Teams of federal agents swooped down on up to 10 close associates of the Rev. Al Sharpton Wednesday, demanding the flamboyant clergyman's financial records since 2001.
Sharpton's former chief of staff said he was roused at his Harlem home about 6:30 a.m. by two FBI agents who handed him a subpoena to bring the records to a federal grand jury the day after Christmas. Several employees of Sharpton's National Action Network also got wakeup subpoenas to testify before the Brooklyn panel, the rabble-rousing reverend's lawyer said.
The FBI and IRS are investigating whether Sharpton improperly misstated the amount of money he raised during his 2004 White House run to illegally obtain federal matching funds, a source familiar with the probe said.
It was a nice scam. Raise money, get federal matching funds, never run a campaign ad or do any actual campaigning, but show up at all the debates and stay in the nicest of hotels. I should run for president. Wonder if I can get matching funds?
Sharpton, although forced to return $100,000 in matching taxpayer funds after an investigation two years ago, denied any wrongdoing at the time.
The feds are also looking into allegations of tax fraud, including whether Sharpton commingled funds from his nonprofit National Action Network with several of his for-profit ventures, the source said.
Posted by: The "Reverend" Al Sharpton ||
12/13/2007 10:31 Comments ||
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#2
Lawyer Michael Hardy shrugged off the probe, which sought a vast array of business, political and personal records, as a federal fishing expedition. "I can't think of a time when the Rev. Sharpton wasn't under investigation," he said.
#6
Things must be bad for Al if the government has finally gotten around to protesting the Reverend. What a race-baiting opportunist snake-oil selling huckster!
#11
That's gonna put a crimp in his lifestyle. National Action Network owns everything the good Reverend uses, from the cars to his home, to his suits.
#12
2007-08, by way of fiat, Sharpton's Politically Correct Enterprises became a Branch of Gubmint during the Clinton's Administration; so the IRS is basically sueing itself with our tax money.
Posted by: Steve Pagonis ||
12/13/2007 17:49 Comments ||
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#15
On Tuesday, Al was "pontificating" about getting in the way of Chicago going after the 2016 Olympics because of "patterns of poo-lice brutality".
On Thursday, he's getting a Fed wake up call.
Told ya not to mess wit Da Mayor...
Correction of the Year
One of the surest ways to produce a great correction is to write a scandalous article filled with salacious, untrue allegations. This years winner is a correction to an April article in the Independent Saturday (UK) magazine:
Following the portrait of Tony and Cherie Blair published on 21 April in the Independent Saturday magazine, Ms Blairs representatives have told us that she was friendly with but never had a relationship with Carole Caplin of the type suggested in the article. They want to make it clear, which we are happy to do, that Ms Blair has never shared a shower with Ms Caplin, was not introduced to spirit guides or primal wrestling by Ms Caplin (or anyone else), and did not have her diary masterminded by Ms Caplin.
Runner Up
The Sentinel-Review (Woodstock, Ontario):
In an article in Mondays newspaper, there may have been a misperception about why a Woodstock man is going to Afghanistan on a voluntary mission. Kevin DeClark is going to Afghanistan to gain life experience to become a police officer when he returns, not to shoot guns and blow things up.
The Sentinel-Review apologizes for any embarrassment this may have caused.
. . .
Best Recipe Error
The Observer (UK):
We should clarify that the stir-fried morning glory recipe featured in Observer Food Monthly last week uses an edible morning glory Ipomoea aquatica, found in south east Asia and also known as water spinach. This should not to be confused with the UK Ipomoea, also known as morning glory, which is poisonous.
. . .
Best Numerical Error
The Hindu:
A report From Bombay to Rajasthan (Newscape page, January 8, 2007) stated that actor Elizabeth Hurley will wear a 4,000-pound sari by designer Tarun Tahiliani during her wedding in March. While one reader wondered how she would be able to lift the 1,800 kg sari, another reader said there are possible fears about the bride being reduced to pulp by its weight. It was an error. The word pound was used instead of the currency symbol for pound sterling (£).
Many, many more at the link.
Posted by: MIke ||
12/13/2007 07:16 ||
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Researchers have evidence that arctic Svalbard has not been as warm as it is now since the balmy days of the Viking age. Ten-year-old ice core samples from Lomonosovfonna, and snow samples from 2000 and 2001 show record high temperatures, the Norwegian Polar Institute said in a press release.
"By comparing the composition in the ice core with snow on the glacier we have found comparably warm summers have not occurred since the 1200s, the end of the Viking era," said glaciologist Elisabeth Isaksson.
A range of European scientists have take part in the project, analyzing the cylinder of ice brought up using a special drill. The tests also reveal a slightly warmer period around 1750. Except for this the ice cylinder is dominated by the cold period known as the Little Ice Age.
Continued on Page 49
#1
Researchers have evidence that arctic Svalbard has not been as warm as it is now since the balmy days of the Viking age.
So at worst what we're really dealing with is Global REwarming. So they're saying the rising of the oceans back then permitted the Scandinavian tourists to hit those classical vacation sites down south which had all those neat trinkets and hot babes to bring home and show the folks?
#5
"So at worst what we're really dealing with is Global REwarming"
except thats NOW, and even with current GHG concentrations, warming will continue.
But we're not even keeping GHG concentrations constant, theyre increasing. Cause we have net positive GHG emissions. So temp will rise even faster, and would, if we had constant positive GHG emissions.
But we DONT have constant positive GHG emissions. That would require freezing global GHG emissions. We have RISING GHG emissions, which means GHG LEVELS will rise even FASTER, and temps, faster than that.
there is no demonstrable link between GHG and global tempratures... the ice core data from antartica and elsewhere clearly show that previous cooling has happened during periods of increased GHG and that warming periods are independent of GHG levels.
of course, science and global warming are not co-related.
global warming is an ideology.
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
12/13/2007 11:52 Comments ||
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#8
Does GHG stand for Global Heat Generator, aka the Sun? How do we get control over this unconstrained independent variable in our precise computer models? We need a federal program to harness the Sun and put it under UN control.
#9
Yes, and do you know how many thousands die every year from exposure to the Sun nuclear energy? Safe energy my ass. Time to get the UN to shut it down. I sense another global conference junket in the making. How about St. Tropez?
#10
there is no demonstrable link between GHG and global tempratures.
A recent look at ice core data shows CO2 levels lagging behind rising temps by about 800 years. Rather suggestive that temp change drives CO2 levels rather than the other way around.
There is no question that human contribution to CO2 level is increasing, but water vapor and the Sun have a much greater effect on climate than CO2 level. Water vapor always gets ignored in the hysteria about CO2. Bottom line is we are still figuring out how planetary climate works and it is a little soon to start living in the Stone Age again.
My suggestion, unless we want to adjust the Earth's orbit, is to terraform Mars. And guys, let's do it right this time!
#11
Astronomers agree the Sun will become a red giant, and when that happens we are all going to die. So send me some money so I can research how to keep the Sun from becoming a red giant (send enough so I can do this research in St. Barts.)
#14
Eric the Red called his discovery "Greenland" because it WAS green. People were raising cattle and crops on the coast. Cooling in the 13th century rendered farming impossible. Remains from colonist cemeteries from that era show that the last colonists in Greenland were smaller, died younger, and were seriously malnourished. The Greenland tribes, who did not depend on farming, kept on going.
#15
local National Association of Damnable Statistics says my chances of 5"-7" of climate change have increased 20% for tomorrow from just this morning (up 50% since last week) so they can't even get that right. To make a computer model of sun activity over the next 100 years they better use a better model than that. Next they will tell me Georgia O'Keefe paintings are proof that flowers bloomed more vibrantly 50 years ago.
And why in the world when the technology and manufacturing is at a point where 'safer for the environment' products could be widely distributed, taxing and increasing the price of such products would put them out of the range of most consumers? Are we supposed to throw away all of our cars to buy so many million made from scratch hybrids? Climates change, always have - my part of the prarie has ocean fossils all over the place. Recockulous.
#16
"there is no demonstrable link between GHG and global tempratures... the ice core data from antartica and elsewhere clearly show that previous cooling has happened during periods of increased GHG and that warming periods are independent of GHG levels."
Previous increases in global violence in the last hundred years, like 1914-1918, and 1939-1945, were independent of the level of power of radical Islam, ergo there is no evidence of a link between radical Islam and global violence.
D'uh.
Of course there was no link in earlier warming periods, cause there was no surge in GHG levels comparable to those since the industrial revolution. Saying GHG causes warming does NOT imply all warming is caused by GHG (see the violence and Islam comparison for parallel logic)
#17
Good question, ed. I think the answer is NO. We could so use that ole' fashioned Viking Age Spirit from the boyz in Northern Europe, but it's not going to be forthcoming. They were emasculated years ago.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
12/13/2007 15:55 Comments ||
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#18
Fine. How much Carbon Dioxide in PPM is normal?
#19
who cares? If Al Gore wants to raise $6,000 per hour from a bunch of suddenly-scientist followers more power to him. Fools and their money. I suggest if you really want to save the eartn, don't have children, and if you really care, off yourself. Consider yourself a carbon offset for Al's jetsetting and the ever important Save The Earth rock concerts.
#22
Well, IMHO, I think we don't know even 1/100th of the data needed to decide if we are causing Global Warming. The engineer in my cries "BULLSHIT!", since one volcanic eruption puts out more crap than the entire human race does in a decade, the rest of the planets are showing signs of warming at the same rate of earth, and the sun is the biggest energy producer in the solar system and our pathetic attempts to compare our output with the sun's is ... well ... stupid as well as arrogant.
#23
Unless you just like arguing, the best way to eliminate this garbage about "Global warming/Climate change" is to simply ignore the liars who spout it.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/13/2007 17:00 Comments ||
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#24
IOW, the Sun's gonna blow [unless mankind can quantify/control the Sun's treasonous rebellions], all humanity is gonna cook once the oceans = skies evaporate, and humanity can no longer make air conditioners = live underground becuz humanity no longer has cheap access to resources??? MAD MAX versus TANK GIRL versus JERICHO versus ......@???
A special court yesterday sentenced former chief whip and Awami League leader Abul Hasnat Abdullah to eight years' imprisonment for three counts of tax evasion. Judge AK Roy of the second special court, set up at the MP hostel on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises, delivered the verdict against Hasnat, who is on the run. The court also fined him Tk 40 lakh; in default of which he would have to stay in jail six more months. It also ordered the authorities to confiscate his properties worth Tk 1.65 crore that Hasnat did not mention in his tax returns submitted to the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2007 00:00 ||
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Four alleged Venezuelan agents have been arrested in the U.S. and charged with trying to persuade a U.S. citizen to keep quiet about a growing international election scandal. The U.S. Justice Department said the four wanted to prevent Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson, a businessman from Miami, Florida, from talking to authorities.
On August 4, Antonini Wilson flew in a privately chartered aircraft from Caracas, Venezuela, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where customs officers discovered $800,000 in cash in his possession. The U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday the four men charged wanted to stop Antonini Wilson from revealing the origin of the $800,000.
"The complaint filed today outlines an alleged plot by agents of the Venezuelan government to manipulate an American citizen in Miami in an effort to keep the lid on a burgeoning international scandal," Kenneth Wainstein, assistant attorney general for national security, said in a written statement.
Continued on Page 49
#2
Hugo is just another despot wannabee feathering his own pocket. Sounds like the Venezuelans are onto him too. Had these four slipped across the U.S-Mexican border, they probably would not have been caught.
#3
federal law enforcement officials confirmed the funds were intended for the campaign of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who went on to win the election.
And I was sure the money was for Hillary. BTW, de Kirchner is the new presidente of Argentina and wife of the last presidente.
Posted by: ed ||
12/13/2007 13:35 Comments ||
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#4
Hey, she is kind of hot.
Posted by: William J. Clinton ||
12/13/2007 20:19 Comments ||
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#5
She can be bought for 800k? Or did that just open the bidding?
Also 'cos he can.
Britain and Russia are on course for a dramatic showdown after the Kremlin ordered the British embassy to suspend all of its cultural operations outside Moscow. Unveiling the latest retaliation in a diplomatic dispute over the murder of ex-KGB defector Alexander Litvinenko last year, Russia instructed the British Council, the Foreign Office's cultural arm, to close its outlets in St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg by the beginning of January.
Britain immediately vowed to defy the order, which it said constituted "a serious breach of international law", setting the stage for a potential police showdown at the two offices in the New Year.
#1
outrage that a charitable entity was being targeted for political reasons
The Russians feel they don't have any leverage, so they're using the British Council. It doesn't matter that it's a charity. Of course, you won't hear anything about this on "The View".
Protests from female soldiers have led to the Swedish military removing the penis of a heraldic lion depicted on the Nordic Battlegroup's coat of arms. The armed forces agreed to emasculate the lion after a group of women from the rapid reaction force lodged a complaint to the European Court of Justice, Göteborgs-Posten reports.
But although the army was eventually happy to make the changes in the interests of gender equality, the artist who designed the insignia was less than pleased. "A heraldic lion is a powerful and stately figure with its genitalia intact and I cannot approve an edited image," Vladimir A Sagerlund from the National Archives told Göteborgs-Posten.
Sagerlund blasted the army for making changes to the coat of arms without his permission. "The army lacks knowledge about heraldry. Once upon a time coats of arms containing lions without genitalia were given to those who betrayed the Crown," said Sagerlund.
But the castrated lion has already won the day and is now worn on the arms of all soldiers in the battle group's Swedish battalions.
"We were given the task of making sure the willy disappeared," Christian Braunstein from the army's 'tradition commission' told Göteborgs-Posten. "We were forced to cut the lion's willy off with the aid of a computer," he added.
The Nordic Battlegroup is one of eighteen such military groups in the European Union. Some 2,000 of its 2,400 soldiers come from Sweden, with the rest coming from Finland, Norway, Ireland and Estonia.
More feminism gone stupid. I remember one of our VMAQ squadrons getting rid of the playboy bunny logo after tail hook, I could almost see the logic though still thought it was lame P.C. crap. In the sweede case; I can only imagine the time wasted discussing a logo's genitalia in staff meetings. And these dudes used to be the vikings? Now clearly the viqueens. Oh well, the way the weak ass sweedes are going in 50 yrs they'll give the lion a scimitar and an abaya - but don't name him mohammad.
#2
A lion without a penis is either a female lion, in which case the logo is still "sexist", or it is a castrated lion in which case it is most probably accurate.
BRUSSELS - NATO expressed deep regret Wednesday that Russia had suspended a key Soviet-era arms pact, but underlined that the military alliance would not take any retaliatory action. NATO allies deeply regret that the Russian Federation has proceeded with its intention to unilaterally suspend implementation of CFE Treaty obligations as of 12 December 2007, a statement said.
Russias foreign ministry announced that participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty was suspended from midnight in Moscow (2100 GMT Tuesday). Signed in 1990 and modified in 1999, the CFE places precise limits on the stationing of troops and heavy weapons from the Atlantic coast to Russias Ural mountainsa mammoth agreement that helped resolve the Cold War standoff.
In the statement, NATO said the 26 member nations expressed willingness to resolve differences with Russia over the treaty and said that they planned to continue, for the moment, to abide by it. They have therefore chosen not to respond in kind at this stage to the Russian Federations political decision to suspend its legal obligations and NATO allies will continue to meet theirs, without prejudice to any future action they might take, the statement said.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/13/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Russia attributes its freeze to the failure of NATO members to ratify a revised 1999 version of the treaty but Moscow has also been riled by US plans to deploy an anti-missile shield in two former Soviet satellite states.
Well, that and the fact that Russia can afford it with its new oil wealth.
#2
When the USA decided that the anti-missile treaty didn't apply because it was signed by the now defunct Soviet Union they opened the precident for the ditching of all Soviet Treaties. Odd that the reporters aren't blaming Bush when he could reasonably be blamed in this instant.
It's also interesting to see how some folks continue to value treaties and the letter on paper despite constant reminders that if you break treaties nothing happens, again and again.
#3
rj - your facts are un-coordinated. The ABM treaty had an opt-out clause. Either side only had to give 6-months (I think) notice of wanting out, which I believe Bush did. AFAIK, we have continued to honor other treaties made with the the old Sovs.
The UN tribunal sentenced a former Bosnian Serb general to 33 years imprisonment on Wednesday for ordering the deadly shelling of Sarajevo and terrorising its civilians during the 1992-1995 Bosnia war. Judges found Dragomir Milosevic guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity that include responsibility for terror, murder, and indiscriminate attacks on civilians by troops of his unit of the Bosnian Serb Army.
The evidence presents an horrific tale of the encirclement and entrapment of a city and its bombardment, said Judge Patrick Robinson. Milosevic became commander of the unit in August 1994, taking over from Stanislav Galic, a former Bosnian Serb general already sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the siege.
Judge Robinson said it was under Milosevics command that modified air bombs, highly inaccurate weapons, were first used and he decided on the placement of bomb launchers. Each time a modified air bomb was launched the accused was playing with the lives of the citizens of Sarajevo.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2007 00:00 ||
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A STATEMENT FROM BILL SHAHEEN
Shaheen announces decision to step down as Clinton campaign Co-Chair
I would like to reiterate that I deeply regret my comments yesterday and say again that they were in no way authorized by Senator Clinton or the Clinton campaign. "I was, like, stoned, man."
Senator Clinton has been running a positive campaign focused on the issues that matter to Americas families. She is the best qualified to be the next President of the United States because she can lead starting on day one. I made a mistake and in light of what happened, ". . . and the horse's head I found in my bed this morning, . . ."
I have made the personal decision that I will step down as the Co-Chair of the Hillary for President campaign. This election is too important and we must all get back to electing the best qualified candidate who has the record of making change happen in this country. That candidate is Hillary Clinton.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/13/2007 18:02 ||
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#1
He's lucky he didn't develop a sudden case of Vince Foster syndrome.
#2
She will not just throw them under the bus, she will drive the bus and back repeatedly over anyone who gets in her way to get to the White House again.
#3
Ht to AOSHQ: Blue Hampshire catches Clinton staffers' sockpuppetry:
"Recently, we admins noticed this comment thread on a recommended diary, and the oddities it posed made us look a little deeper than we normally would.
As the comment thread revealed, users pinballwizard, elf, shley24, MTAY all registered in succession to recommend the diary. A further look by us revealed that:
* they had registered within minutes of each other, including another user a bit later, janbaby, who was not among the recommenders,
* the same IP address was used by all of them, and is registered to the Clinton campaign,
* two other recommenders, blues and kmeisje, also registered from the same IP address.
To be clear, and to reiterate what's stated in our Getting Started page: paid campaign staff are welcome in this community, but are asked to disclose their affiliation to a campaign, either through their signature line, a disclosure statement on a diary, or even in the choosing of a username. The fact that all the users mentioned above came from a Clinton campaign IP, but did not register with campaign email addresses, and avoided making comments or diaries, instead only recommending pro-Clinton diaries, strikes us as gaming the system and a form of "recommend astroturf." As a result, we have banned those accounts, and will do so again for undisclosed paid staffers of any campaign if need be.
We have spoken with Kathleen Strand, who assured us that this was not an orchestrated effort but the product of over-eager staffers and volunteers, done without her awareness, and that it will not be repeated. We appreciate her responsiveness and believe that this may indeed be a misunderstanding of low-level staffers of the norms of the site."
this by a site that is not anti-HRC by any means. Can you smell the desperation? Of course all those "over-eager staffers.... and volunteers" will be fired, and their FBI files retained for further discipline (for being caught so easily). Incompetence will be punished...at the lower levels!
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/13/2007 20:43 Comments ||
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#4
Like someone said, what we have here is Richard Milhous Nixon is a pantsuit. Now it's great to have Dick Nixon to kick around again during the campaign, but don't let it go any further, OK? On a different note, does anyone have a copy of the official Enemies List?
YESTERDAY drugs were such an easy game to play. Yesterday a Hillary operative ate his words faster than a stoner gobbling a smoldering roach when the fuzz kicks in the door.
Yeterday morning, the Washington Post reported that New Hampshire Clintonite Billy Shaheen said "Obama's candor on the subject [of drugs in his youth] would "open the door" to further questions. "It'll be, 'When was the last time? Did you ever give drugs to anyone? Did you sell them to anyone?'"
By nightfall, the same abashed operative was groveling before the press with: "I deeply regret the comments I made today and they were not authorized by the campaign in any way."
I think he received a rocket via telephone from Hillary herself. She wants no discussion of youthful drug experiments. And with reason. Reasons that go back to the Clintons' Berkeley Summer of Love in 1971 -- if not before.
Reasons that I know well because I was in Berkeley in that summer of 1971. . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
12/13/2007 12:44 ||
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#3
Hey, this is the Clintonista Christmas Pagent so watch the show and donate as you leave. We'll get back to you on those rumors of Obama being gay.
Political bombs followed by humble apologies for some bumbling staffer. You just can't get good staff these days.
#5
Go read the article, put some Grateful Dead on the Ipod and you will fell like you have landed in a Journeyman episode.
The details provided by the writer are a trip in the "wayback machine"... If Bill and Hill were chillin in Berkely and not "partaking", they would have been run off as narcs.
#6
There's something about this whole campaign, on both sides, that just doesn't ring true. From my reading of the major Republican candidates, there's not one of them that I consider to be top flight or worthy of holding Reagan's mantle. The most rightwing of them is going to take us somewhat to the left.
Now, if you look at the Dems, their two front-runners are people who a decade ago would never have been considered viable candidates by reasonable politicians. If Hillary was Mother Teresa and Obama was Colin Powell, I still can't see a guy like Tip O'Neill ever realistically thinking they had a shot. Now, throw in the "Huma rug-munching dyke married to the most corrupt pol in U.S. history" theme, and mix it with the "woefully inexperienced candidate/drug doin' nigga" stuff that's been/is being said about Obama, and it starts to look as if these two were specifically chosen to be knocked down like bowling pins.
That's where I start getting skeptical. The Dems are perverted and venal, but no one gets to the top of any organization so potentially powerful without having a pretty fair amount of intelligence. Clinton and Obama are not only poor candidates, they're horrible candidates, and for a multiplicity of reasons. I can't see anyone who truly wanted to win this election picking them.
The Dems have done stupid things before in presidential campaigns; McGovern and Dukakis stand out as examples. There's something about this one that just makes me awfully suspicious though. I just keep feeling we're being led as a nation to someplace we don't want to go by being forced to make choices between the bad and the worse. And I wouldn't put it past the kingmakers of both parties to collude at such an endeavor.
I'd love to think I was just having a paranoid moment through not believing the Dems could be so truly stupid...
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2007 10:55 ||
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#1
One other explanation is that the base was waiting for a prince to rescue them. When Thompson failed to ignite, Huckabee got the oxygen.
The only remarkable thing about Huckabee is that his current standing in the polls shows how lame the whole field is. People are looking for somebody, anybody, other than Romney, Giuliani, McCain or Thompson. I'd like to suggest Hunter but he's gotten so little traction so far that I'm afraid he's a lost cause.
#2
The only remarkable thing about Huckabee is that his current standing in the polls shows how lame the whole field is.
The lameness of the Republican field of candidates is only exceeded by the donk's field of candidates. I'm not looking for a prince but a good, honest, candidate who can get the job done, the job being defending the nation, obeying the Constitution and the countries laws, keeping government spending in check, maintaining a good economy, working on the nation's infrastructure, and being truthful and honest with the American people who elect that candidate. I guess I can dream.
#3
I don't think it is a lame field at all. While I would prefer not to see McCain or Huckabee win - simply because McCain represents all the worst of the failing Republican party and Huckabee because of his tax and immigration policy. But I would not be upset if Guliani, Thompson or Romney won. I too like Hunter the best, but I agree he doesn't have enough traction. I don't know enough about Tancredo, but I haven't seen anything yet that made me dislike him.
Compare them to the Dem side. Corrupt, Clawing, Hillary, Air-headed Edwards and unexperienced Obama whose only qualification seems to be that he is black and attends a Hate-Whitey-And-Jews church. The Dems have to be projecting onto our candidates when they say we are unhappy with the slate. Our problem is that we don't have a clear front runner with the conservative values we want - but we have multiple realistic candidates that could win the general election. I'd be OK with any of them. How is that bad?
#4
It looks like the candidates are boiling down to Huckabee, Romney, or Giuliani. It is too early to determine who among these three is going to emerge as the candidate for the Republicans. I like Hunter also but don't think he has a chance. Tancredo is tough on illegal immigration but I don't know anything about his position on other issues. Thompson has never really emerged from the pack although is very likeable. The format for the debates is very limited as far as getting to know the candidate's positions. The debates have become about the media more than anything else. They like their role of being "king makers" a little too much. There is really no one in the Democrat field that I would consider.
#5
I think rudy is the man to take the fight to the jihadis, and therefore he gets my vote. i have to root for huckabee because of the chuck norris comercial tho.
chuck norris doesnt endorse a candidate, he tells america how it gonna be...
we need tancredo's balls on imigration tho.
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
12/13/2007 13:29 Comments ||
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#6
I have to agree with Whomong Guelph4611. As far as I can see all of the top tier Republicans are better than any of the Democrats, so I don't see a problem. Our system is set up to choose among, not get the best, and as long as there is someone viable to fight the Long War, I can live with the other imperfections. Mr. Huckabee's commercials are abolutely wonderful, though.
#7
Once in office, Huckabee set up a nonprofit entity so he could give paid ``inspirational'' speeches without having to disclose the donors. Until exposed by the Arkansas Times, Huckabee used the operating account for the governor's mansion for personal expenses, charging the public for dry cleaning, his wife's pantyhose, a doghouse and meals at Taco Bell.
Yeah, he's a man of the cloth alright. This nightmare is a cross between Clinton and Bush.
#8
While Thompson had a boomlet before officially entering, he has not had his 15 minutes since. He is laying out good positions and is a credible conservative alternative to the northeast RINOs and the western wackos. Perhaps the media will choose him as the next riser after the Huckabee lead balloon deflates. I'd like to see his focus on the issues get some attention.
#11
issue for Thompson is that he didnt play the press games so the press dropped him. Plus he is a solid conservative, and thus aneathema to the left-tilting press. On top of that he is a reasoning person who delivers depth and details, not a smiling soundbite swami that the press loves.
All in all, Fred needs to figure a way to break thru the press stonewalling, and get a long format splash. He is th eonly candidate with solid policy positions out there on social security, taxes, the economy, iraq, GWOT, government spending and size reduction, and so on.
The others talk -Fred THINKS. And that may not be enough in the age of the MTV generation coupled with idiot braindead babyboomers.
#12
Duncan Hunter ! I have learned something once again, and that is we will vote for someone we consider able to run our country. We have been very fortunate to have such a vast field, and we learn even more as a society as we experience how this process unravels. I see we have a measure of what it takes to be president, and that viewed as a group, the second tier is the democrats. It makes sense that all the talent is stacked up on the trunks side. The Clintonista years didn't exactly nourish competetion.
As a republican, I am very confident that my party will deliver the best man for the job, but I cannot necessarily guarantee that he doesn't bring with him an agenda not approved by the taxpayers. Today's gubmint doesn't seem to get the immigration thingy. They seemed to be working for someone else, but I know that we own the gubmint, so I assume they have an agenda, and I can't trust what is said, what is written, only what is actually done. Who to trust ? Who to trust ?
#13
Another thing to keep in mind - on the GOP side, once there's a nominee, most of the GOP will be angling to figure out how to support him, fall into line - emphasize common strengths and shared positions (at least they're all hims so far - Veep pick may get interesting) while on the democrats side, if she is the pick, there will be many MANY many democrats seeking to distinguish themselves from her, to put it politely.
Now - say you're undecided or a moderate or independent or on the fence - which party will have a more efficient coordinated campaign? Will the democrats be willing to trade one or two houses of congress for the white house? Will it come to that?
#15
I heard Fox's take on Keyes. It was said that if you have 2% of the vote and an office in Iowa you qualify to take part in the debates. No one could find his office however.
I wonder how much of a factor in the process is Romney's religion? Everyone seems to be dancing around that issue. Romney's father never made it to the Presidency. My wife said she is suspicious of Mormonism because it does not seem to be as transparent as other religions, e.g. Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterian, Catholics, etc.
#16
I am a conservative Evangelical Christian, and I have more in common with Mormons and Orthodox Jews than I have with Democrats. Please remember who our opponents really are: the socialists in democrats clothing.
#17
FWIW, I had to work with Huckabee's office back in late 2005 and 2006. Even then they were clearly positioning themselves. However, they clearly couldn't get their boss to focus or to make a decision.
I got the impression that the locals didn't think too highly of him (similar to the way North Carolinians don't think highly of JEdwards).
#18
Ima Hunter district constituent, and have donated to his POTUS campaign. That said, he's not gonna win, but would make a great VP for geographic/philosophical balance or great Def Secretary
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/13/2007 21:53 Comments ||
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#19
Duncan doesn't have a chance, never did. Same for Teh Mayor. Nobody with a lazy eye or a lisp is making it to 1600 Pennsylvania. Not these days.
Which is unfortunate because they're both better than anyone on Teh Othre Sied.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
12/13/2007 22:38 Comments ||
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#20
I'm with OldSpook Fred Thompson is heads and shoulders better than the rest of the pack!
The guy is made of the right stuff folks, Our vote is damn important.. like our entire familie's futures rests on his ability as President, and Commander of Chief.
We will start with at least one front at war.. 'domestic'..
By his own count, Keyes has a total of 49 yes, 49 committed supporters in Iowa. But a candidacy is just a state of mind, isnt it?
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2007 10:46 ||
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#1
And in that pledge every person who signs it says they are going to find five other people at least to join our army of political revival. And everywhere a person signs a pledge and I have told them this they are the campaign.
Ah, and so it begins...
CONCORD, N.H. - A top adviser to Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign said Wednesday that Democrats should give more thought to Sen. Barack Obama's admissions of illegal drug use before they pick a presidential candidate. So I guess he inhaled?
Obama's campaign said the Clinton people were getting desperate. Clinton's campaign tried to distance itself from the remarks, and the adviser said later he regretted making them. Suuuuuuuure he did. Continued on Page 49
#1
Tu, it's a good thing that you are above bringing up Hussein B. Obama's past illegal drug use and possible Muslim sympathies. Only Dems can do that without it being mudslinging. ;-)
#2
One odd aspect to Obama's time in Indonesia is that a blogger visited the neighbourhood he lived in and talked to long time residents and no one recalled anyone looking like him. Obama should have stood out as someone different and people would have remembered.
I lived in SE Asia for years. Locally its a village where everyone pays close attention to their neighbours.
I have no idea what this means, but it makes me think there is more to Obama's 'spotty past'.
#8
These comments were not authorized or condoned by the campaign in any way."
Whoa no guts/no loyalty is quite a campaign strategy. Obviously, The Machine believes it appears more Presidential to distance themselves from a potential crack in their façade rather then to address a legitimate concern for their party. After the failed campaigns from duds like Gore and Kerry, Electability in the general election should be in the forefront of every one of the democratic voters minds. And Obamas Hey kids even a dope smoker from Chicago can grow up to president isnt exactly a 21st century Hiratio Alger story. Another minion takes a bullet and The Clintonian Weasel-Meter pegs up another notch
#11
The Hillary campaign understands the reality that if you get the negative stuff out there, then it will stick with a certain percentage of people. For the Hillary campaign, winning is everything. Whatever it takes.
#12
Thanks for all the help. Now...under the bus you go.
CONCORD, N.H. - Presidential contender Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday accepted the resignation of a top adviser who a day earlier suggested voters should ask rival Barack Obama if he were a drug dealer.
Bill Shaheen, a national co-chairman for the Clinton campaign, raised the issue during a Wednesday interview with The Washington Post, posted on washingtonpost.com.
"I made a mistake and in light of what happened, I have made the personal decision that I will step down as the co-chair of the Hillary for President campaign," Shaheen said in a statement released by the campaign. "This election is too important and we must all get back to electing the best qualified candidate who has the record of making change happen in this country. That candidate is Hillary Clinton."
Good boy. You'll be taken care of.
No, not like Ft. Marcy Park...
Alarmed by his wife's slide in the polls and disarray within her backbiting campaign, a beside-himself Bill Clinton has leaped atop the barricades and is furiously plotting a cure - or coup. "She's in big trouble and he knows it," a top Democratic operative and Hillary Clinton booster told the Daily News.
Sources familiar with the ex-President's thinking say he doesn't believe his wife's situation is desperate. But he's unhappy with her operation - once hailed as a juggernaut - and concerned she could lose the Democratic nomination without major alterations in strategy and staffing. Bill Clinton is mulling "a lot of different ideas and a lot of different scenarios to fix this," an official who regularly speaks with him said. "He will come up with literally dozens of ideas. The trick will be to figure out the most important one or two to get her out of this downtrend."
So the little lady gets in trouble and has to have her man ride to the rescue. Wotta feminist. But we already knew that.
Another Democrat with close connections to the Clinton campaign describes Bill Clinton as "very engaged and very agitated. He's yelling at [chief strategist] Mark Penn a lot." Penn laughed off the idea that he's on the hot seat. "That's funny," he said. "I've been working with Bill Clinton through thick and thin for 10 years, exchanging views."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Does her campaign use interns?
Posted by: James ||
12/13/2007 3:08 Comments ||
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#2
In other headlines, sun rises in east.
Posted by: MIke ||
12/13/2007 6:30 Comments ||
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#3
If she was smart she'd send him on a cruise around the world for the next 18 months.
#4
bill needs to get on the payroll as Al bores wealth is growing so fast with his global warming speeches, that bill needs this boost just to stay even.
(AKI) - Women have been banned from wearing boots and on the streets of Tehran. Police chief, General Ahmad Radan, announced the ban on Wednesday saying that boots could only be worn if they were covered by pants. "If boots are not covered by pants that fall to the ankles, they show the female shape and that is therefore in contradiction with Islamic dress code," said Radan.
Spurs, on the other hand, are still okay. Especially for indoor wear.
Iranian women can no longer leave home with their pants pushed inside their boots and they can no longer wear hats without a veil. "A hat is not an adequate substitute for a veil or a hijab," he said. " If someone really wants to wear a hat, they can put it on the veil."
Feminist Rezvan Moghdaddam told Adnkronos International (AKI) that police should be concerned about drug traffickers than street fashion. "Instead of being busy with women's hats and boots, the police would be better catching the merchants of death that kill our young people with drugs," she said from Tehran. "Our cities are infested by delinquents and security forces are only worried about how women dress, all this is really ridiculous."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
all this is really ridiculous.
You betcha. Welcome to the Islamic Revolution circa 1979. We hope you enjoy your stay.
#2
This seems like the Iranian version of the Dems attempt to control the WoT by mandating that US troops had to be at home at least as much time as they were deployed.
The Iranian version looks stupid to 100% of US citizens. The Dems version looks stupid to only 50%.
#4
Feminist Rezvan Moghdaddam told Adnkronos International (AKI) that police should be concerned about drug traffickers than street fashion.
She didn't get the memo. Like cops/authorities in the US, it isn't so much about 'crime' that gets their attention. It is the degree the act is considered a threat to their POWER that determines their interests. That they can pick up a few extra dollars in the process also helps their attention span as well. They only get concerned about what you and I consider 'crime' is when we get upset enough that they 'have to do something to protect their phoney balony jobs'.
Faced with ratings declines since the start of the fall TV season, three major networks are compensating advertisers with extra commercial time, and at least one, NBC, is taking the rare step of giving back cash, media buyers and network officials said on Wednesday.
The growing use of digital video recorders (DVRs) such as TiVo Inc's system, which allow audiences to easily tape their favorite shows and watch them when convenient, has led to a sharp drop in live viewership of programs as they are broadcast. But media experts say that even accounting for increased DVR usage, prime-time ratings overall are down for other reasons, with the absence of any breakout hits this fall and with waning interest in many returning shows.
The fall TV season began in September. Ratings are expected to take a further hit early next year as networks load up their schedules with reality TV and reruns to replace shows knocked out of production by striking Hollywood writers. Late-night TV series first hit by the 5-week-old strike, including NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and the CBS "Late Show with David Letterman," already have suffered double-digit ratings drops for the month of November.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/13/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
The networks lose eyeballs then think cramming in more ads per hour is somehow going to make up the difference.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Teams of federal agents swooped down on up to 10 close associates of the Rev. Al Sharpton Wednesday, demanding the flamboyant clergyman's financial records since 2001.
Researchers have evidence that arctic Svalbard has not been as warm as it is now since the balmy days of the Viking age. Ten-year-old ice core samples from Lomonosovfonna, and snow samples from 2000 and 2001 show record high temperatures, the Norwegian Polar Institute said in a press release.
Four alleged Venezuelan agents have been arrested in the U.S. and charged with trying to persuade a U.S. citizen to keep quiet about a growing international election scandal. The U.S. Justice Department said the four wanted to prevent Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson, a businessman from Miami, Florida, from talking to authorities.
BRUSSELS - NATO expressed deep regret Wednesday that Russia had suspended a key Soviet-era arms pact, but underlined that the military alliance would not take any retaliatory action. NATO allies deeply regret that the Russian Federation has proceeded with its intention to unilaterally suspend implementation of CFE Treaty obligations as of 12 December 2007, a statement said.
Alarmed by his wife's slide in the polls and disarray within her backbiting campaign, a beside-himself Bill Clinton has leaped atop the barricades and is furiously plotting a cure - or coup. "She's in big trouble and he knows it," a top Democratic operative and Hillary Clinton booster told the Daily News.
Faced with ratings declines since the start of the fall TV season, three major networks are compensating advertisers with extra commercial time, and at least one, NBC, is taking the rare step of giving back cash, media buyers and network officials said on Wednesday. 
