New Ohio Governor Poll

I'm a little late on this one. Ted Strickland lost 7 points to Blackwell, yet he still maintains a solid 12 point lead.

Results:

Ted Strickland: 52%
Ken Blackwell: 40%

Ohio's troubled economy and corruption scandals have given Democratic Congressman Ted Strickland a persistent advantage over Republican Secretary of State Ken Blackwell in the race for Governor here.

Strickland maintains a double-digit advantage. As Election Day draws closer, though, his margin has declined by seven points. According to our new poll he now leads Blackwell 52% to 40%. In mid-September the Democrat enjoyed a nineteen-point lead of 54% to 35%.

Source: Election Poll 2006: Ohio Governor

Joy Padgett Gets An Early Christmas Present

The NRCC has sent Joy Padgett a check for $552,043. Thank god I don't live in that district anymore (due to the 2002 redistricting), the Republicans call and push poll us enough already.

Ohio’s 18th (Republican state Sen. Joy Padgett vs. Democratic municipal attorney Zack Space, for the seat left open by retiring Republican Rep. Bob Ney (news, bio, voting record), who has pleaded guilty to corruption charges): $552,043 on issue ad placement, mailings and phone banks.

Source: NRCC Sinks $7.8 Million In One Day Into 30 Races | TPMCafe, with a hat tip to Ohio 2006.

Mike Dewine: Soft On Terror

YellowDogSammy of Ohio 2006, has discovered something Mike Dewine doesn't want you to know.

Self-proclaimed guardian of national security Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) skipped a meeting of the Senate Intelligence Committee on February 7, 2001 at which then-CIA Director George Tenet warned about the threat posed by Osama bin Laden.

Also if it makes any difference I Googled "Mike Dewine" and "2/7/01" to try and figure out where he was that day. No luck there but I did find out he called the Senate to order the next morning, so he was probably in town.

Source: Daily Kos: OH-Sen: DeWine (R) Skipped Pre-9/11 Hearing Where Tenet Warned About Osama bin Lade

Does Castro Have Cancer?

Time is reporting that U.S. officials believe that Fidel Castro has terminal cancer. I have to wonder if this true or if it's just a ploy to weaken Castro's position during his absence from public life. It's not really that outrageous considering some of the previous efforts that have been made to out Castro.

Ever since President Fidel Castro was sidelined for what was said to be abdominal surgery last July, Cuban officials have maintained that the country's leader will return to his post. ''We will again have him leading the revolution,'' said Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque just two days ago, speaking at an outdoor rally to protest the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, according to the Communist Party daily newspaper Granma.

But U.S. officials tell TIME that many in the U.S. government are now convinced that Castro, 80, has terminal cancer and will never return to power. "Certainly we have heard this, that this guy has terminal cancer," said one U.S. official.

Source: TIME.com: Castro Is Reported to Have Cancer -- Page 1

Another Aide Says Hastert Knew About Foley Emails

And slowly the rug they tried to sweep this under unravels. It seems that yet another Congressional staffer has come forward saying that House Republican leaders knew about former Florida Rep. Mark Foley's inappropriate emails long before they claim to have found out about them. Two out of three people didn't believe Hastert already, how will those numbers change as the evidence continues to pile up?

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's chief of staff confronted then-Rep. Mark Foley about his inappropriate social contact with male pages well before the speaker said aides in his office took any action, a current congressional staff member with personal knowledge of Foley and his behavior with pages said yesterday.

The staff member said Hastert's chief of staff, Scott Palmer, met with the Florida Republican at the Capitol to discuss complaints about Foley's behavior toward pages. The alleged meeting occurred long before Hastert says aides in his office dispatched Rep. John M. Shimkus (R-Ill.) and the clerk of the House in November 2005 to confront Foley about troubling e-mails he had sent to a Louisiana boy.

The staff member's account buttresses the position of Foley's onetime chief of staff, Kirk Fordham, who said earlier this week that he had appealed to Palmer in 2003 or earlier to intervene, after Fordham's own efforts to stop Foley's behavior had failed. Fordham said Foley and Palmer, one of the most powerful figures in the House of Representatives, met within days to discuss the allegations.

Source: Staffer Cites Earlier Role by Hastert's Office - washingtonpost.com

SurveyUSA Poll Shows Majority Believe Hastert Should Resign

I guess people are smarter than I give them credit for.

27%.

That's the number of Americans who think Denny Hastert should remain as Speaker, according to SurveyUSA.

63% think he resign.

43% think he should leave the House altogether.

Late Update: Number of Democratic strategists who think Denny Hastert should remain Speaker through November 7th. 100%. That's my poll, not SurveyUSA. My methodology was to think about it for about 3 seconds. But I believe the margin of error is extremely low.

-- Josh Marshall

Source: Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall October 6, 2006 05:24 PM

Don't Mess With Pittsburgh

Sienna Miller is quickly discovering just how big a mistake it is to make fun of Pittsburgh after she gave an interview to Rolling Stone in which she referred to the city as "Shitsburgh". Miller is in Pittsburgh for the production of Mysteries of Pittsburgh, a movie that is now facing boycotts from Pittsburgh residents. If you really want to judge the locals reaction to the comments look no further than the coverage it got in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where it appeared under the headline "Semi-famous actress dumps on the 'Burgh".

One of the mysteries of Pittsburgh that actress Sienna Miller will explore while in town making the movie "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" is how to endure the wrath of her host city after insulting it in a national publication.

In an article in Rolling Stone magazine that hits newsstands today, Miss Miller refers to the town as something that starts with "sh" and rhymes with "Pittsburgh."

"Can you believe this is my life?" Miss Miller later asks Rolling Stone contributing editor Jenny Eliscu, over a plate of garlic-parmesan Buffalo wings at a Pittsburgh hotel bar. "Will you pity me when you're back in your funky New York apartment and I'm still in Pittsburgh? I need to get more glamorous films."

According to the Washington Post Sienna later apologized through her publicist, making the following comment.

What I have seen of it is beautiful. I came once before to visit The Andy Warhol Museum whilst researching a film and found both the city and its inhabitants warm and gracious.

She also stated that her father, who lives about 85 miles north of Pittsburgh in Meadville, planned on showing her around the city this weekend.

Source: Semi-famous actress dumps on the 'Burgh

What A Fitting Way To Protect The President

Several major cinema chains are refusing to show the controversial documentary Death of a President. What a fitting way to honor a President that has trampled on civil rights, by ignoring freedom of speech. I'm sure he wouldn't want it any other way.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Newmarket Films set itself an unusual challenge when it decided to release the controversial faux investigative documentary "Death of a President" just six weeks after acquiring the movie at the Toronto International Film Festival last month.

But it might face an even more formidable obstacle because several major theater chains are refusing to play the film, which mixes real news footage with dramatized segments depicting the fictional 2007 death of President Bush.

Newmarket, the 12-year-old Los Angeles-based film financing, production and distribution company, plans to open the film October 27, just in time for the November 7 election.

"Yes, it's controversial," Newmarket co-founder Chris Ball said. "It's quite a compelling political thriller. In many ways it is sympathetic to George Bush. It talks about a rush to judgment. In no way is it a call for violence."

But the country's largest theater chain, Regal Entertainment Group, has passed on playing the film, citing the subject matter as the primary reason. "We would not be inclined to program this film," Regal Entertainment Group CEO Mike Campbell said. "We feel it is inappropriate to portray the future assassination of a sitting president, regardless of political affiliation."

Texas-based Cinemark USA also has declined to play the indie film, corporate spokesman Terrell Falk said. The circuit, which recently completed its acquisition of northern California-based Century Theatres, will not allow the regional player to book the film either. "We're not playing it on any of our screens," Falk said. "It's a subject matter we don't wish to play. We decided to pass on the film."

Source: Major chains refuse to play Bush death film | Entertainment | Entertainment News | Reuters.com

Rove Aide Resigns Due To Abramoff Ties

Think Progress is saying that Karl Rove Aide Susan Ralston has resigned due to her ties to the Jack Abramoff scandal.

Susan Ralston, Karl Rove’s key aide in the White House, submitted her resignation today “in the wake of congressional report that listed hundreds of contacts between disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the White House.”

Source: Think Progress » BREAKING: Key Rove Aide Resigns From White House Over Abramoff Scandal

MSNBC Looks at Advertising in Ohio

MSNBC has an article up about the advertising done by Mike Dewine and Sherrod Brown.

Link to Ad Spotlight: Terror's on TV in Ohio - National Journal - MSNBC.com

Zack Space Calls For Padgett To Cancel Hastert Fundraiser

Not only is Joy Padgett ignoring Zack Space's request for her to speak out against Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert's inaction in the Mark Foley email scandal, she's bringing in Hastert for a fundraiser.

Congressional candidate Joy Padgett has announced that she will be bringing in Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to the 18th District for a campaign fundraiser on October 9th. Cost to attend the reception totals $250 per couple or $500 for couples who wish to have a photo taken with Hastert.

Speaker Hastert has been accused of looking the other way instead of investigating the Mark Foley child-sex scandal involving male congressional pages. Congressional leaders and members of the media place responsibility on Hastert. The Associated Press reports a senior congressional aide alerted Hastert’s office two years ago about Foley.

After a series of disgraced Republican leaders like Bob Ney resigning from office, critics charge Hastert with downplaying the scandal in efforts to mitigate damage and maintain power.

In response to the announcement, Congressional candidate Zack Space issued the following statement.

"Joy Padgett has already accepted $10,000 from a man who would rather protect a political ally and potential child molester rather than do what's right to protect our youth. Now, she is bringing him to the District to the tune of $500 per couple for wine and a photo. This is wrong. The people of the district are already sour from the Bob Ney scandal and crave change. Voters want leadership that will put the priorities of their families, including the safety of their children, first," said Space.

"The fundraiser with Hastert is another example that Padgett continues to align herself with the wrong agenda in Washington. Congress should be protecting children, not their political allies. We must protect America’s children from sexual predators through internet safety legislation that blocks children's access to sexually explicit and inappropriate websites. I renew my call on Padgett to join me in asking Hastert to step down from Congressional leadership," said Space.

Source: Zack Space for Congress - Space to Padgett: Cancel Your Fundraiser With Hastert

Surviving A Republican Ambush

The Ohio 2nd Blog has a great story up about Dewine supporters trying to ambush Sherrod Brown at a question and answer session at the University of Dayton. Read about the excellent job Sherrod does when confronted with their questions.

Yesterday I went to the University of Dayton to see Sherrod Brown at one of the kick off events of his College Tour. You never know what’s going to happen at these things. Little did I know that I was walking into an ambush.

The first hint was the crowds of students wearing DeWine T-shirts out front. Hmm… maybe they were planning a protest.

Source: Ohio 2nd Blog » Ambush at UD

Register To Vote, Do It NOW

Just a friendly reminder that Ohio's voter registration deadline for the November election is Tuesday, October 10th. If you aren't registered before the deadline you won't be able to vote.

Another reminder for the election itself, bring identification! It's required under a new law.

R.C. 3503.28(A)(1)(6)

Voters must bring identification to the polls in order to verify identity. Identification may include a current and valid photo identification, a military identification that shows the voter’s name and current address, or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document, other than this reminder or a voter registration notification, that shows the voter’s name and current address. Voters who do not provide one of these documents will still be able to vote by providing the last four digits of the voter’s social security number and by casting a provisional ballot. Voters who do not have any of the above forms of identification, including a social security number, will still be able to vote by signing an affirmation swearing to the voter’s identity under penalty of election falsification and by casting a provisional ballot.

Register to vote

Don't Let The Religious Right Make A Mockery Of Reality

A new ad has started showing on the local news channels. I'd characterize this ad as a hate crime in disguise.

CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- It is a commercial that is hard to miss.

It shows a traditional marriage ceremony in a church with a bride and a groom.

But at the end, the bride’s veil is lifted to reveal a man’s face just before the couple lean in for a kiss.

The real twist is that the ad calls for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

The advertisement ends with a voice-over narration: “Don't let liberal judges and homosexuals make a mockery of marriage.”

Source: WTOV9.com - News - Gay Kiss Ad Pushes Constitutional Same-Sex Marriage Ban

Now Thats More Like It, New Poll Puts Brown Over Dewine

After a Zogby poll had the race as a tie this poll is much more reassuring. According to Rasmussen Brown has widened his lead to:

Sherrod Brown: 49%
Mike Dewine: 41%

Thats an improvement from the previous poll which had Sherrod with 47% and Dewine with 41%. The poll was conducted after the televised Meet The Press debate and when the Foley scandal came out into the light.

The latest Rasmussen Reports poll of Ohio's U.S. Senate race shows that Democratic Congressman Sherrod Brown has added a couple more points to a growing lead over Republican Senator Mike DeWine. He now bests the incumbent 49% to 41%.

Our previous poll showed Brown leading 47% to 41%. The Democratic challenger has gained support among voters in each of the last four polls. He has been ahead in all four and, for the second survey in a row, that lead is greater than five points.

Although Senator DeWine enjoyed a narrow edge early in the year, he has been gradually losing ground since May.

We continue to list this race as "Leans Democrat" for our Senate Balance of Power summary.

Source: Ohio Senate: Brown by 8 - Yahoo! News

Does Election Sign Law Violate Free Speech?

Several local towns have laws in place banning election signs until 30 days before the election and know one of those laws is going to court.

Wheeling, WV is facing a freedom a speech argument against it's law that bars signs from going up, even on private property. It comes to late to make a difference this year but I'll still be following this case with great interest.

Friday officially marks 30 days until the November 6th election. The campaign ads have been running for quite sometime, but not until tomorrow morning in Wheeling will you see candidate signs in yards. That's the reason behind a new lawsuit. The West Virginia state government does not have a law saying when political signs can start popping up in yards. That decision is left up to local governments and the ordinance in Wheeling raises concern every election year. So today, Thursday, Wheeling attorney Paul Harris filed a lawsuit against the city of Wheeling saying that its ordinance which states political signs can not go up on private properties until 30 days before an election is unconstitutional. The plaintiff in this case is Anthony Domenick, a law instructor at West Virginia Northern Community College. Domenick's suit is applauded by Harris, who he says is speaking out on behalf of the people of Wheeling. However, we did find some signs up early Thursday in Wheeling residents yards. Harris is hopeful that Judge Arthur Recht will hear the case quickly, but no date has been set. We tried to get the city's point of view but city solicitor, Rose Humway Warmuth is out of town. The assistant solicitor had no comment.

Source: Freedom of Speech or Election Violation?

61% Believe Republican Leaders Covered For Foley

A new Rasmussen poll shows that 61% of Americans believe that Republican party leaders covered for Mark Foley for several years. Only 21% believed Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert when he said that he only learned of the emails last week.

Sixty-one percent (61%) of American adults believe that Republican leaders have been “protecting [Mark] Foley for several years.” A Rasmussen Reports national opinion survey conducted Tuesday and Wednesday nights shows that only 21% believe that the leadership “just learn[ed] about Foley’s problems last week.”

The data supports speculation that this issue could have a devastating impact on Republican prospects at the polls this fall. Even among Republicans, 31% believe the GOP leadership has been protecting Foley. Just under half (46%) of the GOP faithful believe that Congressional leaders just learned about the problem.

Source: Rasmussen Reports National Poll: Mark Foley

Let The Foley Outrage Continue

While Mark Foley has locked himself in rehab for 30 days or more, conveniently putting him out of the spotlight during this critical time before the election, the scandal continues to unfold.

A small conservative blog has disclosed the name and other information about one of the page's Foley sent graphic messages to and claims he was 18 years old. The Drudge Report picked up on the story and went further saying that the emails were a joke, citing an "ally" of the page. I link to neither of these stories to protect the former page's identity.

ABC has denied the reports that the messages were a hoax according to news site The Raw Story.

"This couldn't be a prank," one high-placed insider said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the story. "Everything I've seen indicates that it can't be. Clearly there's been an effort on the part of this gentleman [Drudge] and another blogger...to come back at us."

"[Drudge] doesn't say anything about the fact that there's more than one conversation out there," said another source.

ABC also announced today that three more former page's have come forward.

Also of note MarkFoley.com, Foley's former campaign website that was took down soon after his resignation, no longer appears to be owned by the Foley and has been replaced with a GoDaddy.com parking page.

Right Wingers Are Seeking To Out Foley Victims

This is just sickening. It seems several right-wing blogs are linking to an obscure little blog that has discovered the name of a former congressional page that received explicit messages from Mark Foley.  

An obscure right-wing blogger, Wild Bill, has outed one of Mark Foley’s victims, a former Congressional page. It is a despicable act. Wild Bill however, gets almost no traffic, so the damage done to the victim’s life could have been minimal.

 

All that ended, however, when some of the most highly-trafficked right-wing bloggers decided to direct their readers to Wild Bill’s site. First, Roger L. Simon, co-founder and CEO of Pajamas Media — a portal and advertising broker for nearly every major right-wing blog — posted a link to Wild Bill on his personal site. (The Pajamas Media portal also linked to Wild Bill.) Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit — probably the most highly-trafficked right-wing blog — followed suit by linking to Simon’s post and the Pajamas Media post.

Source: Think Progress » Pajamas Media, Instapundit Facilitate Outing Of Foley Victim

Goodyear Employee's Go On Strike

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - Workers at 16 Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plants in 10 states and Canada went on strike Thursday after the world's third largest tire maker and the steelworkers union failed to agree on a new labor contract.

The union said the company's latest proposal would have included two plant closings.

"The company left us with no option," said Ron Hoover, executive vice president of the United Steelworkers of America, which represents the Goodyear workers. "We cannot allow additional plant closures after the sacrifices we made three years ago to help this company survive."

The old contract expired July 22 and both sides agreed to an indefinite day-to-day extension. The union issued a 72-hour notice on Monday and said they would terminate the contract at midday Thursday if an agreement wasn't reached.

Source: Associated Press Business News: Union workers go on strike against Goodyear after failing to reach new contract agreement - MSN Money

Wisconsin Lawmaker Wants Teachers To Have Guns

Wow, just wow. Does this guy really think that having guns in schools will actually stop anything? My mother is a teacher and I have be honest, she is not an expert marksman. In fact I've never even seen her hold a gun (and in a rural area with a lot of deer that's saying something).

The recent string of school shootings has prompted a state lawmaker to propose arming teachers with guns.

Republican Representative Frank Lasee (lah-SAY') says it's a concept that's worked in Israel and Thailand, so why not Wisconsin?

Lasee says if teachers had guns, students or others would think twice about committing acts of violence in schools.

Source: WBAY-TV Green Bay-Fox Cities-Northeast Wisconsin News: Lawmaker says teachers should be allowed to carry guns

New Zogby Ohio Senate Poll

A new Zogby poll has Ohio's Senate race tied at 41%.

Mike DeWine (R) 41%
Sherrod Brown (D) 41%

BREAKING: Live Blogging Of The Hastert Press Conference

 

Hastert leaves home on way to press conference 1:50 PM

It's a half hour drive to his office so press conference won't take place before then. Hastert not expected to step down, but rather to offer reforms and excuses.

Update: 2:23 PM

Hastert to arrive within the next 5 minutes.

Update: 2:31 PM

Nancy Pelosi says Hastert's plan to overhaul Page program isn't enough. News agency's saying plan to be scrapped now.

Hastert arrives at office, Conference Starts 2:33 PM

System not designed for the "electronic age". Asked for criminal and ethics committee investigations. Talks about 800 numbers for former Pages to call in information.

Update: 2:39 PM

Moves to questions, First off is question about his comments about ABC, Democrats want issue to blow up. Hastert blows it off.

Says he learned about this last Friday. First time he learned about explicit language. If his staff knew about it they will be dealt with, says his staff hasn't admitted any knowledge.

Update 2:42 PM

Expects to run for Speaker again. Says former Foley aid has reversed his position several times. Hastert pushes Republican platform after being asked about statements that he would resign if he was a burden to Conservatives.

Press Conference Ends: 2:42 PM

As he walks away reporter yells "This is not a good situation, Where's the accountability?". Reporter identified as Kevin Tibels (SP?).

Update: 2:49 PM

Hastert did not announce the plan for a former FBI director to head an overhaul of the page program, despite reports that he would. It's reported that Nancy Pelosi said the plan didn't go far enough.

BREAKING: Live Blogging Of The House Ethics Committee Press Conference

House Ethics Committee Starts Press Conference 1:54 PM

Announcing investigation committee, didn't catch names of members. Page's appreciated and honored. Page's parents deserve to know what goes on. Investigation is a priority in a busy time for Congressmen, already authorized around 4 dozen subpoenas.

Update 1:59 PM

Looking at "weeks, not months" timeframe. Assures that committee will be non-partisan. William O'Rielly to lead committee, takes podium. Won't comment on who knew what.

Update 2:04 PM

Won't hire outside counsel. Refuses to say if Speaker Hastert is among those subpoenaed. Doesn't have jurisdiction over Foley as he is no longer a member of Congress. Won't comment on possible penalties. Has no specific person as a target making it different from other committee's. Investigation to be done quietly. Investigation extends to "members, officers, and staff".

Update 2:09 PM

Committee started at 10, lasted about 2 hours. Committee members explain positions on investigation.

Update 2:12 PM

House Ethics committee press conference ends.

Update 2:19 PM

Chris Mathews wonders why they won't bring in an independent investigator. Believes they'll be more focused on election and won't do a proper job and delay results until after election.

Update 2:26 PM

MSNBC wraps up commentary and moves on to Hastert.

BREAKING: Hastert To Take Responsibility For Foley Scandal

Dennis Hastert is expected to give a speech within the hour taking responsibility for the Foley page scandal. The ethics committee is also expected to speak. More to come as the situation develops.

Should this speech be delivered as a televised press conference I will be live blogging it here in a new post.

18th District News And New Poll

Zack Space, the Democratic candidate for Ohio's 18th Congressional district formerly held by Bob Ney, has called on Republican candidate Joy Padgett to join him in calling for Dennis Hastert to resign his position as Speaker of the House. It's been reported that Hastert knew of Mark Foley's inappropriate emails for some time but refused to act on them. Space made the following comments according to his campaign website.

Congress has been disgraced long enough. In the wake of yet another ethically challenged politician admitting to wrong-doing, along with reports of others looking the other way, it's time for a change. It's time for leadership that is accountable to the laws of this country as well as the people they serve.

Joy Padgett, who was first Bob Ney's hand picked successor, once again shows that she would fit right in as a VIP member of the club of cronyism and corruption in Washington. This type of behavior fuels resentment and distrust among the people and represents the wrong direction for our district.

This incident is another example of wrong priorities in Washington. Congress should be protecting children, not their political allies. We must protect America's children from sexual predators through internet safety legislation that blocks children's access to sexually explicit and inappropriate websites.

I call on Joy Padgett to join me and the Washington Times in calling for Hastert to step down as Speaker of the House. Immediate resignation is necessary for Congress to begin repairing its relationship with the American people.

It also seems that Space has a rather large lead in a recent Zogby poll.

Zack Space: 45%
Joy Padgett: 35.5%
Undecided: 17%

Hat tip to Ohio 2006 Elections. All the way across the state and he still beats me to the news, this guys is good.

Republicans Set Aside $20 Million For War Victory Celebration

The New York Times has revealed that Republicans have set aside $20 million of America's tax dollars for a giant victory celebration for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Is it just me or does this sound like self congratulatory propaganda over a complete failure?

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 — Even as the Bush administration urges Americans to stay the course in Iraq, Republicans in Congress have put down a quiet marker in the apparent hope that V-I Day might be only months away.

Tucked away in fine print in the military spending bill for this past year was a lump sum of $20 million to pay for a celebration in the nation’s capital “for commemoration of success” in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Not surprisingly, the money was not spent.

Now Congressional Republicans are saying, in effect, maybe next year. A paragraph written into spending legislation and approved by the Senate and House allows the $20 million to be rolled over into 2007.

The original legislation empowered the president to designate “a day of celebration” to commemorate the success of the armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to “issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

I actually found the clause pertaining to this here. Text is below.

SEC. 378. COMMEMORATION OF SUCCESS OF THE ARMED FORCES IN OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM AND OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.

(a) Celebration Honoring Military Efforts in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom- The President may--

(1) designate a day of celebration to honor the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines of the Armed Forces who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom and have returned to the United States; and

(2) issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

(b) Participation of Armed Forces in Celebration-

(1) PARTICIPATION AUTHORIZED- Members and units of the Armed Forces may participate in activities associated with a day of celebration designated under subsection (a) that are held in Washington, District of Columbia.

(2) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS- Subject to paragraph (4), amounts authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2006 may be used to cover costs associated with the participation of members and units of the Armed Forces in the activities described in paragraph (1).

(3) ACCEPTANCE OF PRIVATE CONTRIBUTIONS- (A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Defense may accept cash contributions from private individuals and entities for the purposes of covering the costs of the participation of members and units of the Armed Forces in the activities described in paragraph (1). Amounts so accepted shall be deposited in an account established for purposes of this paragraph.

(B) Amounts accepted under subparagraph (A) may be used for the purposes described in that subparagraph until expended.

(4) LIMITATION- The total amount of funds described in paragraph (2) that are available for the purpose set forth in that paragraph may not exceed the amount equal to--

(A) $20,000,000, minus

(B) the amount of any cash contributions accepted by the Secretary under paragraph (3).

(c) Award of Recognition Items-

(1) AUTHORITY TO AWARD- Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, appropriate recognition items may be awarded to any individual who served honorably as a member of the Armed Forces in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom during the Global War on Terrorism. The purpose of the award of such items is to recognize the contribution of such individuals to the success of the United States in those operations.

(2) RECOGNITION ITEMS DEFINED- In this subsection, the term `recognition items' means recognition items authorized for presentation under section 2261 of title 10, United States Code (as added by section 589 of this Act).

Source: In Bill’s Fine Print, Millions to Celebrate Victory - New York Times

A Shopping List of Excuses: My Take On The Foley Press Conference

It seems to me that even though Foley's attorney started the press conference by saying that Foley was ashamed of what he had done and that he hadn't offered any excuses yet the press conference was just a long list of excuses.

• They started out by saying he had been molested by a religious figure while he was 13-15 years old. Sure that's bad and wrong but if every victim of molestation did what he did we'd have serious problems right now. In my eyes you cease to be a victim when you victimize others.
  
• The lawyer went on to say that Foley is a man "believes himself an alcoholic". Sorry that one's taken by Bob Ney. I believe the attorney also claimed that all these emails and IM's took place while Foley was intoxicated which is especially bad considering some of these messages were sent just before Foley went to vote on issues.
• Foley is a gay man. Of course how can conservatives expect a gay man to uphold all the values they hold sacred. After all these people don't even deserve to be allowed to get married in their eye's. So basically I guess Foley did this because he had been repressing his homosexuality for so long in order to avoid his party turning on him.
• Foley never attempted sexual conduct with a minor. Okay this one's more rationalization than excuse. He never had sex with a minor. He just tried to get them to have diner with him, measure their penis's, tell him about their sexual experiences, and invite them to drink at his house. All perfectly normal behavior, right? If you agree with that statement and have children please let me know so I can call social services.

So there you have it, my take on the Foley press conference (or "a shopping list of excuses" as my high school English teacher would have called it).

BREAKING: Mark Foley Claims He Was Abused By A Religious Leader

The following is a live blogging I did of Foley's attorney's press conference.

I'm watching the press conference now and Mark Foley's attorney has said the Foley was molested by a religious official as a child though they won't say what religion or location this took place at. He's also stated that Foley is in fact a gay man and that he has never had sexual contact with a minor. More details are to released in 30 days or more when Foley is released from rehab.

Update 6:07

Foley has received no contact from law enforcement and claims that they aren't doing anything to destroy evidence and in fact are moving to preserve files.

Update 6:11

Reiterates that Foley never attempted sexual conduct with a minor. Says Foley was a closet drinker who "believes himself an alcoholic".

Update 6:13

Foley never served in the House while drunk. Attorney hasn't seen chats released today.

Reporter asks how Foley Attorney can claim Foley was under the influence during emails when emails were sent from the House floor.

Update 6:17

Foley admitted to rehab under emergency circumstances around midnight Sunday. Won't say if religious figure is alive or dead.

Update 6:18

MSNBC cuts to Chris Mathews for commentary @ 6:17. Foley claims molested between ages of 13-15.

Washington Times Calls On Hastert To Resign

I forgot to mention this yesterday but the Washington Times, part of controversial Sun Myung Moon's conservative leaning media group, has called on Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to resign.

On Friday, Mr. Hastert dissembled, to put it charitably, before conceding that he, too, learned about the e-mail messages sometime earlier this year. Late yesterday afternoon, Mr. Hastert insisted that he learned of the most flagrant instant-message exchange from 2003 only last Friday, when it was reported by ABC News. This is irrelevant. The original e-mail messages were warning enough that a predator -- and, incredibly, the co-chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children -- could be prowling the halls of Congress. The matter wasn't pursued aggressively. It was barely pursued at all. Moreover, all available evidence suggests that the Republican leadership did not share anything related to this matter with any Democrat.

Source: Resign, Mr. Speaker - Editorials/Op-Ed - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

North Korea Planning On Testing A Nuclear Weapon

It seems that North Korea wants to try and flex their muscles again. This time it's a little worse though.

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- North Korea, citing American belligerence and pressure, said Tuesday it will conduct a nuclear test.

The North Korean Foreign Ministry issued the comment in a statement published by the Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, the communist country's official news agency.

"The field of scientific research of the DPRK (North Korea's official name) will in the future conduct a nuclear test under the condition where safety is firmly guaranteed," the statement said.

A date and time for the test was not issued.

A U.S. intelligence source said movement of people, vehicles and equipment has been observed around the North's nuclear test site in recent days and weeks.

In less serious news, we can all look forward to a few more months of "nuculer".

Source: CNN.com - North Korea pledges to test nuclear bomb - Oct 3, 2006

The Cook Political Report Changes Ohio Governor Ranking

The well respected Cook Political Report have changed their Ohio Governor's ranking from "Lean Democrat" to the safer "Likely Democrat". This has to be extremely good news to the Strickland campaign.

September 29, 2006

• GUBERNATORIAL HOUSEKEEPING: With the election just 39 days away, it seems time to clean up the Governors’ race ratings. Three races that once showed some promise to be competitive have been downgraded to either the Solid or Likely columns. Read more from Senior Editor Jennifer Duffy.

• GOVERNOR RATINGS CHANGES

KS Sebelius Likely Democrat to Solid Democrat
OH Open Lean Democrat to Likely Democrat
OK Henry Likely Democrat to Solid Democrat

Source: The Cook Political Report

Republicans Face Uphill Battle To Hold Foley's Seat

The Washington Post believes that Republicans face an uphill battle to hold on to disgraced representative Mark Foley's seat, even though a vote for Foley's name on the ballot will count as a vote for the Republican candidate.

Tough is an understatement. Republicans face a number of problems in their attempt to hold this seat. The biggest is the fact that Foley's name will be on the ballot Nov. 7 and Negron's won't. That means Republicans must educate voters that a vote for Foley is a vote for Negron, while simultaneously persuading voters that choosing Foley's name on the ballot does not condones his conduct. And did we mention they have to do all of that in five weeks?

Source: U.S. House, Florida District 16 | Elections | washingtonpost.com

Newly Released IM's Show Foley Tried To Meet With Page

ABC has released more of Mark Foley's chats with former Congressional page's. Among them was the following conversation detailing Foley's efforts to meet with one of these page's despite the teen's obvious discomfort with the situation.

In another message, Foley, using the screen name Maf54, appears to describe having been together with the teen in San Diego.

 

Maf54: I miss you lots since san diego.
Teen:   ya I cant wait til dc
Maf54: :)
Teen:   did you pick a night for dinner
Maf54: not yet…but likely Friday
Teen:   ok…ill plan for Friday then
Maf54: that will be fun

The messages also show the teen is, at times, uncomfortable with Foley's aggressive approach.

 

Maf54: I want to see you
Teen:   Like I said not til feb…then we will go to dinner
Maf54: and then what happens
Teen:  we eat…we drink…who knows…hang out…late into the night
Maf54: and
Teen:  I dunno
Maf54: dunno what
Teen:  hmmm I have the feeling that you are fishing here…im not sure what I would be comfortable with…well see

Now I could be wrong, but if this does turn out to have been a crime and Dennis Hastert and John Boehner did in fact know about it, then aren't Hastert and Boehner guilty on conspiracy?

Source: The Blotter - An ABC News blog.

Even George Bush Thinks Ken Blackwell Is A Nut

The new Bob Woodward book, State of Denial, reveals George W. Bush's opinion of Ohio gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell.

At 2:43 a.m., someone noted that Bush was ahead in the popular vote nationwide, prompting the President to sneer, "If the popular vote made it, I wouldn't be here."

The campaign was left to anxiously wait for a statement from Kenneth Blackwell, a former black power student leader who had morphed into Ohio's gadfly Republican secretary of state.

 

"I'm the President of the United States," Bush fumed, "waiting on a secretary of state who is a nut." [emphasis mine]

Thanks for confirming what we knew already.

Source: Bush "Blackwell is a nut" | Buckeye State Blog

Bulb Accomplished | The Progressive

Here's a funny little joke I found on the blog of the Progressive magazine.

Question: How many members of the Bush Administration are needed to change a light bulb?

 

Answer: TEN

 

1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed;

 

2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to be changed;  

 

3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb;

 

4. One to tell the nations of the world that they are either for changing the light bulb or for eternal darkness;  

 

5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for a new light bulb;  

 

6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a step ladder under the banner "Bulb Accomplished";  

 

7. One administration insider to resign and in detail reveal how Bush was literally "in the dark" the whole time;  

 

8. One to viciously smear #7;

 

9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had a strong light bulb-changing policy all along;  

 

10. And finally, one to confuse Americans about the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the country.

 

And after all is said and done, no one will notice that they never actually managed to change the light bulb.

I also submitted this link to Digg.

Source: Bulb Accomplished | The Progressive

Did Tim Russert Tell A Lie?

During the debate on Meet The Press Sunday, host Tim Russert claimed that 1/3 of Jack Abramoff's money went to Democrats. The guys over at Media Matters say that he's wrong.

MR. RUSSERT: But, Congressman Brown...

REP. BROWN: ...that they wrote.

MR. RUSSERT: ...one-third of Abramoff’s money went to Democrats.

REP. BROWN: Maybe it did, it didn’t go to me. And I went—but, as I’m saying, Mike DeWine received a third of a million dollars from the drug industry, votes for a Medicare bill that meant huge profits to the drug companies, huge profits to the HMOs and, and seniors are seeing drug prices go up faster and faster, faster than anytime in the last five years. It’s a question of—you know, the fundamental difference in this campaign is I’ve devoted my whole career to fighting for the middle class. Middle-class tax cuts, working to help college kids go to, go to school. Voted against these job-killing trade agreements that, that even conservative David Brooks in The New York Times today wrote about as something that’s really important in Ohio. And that...

Source: MTP Transcript for Oct. 1 - Meet the Press, online at MSNBC - MSNBC.com

Breaking: PA School Shooting Ends In Bloodshed

MSNBC is reporting that a number of people are dead including the shooter after a shooting at a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Amish one room school house.

More at MSNBC

Republican Leaders Hid Foley's Emails From Page Board

It seems that Republican leadership in the House hid knowledge of former Rep. Mark Foley's (R-FL) inappropriate contact with former Congressional page's from 2 of the three members on the board that oversees the page program. One of these members, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), is speaking out about this disgraceful conduct.

“There’s only three of us on the page board. I feel that we should have been informed. I’m absolutely disgusted by what I’m hearing. I was caught totally unaware.”

-- Rep. Shelley Moore Capito

The other member and only Democrat of the board, Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI), has also spoken out on the issue with the following statement.

In my 21 years as a Member of the House Page Board, every decision has been made on not just a bi-partisan basis but on a non-partisan basis, with our main concern always being the safety and well-being of the young teenagers who serve the U.S. House as pages.

 

I was outraged to learn that the House Republican leadership kept to itself the knowledge of Mr. Foley's despicable behavior toward the House Pages.

 

I am now equally outraged to learn that Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert announced today that there will be changes in the policies of the House Page program. Once again, I was not informed of the meeting today, nor was I consulted in any way about any proposed changes.

 

And once again, the House Republican leadership is following the same pattern of unilateral decision-making that caused this problem in the first place in the Mark Foley issue. Speaker Hastert's announcement this afternoon is yet another example of the House Republican leadership being more concerned with finding political cover for themselves than with the safety and wellbeing of the House pages.

Source: TPMmuckraker October 2, 2006 11:15 AM

Democrats Might Take Senate / New Ohio Senate Poll

MSNBC has an article up about how new polls are strongly favoring Democrats and speculating on whether Democrats can manage to take control of the Senate. Personally, I'm not holding my breath but I do expect we'll take a few seats.

The article also had the following poll results for the Ohio Senate race.

Results:

Mike Dewine: 43%
Sherrod Brown: 45%

Source: Polls: Dems could take Senate - Politics - MSNBC.com

Rumsfeld Not Surprised Card Wanted Him Out

 ...And that he probably won't be leaving anytime soon.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, coming under renewed fire for his management of the Iraq war, said Sunday he is not considering resigning and said the president had called him personally in recent days to express his continued support.

 

Speaking to reporters en route to Nicaragua for a meeting of defense ministers, Rumsfeld said he was not surprised by reports in a new book that White House staff had encouraged President Bush to fire him after the 2004 election.

 

“It’s the task of the chief of staff of the White House — and having been one, I know that — to raise all kinds of questions with the president and think through different ways of approaching things,” Rumsfeld said. “So it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if that subject had come up.”

Source: Rumsfeld says he won't resign - Politics - MSNBC.com

White House Releases 5 Myths of Woodward Book

The White House, in response to harsh criticism in the new Bob Woodward book "State of Denial", has released a statement about the "5 myth's" of the book. I think a comment I saw sums up the situation perfectly.

Gee, now I just need to decide who has more credibility- Bob Woodward, known for exposing the Watergate scandal and bringing down the Nixon Administration, or George Bush- known for pronouncing the word 'nuclear' with three syllables.

The Historic Daisy Ad

This is the historic daisy ad that Lyndon Johnson ran during his campaign against Barry Goldwater.

More On The Meet The Press Debate

The following audio clip came from todays "Meet The Press" debate between Sherrod Brown and Mike Dewine. It contains each candidates response to a question about the war in Iraq

Breaking: Hastert wants Justice Dept. probe of Foley

The Speaker of the House is calling for an investigation into the Foley scandal.

WASHINGTON - House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., requested Sunday that the Justice Department conduct an investigation into former Rep. Mark Foley’s electronic messages to teenage boys — a lurid scandal that has put House Republicans in political peril.

“As Speaker of the House, I hereby request that the Department of Justice conduct an investigation of Mr. Foley’s conduct with current and former House pages to determine to what extent any of his actions violated federal law,” Hastert wrote in a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Source: Hastert wants Justice Dept. probe of Foley - Politics - MSNBC.com

Mark Foley Is On Notice

This is a fun little image generator I stumbled upon while skimming through my RSS feeds. The generator can be found here.

For those that aren't familiar with the Colbert Report, this is the "On Notice" board where Colbert lists things he doesn't like. These people or things have 60 days to respond or risk being dead to him.

The Meet The Press Debate

I confess that I only caught the last half of the debate (though I'm downloading the audio recording now), but I wasn't to thrilled with what I saw. Perhaps I was just nervous but it seemed like Sherrod kept interrupting Dewine, while Dewine calmly waited until his turn to talk. That could rub independents the wrong way.

On the issues Sherrod seemed to do well pointing out that he would fight for the middle class an emphasizing Dewine's ties to special interest groups.

iTunes users can download the audio for free this week as part of a podcast by clicking this link. You can also read my local news stations remarks on the debate here.

Tags: ohio, sherrod brown, mike dewine, debate