Cindy McCain's Charity, Those GOP Badboys...

Paul Krugman
Martin van Creveld
Cindy McCain

"Colorado is playing host to a 2010 Senate race that may turn out to be very competitive. Only the voters just don’t know it yet." - CQ Politics


I always try to link to interesting opinion pieces at the top of the blog. I enjoy Paul Krugman because he writes simply and clearly, so I will always include him. When other celebrities or world leaders write, I try to include them, and today's surprise piece is by Cindy McCain, about her charity work giving food relief to the Congo, an area that is much ignored by mainstream press: "This isn't a simple case of drought-induced famine. The eastern Congo's moderate climate, abundant rainfall, rich soil and huge lakes make it a virtual Garden of Eden. But it's also an area where armed militias plunder, rape, terrorize and murder. On occasion, the official army of the Democratic Republic of Congo does the same as its unpaid soldiers try to live off the land. In short, this is a country without the security, infrastructure or resources to deal with its massive problems.

Only the international community and the struggling government of the Democratic Republic of Congo can restore real order to the country. But until then, the United States -- the single largest contributor of food aid to these people -- must make a choice. Will we walk away and let hundreds of thousands die of slow starvation, or will we push our aid package even harder?" I'm glad that Cindy has continued to work in behalf of her favorite charities now that she is out of the spotlight; I don't know if Laura Bush has continued her work or not. One thing I have noticed that even with our current economic downturn, people still try to donate to good causes, even when the amount of scams grow exponentially...

CQ Politics has a lengthy article on Michael Bennet and the 2010 Senate race: “It looked a bit tenuous when he was first appointed,” said Seth Masket, a political scientist at the University of Denver.

Bennet’s political standing has improved, Masket said, in part because “he’s managed to shore up a lot of Democratic support — by no means all, but he’s got a lot of key people on this side.”
Bennet also stands to benefit because “the Republican field opposing him doesn’t seem to be that strong,” Masket said.

But a lot can change in the 18 months that remain until Election Day."


CQ Politics also reports that: "Joe Torsella is the latest Pennsylvania Democrat to yield to his party's highest-profile recruit, Sen. Arlen Specter.

Torsella, the former head of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, pulled out of the 2010 Senate race late Thursday, noting in a Web video that Specter's defection last month to the Democratic Party "transformed this election."

The campaign "probably would be negative, personal and more about Sen. Specter's past than about our common future, and that won't do Pennsylvanians any good," Torsella said.

Torsella joins state Rep. Josh Shapiro in withdrawing from the Democratic Senate race after Specter's party switch. But Democratic state Rep. William C. Kortz II filed candidacy papers last week with the Federal Election Commission.

The likely Republican nominee is Pat Toomey, the conservative former House member who nearly defeated Specter in a 2004 primary and whose stronger candidacy in the 2010 election prompted Specter to switch parties." I'm wondering, did Spector do more than just switch parties? He must have joined the Mafia or some other group to apply pressure on these opponents...

From the Political Wire: "In an interview with ABC News, Newt Gingrich denounced House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the harshest of ways on her claims the Bush administration lied to her about their use of interrogation tactics.

Said Gingrich: "I think she has lied to the House, and I think that the House has an absolute obligation to open an inquiry, and I hope there will be a resolution to investigate her. And I think this is a big deal. I don't think the Speaker of the House can lie to the country on national security matters."

He added: "I think this is the most despicable, dishonest and vicious political effort I've seen in my lifetime."

More: "She is a trivial politician, viciously using partisanship for the narrowist of purposes, and she dishonors the Congress by her behavior."

Some readers comment: "And if there's one thing Newt Gingrich knows, it's how to dishonor Congress with your behavior." - GOPosaur

"I cannot believe they are trying to make this whole effing thing about what Nancy Pelosi knew and when she knew it. Sure we committed a few war crimes...but Nancy Pelosi knew all about it! And claims she didn't! Don't that just piss you off now, American Public?" - Delphine61

"How does Newt Gingrich know if Pelosi is telling the truth or not? She moved all-in yesterday, the bluffs are off the table now. If the Republicans insist on calling her all-in, then they better be confident that the Bush White House didn't lie to Congress, because if they did, people will be going to jail." - danconley

"The GOPs main effects are to distract and put blame on someone else besides themselves. You should know the party of NO is also the party of denial, because they never do anything wrong. It's always the other person's fault. Remember high school and the bullies." - Joneses


And speaking about bullies, a recent poll here showed that a lot of Republicans are not amused with the recent, too public ramblings of Dick Cheney: "A solid 57% of Republicans said former Vice President Dick Cheney has "hurt the Republican Party since leaving office" in this week's National Journal Political Insiders Poll.

Representative comments:

"Anything that reminds the public of the Bush administration harms the party's ability to turn the page. If he'd had any concern for his public image when he was in office, he wouldn't have to worry as much about defending his reputation now."

"There is nothing Dick Cheney can say or do to help the Republican Party today. The best thing he can do is disappear for the next 10 years."

Late night jokes:

"Do you remember the old guy who was running for president? John McCain. Remember him? And the governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. Remember Sarah Palin? That was a lot of fun, wasn't it? Well, guess what? Sarah Palin has got a deal to write her memoir. Got a deal to write her memoir, yup. I believe it's titled, 'The Book to Nowhere.'" --David Letterman

"But in all fairness, Sarah Palin says she's not writing the book by herself. She has hired a guy to help. Joe the Ghostwriter is helping her. Joe the Ghostwriter, that's right." --David Letterman

"Well, here's what I've heard from Washington. The Republicans are downhearted. They're disenchanted and they're worried now, the Republicans, because they're out of office, they're out of power. The Republicans are worried that the image of the Republican Party is downbeat and angry. And I was thinking, well if you ask me, honestly, all the fun went out of the Republican Party when Arlen Specter left. Are you like me, do you kind of feel, all right, the party's over!" --David Letterman

"What a good crowd, boy! It's obvious you folks don't have money in the stock market. Oh, a horrible day today. Man, stocks were falling like Miss California's top." --Jay Leno

"Saudi Arabia held its first beauty pageant over the weekend. And already they're embroiled in their own scandal. Seems topless photos of the newly crowned Miss Saudi Arabia surfaced today. You could see her entire forehead." --Jay Leno

"Governor Schwarzenegger says he is trying to get marijuana legalized here in the California. He wants to legalize it. Yeah. Yeah. I believe his campaign slogan is 'Change We Can Breathe In.'" --Jay Leno

"I'll tell you how bad the economy is — today I saw a Republican driving a Prius." --Jay Leno

"Oh, the FDA now scolding General Mills for claiming that Cheerios can lower your cholesterol by 10%. They say that would be considered an unauthorized health claim. The FDA also said there is no evidence that Lucky Charms are magically delicious." --Jay Leno

"I'm very excited about this. John McCain's 97-year-old mom is on the show tonight. Here's the amazing part. She is 97, and somehow John is actually five years older than she is." --Jay Leno

"I don't know how that works. In fact, John is so old, she is back to cutting up his meat into little pieces again." --Jay Leno

"Drug officials are saying that because of the bad economy, the international cocaine market is suffering. It's not just affecting cocaine. It's trickling down. Today, Obama asked for a bailout of the tiny spoon industry." --Jimmy Fallon

"Yesterday, the New York State Assembly overwhelmingly passed a bill approving same-sex marriage. And now the bill goes to the State Senate, where it will likely face a closer vote. In other words, the bill could go both ways." --Jimmy Fallon

David Letterman's Top Ten Surprises in the Sarah Palin Memoir

10. She's already completed her 2012 presidential concession speech.
9. Her husband Todd is a person of interest in dozens of unsolved snowmobile hit-and-runs.
8. State troopers have been instructed to taser Katie Couric on sight.
7. "Memoir" is misspelled.
6. Not only can she see Russia, earlier today she saw the astronauts working on Hubble.
5. The entire thing, plagiarized word-for-word from Artie Lange's "Too Fat To Fish."
4. Cover shows her in a passionate embrace with a shirtless Fabio.
3. Sworn in as Governor with her left hand on a copy of "Guns & Ammo" magazine.
2. Claims she had three-way sex with Michael Phelps and a stripper.
1. She voted for Obama