk, little action.'"

Rub-a-dub-dub

2006-10-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

President Bush surveys hurricane damage in Florida with two other Republicans. That's former FEMA director Mike Brown to the president's right, and former Representative Mark Foley to his left.

(Via NewsMax)

Right-Wing Blogger Who Outed Page Lives on Food Stamps

2006-10-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

William Kerr, the right-wing blogger who goes by the name of Wild Bill and who outed a page who may be one of the Foley victims, is a 32-year-old man living in Moore, Oklahoma, according to an article in Friday's Oklahoman newspaper. Kerr was able to track down the identity of the former congressional page using unredacted IM chat logs that were posted inadvertently on ABC's web site.

Using the AOL screen name from those logs and a few other bits of information garnered from the chat, Kerr and an unidentified fellow blogger known only as "Ms. Underestimated" tracked down the page's identity on MySpace after 3 days of work. By a strange twist of fate, the former page was actually working in Oklahoma on Ernest Istook's gubernatorial campaign, according to the Oklahoman. He has since left the state.

Kerr, a high-school graduate who was discharged from the military for a personality disorder, has a police record that includes a 1994 burglary charge and a charge of marijuana possession.

The Oklahoman continues:

Kerr calls himself a conservative, and the posts on his blog reflect his ideology. He began working for an Internet radio station this summer. It doesn’t pay the bills, though.

Kerr is a stay-at-home dad. He hates the idea of putting his kids in day care. So he and his wife try to make ends meet on less than $20,000 a year.

“We might go broke,” Kerr said as he wiped tears from his eyes. “We’re on food stamps. If we go broke, we go broke. But my kids aren’t going to day care.”

And now we know the rest of story, which seems, in some strange way, a parable for our times in these hateful and divisive Bush years.

Poll: 61% Think Republicans Protected Foley for Years

2006-10-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

A new Rasmussen poll shows that 61% of American adults think Republican leaders have been “protecting [Mark] Foley for several years.” Only 21% believe the House leadership's story that it just learned about Foley's behavior. The poll was conducted Tuesday and Wednesday night.

About 70% of independents, 30% of Republicans and 84% of Democrats believe the leaders have been protecting Foley.

Writes Rasmussen, "The data supports speculation that this issue could have a devastating impact on Republican prospects at the polls this fall."

At last word, Dennis Hastert and Republican leaders were holed up with a garrison of loyal House colleagues in a chapel somewhere in Texas.

The Really Bad Metaphor Department: Hastert at the Alamo

2006-10-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

You just can't make this stuff up.

Republican Representative Joe Barton of Texas circulated a letter to Republican congressfolk today, in which he urged them to stand by House Speaker Dennis Hastert just as William Barrett Travis's garrison stood by him at the Alamo:

Wrote Barton in his October 5 missive (pdf):

In early 1836, approximately 200 men were surrounded by an army of thousands at a place called the Alamo. The general of the besieging army demanded unconditional surrender. Undaunted, the commander of the Alamo, William Barrett Travis, called a meeting of the garrison, drew a line in the sand, told his men the truth about the situation and gave every Alamo defender the right to retreat, or to cross over the line and stand in defense of the Alamo. Because of their unwavering defense, the independent Republic of Texas was ultimately created.

Today our Speaker, Dennis Hastert, is suddenly surrounded by a besieging army, but of a different sort. It is not a military army, but a political and ideological army of the left, demanding his unconditional political surrender. We, the House Republican Conference, ironically a little over 200 strong, have a decision to make, just like the defenders of the Alamo some 170 years ago. We can cross the line and stand with our Speaker in defense of conservative values and common decency, or we can retreat.

Hmmmm . . . how did that whole Alamo thing end again?

Jon Stewart on the Republican Blame Game

2006-10-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

Jon Stewart takes a look at how Republicans are spreading around the blame for the Mark Foley scandal. Hannity especially takes a licking for laying the scandal "at the feet of buckfush.blogspot.org/barredcollege.edu." Stewart is in top form.

(Update on the latest Republican talking point: It was all a "page prank." Those pesky pages, according to party shills like Drudge and Limbaugh, goaded Foley into online chats and unwisely distributed the chat transcripts to "enemy political operatives." Life is just one big conspiracy when you're a Republican.)

You Tube video (9:06)

Hastert Not Resigning

2006-10-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

Speaking outside his regional congressional office in Illinois, House Speaker Dennis Hastert repeated the points of his news release distributed earlier today which announced a page tip hotline.

Asked whether he would resign, Hastert said he would win his congressional district and run for Speaker again in the new Congress, before abruptly cutting short his press conference.

Hastert disputed claims that he and his staff had been alerted to Foley's behavior three years ago.

Hastert was rumored to have been waiting to talk with President Bush before beginning his conference, which started almost two hours late. Although Roll Call speculated that he would announce an independent investigation headed by Louis Freeh, no such announcement was forthcoming.

Ethics Committee to Investigate Whether House Rules Violated

2006-10-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

Rep. Doc Hastings (R), House Ethics Committee chairman, said an investigative subcommittee had been established to examine issues related to the Foley scandal and that "four dozen" subpoenas had been authorized for documents and other materials. The Ethics Committee returned to Washington for an emergency session this morning following public furor over the affair.

Because Mark Foley, the Republican representative who resigned from Congress following reports of internet communications with minors, is no longer a member of the House, the subcommittee has no jurisdiction to investigate him, although he could be subpoenaed. The investigation will center on the "subject matter" surrounding the scandal, according to the Committee, specifically as it relates to the House and whether its rules were violated. The committee could also investigate abuse of pages by other congressmen, if other reports surface.

Rep. Howard Berman (D), ranking minority member of the committee, said, "In terms of time frame, we are looking at weeks, not months."

Committee members refused to say whether House Speaker Dennis Hastert would be subpoenaed.

Hastert will be speaking shortly in a separate news conference and is expected to repeat the points of his press release sent out earlier today, promote the new page tip hotline and encourage anyone with knowledge of page abuse to call in.

Major Garrett of Fox News reported earlier that a small circle of influential Republicans has been given poll results showing Republicans could lose up to 50 seats if Hastert does not resign as House Speaker before November.

Fox: Polling Data Shows Hastert Effect on the Elections Could be Catastrophic

2006-10-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

According to Fox News, polling data from an influential Republican pollster was presented to a small circle of high-level Republicans this morning. The data reportedly showed that the continued presence of Dennis Hastert as Speaker of the House of Representatives could have a catastrophic effect on the November elections. Fox also reported that congressmen have been advised to cancel any campaign appearances with Hastert.

Hastert Sets Up Page "Tip Line"

2006-10-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

We have moved from the tragic to the comic surreal, as House Speaker Dennis Hastert sets up an "official Page tip line number." Could things possibly degenerate any further for the House leadership?

From Hastert's press release:

As the Speaker I take responsibility for everything in the building. The buck stops here. The safety and security of the students in the Page program is imperative.

That is why I directed the Clerk of the House to establish a hotline for reporting any information concerning Pages or the Page program. As of this morning, the Clerk of the House has activated the tip-line. It is for anyone with information regarding the Foley matter. This number can also be used to report any other concerns regarding the Page program.

The Page program tip line is 866-348-0481.

No word yet on whether the calls are routed through operators in Guyana.

Did Hastert Play the "Values Voters" for Suckers?

2006-10-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

Even the most dim-witted of America's extremist "values voters" must soon realize that Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert has played them for fools in the Foley scandal. His talking points about a vast, Democratic media conspiracy have been dutifully echoed by the owners of values groups, whose income depends on keeping their donors happy. Like Hastert, Gary Bauer of American Values ranted like a lunatic about the conspiracy, which he described as "an attempt to discourage Christian conservative voters and to get some percentage of them to stay home so that the Left can retake the United States Senate and the United States House."

But even Bauer's comments seemed moderate compared to the shrill hysteria of Speaker Hastert himself, who told the Chicago Tribune:

"I think the base has to realize after awhile, who knew about it? Who knew what, when? When the base finds out who's feeding this monster, they're not going to be happy. The people who want to see this thing blow up are ABC News and a lot of Democratic operatives, people funded by George Soros."

He went on to suggest that operatives aligned with former President Bill Clinton knew about the allegations and were perhaps behind the disclosures in the closing weeks before the Nov. 7 midterm elections, but he offered no hard proof.

While Hastert couldn't be bothered to honor an interview with WGN in Chicago last night (Guess what? Hastert's office now denies he was ever scheduled to do the interview), he took the time to call the utterly depraved James Dobson and give him his personal assurance. Dobson was videotaped Tuesday night at a rally saying:

I talked to Denny Hastert today and he told me that they have even put their pages in a separate building with 24-hour supervision to try to prevent this from happening.

Now we know it was a Republican, not a Democrat, who leaked the e-mails to the press and that Hastert's office was informed at least as early as 2003 about Foley's behavior. While obviously intended to be the "coded message" that went out to values voters via Rush Limbaugh, Fox News and campaign rallies, Hastert's talking points appear to be falling flat as the facts contradict him at every turn. The remaining question is how long it will take "values voters" to realize they've been suckered.

Chicago Trib: Time for Hastert "Running Very Short"

2006-10-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

Will Republicans get their ducks in a row today, nearly a week after Republican Representative Mark Foley resigned over improper communication with congressional pages? Editorial pages in newspapers around the country have been heaping scorn on the heads of Republican leaders, especially Dennis Hastert.

The Chicago Tribune weighs in:

The time for Hastert to give a clear, convincing picture of what he and GOP leadership knew about Foley is running very short.

How bad is this for Congress? There's serious talk about killing a program that gives teens, the majority of them high school juniors, a behind-the-scenes look at how a bill becomes a law. Is eliminating pages the only way to save them from--can we really be typing this--our nation's lawmakers?

Baltimore Sun Blasts Hastert

2006-10-05T01:04:00.000-07:00

Adding its voice to the groundswell of newspapers that are sharply criticizing House Speaker Dennis Hastert for his role in the Foley cover-up, the Baltimore Sun published a withering editorial this morning:

These evasions are most striking coming from House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who in a frantic attempt to save himself has faulted his staff, his lieutenants, the parents of a page who didn't want to go public and especially Democrats trying to oust the GOP majority in next month's elections . . .

So far, no one but a lowly aide has accepted responsibility for contributing to this imbroglio - claims to the contrary notwithstanding. With this quality of leadership on display, it's probably a good idea not to have young people observe it at close range.

Ouch.

Bush "Comma" Analogy Drawing Criticism

2006-10-05T00:13:00.000-07:00

As President Bush repeats his "comma" analogy on the campaign trail, the reference is drawing increasing criticism, according to today's Washington Post. Bush has stated, on at least three occasions, that this violent era of Iraq's history will be seen as "just a comma" in history books. He used the analogy in an interview with Wolf Blitzer on September 24, then repeated it at a campaign event in Alabama last week and in California this week. The Post reports:

But opponents of the war have seized on the formulation, seeing it as evidence that Bush is indifferent to suffering. To them, it sounds as if the president is dismissing more than 2,700 U.S. troop deaths as "just a comma."

Presidential advisor Dan Bartlett says folks are reading too much into the comments about the commas, which he defined as "brief periods."