An Illinois Tradition

Former Ill. Governor Arrives at Prison

OXFORD, Wis. - Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan arrived at a rural federal prison Wednesday to begin serving a 6 1/2-year sentence for corruption.

Ryan entered the federal correctional center at noon, going in through a back gate, Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Felicia Ponce said.

The former governor left his small-town home of Kankakee, Ill., for the 255-mile trip to the lockup early Wednesday morning. He waved to a horde of reporters waiting for his departure and glanced overhead as he left but did not answer questions as he climbed into the front seat of a van, accompanied by his wife, Lura Lynn, and other family members.

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y

From Salon:

He's No. 1!

It has taken years of effort and a lot of hard work, but George W. Bush can finally claim "Mission Accomplished": By at least one measure, the president is now more intensely disliked than Richard Nixon ever was.

In a Gallup poll released this week, 50 percent of Americans say they "strongly disapprove" of the job Bush is doing as president. That's the highest strong-disapproval number Gallup has ever seen, besting by two percentage points the 48 percent of Americans who said they "strongly disapproved" of Nixon's job performance in February 1974.

Nixon resigned six months later.

Based on a Gallup chart, it appears that something like 15 percent of Americans still "strongly approve" of Bush's job performance. Roughly twice as many Americans believe in astrology.

The president's horoscope today: "Stick with what you know today -- new people and projects are more trouble than they're worth. That doesn't mean you need to reject them forever, though. Check back in after a few days or more have passed."

Yes, Mr. President, check back in after a few days or more have passed. In the meantime, here's some solace: Gallup says your 50 percent strong-disapproval number is statistically "equivalent" to Nixon's 48 percent, and neither the current Congress nor the current Supreme Court seems inclined to bring things to a head in the way that their counterparts did 33 years ago.

No Honor Amongst (Election) Thieves

Conservative Authors Sue Publisher

"Five authors have sued the parent company of Regnery Publishing, a Washington imprint of conservative books, charging that the company deprives its writers of royalties by selling their books at a steep discount to book clubs and other organizations owned by the same parent company," according to the New York Times.

In the lawsuit the authors say that Eagle Publishing -- which owns Regnery -- "sells or gives away copies of their books to book clubs, newsletters and other organizations owned by Eagle 'to avoid or substantially reduce royalty payments to authors."

Some of the authors’ books have appeared on the New York Times best-seller list, including “Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry,” by Mr. Corsi and John E. O’Neill (who is not a plaintiff in the suit), Mr. Patterson’s “Dereliction of Duty: The Eyewitness Account of How Bill Clinton Compromised America’s National Security” and Mr. Miniter’s “Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush Is Winning the War on Terror"

Today's Tea Leaves

Yesterday was a 'first Tuesday in November' and therefore an election day.

The Missippi and Kentucky results say little really. Virginia's show the continuing shift of the state toward's Blue status (next year they will elct another Democrat , GT12 fave Mark Warner, Senator). New Jersey's results are a relief but the state will tough for Dems in a Hillary/Rudy contest.

Election Results

In Kentucky, two decades after his first run for governor led to defeat, Steve Beshear (D) unseated incumbent Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R), who was never able to recover from a hiring scandal early in his term, Governing reports.

In Mississippi, Republican Gov. Haley Barbour easily won his reelection bid, according to CQ Politics.

In Virginia, Democrats gained four seats held by Republicans to seize control of the state Senate for the first time in 12 years, the Virginian-Pilot reports.

In New Jersey, Democrats retained control of both houses of the legislature, expanding their lead in the Senate and holding on to their margin in the Assembly, the Hackensack Record reports.

Meanwhile, Greg Ballard (R) pulled off what he and many others are calling “the biggest upset in Indiana political history,” to defeat Indianapolis mayor Bart Peterson (D), according to the Indianapolis Star. Just two months ago, most thought Peterson would have an easy race for re-election.

Of perverse interest to GT12 was this tidbit

COLUMBUS, Ohio - State Rep. Bob Latta narrowly defeated a like-minded conservative rival early Wednesday following a rancorous campaign to represent the GOP in the heavily Republican congressional district vacated by the late Paul Gillmor.

Latta, receiving more than 32,000 votes, or roughly 44 percent, defeated State Sen. Steve Buehrer, who received just under 29,400 votes, or 40 percent, according to unofficial returns with 100 percent of precincts reporting.

Latta will now face Democrat Robin Weirauch, who cruised to victory in the Democratic primary, in the Dec. 11 general election. In the 2006 election, Weirauch received the most votes in her party's history in the 5th District — which has been held by a Republican since the 1930s.

I grew up in Ohio's fifth District. Latta's moron of a father, Delbert, was my representative while growing up. As a member of the judiciary committee during the investigation of Nixon he was every bit the blind loyalist that anyone on FauxNews is today. I particularly remember him Piling up all the evidence books on his congressional desk and stating 'There is Nothing HERE!' and this was after the smoking gun tape ...

I was 16. Two years later, n 1976, the first year I could vote, voting against Delbert Latta was a more moving experience than voting for Jimmy Carter, a man who I campaigned for and had the chance to meet.

Omision Of The Year

I have begun reading Ronnie Wood's new auto biography.

Ron was Rod Stewart's right and left hand early in The Modster's solo career. Together they made not one but two perfect albums ('Every Picture Tells a Story' and 'Never A Dull Moment'). Albums of towering artistry, packed with joy, verve, elan, humanity, and salacious wit. Albums where acoustic guitars rocked harder than anything Black Sabbath could dream up.

Woody has this to say about them:

"I played bass and all the guitars on Maggie May"

Ohferchrissakes.

Uh-Oh?

The Obama strategy is to finish big ... is it starting?

Can he eviscerate Rudy?

Clinton's Lead Drops in New Hampshire

Sen. Hillary Clinton’s lead in the New Hampshire presidential primary race has fallen to its lowest level of the season, according to a new Rasmussen Reports survey. Clinton leads with 34% support, followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 24%, John Edwards at 15%, and Gov. Bill Richardson at 8%.The poll shows Clinton dropping six points since her poor performance in the last Democratic debate.

As I Have Always Said

When it come to Fundamentalists (of any stripe) It ain't about God, it's about Authoritarianism. Never have they made it so clear.

The Fact that Rudy has gone from odd to insane (to say nothing of criminally minded)in the last two weeks couldn't have hurt either

"Pat Robertson, one of the most influential figures in the social conservative movement, will announce his support for Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid this morning," the Washington Post reports."Robertson's support was coveted by several of the leading Republican candidates and provides Giuliani with a major boost as the former New York City mayor seeks to convince social conservatives that, despite his positions on abortion and gay rights, he is an acceptable choice as the GOP nominee.""Robertson's endorsement of Rudy Giuliani is a significant blow to Mitt Romney, who has worked hard to court evangelical leaders."

Fingers Crossed For A Favorite

NEW YORK, Nov 7, 2007 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Country singer Rosanne Cash will undergo brain surgery to remedy a benign condition, forcing her to cancel four dates remaining on current tour.

Cash, 52, announced her impending medical procedure at Presbyterian Hospital in New York on her Web site but it wasn't clear when it would take place, E! Online reported Tuesday.

Cash, the daughter of the late country legend Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian, expects to make a "full recovery" and has plans to return to the studio to complete a new album, her Manhattan Records debut, E! Online said.

Cash's manager Danny Kahn, said she has been diagnosed with chiari I malformation, a congenital deformation of the skull affecting the brain and spinal cord.

"She does want everyone to know it's a benign condition and it's not life-threatening," Kahn said. "It's nothing like a tumor or hemorrhage or anything. It's elective surgery."

You Always Remember Your First ...

1-27-62

How They Get To Fair And Balanced

From the Boston Globe: The Bush administration managed to get around the statutory requirement that no more than four members of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights be members of any one political party when two sitting Republican members changed their party affiliations to "independent" just before the president appointed two more Republicans to the panel in 2004.

Go Toward The Light, Bill. Go Toward The Light

We need you in the senate and Hillary ain't gonna call.

Richardson's Dilemma (from Political Insider):

"It is highly unlikely that Bill Richardson will be the Democratic presidential nominee. He therefore faces the same dilemma ex-Gov. Mark Warner did in Virginia: run for the U.S. Senate or hold out for a possible veep nod? With Warner opting for a Senate bid, Richardson's vice presidential stock has increased, though Hillaryland may be more interested in Ohio's popular Gov. Ted Strickland, who might boost her over the top in the state that kept Sen. John Kerry out of the White House. Meanwhile, Roll Call says this morning that Richardson "remains an overwhelming favorite in the Senate race" according to a new poll."

Numbers For The Healthcare Agnostic

As we consider HillaryCare (or BarryOCare or JohhnyCare) let us review some facts behind some of the arguments here at the NY Times.

Nothing will happen on this front until Automakers start demanding it ... and they should since $1,500 of every American car is due to employee benefits.

The White House Agrees With GT12

Breathtaking how unconcerned they are with how their words match their deeds, innit?

White House Tells Musharraf: Never ‘Restrict Constitutional Freedoms’ To Fight Terror
During [yester]day’s White House press briefing, spokeswoman Dana Perino condemned Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s declaration of “emergency rule” in Pakistan. She said that the administration is “deeply disappointed” by the measure, which suspends the country’s constitution, and believes it is never “reasonable” to “restrict constitutional freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism”:

Q: Is it ever reasonable to restrict constitutional freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism?

MS. PERINO: In our opinion, no.

The Bush administration never suspended the U.S. Constitution; instead, it interpreted the document so broadly as to provide all the powers they desired. A look at some of the ways the White House has overstepped its constitutional powers in the name of national security:

First Amendment: In September, a federal judge ruled that the FBI’s use of secret “national security letters” to obtain citizens’ personal data from private companies for counterterrorism investigations “violate[d] the First Amendment and constitutional provisions on the separation of powers.”

First Amendment, Fourth Amendment: In Aug. 2006, a federal district court in Detroit ruled that the Bush administration’ss NSA warrantless wiretapping program was unconstitutional, violating the “separation of powers doctrine, the Administrative Procedures Act, the First and Fourth amendments to the United States Constitution, the FISA and Title III.”

Article I: Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in June, then Attorney General Alberto Gonzales attempted to justify the administration’s detainee policy by claiming, “There is no express grant of habeas in the Constitution.” (Article I, Section 9, Clause 2 of the Contitution reads: “The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.”)

Article II: In June, House investigators revealed that Vice President Dick Cheney had exempted his office from an executive order order designed to safeguard classified national security information by claiming that he was not an “entity within the executive branch.” (Read the duties of the Vice President, outlined in Article II of the Constitution HERE.)

Musharraf also complained of “judicial activism” to justify his declaration of emergency rule. Despite Perino’s comments, Musharraf seems to have taken a page from the White House playbook.

And We Can Bring Fredo AND Scooter Back Too!

Giuliani: I want to be like Bernie Kerik.
In an interview with the Associated Press today, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said “that if his achievements as president are as good as the crime-reduction results of his New York police commissioner, a man now under criminal investigation himself, ‘this country will be in great shape.’” Giuliani’s former NYPD head, Bernie Kerik, faces “allegations of bribery, tax fraud and obstruction of justice.”

"... we’re not going to harm you, we’re American soldiers.”

George HW Bush tearfully remembering his Gulf War. How things change ...

Wallace: “The President remembered the courage and humanity of American soldiers and he grew emotional.”

Bush: “My favorite picture is a picture of American soldiers surrounding a guy whose been in a foxhole, Iraqi soldier, and the American guy says, we’re not going to harm you, we’re American soldiers.” (fights back tears)

Bush: “…See, that side of the war never got — the fact that we treated those people with respect in spite of the fact they were the enemy, it’s really good.

Watch the video here.

Why It's Him

From Sullivan's e-mail bag:

Yesterday, I went to see Barack Obama speak at North Carolina Central University, a "Historically Black College" in Durham, North Carolina. The vast majority of the crowd was black. In his riffing on what groups we cannot allow to be scapegoated in the next election, Barack built to and concluded with "homosexuals" ... to the conspicuous (and regrettable) silence of the crowd.

It wasn't the "right" thing to say politically, but it was the right thing to say. The national media certainly wouldn't have reported on it had he left homosexuality out of this particular speech. All he accomplished, by sticking to his principles, was run the risk of alienating people whose support he desperately needs. Though, in fairness, this did cement my support.

Andrew, this man is a strong ally. Anyone for whom sexuality issues are important would be making a grievous error to jump his ship over the Donnie McClurkin fiasco.

My Country, Tis Of Torture

Schumer and Feinstein give Mukasey the OK. Enough to get him out of committee.

Fuck Them Fuck Them Fuck them.

Andrew Goes There

The Author of 'The Conservative Soul' makes it official:

At its best, the Obama candidacy is about ending a war—not so much the war in Iraq, which now has a momentum that will propel the occupation into the next decade—but the war within America that has prevailed since Vietnam and that shows dangerous signs of intensifying, a nonviolent civil war that has crippled America at the very time the world needs it most. It is a war about war—and about culture and about religion and about race. And in that war, Obama—and Obama alone—offers the possibility of a truce.

Tell Your Senator 'No'

TPM Lists The way Senators are Leaning on the Mukasey confirmation here.

Let your Seantor know that anything less than a refusal to torture is grounds for rejection.

if your Senators are already on board with us (as both of GT12's are), then send 'em a thanks e-mail