Friday, September 21, 2007

Superintendent Preston Feltonupthesecondfloor

Times Union Capitol Confidential: Felton To Be No Show

Romneyflop, Who Voted For Democrat Paul Tsongas









Text from Gov. Mitt Romney's new ad:

"We can't be like Democrats, a party of big spending. We can't pretend our borders are secure from illegal immigration. We can't have ethical standards that are a punch line for Jay Leno. When Republicans act like Democrats, America loses. It's time for Republicans to start acting like Republicans. It's time for a change, and change begins with us."

When Republicans act like Democrats, America loses? You can't get elected to anything in Massachusetts as a Republican unless you campaign as a Democrat. Like Mitt Romney in 2002.

Last Night On HANNITY, HANNITY, HANNITY & colmes

Democrats, on the Senate floor, in full support of our troops:

Sen. Pat Geary Harry Reid: No one over here endorses the ad that was in that newspaper. None of us do. But we want to talk about the war. They want to talk about an ad in a newspaper. None of us, in any way, criticized General Petraeus.

Sen. Dick ButDurbin: They want to talk about ads in newspapers about General Petraeus. Well, let me tell you something, I respect General Petraeus, but we have more important things to do than debate ads in newspapers.

Chichester Edits Statements For Accuracy

Albany County District Attorney David Soares on Governor Richard M. Spitzer today:

"You can have the worst intent in the world (which we ignored), but if the act (crime) itself is not unlawful, and is not unauthorized, then you don't have a crime.

"We would not open the doors to the grand jury (because if we did half of the 212 all stars sitting in the Legislature would be in my grand jury rooms) and start throwing out subpoenas like confetti . . .

"We believe in that burden (I believe in incumbency, and if I went after my fellow Democrats downtown my career would be over faster than you can say Betsy McCaughey Ross). We hold ourselves to that burden. We will not change our process (cover up) . . .

"We will not compromise our integrity (but I will compromise my integrity) to fulfill or contribute to the court of public opinion (New Yorkers overwhelmingly believe the Governor was at the heart of this scandal, and they should shut up fast already) or to contribute to what I believe is to be the political theater that happens to surround our very building here."

Meanwhile, Back in the 8th Century . . .

Ahmadinejad: How Is WTC Visit Insulting?

Why we let this lunatic in the country in the first place is mystifying.

Chichester's Spin-to-English Guide

The Catcher of the Phony

Phony of the Week: Congressman Jim Moran (D-Bassar al-Assad).

According to The Politico, Moran claims that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee "pushed the Iraq war from the beginning" and that he "doesn't think AIPAC represents the mainstream of American Jewish thinking."

Yet his flack claims "anyone attempting to mischaracterize his words as targeting the broader Jewish community rather than AIPAC’s leadership is being purposely misleading.”

Makes perfect sense; completely consistent.

Shoot Me Like I'm Old Yeller Already

I know you PETA crackpots don't like this post title, so get back to protesting Michael Vick and leave the hard stuff to Chichester.

These are the 25 "patriotic" Americans who voted not to condemn the vile moveon.org ad.

Hillary Is Not Angelina Jolie

Democrats, as usual, are focused on the major national and international issues that confront the United States of America.

Richard Milhouse Spitzer

The Albany County District Attorney has concluded the "governor, his staff, and the New York State Police were acting within their authority in compiling and releasing documents to the media concerning the use of state aircraft."

Shocking.

Rudy, Who Voted For Democrat Mario Cuomo

CBS News: Giuliani Will "Clarify" Views To NRA

In 1995 he said they had a tendency to go "overboard" and were "extremists on the right," but today:

"There are certain agreements and disagreements with every single group. When I go before the NRA, I'm going to try to emphasize areas I think in which there is a great deal of agreement. And as I have said many, many times, my 80 percent friend is not my 20 percent enemy."

Fred Thompson and the Joke-Teller Primary

When Fred Thompson officially announced his White House bid on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" it continued the trivialization and debasement of American politics.

Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his gubernatorial campaign on the Leno show and it demonstrated that he was willing to reduce the pursuit of high public office to a cartoon. Californians got what they deserved when they elected him: a cartoon Governor who betrayed his campaign promises.

The Thompson announcement is far worse since it's the pursuit of the presidency via superficial pop culture.

Presidential candidates flocking to Leno, David Letterman and Jon Stewart is a disturbing trend that should be rejected by the American people as irrelevant events. These men are mere joke tellers. They should have nothing to do with the electoral process. Yet, unfortunatley, they do.

The Leno-Letterman-Stewart expertise is asking fake questions soliciting phony answers, and if it happens to become serious or confrontational a pall is cast. It's not a venue any self-respecting presidential candidate should be in.

Explaining the Leno announcement Thompson's spokesman, Todd Harris, said "it makes a lot of sense" to "everyday normal Americans."

Is Jay Leno an "everyday normal" American? Are any of his famous left-wing Hollywood guests with their multiple marriages, arrests, children out-of-wedlock and serial bizarre behavior? There is nothing "everyday normal" about his show or the people who appear on it. Yet this is the forum Thompson chose. What Thompson and his advisers apparently don't know or don't care about is that Jay Leno has become increasingly vulgar in his monologues since he replaced Johnny Carson in 1992. For ratings. He has a special obsession, which is growing, with ridiculing the Catholic Church - my Church:

"As you've probably heard, the Pope has asked all the Cardinals to return to Rome. You know how they got them all to come back? They told them that there was going to be a performance by the Vienna Boys Choir." That's real funny, Jay.

Thompson is courting Christians and family values conservatives. Why should they respect his decision to make the most important announcement of his career on a Hollywood show hosted by a professional vulgarian? They should not. Much of what Leno "jokes" and talks about should never be heard by children.

Leno's announcer is John Melendez, who spent 15 years as a sidekick on The Howard Stern Show, where he would refer to actor Nicholas Cage as "Niggaless Cage." That kind of talk usually doesn't go over well with the voters, and why Fred Thompson would want to associate himself with such people has been a major political miscalculation.

Achieving humor with clever retorts to a late-night joke teller is not an indication that a candidate can assume the powers of the presidency and lead with strength and good judgement. In fact, it's an opportunity for slick phonies. Bill Clinton in sunglasses playing the saxophone on "The Arsenio Hall Show" is the best example.

Senator Thompson needs to contemplate what kind of candidate he wants to be. He can be a serious and determined candidate, or one who is willing to pander to Hollywood celebrities.

Any Republican candidate who courts Hollywood, seeking the approval of actors, producers and directors who are so detached from "everyday normal Americans" should be summarily dismissed by the American people.

Official presidential announcements should always strive for pageantry. The candidate behind a podium. With a panoramic backdrop, bunting and balloons. To a cheering crowd - in the home state of the candidate, not a Hollywood set. Fred Thompson utterly failed this great American tradition, and it was telling.

Senator McCain

Memo to John: If it weren't for your support for amnesty, opposition to tax cuts, McCain-Feingold, belief in global warming caused by human beings, frequent reports of temper and self-control problems, demagoging Abu Ghraib, the Gang of 14 membership, mainstream media fawning, and spending almost all your campaign donations despite a pledge to eliminate wasteful spending by Congress, you'd be the Republican nominee.