It is not easy to walk on bodies

"Shoah," French filmmaker Claude Lanzmann's documentary, stands as the 20th century's epic visual record of the Holocaust. Now another Frenchman, a Catholic priest named Patrick Desbois, is filling in a different part of the picture.

Desbois says he has interviewed more than 800 eyewitnesses and pinpointed hundreds of mass graves strewn around dusty fields in the former Soviet Union. The result is a book, "The Holocaust by Bullets," and an exhibition through March 15 at New York's Museum of Jewish Heritage.

Brought to Ukraine by a twist of fate, Desbois has spent seven years trying to document the truth, honor the dead, relieve witnesses of their pain and guilt and prevent future acts of genocide.

Some 1.4 million of Soviet Ukraine's 2.4 million Jews were executed, starved to death or died of disease during the war. Another 550,000-650,000 Soviet Jews were killed in Belarus and up to 140,000 in Russia, according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Most of the victims were women, children and the elderly.

Begun after Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, the slaughter by bullets was the opening phase of what became the Nazis' Final Solution with its factories of death operating in Auschwitz and other camps, all in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Desbois devotes his 233-page book, published by Palgrave Macmillan in August, to his work in Ukraine, where he says he has uncovered over 800 mass extermination sites, more than two-thirds of them previously unknown.

Since the book was written, he has expanded his search for mass graves into Belarus and plans to look early this year in areas of Russia that were occupied by the Germans.

Sometimes bursting into tears, old men and women from poor Ukrainian villages recount to Desbois how women, children and elders were marched or carted in from neighboring towns to be shot, burned to death or buried alive by German troops, Romanian forces, squads of local Ukrainian collaborators and local ethnic German volunteers.

Even then, it was methodical, Desbois' research shows. First, Germans would arrive in a town or village and gather intelligence on how best to transport the victims to extermination sites, where to execute them and how to dispose of their bodies.

"It was done as systematically as it was done elsewhere," said John Paul Himka, an expert on the Holocaust and Ukraine at the University of Alberta in Canada, who is not connected to Desbois' work. "You can read as they're figuring out best way to do this, the best way to shoot ... it's absolutely systematic, no accident here."

Desbois' interviews and grave-hunting tie in to millions of pages of Soviet archives, heightening their credibility, says Paul Shapiro, of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum who wrote the foreword to Desbois' book.

Father Desbois' work is also having an impact on efforts to preserve Holocaust sites. In December, the 26-nation International Task Force on the Holocaust called on European governments to ensure the protection of locations such as the mass graves Desbois is uncovering, according to Shapiro, who helped draft the resolution.

Among Desbois' key findings is the widespread use of local children to help bury the dead, wait on the German soldiers during meals and remove gold teeth and other valuables from the bodies. His work has also yielded evidence that the killings were most frequently carried out in the open, in daylight and in a variety of ways — shooting victims, throwing them alive into bonfires, walling up a group of Jews in a cellar that wasn't opened until 12 years later.

Desbois' witnesses are mostly Orthodox Christian, and he comes to them as a priest, dressed in black and wearing a clerical collar, taking in their pain and trying to ease their suffering. Many have never before talked about their experiences.

In the village of Ternivka, some 200 miles south of Kiev where 2,300 Jews were killed, a frail, elderly woman, who identified herself only as Petrivna, revealed the unbearable task the Nazis imposed on her.

The young schoolgirl saw her Jewish neighbors thrown into a large pit, many still alive and convulsing in agony. Her task was to trample on them barefoot to make space for more. One of those she had to tread on was a classmate.

"You know, we were very poor, we didn't have shoes," Petrivna told Desbois in a single breath, her body twitching in pain, Desbois writes in his book. "You see, it is not easy to walk on bodies

Peaceful Iraqi Vote

A peaceful Iraqi vote today. 4,000 women run for office. I blame Bush.

No word from President Obama.

Who said nothing to mark the occasion today.

UPDATE: White House issues statement. Do you think the blogosphere gave him a nudge?

...but thanks the UN rather than our troops, not on the White House website--and proposes cutting defense spending by 10% when we need to replace and rebuild.

Blago as Bogie?

Blago as Bogie, and he could run for federal office? James Taranto, Best of the Web.

Don't be evil, Google

One more post--this is important. Will Google throw its Chicago bloggers under the bus? Chicago News Bench. Marathon Pundit.

Botanic Break

Kinda Arizona. Have a great weekend!

Let them eat steak

Chris Muir. Also Anatreptic.

Ayers in SF Bay

PUMA Eyes gives Bill Ayers a bad review--among other things, he's a sexist, misogynist pig. Makes Palin "jokes". Alienating women in the Bay Area--quite a feat.

Final Clarity of the Damned

Outside Blagojevich's home on Thursday evening, after he was booted, the ungovernator popped out to meet the press and rambled on with the same old tired lies about how he wasn't given a chance to prove his innocence, how he fought for the people and not for himself. But he cracked a few truths.

"I'd like to tell you some of the inside stuff, some of the things they were trying to do, and I'll talk about that later, if you're interested," Blagojevich said.

I know people who are interested.

"And as for some of those friends of mine in the state Senate, Dr. King said, that in the end, you remember not the words of your enemies, but the silence of your friends," Blagojevich said.

He nodded a couple times to himself, tired, on the verge of breaking. There was something in his eyes, but not tears. It was the final clarity of the damned.

John Kass, Chicago Tribune, from his column today. Tell what you know, governor. For the people of Illinois.

Tribune editorial here.

Davos Stunned

LGF:Video: Turkish President Lashes Out at Israeli President Shimon Peres, Walks Off Stage. Davos stunned. Moderate WaPo moderator speechless. You can start at 39:20. Liberal bullshit hits the fan.

Wanna get away?

Governor Hound Dog

For our governor, a reminder of happier days:Plus NEW! Blago Desk Reference!!

Stephie the Poodle

George Stephanopoulos, the most prominent MSM poodle for the White House. The president may not have a family pet yet but he has a faithful follower nonetheless. I heard him on WLS this morning suggesting he may have difficulty coming up with anything humorous about The One.

And it is somehow no surprise to learn that he, Paul Begala, James Carville, and Rahmbo, old Clintonistas all, hold daily conference calls to get their Dem spin in line, and have for some time. Stephanopoulos claims to be a journalist.

Blago Impeached, GOP Statement

Illinois GOP Statement:

Statement from Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna on the conviction of Rod Blagojevich and the ascension of Blagojevich’s Lieutenant Governor, Pat Quinn, to the Governor’s Office:

“Rod Blagojevich’s Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn and all Blagojevich Democrats who are leading the state in the wrong direction owe an apology to the people of Illinois.

“The FBI did not need to have Rod Blagojevich in handcuffs before his Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn and the Blagojevich Democrats who run the state acted to stop him. “Blagojevich’s Lieutenant Governor and Blagojevich Democrats came to power on a promise of change but four years later they looked the other way and chose to endorse Blagojevich for re-election even though our state was faced with the largest corruption investigation in its history.

“Now political opportunists like Blagojevich’s running mate Pat Quinn believe they can erase six years of silence and ignore broken promises of change to the people of Illinois, but the fact remains that Blagojevich Democrats have led Illinois for six years into higher taxes, fewer jobs, more corruption, and higher spending.

“These same Blagojevich Democrats enabled and endorsed a madman even after the FBI had him in handcuffs and show no sign of taking Illinois in a new direction.

“Change for the people of Illinois will come when elected officials actually impose ethical reform, fiscal reform, create jobs and bring greater transparency and accountability to our government.

“We are confident that the Republican Party will produce a new generation of leaders who can reach out to people, regardless of party, who believe Blagojevich Democrats are leading this state in the wrong direction.”

Watson on the Floor

Sen. Frank Watson, R-Greenville, very emotional. The best speech so far. The gist of it was that some went toe to toe with the governor but too many stood by, and this has to stop--those who are still in state government who participated in this must be shown the door.

The chamber has been quiet, but this got applause.

I will update with the text, or a clip, hopefully I can find it.

UPDATE: Here's the Trib's blog. They're voting now on impeachment...they've got the 40 to impeach...it's unanimous 59 to 0--and no one voted present.

UPDATE: He's convicted on the impeachment charges, now they're voting to bar him from further public office--unanimous.

Impeachment Bleepin' Golden

Senator, and also the Rev. James Meeks, Democrat of Chicago, has just spoken. He says it's a great day. We are not ruled by angels but by imperfect beings. We are so lucky to have impeachment to be able to routinely employ it in Illinois. In fact, impeachment is a bleepin' golden thing. I paraphrase and only slightly exaggerate.

Schoenberg Soul

Sen. Jeff Schoenberg's soul is bruised. He is on the floor of the Senate even now...

On our governor---"This is not a template that was just created 6 years ago"...(How long have you been in Springfield?)

He's waving his arms around "unaccountable to no one"...

Blah, blah, Blago. Jeff Schoenberg--you are one of Blago's best buddies. Spare us the phony outrage.

The New Victory Garden

America is a diverse country. We have been for years. But for some, we can never be diverse enough, nor governed enough. Now there's a push for a new White House position--farmer. It's apparently a movement with a mission. Sun Times:

Another nominee, David Perkins, said he sees the job as an opportunity to educate people about kohlrabi and other relatively unknown vegetables.

“What’s been part of the problem with agriculture is sort of the narrowing down of diversity and the lack of it,” said Perkins, 51, who runs a 35-acre farm in Vermont, Wis., with his wife, Barbara.

Well, I can understand that--I've thought about planting some heirloom tomatoes in my garden next year. But do we need this level of attention at the White House? Isn't this why we have the Dept. of Agriculture? Did this idea start out in the heartland? Nope:

Brockman’s family launched the Web site in mid-November after reading a New York Times Magazine article in which journalist Michael Pollan called for the appointment of a White House farmer to complement the White House chef. Pollan suggested replacing five acres of the White House’s South Lawn with an organic fruit and vegetable garden.

Maybe this would be therapeutic for President I Won Obama--tending his own personal Victory Garden.

P.S. Here's a recipe for kohlrabi pickles--as the author says, be brave, try something new!

The Scream in the Senate!!!

OH NO000!!! We're really gonna get it now. Al Gore, setting the world on fire.

Blago to O: Fire Rahm

The impeachable offense on importing prescription drugs was Rahm's idea--so if you're going to impeach me, fire Rahm!

In fact, he reminds us the DCCC was pushing it.

A trip down memory lane.

P.S. And he asks why the Dems didn't impeach him the first term when this happened--instead they supported him for reelection.

...Big finish, it's all been for the people, refers to state Sens. Cullerton, Jimmy DeLeo (!) who will understand...the darkness before dawn, going to work, a working mother...all about helping families like hers...he confesses he maybe pushes too hard, it ain't about me...charge it to my heart...

...not finished yet, dangerous and chilling precedent to impeach...he's not resigning, he's done nothing wrong...let the DC pols he's had conversations with come in here and testify he's done nothing wrong...it's painful, and it's lonely, he never intended anything criminal...it's not like Nixon, he wants all the tapes to be heard...give him a chance to keep helping people...

He's done.

P.P.S. No poetry, No Elvis, no new persona, though he did bring up Liz Taylor--she was all he could think of when he was a new Congressman and Sen. John Warner asked him for a cup of coffee, thinking he was a staffer. News here, here, here.

UPDATE: Legal Insurrection, Blago's Masterful Closing Argument-First Take. And background on DeLeo.

Who Picks up the Tab

The Republicans offered an alternative in the House yesterday--a real stimulus package that would create twice the jobs--real new jobs--at half the cost. It went down to defeat as the Democrats took total ownership of this porky disaster for the country. Now it goes to the Senate. Maybe something can be salvaged that won't burden our children with crushing debt and actually create NEW JOBS NOW. Harvard econ prof Martin Feldstein, an $800 billion mistake:

As a conservative economist, I might be expected to oppose a stimulus plan. In fact, on this page in October, I declared my support for a stimulus. But the fiscal package now before Congress needs to be thoroughly revised. In its current form, it does too little to raise national spending and employment. It would be better for the Senate to delay legislation for a month, or even two, if that's what it takes to produce a much better bill. We cannot afford an $800 billion mistake.

George Will--the newly-elected president deserves some deference, but the Democrat Congress has given us a profoundly opportunistic bill, which should be opposed as it stands now. Will goes into some detail. Rush proposes a truly bipartisan stimulus plan. What do you say, Mr. President?

As we go forward, how can we forget Fan and Fred's porky lunch tab. Oink, oink, ouch!

After all, we are the ones who pick up the tab. We still have a vote. Call your Congressman, call your Senator. Jobs, not pork. Investment that grows the economy, not borrowing from future generations to spend willy-nilly now. That's what got us into trouble in the first place.

Governor Custer

Mother Teresa rose from the grave and batted at Blago on Leno last night. The Sun Times chooses Custer as Blago's persona of the day, as he makes his last stand on the Illinois Senate floor. Mark Brown offers him a ride after he's impeached, maybe with a stop at the rarely-used Governor's mansion for a few tchotchkes of office. Or, WLS has a listener with a white Bronco and a ladder who has volunteered to drive the governor back and grab a few of the infamous tollway signs on the way. Better yet, he could be chauffered by one of his former political bedfellows. Advocates for the mentally ill are offended--calling the governor crazy or cuckoo demeans them. On the Tribune website, reader suggestions on what he should say today--'Bleep you!'. A pro-Blago demonstrator outside his home, whom Patti gently asks to go home:

Theresa Gajdos, 81, carried a sign that on one side read "All Mothers Should Thank Governor" and, on the flip side, "If Nixon Could Be Pardoned So Can Be Pardoned Blagojevich Too."

Lt. Governor Pat Quinn says 'I will be ready'--yeah, right. And state Sen. Susan Garrett, D-Lake Forest:

Asked whether she is looking for an apology to voters from a governor once elected on a promise to end "business as usual" in Springfield, Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest) said she craves something beyond anything Blagojevich can say today. "I would like to, if I had my choice, look him in the eye and just ask him, 'What went wrong? What happened?'"

Really? You don't know?

UPDATE: Legal Insurrection on the flawed impeachment process. Pat Hickey--leave the Blago tollway signs up!

Rangel Rule

Another Dem who's been in office too long. NRO:

Rep. John Carter, a Texas Republican, sent out a press release earlier today about his innovative new bill:

"Rangel Rule"

All U.S. taxpayers would enjoy the same immunity from IRS penalties and interest as House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Obama Administration Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, if a bill introduced today by Congressman John Carter (R-TX) becomes law.

Carter, a former longtime Texas judge, today introduced the Rangel Rule Act of 2009, HR 735, which would prohibit the Internal Revenue Service from charging penalties and interest on back taxes against U.S. citizens. Under the proposed law, any taxpayer who wrote “Rangel Rule” on their return when paying back taxes would be immune from penalties and interest.

Plus more revolting taxpayers, in Rangel's own district. Via It's My Mind. Watch:

HT Chicago News Bench. This is interesting:

Interestingly, the 3-point edge among Democrats for bigger government and higher taxes is considerably smaller than the 19-point margin among liberals. Why? African-Americans, almost all of whom are Democrats and who presumably comprise a significant portion of the Democratic sample, favor smaller government and lower taxes by a wide margin, 53% to only 22%. White Democrats, in other words, resemble liberals in their fealty to big government while African-Americans take on a more conservative hue.

Obey Earmark, Son is Lobbyist

Wisconsin Democrat Congressman David Obey has been in Congress too long. Washington Times:

A top House Republican is demanding an investigation into whether the more than $2 billion for national parks in the House stimulus package is proper in light of the fact that the chief lobbyist for the National Parks Conservation Association is the son of House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey.

Supposedly the son doesn't directly lobby the father to avoid an "appearance" of conflict of interest. Oh, that's all right then.

Malice you can believe in

Firing an AIDS doctor to appease the left. Michael Gerson, "Weasels vs. AIDS relief.

Who really cares? You may well ask.

Sarah America PAC

SarahPAC.com Washington Wire, WSJ:

Need another indication that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is eyeing a 2012 bid? Today she launched a new political action committee, SarahPAC, to dole out political donations to Republican candidates.

A serious person for serious times. I'm sure she will choose the right time to run. In case you missed it, Gov. Palin's State of the State address.

Orwellian-Alinsky Dems

The DCCC is whipping up a petition to make Rush Limbaugh public enemy number one--it's un-American apparently, to disagree with Dem policies, no matter how harmful you believe they might be for the country.

This is the Dems' standard sleazy playbook, and it's astonishing they've resorted to it so soon, but then their Dear Leader has led them here--it took Bill Clinton longer than a week to go after El Rushbo. So here we have ad-hominem, personal attacks by Democrats--because they can't engage on the issues, and they even have to take Rush clearly out of context to try to come up with something--kind of Orwellian don't you think? Kind of Alinsky-like. Rush to judgment indeed.

Sign the reverse petition, support Rush--say something nice for free speech, for America.

P.S. Rush responds, via Newsbusters. More today. And let's also note that Rush is a private citizen, earning his living--he's not running for office. Isn't it a bit creepy that the president and his official congressional campaign organ are trying to stifle the free speech of a private citizen? Chilling isn't it. Where's the ACLU to fight Big Brother?

Blago Going to Show

Well, well, well. I took my puppy out for a walk in the sunshine and came back to this---Gov. Blago is going to show up tomorrow on the floor of the Senate. CLTV is going to get some interested looks tomorrow. Tribune here. He's going to present his own closing statement tomorrow. Maybe Jesus Christ comparisons will be in the offing. Or even the Obamessiah.

Maybe some lowly Shakespeare--sharper than a serpents tooth are my ungrateful fellow Dems. Analysis by Legal Insurrection here. A shift from the media blitz (best of Blago put together by ABC7)

UPDATE: Blago intrigue--will he really surprise us? Legal Insurrection with another theory.

STOP Thief!

Call your congressman! Kill the bill, melt the phones. HotAir on the air.

HT Mick.

Bi-Partisan Invention

John Powers, Chicago Daily Observer, Pliability Journalism: When Partisan Media invents Bi-Partisan Leadership

The People's Business

John Kass invites your ideas on a job for Blago, post-impeachment. He has some of his own. After hearing the tapes yesterday, who can deny the governor was a hard-working guy? Yup, the governor was eager to do business...

Absorbed from the tapes, though, the tale plays out more clearly: On Nov. 13, Rob Blagojevich assures the governor that he's spoken with Monk—and that Johnston is "good for" a contribution. "Right—before the end of the year, though, right?" the governor asks, adding later, "OK, so . . . but clearly before the end of the year, right?"

On Dec. 3, Monk tells the governor he's warned Johnston that "there's gonna be some skittishness" if Johnston's contribution coincides too closely with the governor's signing of the horse racing bill. Monk recounts telling Johnston, "My point is this has all gotta be in now."

...just not the people's business. Carol Marin-- national media failed to follow the money. At root, it's not the money, it's the sense of entitlement by too many politicians in this state--and their lack of accountability and transparency. It's gotten worse, as we are virtually a one-party state now, and nearly bankrupt to boot. Why sh0uld they worry, they keep getting voted in again and again. Had enough Illinois?

UPDATE: RCP has a Blago impeachment guide. Also Dennis Byrne on the coming tax increase.

More. The MSM lets us down again. Name that party, and note it's The One ('s) party. Powerline:

The AP reports that Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi is resigning from his powerful position under an ethical cloud. Winding down to paragraph 17, the careful reader can infer DiMasi's party:

The resignation of DiMasi has some in the state wondering if there's something about the power of the office, or the increasingly one-party nature of Massachusetts' politics, that makes the job of House speaker particularly vulnerable to self-inflicted wounds.

House Minority Leader Bradley Jones, who has seen the number of Republicans in the 160-member House dwindle to just 16, said the lack of political competition "creates a sense of being impervious."

Ya think? Emphasis mine.

Fix the Stimulus

Some $30 billion, or less than 5% of the spending in the bill, is for fixing bridges or other highway projects. WSJ. Right now this porky disaster is an all Dem bill, written by Pelosi's liberals in the House. They have the votes, and they haven't asked for any bipartisan input. Do we want new jobs or massive debt for nothing lasting? Republican Rep. Eric Cantor, Townhall, "Fix the Stimulus":

“A national debt if it is not excessive,” Alexander Hamilton advised, “will be to us a national blessing.”

Today, Hamilton must be turning over in his grave. Congress is moving forward with an economic stimulus plan that will swell this fiscal year’s deficit to roughly $2 trillion, or an astounding 13 percent of GDP. Adjust those dollars for inflation, and even our nation’s earliest and most iconic proponent of a national debt would cringe at the danger we are creating for our economy and for future generations.

As it hammers out the final details of the stimulus bill, Congress should pay more than lip service to Hamilton’s words. We must reconcile the nation’s need for quick action with the need for prudent policies designed to spur sustainable job creation here in America. That means not only tax relief for working families but in particular for the small businesses, entrepreneurs and self-employed that create well over half of the jobs in our country. Given the choice, Americans would prefer a permanent job in the private sector to temporary work courtesy of the taxpayer dime.

Cantor proposes some specific alternatives to fix the stimulus and actually create new jobs.

Ayers Goes to San Francisco

He has a speaking invitation at St. Mary's College. The SF Chronicle columnist misspells his name. The college:

But we are an academic institution, founded in the values and practices of the Christian Brothers and grounded in the liberal arts.

''As our president, Brother Ron, has written, the appearance of Mr. Ayers as a guest speaker is congruent with our mission and educational purposes. Some people interpret our invitation as tacit endorsement, despite our clear statement that we do not condone his past actions or sanction his views. A podium is not a pulpit, and guest speakers do not define the identity or direction of our college. If we were to limit our guest speakers to those with whom we agree, we would lose our integrity as an institution of higher learning.

Really? You don't agree with this guy? Not pass the laugh test. As far as Christian philosophy, does someone who loves their neighbor as themselves bomb his neighbors when he doesn't agree with them?

UPDATE: From the Cardinal Newman Society, in part:

Saint Mary's College is located near San Francisco and is affiliated with the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Catholic order of priests founded by St. John Baptist de la Salle. The college claims to embrace core Lasallian values including "faith in the presence of God" and "respect for all persons."

"Bill Ayers' honored presence at a Catholic college should offend not only Catholics, but all men and women of good will," said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. "It is an affront to basic human dignity and a scandal that a Catholic college should provide a platform for a man who reportedly takes pride in terrorist acts against the United States."

The Cardinal Newman Society has not received a response to a letter faxed last Friday, January 23, to Brother Ronald Gallagher, F.S.C., president of Saint Mary's College, urging him to halt the lecture.

Marijuana your only drug of choice

The lawyers are ruining, running the drug companies.

Wouldn't you rather have a lifesaving drug rather than dying in some safe little cocoon?

Probably we'll just get marijuana for the pain.

It's the boomer solution. Health care for no future. Bureacrats feeling our pain:

$646,214 Per Government Job: Spending where unemployment is already low.

If you think I'm bummed this morning you're right.

Save Illinois Defense Jobs

***Watch the video below***

I'm listening to WLS, where a former Air Force, now a test pilot for Illinois-headquartered Boeing is making the case to keep our F-22 stealth fighter, which can also help in protecting us from electronic warfare. What is going on?!!! Why would we even consider cutting this when we need to rebuild and resupply our military! Are we going to spend billions on frauds like ACORN but not provide for our common defense? The number one priority of the federal government is to keep America safe. Our air defenses are key--remember Sept. 11th? Remember our air patrols in the aftermath? Do we want silent skies, do we want to be vulnerable from the air? This plane gives us an edge over those who would harm us--effective deterrence, effective defense.

We are talking over 600 jobs in Illinois alone, 19 small businesses that would be in jeopardy of being shut down, over $100 million in revenue here--90,000 jobs across the country--American jobs that keep America safe.

Let's not choose pork over necessary jobs. We've already made the investment in design and technology. The F-22 is an American success story. We need to keep America strong.

Blago Guarded Do on The View

Well, he didn't let them touch his hair behind the scenes, though Joy Behar mussed it on the show. MSNBC:

Should this come as a surprise? Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s carefully coiffed hair went untouched by “The View” staff before he took to the stage for his live appearance Jan. 26.,” a source close to Blago’s appearance confirmed. [snip]

By all behind-the-scenes accounts, Blagojevich was a low-maintenance guest, but that could be because he had so many people with him. “There were at least 6 or 7 people there, security, assistants, what have you,” says the source. That’s more handlers than even Jennifer Lopez had for her inaugural appearances.

It's too bad he's more careful about his hair than his ethics.

UPDATE, related:
Blagojevich Claims Behavior Was Just Elaborate Plan To Surprise Patrick Fitzgerald With Senate Nomination On His Birthday

Are you pro-hole?

At the suggestion of a reader, let's reconsider this question, "Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole? Let's watch together: And, while you're at it, check out The Endive: the News Leader of the Known Universe! UPDATE: Heritage:

The “Stimulus” Bills Your Family – $825 Billion is equivalent to borrowing $10,520 from EVERY FAMILY IN AMERICA. This money has to be paid back.

More Dem Rogues

Besides our near-impeached Governor Blago, and President Obama's new tax cheating Treasury chief, there's a growing rogue's gallery of corrupt or crooked Dems. This time it's a former "community organizer". (No, not Obama's ACORN but give it time.) Anatreptic. Oh, and how about the stalled ethics investigation on Dem House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel, Dan Seals' major contributor? Others have given the money back, but not Seals.

NY Tea Party: Tax Protest

Some inspiration for us highly-taxed Illinoisans. Even blue state NY is fed up. Watch: More here:

Paterson wants to enact 134 new or expanded taxes and fees that would dig deeper into New Yorkers' pocketbooks to raise additional revenue in a state where taxpayers are already burdened with some of the highest taxes in the country.

The protesters have the support of a majority of New Yorkers, at least according the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

By a 53 percent to 36 percent margin, voters would rather cut services than raise taxes, a recent survey showed.

Obama: No Common Ground

More:

“Many conservatives are just getting upset that Barack Obama comes into office talking about change and his first big initiative is a massive $800 billion [scratch that, One Trillion now!] dollar pork barrel project,” said Brian Darling, director of U.S. Senate Relations at the conservative Heritage Foundation. “If he wants to cut wasteful spending the first the thing he should do is veto his own stimulus bill.”

UPDATE: James Pethokoukis:10 Reasons to Whack Obama's Stimulus Plan UPDATE: NRO's Stimulus Primer:

It contains many items that are ideological and/or pork-barrel projects disguised as stimulus, whose funds will not even be spent until 2011. It gives gradual fiscal support—again, most of it coming after 2011—to states that have simply mismanaged their budgets with over-generous welfare policies. [snip]

But the package has very little for small businesses, whose recovery is essential for economic confidence to return. Rep. Eric Cantor (R., Va.) misspoke earlier today when he said that the Democrats' bill contains $4 in spending on landscaping for the National Mall for every $1 in small business tax relief. In fact, it contains $5 for landscaping the National Mall for every dollar in small business tax relief.

*** The Politico:

Obama was responding to a question from Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) who was asking about whether there was any more common ground on tax cuts in the $825 billions stimulus.

Obama told the private meeting of the House GOP conference that tax relief for some working families must come from payroll taxes, so even families who don’t pay income taxes get relief.

One conservative House Republican in the room who was asked if Obama was winning any votes added, "Nope. He said he won't compromise on more tax cuts. All form - not substance."

Emphasis mine. This is an income transfer, not a tax cut, not a stimulus. There will be some amendments from Senate Republicans. Will any Dems join in to pass some improvements in the bill to actually stimulate the economy and create jobs? It looks like the president is being rolled by liberal House Dems. Um, he did apparently listen to the GOP over lunch. But he didn't do anything else.

UPDATE: Steve Huntley, Sun Times, Obama's response to crisis Bush-like:

Now the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office finds just $26 billion of the $355 billion in the package for highways, bridges and other job-creating investments would be spent in this fiscal year. Only $110 billion would be spent by the end of 2010. The question: Is this bill another big government, big-spending bonanza to achieve Democratic policy goals -- one that will cripple the nation with staggering deficits and a future round of wealth-draining inflation while doing little to alleviate the current economic downturn? [snip]

Anytime Congress spends half a trillion dollars on the fly, there's got to be waste. The stimulus bill includes money for long-range infrastructure, social and energy policies, spending that would extend beyond the recession. They may be worthy ideas. But wouldn't it be better to take them out of this package, give them the full debate the nation deserves, and target the stimulus measure on temporary, near-term emergency provisions?

One who thinks so is Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). He submitted a memo to the House Appropriations Committee asserting 1.85 million jobs -- half of the total proposed in the Democratic package -- could be generated with spending only $65 billion. He picked 11 of the 152 appropriations in the bill that "have the highest payoff" and "are some of the lower cost items." That's the kind of fiscally responsible thinking this process needs. The programs Kirk cites focus on such areas as highway, clean water, transit and energy investments.

Inside Gitmo

Via Powerline, Inside Gitmo, dispelling the myths:

Current treatment and oversight routines exceed the standards of any maximum-security prison in the world.

Despite what the public has heard, these are not innocent goatherds but dedicated jihadists whose overriding goal--as they themselves candidly say--is to kill Americans.

Some Gitmo questions for the Obama administration. The Telegraph on the hard part.

Blago Bleeps

Blago bleepin' quotes are writ large on visual aids as the Illinois Senate impeachment prosecutor reads them aloud, f-n this and f-n that. The FBI guy then confirms that these are accurate.

This has been going on all morning. No actual bleepin' tapes yet.

Live video here.

Drill Like Brazil

Ramirez. Drill like Brazil. Drilling rigs are infrastructure too:

Such investments could have a similar beneficial impact on the American economy, and the irony is that the oil companies are willing to use their own money here if we let them. Yet, even more restrictions on U.S. domestic production are planned.

Thanks in part to a relentless pursuit of domestic energy resources to complement its ethanol production (an "all of the above" energy plan like that proposed by Republicans during the campaign), the Brazilian economy grew 5.8% in 2008 and is projected to expand 2.9% even in a tough 2009, according to the median estimate of 16 economists surveyed by Bloomberg.

This could create 160,000 new jobs. And why kill our auto industry? Charles Krauthammer:

I think it is absolutely insane. On the one hand we have an auto industry in Detroit which is at edge of extinction, and we are keeping it alive with billions of your money and mine.

On the other hand, we are now adding on to it regulations that are going to be crushing.

Look, how did the auto industry get in trouble in the first place? Even in fat times, Detroit had trouble because the under regulations, the standards imposed on it, it had to produce small cars which nobody would buy in order to sell the big cars, which would sell and create a profit.

We had soviet-style production mandates required even in the absence of a market. This is going to add to this in this situation of crisis already happening in Detroit.

I mean, it's the government strangling the patient as it administers oxygen--expensive oxygen on our money.

Detroit News here.

What do you say Illinois?

Their vote on expulsion of the governor can't be the first and last gasp of Illinois policing itself:

We'll still need a recall amendment.

We'll still need tighter campaign and government ethics laws.

We'll still need to reform our system of drawing the governmental district lines that gerrymander this state into safe Democratic or Republican fiefdoms.

Tribune editorial. What do you say Illinois? Are you sick enough of this stuff yet?

Where's Blago?

Maureen Dowd called him stork-like in his jogger outfit.
Where's Blago? Four of the bleepin' tapes will be played today at his impeachment trial in Springfield. NY Times covers the trial in Springfield even as Blago attempts to charm the MSM in NYC:

For years, Mr. Blagojevich had national political aspirations, perhaps even as a presidential contender, those who have worked with him say. Some here doubted his chances at that level; he is all Chicago: the flat accent; the hard-to-pronounce name from the neighborhoods where he grew up the son of immigrant, working-class parents; the Chicago alderman father-in-law with powerful political connections.

(Yeah, too bad, even the name Barry Obamski might have worked better.) Dana Milbank, WaPo likes his poetry. Sen. Rickey "Hollywood" Hendon notes state Senators are voting to impeach Blago in part for things they voted for. Well, yeah, they and other Dems did support him for reelection in 2006 when he was under nine federal corruption investigations. And the process is disturbing.

John Kass, the Chicago Tribune, "A comedy for some; for us, a horror show":

It is laughable to watch our governor being championed by media types who don't understand Chicago politics. It's also laughable to see others who know better denounce him as a psycho. They just don't get it. As I've said before, the governor is of clear mind. [snip]

Yet it is what Gov. Nosferatu told NBC over the weekend that surely terrifies Illinois politicians:

"And for me to just quit because some cackling politicians want to get me out of the way because there's a whole bunch of things they don't want known about them and conversations they may have had with me . . . would be to disgrace my children when I know I've done nothing wrong," said the governor.

Keep it up, Blago. Keep jogging around, keep talking.

P.S. Chicago Young Republicans offer to fundraise for Children's Memorial Hospital.

UPDATE: Drudge picks up the NBC Chicago report "Top Obama Aides Subject of Blago Subpeonas", which initially came out Friday night.

Confirmed Tax Cheat

Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

President Barack Obama.

Confirmed tax cheat Tim Geithner confirmed as Secretary of the Treasury, as head of the IRS.

Billions to ACORN

ACORN, under investigation for vote fraud in several states, owing millions in back taxes, defrauding their donors by covering up embezzlement, the entity which sued banks to get them to make massive numbers of shaky loans--part of what impelled us into this economic meltdown. ACORN, the hardcore leftist thug Alinsky model community organizing group which gave Barack Obama his start in Chicago politics. ACORN is slated for BILLIONS in the "stimulus" package for "neighborhood stabilization" activities.

An enormous slush fund, an enormous transfer of taxpayer funds to these thugs, Barack Obama's allies.

Welcome to the Dear Leader world, where we will all be the poorer, perpetuated.

HT Michelle Malkin.

Durbin Enables Blago

Illinois GOP:

Dick Durbin Still Doesn’t Care

Even now, Durbin continues to enable Blagojevich

The Obama Tone

Obama's civility test, Kevin Hassett, Bloomberg:

First, civility begins at the beginning. In the next month, Obama will set a tone for Washington that will likely endure as long as he does. If he fails to live up to his rhetoric now, he will fail just as Bush did.

Second, civility begins at home. It is one thing to demand civility of one’s opponents, another thing altogether to demand it of one’s own party.

Obama faced an early test last week, when, in the midst of the debate over economic stimulus, Democrats worked to shut Republicans out of the policy process, then behaved boorishly when Republicans complained.

Democratic leaders responded with the political equivalent of a sack dance in football. “If it’s passed with 63 votes or 73 votes, history won’t remember it,” said Senator Richard Durbin, Democrat of Illinois.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added to the mood by saying, “Yes, we wrote the bill. Yes, we won the election.”

There is still time for Obama to object to such behavior. If he wants to fulfill the promise of his rhetoric, he should take Pelosi to the woodshed and insist that she include Republicans, collegially, in the process. He should stand up to his party and threaten to veto a bill if it fails to make reasonable concessions to his friends across the aisle. He should advise his own staff to begin returning the phone calls of senior Republican aides.

If he fails to do that, there can be little doubt that government will fail to change and will continue to fail us. When times are good, one might be able to survive with a pitiful government. Today, we might not be so lucky.

Jennifer Rubin, "Obama's Graciousness Deficit". President Obama meets with Republican leaders tomorrow on the economic bill House Democrats have put together. Here is his chance to engage in a substantive way.

We Need Free Trade

Caterpillar Condemns Proposed Trade Restrictions

The company has already announced layoffs.

More: A trade war plunged us into the Depression. Time. Let's not make the same disastrous mistake. Reuters.

Kumbaya Not Working

Michelle's PC Straight-Jacket.

How to turn a blue state red

How to turn a blue state red again? Send Gitmo prisoners to Colorado. South of Denver.

Even Dem Rep. "Buffie" McFadyen is worried.

I still think Nancy Pelosi's backyard is the best spot. Other than Gitmo that is.

FOBlago: Schakowsky and Alexi

Illinois GOP:

Illinois Republican Party Announces Newest Additions to FriendsofBlago.com

Blagojevich Democrats Jan Schakowsky and Alexi Giannoulias

The Illinois Republican Party today announced that Jan Schakowsky, Representative from the Ninth District of Illinois, and Alexi Giannoulias, Rod Blagojevich's State Treasurer, are the latest addition to the Blagojevich web on FriendsofBlago.com.

Jan Schakowsky’s sin is not only that she stood silently with her fellow Democrats as Rod Blagojevich put the State of Illinois up for sale. She endorsed Blagojevich over his reformer opponent, Edwin Eisendrath, in the 2006 Democratic primary. She also donated $30,000 to Blagojevich’s election campaigns and helped to raise more.

Alexi Giannoulias has close ties to convicted Blagojevich fundraiser Tony Rezko. Giannoulias provided financing for a Rezko real estate deal and Rezko convinced Governor Blagojevich to appoint Giannoulias' brother, Demetris Giannoulias, to a state board.

“Jan Schakowsky and Alexi Giannoulias cannot escape their close ties to Governor Blagojevich” said IL GOP Chairman Andy McKenna “Their willingness to work with and support the Governor and his cronies make them poster children for Blagojevich Democrats.”

The Illinois Republican Party will regularly announce new additions to FriendsofBlago.com. FriendsofBlago.com, serves as a tool to inform voters of the web of connections all Democrats have to Rod Blagojevich.

Visit Blagojevich Friend Jan Schakowsky at: http://www.friendsofblago.com/int-schakowsky.htm

Visit Blagojevich Friend Alexi Giannoulias at: http://www.friendsofblago.com/int-alexi.htm

Baba Meets Blago

Baba meets Blago--not. Baba Wawa's disembodied presence interviews Blago, as potted plants festoon the set of The View. Patti's a no show--she apparently wanted to spend more time with her family.

Baba asked Blago how is it he was caught on tape--he said he thought his home was a "sanctified place".

Part !! up soon with the rest of The View, except for Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who has a death in the family.

***

Baba exits her monitor and Blago gets on the couch with the ladies. Not much of substance here, but who could expect that. They first asked about Oprah--he said he thought she might not take his call as a Governor of Illinois. The ladies were incredulous at that, but Oprah is not stupid. He kept making his case until he confused Whoopi, "I know Chicago is different but..." and Joy cried "too much". He patted their knees, Joy mussed his hair when he declined to do his supposed Nixon imitation "I'm not a crook", so she did hers. Uh, Joy, Blago is a Democrat.

It Won't Work

In his inaugural address President Obama said Americans want a government that works. Well, then, will this stimulus package work? This stuffed pork lobbyist luau? We already have a money supply spiking straight line up--sure to bring on inflation, the hidden tax. And we're going to load up with all this debt for negligible job creation?!!

Even John McCain, President Obama's new bipartisan best friend can't support this. Even mushy moderate David Brooks of the New York Times can't support this as configured now:

He’s going to have to show that his plans have credibility, that a stimulus bill is really a stimulus bill, and not a Christmas tree for every special interest desire.

If he can do that, we’ll look back on this stimulus as a timely, temporary and targeted success. If not, we’ll just remember it as the sprawling mess that kicked up dozens of scandal headlines about $200 million programs to lay grass around the Jefferson Memorial.

And this is without even considering TARP II which looks to be coming down the pike, the sneaky and unsustainable SCHIP expansion and the looming bankruptcy of Social Security. George Will here. Can you Dems really look your children in the eye and tell them you have spent a huge portion of their future earnings wisely today?

And would a trillion-dollar increase in the federal budget deficit enhance investor or consumer confidence? What costs will a spending increase of that magnitude impose on not just future generations but on this generation next year and the year after?

In his inaugural speech, President Obama said he wants us to "spend wisely". This is beyond reckless, and it won't work at the end of the day. We all want this economy to recover as quickly as possible, and real job creation. Re-work this, for all our sakes.

P.S. Do you want your administration to be known for the Obamisery index?

UPDATE: The Stimulus Time Machine:

The stimulus bill currently steaming through Congress looks like a legislative freight train, but given last week's analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, it is more accurate to think of it as a time machine. That may be the only way to explain how spending on public works in 2011 and beyond will help the economy today.

According to Congressional Budget Office estimates, a mere $26 billion of the House stimulus bill's $355 billion in new spending would actually be spent in the current fiscal year, and just $110 billion would be spent by the end of 2010. This is highly embarrassing given that Congress's justification for passing this bill so urgently is to help the economy right now, if not sooner.

And the red Congressional faces must be very red indeed, because CBO's analysis has since vanished into thin air after having been posted early last week on the Appropriations Committee Web site. Officially, the committee says this is because the estimates have been superseded as the legislation has moved through committee. No doubt.

Senator Oprah?

Our media hog governor appeared opposite Diane Sawyer this morning. She seemed most interested in all of his Senate possibilities and teased out of him a confirmation that he had considered Oprah. He didn't quite know how to ask her and didn't think she would accept, but thought a Senator Oprah would help President Barack Obama. C-Span would probably like it but I think the some of the Senators would not be happy to have a real media prima donna among them.

Blago also quoted Kipling in defending his wife, the notorious Pottymouth Patti:

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools

Next up, both of them on The View at 10.

UPDATE: Video:

Yes You Can!!!

Alcatraz the Solution!!!

Plus--birth control can help the economy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really.

Nayak Allegedly Heard, & AWK!!!

UPDATES below!!! (Everything's an exclamation point these days. !!!!)***In the Washington Post:

For years, Indian-born businessman Raghuveer Nayak wrote generous checks to state and federal politicians, became a top fundraiser for Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) and watched his influence grow in his adopted home of Illinois.

Now, as the governor faces the start of his impeachment trial tomorrow, Nayak is emerging as a critical figure in the investigation, a confidant who allegedly heard the governor and his closest aides discuss the price they hoped to extract for an appointment to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. The governor was arrested last month and accused by federal prosecutors of trying to sell the seat to the highest bidder.

Nayak's apparently talking to Fitzgerald.

UPDATE: I don't like Blago either, he's been acting the buffoon, and the state is paralyzed and virtually bankrupt, but there are serious questions about this impeachment process. Legal Insurrection:

The Unjust and Unconstitutional Trial of Rod Blagojevich

UPDATE: Awk, how could I have missed this! Marathon Pundit:

Blago compares self to Gandhi, Mandela, and Martin Luther King

UPDATE: Sen. Dick Durbin wants Blago back in Springfield, not on national TV:

“That’s the governor’s choice as to what he does with his time, but Barbara Walters is not on his jury,” Durbin said. “Fifty-nine Illinois state senators are, and I think he would be better advised to be in the Illinois state senate tomorrow at noon to defend himself.”

Too late Durbin the Dufus. Blago is a Dem creature and you are stuck with him. What's for lunch in Springfield? Must not be tasty enough for Blago. Hard to keep him down on the farm team now that he's seen Paris...More:

The governor told NBC that the state Senate trial will be so unfair, he could bring in "15 angels and 20 saints led by Mother Theresa" to testify on his behalf and "it wouldn't matter."

Can you compete with that Durbin the Damned? I think not.

The Mission in Africa

This is a very thought-provoking essay, passed on to me, written around Christmas time. Matthew Parris, TimesOnline:

Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.

Faith and freedom go hand in hand. Africa is at risk, now more than ever. Support a Christian mission there.

Governor Threat

Illinois Congressman Mark Kirk (R-10th) weighs in on our if nothing else colorful, sometime cowboy governor:

The governor's recent call for changes to the rules for the proceedings and his media tour have some state lawmakers wondering about his motives.

"He's gone insane. He has decided that he's only got a couple of days left in office and he's gonna go out in a blaze of misguided glory," said Republican Rep. Mark Kirk of Chicago's north suburbs.

Tomorrow brings Democrat Blazin' Blago on GMA, The View and Larry King, but he'll be a no-show for the drama at high noon on the Dem-run state senate floor. Tribune:

On Monday at noon, the ornate chandelier-framed chambers of the Illinois Senate will provide the setting for the impeachment trial. In a nod to decorum, senators were advised not to bring food to their desks, to turn off cell phones and iPods, and use their laptop computers only "in connection with the impeachment trial proceedings" rather than play solitaire as some often do.

He's lost his high-powered attorney Ed Genson but hired a notorious murder-suspect's PR firm:

The firm, The Publicity Agency, lists as a client former Bolingbrook Police Sgt. Drew Peterson, suspected in the slaying of his third wife and disappearance of his fourth wife.

Blago's not giving up without a fight, but why did Blago's attorney Ed Genson abruptly withdraw Friday after vowing to fight all the way, both on the impeachment proceeding and then the trial?

Is Blago toast or does the government not have a case, despite all the tapes? And after Blago's media blitz, will an Illinois jury convict? What about the revelation a few days ago that Rahm Emanuel asked cooperating witness John Wyma to tell Blago no deals--and it's on tape. And why does Blago keep dropping Rahmbo's name as a witness he wants to call? Who else will this whole scandal bring down? Or will the real scandal be not what was done illegally but what is done legally all the time, as leftie pundit Michael Kinsley once observed.

It looks like the governor will be summarily impeached this week, but the drama will go on. John Kass sees Blago transformed again, and gives us the background:

Gov. Nosferatu called attention to the plans of his fellow Democrats to slam through an income tax increase once they remove him, and a move by the road builders for another tax. And he went so far as to pressure President Barack Obama by demanding he be allowed to call the president's political operatives as witnesses, which the legislature has denied him as per the request of U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald, so as not to damage the pending criminal case against the governor.

And this:

It was the governor's loud demand to call the president's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, as a witness that made the real news. Gov. Nosferatu's criminal defense attorney was Edward Genson, whose job it was to hold the governor's hand and keep him quiet, just as Genson kept Larry Warner, the corrupt pal of former Gov. George Ryan, quiet.

But Nosferatu's demands about Emanuel forced Genson to fire himself from the case.

Read on. And what about David Axelrod? The governor is a threat to the entrenched interests around here. At least some good could come of all this. Hang 'em high.

P.S. Oh, and Maureen Dowd loves Blago. "Which governor is wackier?":

I love Blago.

I love his beady little eyes. I love his Serbian shock of hair. I love his flaring nostrils. I love the way he jogs through the snow under indictment, like a stork in spandex trying to gallop. I love the way he compares himself in quick order to Pearl Harbor, Oliver Wendell Holmes and a dead cowboy.

Red is for Rush

Barack Obama took after Rush yesterday, prompting some speculation from this Red American. Radio Equalizer notes a few numbers--stunning stuff from Thursday's Hannity interview of Rush, a conservative force majeure.

Reagan's inauguration numbers endure as well, outdrawing Obama. Yes.

Note to Barack the Dear Leader wannabe--Red is for Rush, and we'll listen to him whether you like it or not. We still have freedom of speech in this country. And we appreciate a good sense of humor along with a dose of common sense.

Palin's State of the State

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's State of the State address. Part one here. More at Team Sarah. Watch Sarah in action:

President Greg Craig

Who is Greg Craig? He's the guy standing right behind The One. His White House counsel. But who is Greg Craig? His resume, in part:

Aids and abets Castro to snatch back to the island prison a little boy whose mother died bringing him to the US, where people like Craig and Obama don't care.

Acts on behalf of a terrorist, the son of a prominent Panamanian politician, who murdered US Army Sgt. Zak Hernández of Puerto Rico — shot 22 times.

Oh, and he was Bill Clinton's impeachment lawyer. Now Barack is publicly deferring to him, not once but twice, on closing Gitmo. Unbelievable.

If you wondered whether Barack Obama would be a figurehead, given his inexperience, you may have your answer. If you wondered whether Barack Obama was a hardcore leftist sympathizer under his moderate facade, you may have your answer.

President Greg Craig.

Time Fawns on Rahm

Time fawns on Rahm, the Enforcer, but injects a little caution:

Nor is it easy to see a big personality like Emanuel blending into the background--a quality every bit as important as top-notch organizational and political skills to being a successful chief of staff. The best of them are the ones who, by all outward appearances, have no motives or identity outside those of the President. "You are hired for your judgment. You are not hired with an independent agenda," explains Ken Duberstein, who held the job for six months under Ronald Reagan. "When you speak, the voice people hear is the President's voice, not your own." Indeed, if you ever hear anything at all about the chief of staff, that is probably not a good sign.

Rahm in the news. His judgment. Riiiight.

Blago/Axelrod?!

UPDATES below. Blago to go on The View***Tomorrow's news today. (Will this day never end.) IHT:

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois: Federal subpoenas of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration include requests for records involving senior advisers to President Barack Obama.

Among 43 subpoenas released by the Blagojevich administration Friday, one on Dec. 8 seeks any data relating to Obama advisers David Axelrod, Valerie Jarrett and 32 other people and organizations.

That was the day before the FBI arrested Blagojevich on charges that he tried to auction off Obama's Senate seat for campaign cash or a job. Wiretapped conversations show Blagojevich thought Jarrett was interested in the seat.

Obama's staff released a report in December clearing his advisers of wrongdoing in communicating with the two-term Democrat about the seat. But Axelrod, a Chicago political strategist now in the White House, was not mentioned.

Huh?

Did Obama want Jarrett in the Senate or not? First Axelrod said Obama spoke to Blago, before this all blew up, then he said no, he misspoke and Obama always wanted Valerie in the White House. We still don't know the answer to this and it keeps coming up again and again.

And that Obama report also didn't mention at least one key contact Rahm had with Blago's team, which surfaced today in a Sun Times report.

UPDATE: Tribune with news on the subpeonas, including more names:

Others listed on the subpoena are people linked to the 76-page criminal complaint against Blagojevich, which does not identify anyone by name except the governor and his former chief of staff, John Harris, arrested the same day.

They include first lady Patricia Blagojevich and her former employer, River Realty; former Blagojevich aides Lon Monk, John Wyma, Christopher Kelly and Doug Scofield; his brother and campaign manager Robert Blagojevich; Chicago Tribune owner Sam Zell; and Tom Balanoff, Illinois director of the Service Employees International Union. [snip]

Since February 2007, 22 federal subpoenas have arrived at the governor's office.

They include requests to four state agencies for contract information involving Ali Ata. Ata is the one-time Illinois Finance Authority director who testified last spring in federal court that Blagojevich was present when he turned over a $25,000 check to Blagojevich fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko, then asked Rezko if he had discussed a state job with Ata.

Rezko was convicted in the case of 16 counts of fraud, aiding bribery and money laundering in trying to get Blagojevich campaign contributions from companies seeking state business.

And it's official, Blago will be on The View and also GMA Monday. (He's bringing Patti along to talk to the harpies.)

Playing Tag in January

It's January in Chicago--how can we amuse ourselves?

John Ruberry, Marathon Pundit tagged me and then Tom did too (see below), so here goes.

The rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you (done, above)
2. Post the rules on your blog (you're reading them now)
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself (see below)
4. Tag six random people with a link.


1. Non-important thing: I do non-important things every day. When my kids were little a big night out was a run to Walgreen's. Now I blog.

2. Quirk: I like to think I could exist solely on chocolate. This may be the only thing I remotely have in common with Nancy Pelosi.

3. Quirk: In common with Tom, Chicago News Bench, total strangers ask me directions too--even when I myself am out of town and consulting a map. Maybe I look prepared. Maybe it's the freckles. See #4

4. Non-important thing: I have freckles. When I first got glasses back in junior high, they popped out at me. Now they just kind of blend. That's the closest I come to a tan.

5. Habit: I like to walk my little dog every day. I especially enjoy recycling the blue NY Times newspaper bag to clean up after her.

6. Quirk: Let's hope it's a quirk. In case it's not obvious enough, I am a political junkie. I add that I may be addicted to politics, but I have never smoked marijuana, which I used to tell myself could mean I could become a Supreme Court Justice, if needed. But these days it seems less and less likely.

The links:

Wilmette Blog
Bill Baar's West Side
ResPublica
Flying Debris
Conservative Brand
With Both Hands

Police Sanction Gang Shrines in Rogers Park

My friend Tom Mannis, Chicago News Bench:

What a mess in Chicago's 24th Police District and the 49th Aldermanic Ward. David Sobczyk, 24th Dist. Commander recently admitted that it is policy to allow gangsters to make "shrines" to murdered gang members. Community activists were outraged when this was learned, which set some local bloggers (including this one) to post against the practice.

More here.

Illinois: Land of Liabilities

Illinois makes The Economist. Starring our pasty-faced pension funds.

Mention of Tony Rezko. And Alexi Giannoulias.

P.S. If I were Alexi, I wouldn't want my name on the same page with Tony--it reminds people Alexi's bank was Tony's bank.

Is Quinn Kidding?

Illinois GOP:

Is Quinn Kidding?

WBEZ reported today that Pat Quinn doesn’t know whether he would raise taxes when he becomes Governor: “Quinn wouldn’t say whether he would raise taxes or not if he were the next governor. He says he doesn’t know enough about the state’s financial situation to make that call. Quinn blames the Blagojevich administration for keeping that information from him.” (http://www.wbez.org/Content.aspx?audioID=31680)

Just what did Pat Quinn actually do in his six years as Lieutenant Governor? We know he wasn’t rooting out corruption as he promised he would - “In this election, the people will decide who is the best person to root out corruption in state government…I think Rod Blagojevich and Pat Quinn are the best two." (State Journal-Register, Lieutenant governor candidate: Ryan should have probed scandal, October 21, 2002) - And apparently he hasn’t been following the news either. Anyone who can pick up a newspaper or turn on the television knows that his running mate’s feckless and wasteful financial policies have brought this state to the brink of ruin. Is the Lieutenant Governor’s mansion located under a rock?

The job of Illinois’ Lieutenant Governor is to be ready to take over immediately if the Governor dies, steps down, or is removed. Part of being ready to take over is having a working knowledge of the State, including its financial situation.

In the 1996 Democratic Senatorial primary, Dick Durbin accused Pat Quinn of being a ghost payroller for Dan Walker - "Durbin, trailing Quinn by 10 percentage points in a recent Tribune poll, resurrected charges that Quinn was a ghost payroller, performing patronage tasks in the 1970s for Democratic Gov. Dan Walker while on a state commission’s payroll.” (Chicago Tribune, Durbin Attacks ‘Outsider’ Quinn, February 2, 1996) – I certainly don't agree with Durbin’s old accusations, but right now it looks like Pat Quinn hasn't been doing his job. He didn’t know about Rod Blagojevich’s corruption and he doesn’t know enough about the State’s finances to even say whether he’d raise taxes. Just what does Pat Quinn know?

Either Pat Quinn didn’t do his job, or Illinois doesn’t need a Lieutenant Governor.

Kirk Blocks Blago

From Rep. Mark Kirk:
Kirk: Blagojevich Barred from Stimulus Funds

Kirk-Foster Amendment included in House economic stimulus package

Illinois General Assembly to appropriate billions until Blagojevich removed from office

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representatives Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Bill Foster (D-Ill.) successfully attached their bipartisan amendment to President Obama's economic stimulus package yesterday blocking all federal funds to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The Kirk-Foster Amendment directs Illinois' share of the stimulus to the Illinois General Assembly until Governor Blagojevich is removed from office. The Kirk-Foster Amendment was attached to the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" during a full meeting of the House Appropriations Committee late Wednesday.

"Rod Blagojevich has consistently refused to do what is in the best interest of the people of Illinois and resign," Congressman Kirk said. "As the Congress prepares to approve billions of dollars for Illinois, we must ensure the governor is not allowed to use these funds to give himself or others a parting gift. The Illinois General Assembly will be the steward of the stimulus funds until Governor Blagojevich is removed from office."

"The allegations that have been made against Gov. Rod Blagojevich call into question his fitness to distribute federal funds in an effective, fair and ethical manner," Congressman Foster said. "I am proud to work with Rep. Mark Kirk to ensure that the Governor does not have the opportunity to misuse stimulus funding at the expense of our constituents in Illinois."

According to the Congressional Research Service, there are broad powers for the Congress to attach conditions to federal spending to states. In the 104th Congress (1995-96), Congress enacted the Brown amendment allocating TANF funding to the respective legislatures – not the governors. Additionally, state supreme courts upheld state legislative control for federal block grant funds. In Shapp v. Sloan (1977) the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the legislature has ultimate authority to appropriate federal block grants.

The amendment text is below.

AMENDMENT TO AMERICAN RECOVERY AND

REINVESTMENT BILL

OFFERED BY MR. KIRK OF ILLINOIS

Page 11, after line 10, insert the following:

SEC. 1112. ADDITIONAL ASSURANCE OF APPROPRIATE USE

OF FUNDS.

None of the funds provided by this Act may be made available to the State of Illinois, or any agency of the State, unless (1) the use of such funds by the State is approved in legislation enacted by the State after the date of the enactment of this Act, or (2) Rod R. Blagojevich no longer holds the office of Governor of the State of Illinois. The preceding sentence shall not apply to any funds provided directly to a unit of local government (1) by a Federal department or agency or (2) by an established formula from the state.

Thank President Bush

Mission Accomplished: He kept us safe since 9/11. Add your words of thanks here.

And President Obama?

Oh, and former Gitmo detainee shows up as an AQ head in Yemen. Something else to look forward to.

Barack?

More pay to play news

How is it the MSM has just discovered the expression pay to play after playing in the The One's playpen the entire campaign? Politico:

Veteran CBS newsman Bill Plante was one of the most vocal critics, questioning the White House’s handling of Wednesday night’s second swearing in – which was covered by just a four-reporter print pool that didn’t include a news photographer or TV correspondent.

He also asked new press secretary Robert Gibbs why ABC, which paid millions to host the DC Neighborhood Ball, was granted the only inauguration day interview with President Obama – a move he equated to “pay to play.”

“We have a tradition here of covering the president,” said Plante, who is covering his fourth administration.

HT Erick at RedState.

P.S. You know, Blago's just the one that got caught.

Blago Herding Cattle

Blago's defense? He wasn't stealing horses, he was back on the ranch herding cattle.

He's giving his press conference. No poetry yet.

More, dropping prominent Dem names--appealing to the Tribune citing an old case with founder Col. McCormick.

...if they get me no governor is safe!!!

...heart and soul of this is the struggle of me against the system

...he's not guilty of any wrongdoing---whatever happened to the presumption of innocence? They're trying to drive me out of office to raise taxes.

...Cites Rahm as a character witness.

Exit.

AP picks up the Pearl Harbor metaphor. The Mayor calls him cuckoo. When did you discover this mayor? Governor Carpet Bomb strikes again.

Just a lone horseman. Herding the jury pool.

UPDATE: Tribune, Impeachment trial hanging him. WLS playing the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.So here you go, it's Friday: P.S. WLS guys crack, why only newspaper editors, why not ask the children at Children's Memorial to come to his defense?

UPDATE: Legal Insurrection:

Blagojevich Right, But Doing It Wrong

Defeat Lali Watt in Wilmette

I guess last time I was too quietly sarcastic, so I'll be blunt. Defeat Lali Watt for Wilmette village trustee. She pushed the village to spend millions on a bond issue for a now failed real estate project which was entirely predictable--all in aid of "affordable" housing and senior housing. What good is a bankrupt development?

She knew developers were going to cut beautiful old trees down, trees which graciously lined the street for an entire block--for a parking lot. The trees were cut down, and then she remarked in an interview (this is my recollection), "they weren't supposed to cut them down all at once".

She told Catholic voters before the referendum on the project that some sacred areas would be saved--they were torn down and sold off.

And for this travesty Lali Watt received an award from Todd Stroger's corrupt and profligate Cook County Commission.

Filing is still open until Monday at 5.

Rahmbo Less than Truthful

He may have thumbed his nose on inauguration day, presumably at former occupants of the White House, but he may have trouble thumbing his nose at this. Sun Times:

In the days when President Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett sought an appointment to Obama's vacant Senate post last November, Gov. Blagojevich's staff received a call:

Blagojevich should expect nothing in return from Obama for giving the Senate appointment to Jarrett -- nothing but "appreciation."

But the person who made the call wasn't on Obama's team. He was John Wyma, a longtime Blagojevich aide who had been secretly working with the government, according to sources.

Wyma made the call at the request of another friend, the then-president-elect's chosen chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel -- a contact with the Blagojevich camp that was not mentioned in Obama's internal report released in December.

Apparently sources said this was "uncharacteristic" of Rahm, who up until then had previously lobbied for Jarrett himself. And of course Rahmbo claimed when the Blago story broke that he knew nothing about any deal-making. Rahm Emanuel--less than truthful? (Say it ain't so Rahmbo.) And on tape to boot. What will Wyma say to the Feds, with whom he is cooperating?

And Blago wants to call his buddy Rahm, Obama's chosen chief of staff, to testify at his impeachment:

Blagojevich told the Tribune and other media that he would like to call on Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago congressman who's now Obama's chief of staff, to testify. He said Emanuel could help provide a defense because in a television interview last weekend he "made it clear nothing inappropriate" was said in their conversations about naming someone to Obama's former U.S. Senate seat.

Well, he won't testify at Blago's impeachment but the criminal trial is another thing. Rahm Emanuel some explaining to do.

The Redecorating Police

Is this the change America voted for? A President so hands on he has an opinion about bathroom renovations? Barack Obama, redecorating policeman-in chief. Good grief. Bloomberg:

Obama also criticized the way some companies getting federal bailouts are spending their money, and he said stricter accountability will be part of any future assistance.

Without citing any individual or company, Obama said recent reports “about companies that have received taxpayer assistance, and then going out and renovating bathrooms, or offices, or other ways not managing those dollars appropriately” show the need for more scrutiny.

John Thain, the former Merrill Lynch & Co. chief executive officer ousted yesterday, spent $1.2 million redecorating his downtown Manhattan office last year as the company was firing employees, a person familiar with the project said.

But who will police the Obamas?

At the same time, there is the legitimate viewpoint that it sets a bad tone to overspend on redecorating at a time of such financial crisis. Should Smith lean heavily on the vast supply of used furniture available to the Obamas and do some shopping at IKEA? Should he be "designing on a dime" as our columnist Frank Fontana suggests?

I remember Jesse the Body Ventura saved $$$ by having HGTV do a Decorating Cents show for the Minnesota governor's mansion some years ago. How about it Barack? (We don't ask Michelle, because you seem so interested.)

And what about that TRILLION for ZERO jobs. How about the TWO Trillion in pork the Dems want to spend--throwing money away?

Governor Carpet Bomb.

Awk, Blago's on his way to WLS 890 AM (the Rush station) this morning to talk to Don and Roma. The radio station has offered him a job if he resigns. But presumably he just wants to tell his side of the story.

After all, his lawyers have advised him to "carpet bomb" the media, as if he needed any invitation. For starters, he wants to be on The View. It's the front page of the Sun Times, Michael Sneed.

UPDATE: He's talking now...All he asks is that he be allowed to bring in his witnesses to the impeachment trial, and he'll be there Monday morning. He wants to bring Rahm, Valerie Jarrett, Jesse Jr., Governors Doyle and Sibelius as character witnesses on his prescription drug deal...He's not guilty of anything...at the end of the day, he's done his best for the people...what about the next governor--if he gets the lawmakers mad they'll trump up charges, bring in phony witnesses...they want to get him out fast so they can raise income taxes by 66% and have a huge sales tax increase...and the people will see their taxes go up during an economic depression...

...Pat Quinn's going to raise taxes...the Republicans hope they raise taxes so they have a campaign issue

...he's hammering again that he wants to bring witnesses, naming names...

Don asks how is it that your worst enemies are Democrats---do they think you're a Republican? Plays clip from Rep. Ricky Hollywood Hendon about checking the rope...

Blago says the fix is in...pretty transparent there is no fairness if he can't even bring witnesses

...He calls it his personal Pearl Harbor day...

Roma says there are so many happy pictures of you with the mayor, etc., and now they've turned on you, even saying you're mentally unstable--how's your mental state?

He laughs a little, says he's fine, and talks about his faith in God, heartwarming notes he's gotten from people, the Bible is filled with stories of hardship...

Don asks why did Durbin and Dem leadership flip on the special election?

He says it's politics. Roma says panic. He claims Illinois would have been harmed had he not done his duty and made his pick...and now that Burris has been sworn in Dick Durbin is holding a party for him, and Harry Reid showed up..

Don says you've been under investigation for a number of years, didn't you think your phone might have been tapped?

pause...it crossed his mind... anyone who comes out of Chicago would worry about that...apologizes for his profanity--he was only talking to men, he wouldn't talk like that in public

Roma asks why he appointed a regular pol...

He says he thought of appointing a citizen activist--Don gets in a plug for his campaign for Senate--he spent 10 bucks on his website.

Don asks if he's going to be on The View rather than appear before the impeachment committee? Blago says he's dying to show his innocence.

What will the next governor do? He will have to kiss the legislators you know what and be forced to work with the special interests against the people's interests.

Don says Blago is connecting to people, a clerk at the 7-11 told him she hopes they don't send him to prison, he's done so much for us. (Awk.) Don asked her, but what if he's a criminal? ...Blago ignores that and talks about all he's done for working people.

...He says sometimes you win battles, sometimes you lose some...but women are getting mammograms now...

Roma asks why people are moving out of Illinois--per the movers more out than in

Blago says one reason is Todd Stroger's high Cook County sales tax

Don says network news anchors now know how to pronounce his name

Roma says he's welcome any time

Blago says people say he's defiant by not quitting--he's going to try to say this with humility--if he'd done something wrong he would resign, but he's an honest man and he wants to clear his name, doesn't want his little girls to grow up thinking he's done something wrong when he didn't...if Sen. Cullerton respects the Constitution and lets me call witnesses I'll be there Monday morning.

Don brings up Nixon, left office and was never convicted of anything. (Awk) Blago thinks lots of Presidents were great, thinks Obama will be a great president.

Blago, Nixon was a fighter, (accepts some comparison), but would rather compare himself to Teddy Roosevelt. He was inspired to become a boxer by Teddy.

Don says there's only one Rod Blagojevich, you're special. (Don cracks me up.) Blago says thank you. Don says it's educational for people to hear what you have to say.

(Blago wants to give us a civics lesson!!!) He says it's healthy for democracy! He's a good guy who stands up against the establishment, cites some old movies (Clark Gable in It Happened One Night), Jimmy Stewart...he says "It's a Frank Capra movie"

Thank you Governor.

P.S. Don says after Rod left-- he didn't want to put on a headset because, the hair you know.

Stand by your man, Michelle

Michelle in Top Ten.

Imagine

No to Throwing Money Away

Kudlow:

Meanwhile, a new CBO report has pulled the rug out from under the Obama stimulus package. Of $355 billion in infrastructure and other cash outlays, only $136 billion would be spent by October 2010. And out of the roughly $100 billion in infrastructure spending, only $26 billion would be spent in fiscal 2009. So much for a quick and immediate jolt to the economy. Oh, by the way, even if the entire stimulus package were put into play, various people have calculated that the estimated 3.5 million new jobs would cost $225,000 per job.

In today’s Wall Street Journal, distinguished Harvard economist Robert Barro estimated that the so-called government-spending multiplier for GDP associated with peacetime government purchases would be “insignificantly different from zero.” While left-wing economist Paul Krugman rants on about opponents to Keynesian stimulus — calling them quacks — a growing list of prominent academic economists oppose the Keynesian approach. In yesterday’s Journal, economists Alberto Alesina of Harvard and Luigi Zingales of the University of Chicago rejected the Keynesian spending approach while suggesting that a capital-gains tax holiday would bring private investors back into the market.

Stanford economist John Taylor also opposes the stimulus package. So does University of Chicago’s Eugene Fama. So does University of Chicago Nobelist Gary Becker. So does New York University professor Thomas Sargent. And Harvard economist Greg Mankiw, who similarly opposes the Keynesian stimulus, has used his highly popular blogsite as a clearinghouse of opposition.

Snowdrift on the Beach

One TRILLION for ZERO Jobs?

One TRILLION for ZERO jobs created? Does this sound like a good deal to you? A wise use of resources? How about a pig in a poke. Watch:

No Stimulus!

(UPDATE:The link is working again)
No Stimulus.comSign the petition!

UPDATE 2-9 Getting lots of traffic. I find the link is not working--I have contacted Americans for Prosperity. Hopefully they will fix it and then I will for you. UPDATE: I just talked to them they are getting so much traffic their site is not processing--they are working on it.

UPDATE: An AFP email from yesterday:

he fight to stop this trillion dollar stimulus scheme is not over!

Two big events occurred yesterday afternoon in the Pelosi-Reid-Obama big-governmen/big-spending bill battle.

First, at 4:00 P.M. our band of Americans for Prosperity staffers, interns and volunteers delivered your 69,487 petitions to the Senate. There to thank you were four of the true free market champions in the Senate – Sen. Jim DeMint (SC -- our leader), Sen. Jeff Sessions (AL), Sen. David Vitter (LA), Sen. James Inhofe (OK) and Sen. Mike Enzi (WY).

Our event led the 6:00 P.M. national FOX News show! Cameras were also therefrom CNN and CBS Evening News. To theright is an image from FOX News, your petitions looked great and the senators and media were stunned. Also, make sure to check out picture of the event on the AFP Flickr page and the full press conference is up on the AFP YouTube page. All four senators said their phones are ringing off the hooks at the capitol with callers running heavily against the spending bill and your petitions were an even more clear indication of our momentum.

If you wonder whether or not you're making a difference, just check this quote out from Roll Call (Capitol Hill's insider newspaper) “Everyone is really unhappy on the messaging,” one senior Democratic aide said. “Members are apparently getting beaten up badly on the package at home."

Then, last night during a procedural move the Senate announced that the key vote on the Pelosi-Reid-Obama bill will be this Monday at 5:30 P.M. Simply put, we need 40 Senators voting NO at that point to stop the bill (normally would be 41 but due to the recount the Minnesota seat is vacant so it in effect counts as NO).

This means we have two more days to intensify the pressure on the Senate. Phil Kerpen from our AFP staff personally delivered just over 2,400 petitions to Senator Specter (PA) one of the key undecided Republicans and he told me the office staff was harried and tired from all the "attention" they're getting.

You've probably heard big government supporters talk about how the Pelosi-Reid-Obama trillion dollar giveaway is genuine "stimulus" and not just another wasteful, pork-filled, pet program spending outrage. Well, even President Obama had a moment of candor last evening when describing this bill to the House Democrat caucus.

Here's what the President said, "[T]here's the argument, well, this is full of pet projects. When was the last time that we saw a bill of this magnitude move out with no earmarks in it? Not one," he said to applause. "So then you get the argument, well, this is not a stimulus bill--this is a spending bill. What do you think stimulus is?"

You have to hand it to President Obama -- talk about audacity. Of course, he was not talking to the American people but instead to a couple of hundred hardened big government politicians at a private retreat. I bet his message to the broad public will be a lot different!!

Thank you for signing the NoStimulus.com petition to Congress. Thank you for taking action to protect our freedoms and our nation. But, now is the time to do more.

Requests before the Monday vote:

By Monday's vote, our goal is 100,000 petition signatures at NoStimulus.com so we must add another 20,000 signatures.

Nearly 14,000 of you have forwarded the NoStimulus.com site to your friends and family and it's made a huge difference. But, many of you have yet made this important step. It’s you guys that are going to make this a success. Please take a moment to forward this email or go to NoStimulus.com and send the site to your friends. And, please CC me when you do it -- it's a great encouragement to our team when we get these emails from you to your friends!

As we monitor the site we find that literally thousands of people are going on the site to view the petition counter -- the media, congressional offices, pollsters and political operatives -- it's the surest, quickest way to see if we're maintaining momentum and energy on our side.

Also, first thing Monday morning I urge you to call your Senate office one more time -- even if you've called already. The switchboard number is 202-224-3121. Or, go on line and get the number for your senator's local office in your home state. Heck -- DO BOTH. Tell them about the Obama quote or go to NoStimulus.com for new talking points. These calls matter so much.

Please forgive me for this long email update but I have to share one last thing with you. It's an email from Sherri in Cary, NC that sums up the energy so many of you are displaying while making a great point at the end. Take a look:

Tim, Thanks for all your work and communication. I sent emails to all 100 Senators yesterday asking them to vote against this porkulus bill - or as Obama called it last night - this "Spending Bill". I called my 2 senators offices and have told all friends I can about signing your petition. I felt less frustrated after doing all this - at least I'm doing what I can to voice my opinion about this disastrous debt-ridden liberal Christmas list.

Sherri
Cary NC

Let's keep fighting!

Sincerely,

Tim Phillips
President, Americans for Prosperity

P.S. Watch Harry Reid describing the "compromise" and admitting the bill is approaches $1 trillion and saying they didn't get everything they wanted - "No one lost anything. Everything in here is new money."

Pat Quinn Stayed Silent

The Lieutenant Governor from Blagojevich

The "Reform" Commission

Illinois GOP:

NOTE: Chairman McKenna has received and accepted an invitation to speak before the Reform Commission in the coming weeks.

Statement from ILGOP Chairman Andy McKenna on first meeting of Pat Quinn's Reform Commission:

“Any discussion about reform in Illinois must address the Blagojevich Democrats’ six years of silence on the widening investigations into the Blagojevich Administration and the unethical behavior that turned this state into a national embarrassment.

“While Illinois was facing its largest corruption probe in history, Blagojevich Democrat Pat Quinn rode into office on a wave of Rod Blagojevich’s dirty money and enabled and endorsed his running mate even as reports of corruption became crystal clear.

“The people of Illinois are hungry for change and understand that we cannot enact reforms without addressing the cause of our problems, which includes Blagojevich Democrats like Pat Quinn failing to call out leaders in his own party throughout years of widespread reports of corruption.”

A New Tone?

Wounded Vets Upset at Bush Insult During Vets Inaugural Ball Concert?

And Obama stiffs Medal of Honor recipients.

A new tone?

Innocence Lost (on the Left)

Despite misgivings, Tim Geithner's nomination for Treasury Secretary has been advanced out of committee. But there is fallout-- Geithner (and Obama) get hammered from the Left. Jeffrey Klein, Huffpo, "President Obama Fails his First Hard Choice":

"Tim Geithner, when I nominated him, was rightly lauded by people from both sides of the aisle, from the market, from labor, as somebody who was uniquely qualified." Obama responded when questioned about Geithner's taxes. "Is this an embarrassment for him? Yes. He said so himself. But it was an innocent mistake. It has been corrected. He paid the penalties."

Geithner didn't make one mistake. He committed multiple transgressions over the course of many years. To call them "an innocent mistake" is as insulting as deducting your kid's expensive summer away camp as a childcare expense, which Geithner tried to do. Furthermore, Geithner paid the majority of his missing taxes and penalties only after he was nominated to be Secretary of the Treasury. His situational ethics are directly at odds with the culture of personal responsibility that Obama has set as his foremost goal.

Some wry observations from the WSJ.

I would imagine both Geithner and House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel are relieved the confirmation hearings have been conducted in the Senate.

P.S. We won't hold our breath on any Dem run investigation of Charlie Rangel. And doesn't Geithner's abuse of TurboTax remind you of the Obama donations modus operandi--where his campaign had to knowingly override fraud safeguards. "Creditable" explanation yet to be forthcoming.

--crossposted at Anatreptic

A Responsibility Era

UPDATE: HotAir:

While the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress keep upping the ante on the new stimulus package, the Congressional Budget Office thinks the entire exercise is pointless. Their new report states that at least half of the money will come too late to have any effect on the recession.

***Barack Obama's campaign is over, now comes the governing part. What will he do now that he's not on the campaign trail, speaking to one interest group after another? He has to make decisions. WSJ on his inaugural speech:

Mr. Obama's first principles were harder to discern. He acknowledged that the power of the market "to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched," while warning it can also "spin out of control." He added that "the question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works," and said that where it doesn't, "programs will end." This all sounds like traditional American pragmatism. But his use of the passive voice is revealing -- no government program ever ended of its own accord, and ending them takes political will. He is of course also proposing the largest expansion of entitlements in two generations (see here).

The American people have made their choice of president--now it's time for Barack Obama to make his choices, and let's hope they are responsible ones. Will the future of the young people who elected him be crushed with debt?

As Democrat Give 'Em Hell Harry Truman said, the buck stops here. That's why he's one of the greats.

Dalai Lama: Terrorist Minds are Closed

Perhaps this is a post-Mumbai awakening, but surely it takes a special kind of courage for the Dalai Lama to speak out in the face of the prevailing liberal wisdom which has swept the earth of late. (Those poor terrorists, why do they hate us.) (Obama, Obama) The Indian Express:

The Dalai Lama, a lifelong champion of non-violence candidly stated that terrorism cannot be tackled by applying the principle of ahimsa because the minds of terrorists are closed.

"It is difficult to deal with terrorism through non-violence," the Tibetan spiritual leader said delivering the Madhavrao Scindia Memorial Lecture here.

He termed terrorism as the worst kind of violence which is not carried by a few mad people but by those who are very brilliant and educated.

"They (terrorists) are very brilliant and educated...but a strong ill feeling is bred in them. Their minds are closed," the Dalai Lama said.

He said the only way to tackle terrorism is through prevention.

The head of the Tibetan government-in-exile left the audience stunned when he said "I love President George W Bush."

Any guesses how soon he'll be invited over here again by the liberal celebrity culture that runs this country now. Their darling no more. And I would imagine the terrorists will be none too happy with him either. Well, they don't need him now, they have Barack Obama. He himself made an ambiguous speech on the subject, with something for everyone.

HT Mick, Anatreptic, who also makes some candid and brilliant observations.

Lake County Young Republicans Thursday

Impeachment Update,

& Discussion on the Future of the GOP in IL

Lake County Young Republicans to Join Forces with State Legislators

LIBERTYVILLE, IL - The Lake County Young Republicans will be hosting an event with Senator Matt Murphy, Senator Dan Duffy, Representative Ed Sullivan, Representative Sandy Cole, Representative Suzie Bassi and many more elected officials. The legislators will give an update on the impeachment process and then open it up for a discussion on the future of the Illinois Republican Party. All Republicans are encouraged to come join in the discussion and have their voice heard.

WHAT: Impeachment Update Event & Discussion on the Future of the GOP in IL

WHEN: Thursday, January 22, 2009 7:00pm

WHERE: Austin’s, 481 Peterson Rd, Libertyville, IL

The Lake County Young Republicans is an organization that strives to attract fresh faces and ideas to the Republican Party. Its members consist of young people dedicated to strengthening the Republican Party through the commonsense principles of personal accountability, limited government and fiscal responsibility. To learn more about the LCYRs, email lakecountyyrs@gmail.com.

Palin on the Glenn Beck Show

This is from Monday night, in case you missed it. Watch:

Bonsai at the Botanic

From the Chicago Botanic Garden,Bonsai at the Botanic, plus other plant shows:

While January welcomes the New Year with lovely silver and white winter landscapes, there is plenty of indoor color, warmth, and activities. Take a Greenhouse stroll or a winter walk; visit the snowscapes in the new Dwarf Conifer Garden and the bonsai silhouette show; and bring the family to classes and lectures.

Send a winter greeting e-card to friends and family, and download new winter Garden desktop wallpaper.

AQ: Premature Suicide Edition

Doesn't sound like such a great recruitment tool for al Qaeda, does it? Suicide prematurely whether you like it or not. We are talking plague. You know, the kind that spreads rapidly and kills horribly. This story first surfaced in The Sun, now the Washington Times gets some confirmation on the biological or chemical weapons experiment turned deadly:

An al Qaeda affiliate in Algeria closed a base earlier this month after an experiment with unconventional weapons went awry, a senior U.S. intelligence official said Monday.

The official, who spoke on the condition he not be named because of the sensitive nature of the issue, said he could not confirm press reports that the accident killed at least 40 al Qaeda operatives, but he said the mishap led the militant group to shut down a base in the mountains of Tizi Ouzou province in eastern Algeria.

He said authorities in the first week of January intercepted an urgent communication between the leadership of al Qaeda in the Land of the Maghreb (AQIM) and al Qaeda's leadership in the tribal region of Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan. The communication suggested that an area sealed to prevent leakage of a biological or chemical substance had been breached, according to the official.

"We don't know if this is biological or chemical," the official said.

As the Robb/Silverman commission concluded, they have been working on this stuff since the 90's. There is some discussion it might have spread beyond this cell, as al Qaeda uses human couriers to evade higher-tech surveillance. The Algerian cell was apparently working on unconventional weapons to target Europe. More from the Counterterrorism Blog.

Good Morning America

I wish President Obama well. Yesterday was for the most part a great celebration of America, as it should be.

It is a blessing for the country to have a young family in the White House.

America goes back to work today, as does our president.

The Geithner hearings are on this morning, with the new administration pulling out all the stops by having him introduced by former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker. Of course, in the end, Volcker whitewashed Kofi Annan's involvement in the UN oil for food scandal.

And back in Chicago, as the president was being sworn in, our governor Blago was being fingerprinted.

Michelle and Barack's Big Night

Some initial reviews on Michelle and Barack's big night. Is the honeymoon over so soon? It's my party and I'll whine if I want to.

Not classy

When I read that the crowd today booed President Bush — and then saw a video of it — I thought of a quip my friend Eddie made, not long ago: “When the Left asks for a classless society, now I know what they mean.

Jay Nordlinger, NRO. Video here:
Nor was this. Review here. I would add that the CNN-ers kept kind of making excuses for the speech, which is kind of a giveaway, so Bevan is not alone.Here is center-left TNR's take. I thought it was unexpected--no big applause lines, but I liked the part where he said to the terrorists--we will defeat you, and his hearkening back to George Washington.

A good gesture

President Obama gives a shout out via video connection to an Illinois unit in Afghanistan. At the commander in chief ball.

A very good gesture.

P.S. Too many Cubs fans though. I agree with the president on that.

Chicago Young Republican Party Tuesday

CHICAGO — DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett will host an inaugural evening party Tuesday here to celebrate our great democracy and to launch a rebirth of the Republican Party in a state run by Democrats at all levels.

“The inauguration of a President is one of the great traditions of our nation,” Birkett said, “and it is a good evening to gather and celebrate our democracy. At the same time, it is also a good time to regroup and talk about rebuilding our party and our state in the wake of the mess Democrats have made of it.”

The media is welcome to attend the event:

Ready to Rebuild?
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009
Dugan’s on Halsted
128 S. Halsted, Chicago
5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Cocktails & Appetizers
$50 per person
$20 Young Republicans
RSVP to Barb @ (630) 690-7100 or barb@joebirkett.com

“Young people are the future of the Republican Party and we hope they enjoy our event. It is not an anti-Barack Obama event, it is an event to help shape the future of our party,” Birkett said.

Ayers too terrorist for Canada

Breaking self-imposed blogger silence during the Obama anointing:

Obama's Terrorist Pal Bill Ayers Turned Away at Canadian Border

(The) One man's freedom fighter is another one's terrorist. Bill Ayers, too terrorist even for those mild-mannered Canadians who accepted our draft dodgers back in the day.

But he's welcome in Floridastan.

P.S. How come he's not at the inauguration? Security concerns?

The Obama Moment

The Obama moment. See you in a few days or so, folks.

Our Visionary Geniuses

Cook County is poised to buy a commissioner-owned golf course. As the Chicago Daily Observer asks--what fiscal crisis? Maybe they will cut down below average trees and turn it into a parking lot, as the village visionary-geniuses did in Wilmette's now bankrupt Mallinckrodt development. My friend John Powers lays it all out in his St. Barbara blog.

Gee, maybe they can sell Mallinckrodt to Cook County and turn it into a forest preserve?...too bad, they already cut the trees down. Maybe our trustee Lali Watt can (quietly) advise interested parties (again) not to cut down all the trees at once...it might look bad. Such genius.

P.S. Yes, truly an unsung heroine:

For her work on the Mallinckrodt campaign Lali was awarded an "Unsung Heroine" award by the Cook County Commission.

Remember, you have a voice, folks

The Tipping Point: Welfare as a Way of Life?

Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan (R-01), the district just to the north of us, and Peter Wehner, WSJ, "Beware of the Big-Government Tipping Point: Socialized health care fundamentally changes the relationship between citizens and state":

Nationalizing health care will be profoundly detrimental to the quality of American medicine. In the name of cost control, the government would make private investment in medical innovation far riskier, and thus delay the development of potentially lifesaving treatments. [snip]

Of course, this health-care plan is occurring against our particular fiscal backdrop: Without major reform, our federal entitlement programs will soon double the size of government. The result will be a crushing burden of debt and taxes.

In short, we may be approaching a tipping point for democratic capitalism.

Do we as Americans really want welfare as a way of life? Womb to tomb dependency? Is this any kind of life? Ryan offers an alternative roadmap for America's future:

UPDATE:Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va), CNN Politics:

Specifically, we want to keep the stimulus bill -- as well as all other future economic "rescue" measures -- limited in scope and transparent.

Our country has no other choice. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued a sobering report that this year's deficit will likely climb to over 8 percent of U.S. gross domestic product, or $1.2 trillion. That's higher than at any point since World War II -- and those figures don't even account for the forthcoming stimulus.

Such heavy borrowing runs the risk down the line of rampant inflation, which scares away foreign capital while making the purchasing power of the dollar weaker for American consumers.

Power of Prayer on the Day

Sadly, the choice of Rick Warren to give the inauguration invocation has drawn controversy from some intolerant quarters of the country who merely pay lip service to freedom of speech and respect for diversity. Apparently diversity of ideas doesn't count. But this is not news to conservatives, or to conservative Catholics like me, or Mormons. Please, let us give evangelical Christians their due:

For starters, evangelical church leaders believe instinctively in localism: the church, not the state, is the most effective institution to deliver meaningful help to those in need. So, for example, Saddleback's church network has sent over 2,600 small groups to "adopt" poor villages in Rwanda. For all his talk of social justice, Warren emphasizes the immediate human dimension to social problems--the need for strong families and moral communities that offer both assistance and accountability. Unlike his liberal counterparts, Warren's ministry enlists churches, not political action committees, as the catalyst for social change. [snip]

No minister can claim immunity from the temptations of political power. Nevertheless, Warren was right to accept Obama's invitation to offer a benediction. He will do so, as he has said, as a believing Christian. That will disappoint many Obama supporters, who reflexively associate conservative religion with social repression. They will be reminded, to their discomfort, that Christians who believe firmly in the need for spiritual redemption can also be crusaders for the poor and marginalized.

An evangelical prayer on Inauguration Day also seems fitting, given Obama's historic election as America's first African-American president. It was, after all, an earlier generation of evangelicals--believers with the same reformist zeal as Rick Warren--who gave birth to the abolition party, the party of Lincoln, the president who freed America's slaves. Henry Ward Beecher, a Republican who campaigned for Lincoln in 1860, warned his Brooklyn congregation against a political compromise that would allow slavery to spread. "If we go on to purchase peace on these terms, we become partners in slavery, and consent, for the sake of peace, to ratify this gigantic evil," he said. "We cannot wink at it."

Rick Warren is a good and serious man, and whether you believe in God or not, there is a place for the power of prayer on the day.

Let the girls be girls

Yeah, I thought this was strange too when I saw it in the paper. Leftie Slate's the XX Factor: Can't Obama Just Talk to Malia and Sasha? Telegraphing the world you're so wonderful...

Whose benefit is all this attention? Let these girls grow up without having to be "on" all the time.

The Road to Tax Hell...

If you'd suggested in the Seventies a new federal agency to cope with municipal snow removal in Connecticut, you'd have been laughed out the room. But, with government, mission creep isn't a bug but the defining feature. In mid-September, the "bailout" was a once-in-a-lifetime emergency measure to save the planet. A mere four months later, it's the new baseline. If your congressman's lousy boondoggle has got six zeroes on the end, it's an earmark: Boooooooooo! If it's got 12 zeroes, it's a "stimulus": Hurrah!

Mark Steyn

Ode to Ayn

OK, one more post this weekend:) Missed this. New Trier grad, now WSJ guru Stephen Moore--read Ayn Rand's 'Atlas Shrugged'. It's not fiction any more, it's the nightmare we're living. HT the guys at Hillbuzz.

I read this when I was 14. That's almost 40 years ago.

Tangerines on the Table

Capturing sunshine where we can. Have a good weekend!

Palin Approval by Public Up

Sarah in the news--she'll be on Glen Beck's new show on Monday. Her interview with Breitbart's new Big Hollywood site was a big success. As her interviewer John Ziegler notes, the reaction of the MSM proves his point. And the public seems to agree, as her numbers bounce back. RedState:

A majority of those polled agree with Gov. Palin’s criticism of her treatment at the hands of the media during and after the 2008 campaign. When asked the question “Do you think Sarah Palin has been treated fairly or unfairly by the press?”, 58 percent said she was treated unfairly. Only 35 percent responded that she had received fair treatment. Among Republicans the margin was 85-12, among independents 58-36. Even 41 percent of Democrats agreed that press treatment of Gov. Palin had been unfair. These results appear to contradict the claims made by some columnists that the governor’s recent criticism of the media for its treatment of her and her family was “not credible” and that she “overplayed her hand“.

Iconoclastic feminist Camille Paglia on Palin (and Couric), in case you missed it:

As I have repeatedly said in this column, I have never had the slightest problem in understanding Sarah Palin's meaning at any time. On the contrary, I have positively enjoyed her fresh, natural, rapid delivery with its syncopated stops and slides -- a fabulous example of which was the way (in her recent interview with John Ziegler) that she used a soft, swooping satiric undertone to zing Katie Couric's dippy narcissism and to assert her own outrage as a "mama grizzly" at libels against her family.

Ideology-driven attacks on Palin became clotted liberal clichés within 24 hours of her introduction as John McCain's running mate. What a bunch of tittering lemmings the urban elite have become in this country. From Couric's vicious manipulations of video clips to Cavett's bourgeois platitudes, the preemptive strike on Palin as a potential presidential candidate has grossly misfired. Whatever legitimate objections may be raised to Palin on political grounds (explored, for example, by David Talbot in Salon) have been lost in the amoral overkill that has defamed a self-made woman of concrete achievement in the public realm.

And let me take this opportunity to say that of all the innumerable print and broadcast journalists who have interviewed me in the U.S. and abroad since I arrived on the scene nearly 20 years ago, Katie Couric was definitively the stupidest. As a guest on NBC's "Today" show during my 1992 book tour, I was astounded by Couric's small, humorless, agenda-ridden mind, still registered in that pinched, tinny monotone that makes me rush across the room to change stations whenever her banal mini-editorials blare out at 5 p.m. on the CBS radio network. And of course I would never spoil my dinner by tuning into Couric's TV evening news show. That sallow, wizened, drum-tight, cosmetic mummification look is not an appetite enhancer outside of Manhattan or L.A. There's many a moose in Alaska with greater charm and pizazz.

I also see Governor Palin and her Alaska team are neck and neck with Indiana in the state-to state fitness competition. The refreshing Sarah Palin will be back.

P.S. I really like her style--pearls and a parka.

Hamas' Dead Baby Strategy

Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, Washington Times:

The Hamas "dead baby" strategy - to cause as many civilian casualties as possible by firing its deadly rockets from schools and densely populated areas - is producing understandable outrage around the world. What is not understandable is why the outrage is directed against Israel, which is a victim of this strategy, rather than against Hamas, which is its perpetrator. Hamas knew exactly what it was doing when it fired more than 6,000 rockets at Israeli kindergartens, elementary schools and playgrounds from behind its own children. It was playing Russian roulette with the lives of Israeli children in order to provoke a defensive response from Israel.

Hamas knew that Israel, like any democracy, would have to take whatever military action was necessary to stop the rockets. As Barack Obama put it when he visited Sderot, a town that had been victimized by more than 1,000 rockets and several deaths: "If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that. And I would expect Israelis to do the same thing." Hamas also knew that Israel could not stop the rockets aimed at its children without accidentally killing some Palestinian children because Hamas was using Palestinian children as human shields for its rockets. Despite its best efforts to avoid killing civilians - Israel gains nothing from such "collateral damage" and loses much-Israeli missiles have killed dozens of innocent children who were deliberately placed in harm's way by Hamas terrorists.

Hamas also knew that the media would show the dead Palestinian children around the world and cause outrage to be directed against Israel for causing their deaths. Indeed, it had its camera crews out and ready to film and transmit every gruesome image of every dead Palestinian child. Well not quite every Palestinian child! When a Hamas rocket aimed at Israeli children misfired and killed two Palestinian children, Hamas censored all images of these dead Palestinian children, because they were killed directly by Hamas rockets rather than indirectly by Hamas using them as human shields. That is the way Hamas manipulates the media coverage of its gruesome "dead baby" strategy.

The media, of course, serves as Hamas' facilitator. [snip]

Other nations in the world are susceptible to similar strategies, as the United States learned, when it went after the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and discovered that they too use civilians as human shields.

Unless this "dead baby" strategy is exposed and rejected in the marketplace of morality, it's coming to a theater (or school or hospital) near you.

Here's the cartoon Dershowitz notes:

Are we warm yet?

Jack Higgins. What's the latest on the supposed man-made global warming? The discovery of Martian methane suggests solar-induced global warming. The American Thinker.

Are we warm yet? Debate over; It's freezing:) David Harsanyi, Denver Post.

Previous posts: The Goracle Questioned by Huffpo, Eco-Scamming

Ayers Draws Dissent

Bill Ayers was invited to speak at Florida State University by the Institute for Liberal Studies. Protesters gathered outside, but were moved by police to a designated free speech zone:

FSU senior and member of College Republicans Ashley Schow, bearing a sign reading “Ayers lied, people died,” took issue with the confinement of their protest.

The free speech zones on campus are designated by the Board of Trustees. While recognizing that events such as this may stir strong feelings, FSUPD spokesperson Major Jim Russell said his primary concern is maintaining order. “It can’t be an out-of-control type situation,” Russell said. “There are classes going on, there are people that are going about their business. You’ve got to make sure it’s a safe event.”

Liberals--making the world safe for unrepentant domestic terrorists.

The subject? School reform.

Take Action Against Card Check!

One way to kill any recovery dead is for Congress to pass Card Check legislation. Of course, the Dems as usual euphemistically call it the Employee Free Choice Act, but it is anything but as it takes away their secret ballot. Even an old liberal like George McGovern is opposed.

Remember Bill the Union Boss bully?He's still flexing his muscles, now that the Dems are in the majority in both houses of Congress and the White House. Call or write your reps to Vote NO on card check!! Don't let them take away your choice. Don't let them shutter your small business. Don't let them take away a basic individual liberty, America!

GOP Revival in Illinois?

Speaking of local heroes, Illinois has a new Republican candidate for Congress in the 11th, Adam Kinzinger. A decorated former Special Ops pilot, Kinzinger saved a woman's life. Just as he got back from a mission, he found another one. News video here. The Red Cross named Adam Kinzinger hero of the year. Brave Hearts. More on his stellar background at Marathon Pundit.

As far as the Senate for 2010, Illinois is in play for the GOP. The Cook Political Report:

The Hero of Flight 1549

The hero of Flight 1549, Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III.

And the co-pilot took the shirt off his back for a passenger. He hails from Wisconsin.

P.S. The name of the captain of the first ferry boat that reached the plane--Vince Lombardi.

Is it Fiction?

Blago's impeachment prosecutor, the lawyer-novelist, gets some press in the ABA Journal:

Ellis was principal author of the report by an Illinois legislative panel that recommended Blagojevich’s impeachment. But his legal writing is considerably broader than that.

Ellis has also authored five novels and is about to publish a sixth. The five published novels are all murder mysteries, and two feature characters related to fictional governors, according to a summary of the books on Ellis’ website. One novel features the daughter of a governor with political ambitions. Another chronicles the chief aide to a governor and a hidden scandal.

"People always ask me, 'What made you start writing?' " Ellis writes on his website. "The truth is, I was a writer before I was a lawyer. When I was in fourth grade, I entered a school district-wide writing contest. I wrote a story called 'The Loch Ness Mystery' about two boys who solved a crime in Scotland. Guess what? It won the contest. Guess what else? In hindsight, I realized that every entry won."

And his wife works for AG Lisa Madigan. Next book? Daughter of a house speaker with political ambitions for governor maybe. And gee, how did he ever come up with the name of Tony Rezko for one of his characters. But maybe this is all getting too close for comfort--Ellis might should go back to writing about Nessie. Crime seems to pay, though, in Illinois.

Suspension Bridge Solargraph

Taken by a coke-can camera over time. The astronomy pix of the day. (If you'd had a few you might think it was the northern lights, but no.)

Geithner Knew He Was Cheating

The tax allowance has turned out to be a key part of the Geithner situation. This is how it worked. IMF employees were expected to pay their taxes out of their own money. But the IMF then gave them an extra allowance, known as a “gross-up,” to cover those tax payments. This was done in the Annual Tax Allowance Request, in which the employee filled out some basic information — marital status, dependent children, etc. — and the IMF then estimated the amount of taxes the employee would owe and gave the employee a corresponding allowance.

At the end of the tax allowance form were the words, “I hereby certify that all the information contained herein is true to the best of my knowledge and belief and that I will pay the taxes for which I have received tax allowance payments from the Fund.” Geithner signed the form. He accepted the allowance payment. He didn’t pay the tax. For several years in a row.

Byron York, NRO

Back to Basics on TARP

WSJ, "Leadership and Panic":

Democrats are also insisting that as much as $100 billion go to prevent more home foreclosures, though this will have little impact on housing prices. The evidence from the last two years is that foreclosure mitigation often merely delays a reckoning because many of these homeowners never could afford the home in the first place. Meanwhile, Mr. Frank, the Dr. Kevorkian of capital injections, wants to impose new management and compensation restrictions on any institution that gets TARP money, whether it is well-managed or not. The bankruptcy "cramdown" now streaking through Congress will also impose more losses that will destroy more bank capital. [snip]

We supported TARP as a way to prevent a financial meltdown, providing public capital to help regulators manage problem banks, arrange mergers, and work off bad assets. TARP has since become a cash pool for all and sundry, casting a pall over the entire financial system. Mr. Obama would make more progress against recession if he steered the TARP back to the purpose that Paul Volcker and Eugene Ludwig first proposed on these pages -- as a resolution agency on the model of the Resolution Trust Corp. of the 1990s. Working in tandem with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., such an outfit could close problem banks before they collapse, serve as a holding and work-out agency for bad assets, and then sell them back over time into private hands.

Thank You, Mr. President

I'll watch the speech tonight, but I want to say, history will judge you well. Thank you, Mr. President.

P.S. Ace on the quintessential Bush moment. Watch and remember:

Scrutiny of Burris

Plus, Ruth Marcus, WaPo, "My Beef with Burris"***Mike Flannery, CBS2 report on the scrutiny of Sen. Roland Burris. Video:

Can we get our trees back?

Can we get our trees back? Not to mention our money? Wasn't there a bond issue in there somewhere in the millions?

Mallinckrodt foreclosure in Wilmette.

Oh, and the village has its hand out to The One.

Exit question--who is going to pay for all this "wish list" anyway? It will cost even more after the bureaucrats and all the pols and middle men get done with it. (Doesn't money grow on trees?)

Related post: Follow the Money Hits O?

Sen. Roland Burris (D-Blago)

Illinois GOP:

Meet the Junior Senator from Blagojevich

Today Roland Burris was sworn in as the junior Senator from Illinois. But in reality he is the junior Senator from Blagojevich.

The voters didn't select Roland Burris, their impeached Governor did. He didn't win this seat by promising to fight for the people of Illinois, he got it by being Blagojevich's loyal ally.

Burris and his companies have donated over $20,000 to Governor Blagojevich, his lobbying clients have donated over $100,000, and Burris himself endorse Blagojevich for re-election in 2006, saying, “I think he’s doing a helluva job”. Just recently on NBC’s “Today Show”, Burris refused to call on Governor Blagojevich to resign.

Burris has been amply repaid for his loyalty. His consulting firm received almost $300,000 in state contracts under Blagojevich, his lobbying clients received over $3 million in state contracts, his nephew was hired for a cushy state job, and finally, Burris received a Senate seat that he could never have won in an election.

Below is a short outline of just how close the Blagojevich-Burris alliance is.

An ally of Blagojevich

Burris and companies he controls have donated over $20,000 to Rod Blagojevich (Illinois Board of Elections)

* * *

“Blagojevich's administration has been beset by investigations and the conviction of Rezko, a onetime top adviser and fund-raiser. But a crowd still turned out, including former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris, lobbyist Al Ronan and ex-Blagojevich staffer-turned-lobbyist John Wyma.” (Backers turn out for gov's fund-raiser, Chicago Sun Times, June 27, 2008)

* * *

“Those listed on the invitation as hosts of the fundraiser include…former Attorney General ROLAND BURRIS, now a lobbyist.” (Blagojevich money machine rolls on, conflict or not, State Journal-Register, April 6, 2006)

* * *

“Among the notable figures who attended the Blagojevich campaign event was the governor's "kitchen cabinet" adviser Antoin Rezko, a wealthy businessman who has raised political funds for him. Also present were Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, who introduced the governor before his speech, and former attorney general Roland Burris.” (Governor raises $4 million, Copley News Service, June 17, 2005)

* * *

“Just days after Gov. Rod Blagojevich accepted his party's nod for re-election in 2006, a letter arrived at state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka's office seeking thousands of pages of documents Blagojevich could use as ammunition against her in their upcoming campaign.

The letter was signed by Roland Burris.

It was one of several requests Burris made to the treasurer's office in 2006, a campaign practice known as opposition research in which candidates use public documents to question their opponents' records.” (Burris helped Blagojevich in 2006, Chicago Tribune, January 11, 2009)

Questionable Government Contracts and Lobbying Work

Mr. Burris’ consulting firm, Burris and Lebed, have received nearly $300,000 in state contracts. (Illinois Comptroller’s office)

* * *

“Burris, his lobbying firm, his clients and a law firm that includes him donated $127,986 to Blagojevich since the governor took office. Burris himself gave $4,500 to the governor, including $1,000 last June. His lobbying firm, Burris & Lebed Consulting, gave $10,796 in cash and services. The law firm with which Burris is affiliated kicked in $5,000 for the governor. Burris' consulting firm has gotten $294,546.30 in state contracts under Blagojevich.

Burris' lobbying clients -- which were under contract with the state for $3.09 million while he represented them -- contributed $107,690 for the governor.” (Gov's pick faces a fight; Obama against Blagojevich's surprise decision, Senate Democrats say they won't seat Burris, Chicago Sun Times, December 31, 2008)

* * *

“In 2003, the finance firm Loop Capital Markets got more than $750,000 in pension bond business from the Blagojevich administration as part of the governor's $10 billion bond program to pay off state debt. Burris, whose firm was on a $5,000-a-month retainer with Loop Capital, said then that there was nothing wrong with the arrangement.

"We make sure that the client has access, and the client has to have a product or services that the customer can use, and that it is a competitive product," Burris said.” (Burris Practiced in Political Arts, Chicago Tribune, January 8, 2009)

* * *

“A company headed by former state comptroller and attorney general Roland Burris has been awarded a $150,000 state contract to advise disadvantaged businesses on how to improve their operations and ultimately win state contracts.” (Consulting firm awarded $150,000 contract by IDOT, State Journal-Register, June 16, 2004)

* * *

A Believer in Patronage

“In 1994, his final year as attorney general, Burris hired his nephew, Steven R. Burris, as a staff assistant in the attorney general's office. Months later, while running for Chicago mayor, Burris defended the hiring by saying his nephew was qualified.” (Burris Practiced in Political Arts, Chicago Tribune, January 8, 2009)

* * *

“Also Thursday, a close confidant of Burris confirmed he called another top Blagojevich staffer, John Filan, to recommend Burris' nephew for a state job. Fred Lebed, Burris' partner, called on behalf of Steven Burris, who had applied for a job as a chief financial officer with the Illinois Historical Preservation Agency.

Lebed said later, the governor's co-defendant and former chief of staff, John Harris, approved hiring Steven Burris. But Burris never started at the agency that had cut 32 jobs.” (Roland Burris asked ex-Rod Blagojevich aide about Senate seat, Chicago Tribune, January 9, 2009)

Where do you get your news?

It's been 3 years since I started this blog, in part in protest of biased coverage in the MSM, local and otherwise. Here's one of my earliest efforts on Illinois, as Blago was just starting his successful 2006 reelection campaign.

As my friend Tom Mannis at the newly revamped Chicago News Bench reminded me, internet news has now overtaken print and is second only to TV as a news source. The online alternative the Chicago Daily Observer gets a new look as well. Among the young internet rivals TV, and I would imagine this will only accelerate. I still listen to talk radio for a few shows, but it's while I'm blogging. I usually just watch one cable news show a day. I still subscribe to print newspapers, but the recycling bin fills up fast. I do like scanning the print pages though.

The Sun Times reports the Tribune is looking to outsource its foreign reporting to the Washington Post, while the Sun Times looks to outsource some of its workforce overseas. Locally, some of the suburban newspapers, the real estate rags, (who often have censored letters to the editor and local news) have been closed down.

I don't know how this will all end up, but I intend to keep blogging. And I have a few ads on my site now.

Many thanks to my son, who encouraged me to start this blog, and to John Ruberry, Marathon Pundit, my blogger mentor, as well as Bill Baar and Diane at ResPublica, who linked early. I am also very appreciative of RealClearPolitics Tom Bevan's encouraging words early on.

Current kudos to my friend Mick, Anatreptic, who invited me to blog over there.

Finally, I blogged over at BlogHer for a while, but they threw me out as a "bomb-thrower", and I wasn't moderate enough for the LadyBlog at Culture 11, so that didn't last long. But during the election season I was invited to be among the top 100 pundits by new site PoliticsHome, which looks to continue during the era of The One.

How Cool Are You

We reached the beginnings of deep freeze territory today. I still hear birds singing outside in the sunshine. Amazing.

High today, minus 2. It's not often we go below zero around here, but this is the season. The Tribune solicits survival advice from frigid Fargo. The year I was up in my northern Wisconsin hometown it hit 60 below on Super Bowl Sunday. I guess it was fortunate it wasn't Green Bay's year. The radio gave advice if your car broke down--layer up with bear grease and newspapers.

A kid in Indiana stuck his tongue on a light pole on a dare. No kidding. Each generation has to make its own mistakes, as they say....

In other news, our new Senator, Roland Burris, goes to Washington. He says he is "naturally" going to follow the lead of Dick Durbin and others. Naturally. The One is already there.

The Politico says Dems are "cool" on seating their newest fellow Dem in the Senate. Really?

Michelle O Laid Off

Chicago Daily Observer.

P.S. Attention has turned to her fashionista skills--equally important:

Bowles said the 5-foot-11-inch former hospital vice president won’t likely make many fashion faux pas (as did a young, less knowledgeable Diana in her early days as Princess of Wales).

And for the White House?

And now Michelle Obama has found the perfect candidate for White House interior designer in the next administration: Michael S. Smith, a Los Angeles-based designer to the stars - Steven Spielberg, Cindy Crawford and Rupert Murdoch among his clients.

Next case: the private quarters of the executive mansion.

The Truman Balcony goes Armani.

"I would love to redecorate the White House,'' Smith told Domino magazine last year. "I am sick of the paint color.''

How about the pink house--but that's a little too associated with um, a dictatorship. Does the MSM have to gush?

Idiotarian of the Year

Cast your vote for the 2008 Idiotarian of the Year award at LGF.

Blago's on the list, though he's not currently leading.

Another War, On Our Border

Mexican Drug wars may cause our neighbor to the south to collapse--instability on a par with Pakistan. Well, at least they don't have nukes. But they are right next door, and we have already seen some of this violence spill over. My friend Fausta with more.

Ed fight, fight, fight

Michael Barone was at that Beltway gathering with the President Elect last night. His brief remarks today, but here is a reading list he put together for Obama, this suggestion on education:

Education. Jay Mathews has been writing about education for the Washington Post for 27 years, and his book, Work Hard. Be Nice. How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America, is just out, with a publication date of January 20. The subject is KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, which now has more than 50 charter schools operating around the country.

You never know, something might come of it. I would think though, that the teachers union will fight, fight fight any reform tooth and nail, as they sadly have for a lost generation or two.

How Hamas "Fights"

The Israeli Defense Forces capture a Hamas intel map. In this video you can see how Hamas fights, deliberately putting their own people in harm's way:

Illinois GOP Post-Vote Statement

Illinois GOP:

Statement from Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna on the second impeachment vote and the senate organization of the impeachment committee:

"Illinois Democrats endorsed Rod Blagojevich's re-election in 2006 when many of these impeachable offenses were in the public realm, and by not stripping him of his senate appointment power they endorsed Governor Blagojevich's handpicked choice for the United States Senate.

"The people of Illinois are ready for real change, not more empty promises from a party that made Illinois a national embarrassment."

Earlier:

What Took Blagojevich Democrats So Long?

When Rod Blagojevich swears in the new General Assembly today, the first votes in both chambers will likely deal with his impeachment and trial. The Senate and the House, both dominated and led by Democrats who endorsed and worked to reelect Rod Blagojevich in 2006, deserve to be asked the same question: What took you so long?

The press accounts below show that many of the offenses for which Rod Blagojevich was impeached were widely known before his reelection in November of 2006. And despite their knowledge of what they now say are impeachable offenses, state Democrats endorsed and reelected Rod Blagojevich anyway.

Emil Jones and Mike Madigan both endorsed Blagojevich in August of 2005 and served as his campaign co-chairs, despite a steady stream of increasingly damning reports of his conduct. (Chicago Daily Herald, Democrats say Suburbs can be a Stronghold, August 18, 2005)

Incoming Senate President John Cullerton endorsed Blagojevich as well, saying “Oh, yes, absolutely…I think he deserves a second chance” (Chicago Sun Times, Gov lacks support in trenches, January 8, 2006)

Illegal Importation of Flu Vaccines:

Associated Press, January 31, 2005: Comptroller refuses to honor Blagojevich deal for flu vaccine: Illinois' chief financial officer said Monday his office would not pay for the millions of dollars in flu vaccine that Gov. Rod Blagojevich ordered from Europe but never got federal approval to import.

Associated Press, March 3, 2005: Blagojevich's flu vaccine purchase under fire with lawmakers: Gov. Rod Blagojevich's plan to buy flu vaccine overseas amounted to a $2.5 million publicity stunt that may have violated state law, some lawmakers charged Thursday…Rep. Jack Franks, chairman of the House State Government Administration Committee, said he wants an audit of the program because the governor's aides acted as though taxpayer money was "theirs to spend without any oversight or accountability."

Associated Press, August 3, 2005: Thousands of unused flu shots Illinois agreed to buy have expired: All of the 700,000 flu shots Illinois ordered from Europe last year amid fears of a national shortage have expired, Deputy Gov. Bradley Tusk told The Associated Press on Wednesday…The deal could cost taxpayers $2.5 million - the amount Illinois agreed to pay for its share of the shots, which were never approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for import…Gov. Rod Blagojevich ordered the doses of flu vaccine overseas last October, despite not having FDA approval to import them.

Copley News Service, September 19, 2006: Governor ignores drug-plan audit, plans to expand anyway: Thumbing his nose at a state audit that concluded Illinois' program to import prescription drugs violates federal law, Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced Tuesday he intends to expand it to include state employees and retirees…The audit released Tuesday by Illinois Auditor General Bill Holland also found that the governor's office went ahead with an attempt to import flu vaccine in 2004, even after federal officials had found additional supplies and informed the administration they would not allow the imports.

Crain’s Chicago Business, September 25, 2006: Guv uses Rx plan to raise re-election campaign money: With a campaign war chest of more than $12 million, you wouldn't think Gov. Rod Blagojevich would need to tap taxpayer money to fund his re-election bid…But that's just what he did when he used state dollars and workers in an illegal and unnecessary scheme to import prescription drugs and flu shots from abroad. Illinois Auditor General William Holland last week pegged the cost of Gov. Blagojevich's I-SaveRx at a minimum of nearly $1 million…The tab could rise considerably if the state goes forward with the program, as Gov. Blagojevich insists it will. Bills for unused flu shots alone could exceed $8 million.

Illegal Prescription Drug Program:

State Journal-Register, September 20, 2006: Governor to expand drug imports; Despite criticism by auditor, FDA's disapproval: Thumbing his nose at a state audit that concludes Illinois' program to import prescription drugs violates federal law, Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced Tuesday that he intends to expand it to include state employees and retirees.

Chicago Sun Times, September 20, 2006:Gov's drug program illegal, state auditor says: Gov. Blagojevich's highly touted drug-import pharmacy is little used and illegal, the state auditor said in a blistering report Tuesday…Blagojevich launched I-SaveRX in October 2004 to great fanfare. Consumers could save up to 50 percent by importing prescriptions from foreign pharmacies approved by the state, he said. But the auditor's report said importing prescription drugs "is in violation of federal law."

UPI, September 21, 2006: Illinois drug import program draws critics: I-SaveRx created two years ago by Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich is aimed at helping senior citizens and state workers obtain cheaper prescription medicines. However, critics say the program is illegal and inadequate, Business Insurance reported.

Crain’s Chicago Business, September 25, 2006: Guv uses Rx plan to raise re-election campaign money: With a campaign war chest of more than $12 million, you wouldn't think Gov. Rod Blagojevich would need to tap taxpayer money to fund his re-election bid…But that's just what he did when he used state dollars and workers in an illegal and unnecessary scheme to import prescription drugs and flu shots from abroad. Illinois Auditor General William Holland last week pegged the cost of Gov. Blagojevich's I-SaveRx at a minimum of nearly $1 million.

Ignoring Freedom of Information Act Requests:

Associated Press, September 14, 2005: Governor endorses child-safety program, but won't release a review on it: Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced a $650,000 plan to keep schoolchildren safe from predators Wednesday, but his administration won't release its own review of the program's effectiveness.

The Pantagraph, July 1, 2006: Proof of $5.3 million savings isn't being released: We're glad to hear the state says it has saved more than $5.3 million by reducing its fleet of cars over the past two fiscal years. But the public has yet to see the proof. And the governor's office won't release the study that supposedly caused this savings… The governor's office wouldn't release the study even after Lee News Service filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the report. The state claims the study is in draft form, so it's exempt from open records laws.

Chicago Sun-Times, July 21, 2006: New fed subpoenas concealed: Gov. Blagojevich's administration has been hit with new subpoenas in a federal probe of its hiring practices but is concealing them from its own department heads and voters as election season heats up.

State Journal-Register, October 27, 2006: Madigan: Release subpoenas; Governor's spokeswoman says they'll stay secret: Subpoenas are public records…That's what attorney general Lisa Madigan said to Gov. Rod Blagojevich Thursday in telling the governor's office that subpoenas received by his administration must be disclosed under the state Freedom of Information Act...A Blagojevich spokeswoman said via e-mail Thursday evening that the records will remain secret.

Chicago Sun Times, October 27, 2006: Gov rejects Madigan's subpoena order: Attorney General Lisa Madigan ordered Gov. Blagojevich's administration Thursday to release copies of all subpoenas issued by federal investigators probing corruption under the governor…But Blagojevich's office Thursday indicated it would not abide by Madigan's order, setting up a possible constitutional showdown between two of the state's top Democratic officeholders.

The Pantagraph, November 3, 2006: Governor's secrecy an insult to Illinois citizens: Gov. Rod Blagojevich is demonstrating his arrogance and his lack of commitment to the free flow of information by refusing to release information on unsuccessful job applicants and subpoenas his administration has received in a federal investigation of corruption. …These refusals have persisted despite opinions from the Illinois Attorney General's Office that the public is entitled to see this material under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.

Illegal Hiring:

Copley News Service, January 21, 2005: Blagojevich, Mell spat gets even more bizarre: Chicago Alderman Dick Mell, Blagojevich's father-in-law, said appointments to state boards and commissions were up for sale by the administration. Specifically, he said Blagojevich's top fund-raiser, Christopher Kelly, was the guy doing the selling. Objecting to his portrayal as sleazy, Kelly threatened to sue Mell unless the alderman retracted his statements.

January 25, 2005: Governor's family dispute brings Chicago politics to new level of incivility: An apparently long-simmering disagreement between the two became public earlier this month when Blagojevich shut down a landfill run by a distant relative of his in-laws. Mell responded by telling reporters his son-in-law was destroying the family.
And he added a more serious accusation: that Blagojevich's chief fund-raiser had traded government appointments for $50,000 campaign contributions.

Associated Press, July 1, 2006: Letter confirms federal probe of hiring by Illinois governor's office: The hiring practices of the Illinois governor's office are the focus of a federal investigation into possible misconduct at several state agencies, a federal prosecutor said in a letter made public Friday…U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in the letter he is looking into "very serious allegations of endemic hiring fraud" by Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration. The allegations include violations of restrictions against using politics to award jobs.

Associated Press, July 23, 2006: Illinois governor's office hired by name well into 2004: Gov. Rod Blagojevich's office was approving candidates by name for state jobs as late as fall 2004, nearly 18 months after aides said a "blind" hiring system was created, documents show…Well into Blagojevich's second year in office, his chief of staff and personnel director continued to sign off on names of candidates for such jobs as secretary, auto mechanic and film office intern, nearly 300 employment forms obtained by The Associated Press reveal.

Associated Press, August 8, 2006: Illinois governor office closes loopholes on hiring interns: Associated Press reviews have found that the program, in which the average age is 31, included many campaign contributors or their relatives. Because they were considered interns and not true state employees, they could be hired without going through normal procedures. Internships went to a spouse and cousin of top Blagojevich aides, the 60-year-old relative of a Democratic congressman, a lawmaker's son who already was on the state payroll in a similar capacity, and a longtime state employee and former campaign staffer who was named one agency's $54,000 human resources director.

UPI, August 11, 2006: Thousands with clout got Illinois jobs: Political connections helped thousands of applicants get hired by the state of Illinois according to the administration of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Copley News Service, August 24, 2006: Hard to keep track of hiring offenses: State agencies have hired over 260 "public administration" interns. One-third of them have official ties to the Democratic Party - the governor's party. These interns aren't just co-eds fetching coffee. They're adults making $54,000 as prison business administrators, or $55,000 as human resources honchos. Coincidentally, classifying a job as an internship removes it from hiring restrictions, such as giving preference to veterans.

Chicago Sun Times, September 13, 2006: Gov family gets $1,500, public gets schooled: For the record, my kids have never gotten a $1,500 check for their birthdays from a single one of our friends. Not when they were little, not when they got bigger. Not once…And we have very generous, good friends…But fifteen hundred bucks is a sizable chunk of change to drop into a kid's birthday card and, if that kid happens to be the 7-year-old daughter of Rod Blagojevich who ran for governor on the "I'm Not George Ryan" bandwagon, it's staggeringly stupid.

Copley News Service, September 22, 2006: Blagojevich says he made job inquiry for gift-giver's wife: Gov. Rod Blagojevich acknowledged Thursday that he inquired about a possible state job for the wife of a friend who later presented a $1,500 check to one of the governor's children…But he vigorously denied that the check and the job had anything to do with one another…Blagojevich also offered conflicting information about the purpose of the September 2003 gift from Michael Ascaridis, whose wife, Beverly, became a state parks administrator about a month earlier. The governor said the $1,500 may have been for his youngest daughter, Annie, now 3, on the occasion of her christening.

Associated Press, October 5, 2006: Ill. Gov. Questioned Over $1,500 Check: For months, Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been fending off accusations he bungled government programs and awarded jobs and contracts to contributors and cronies. But suddenly, one issue has cut through the clutter: a $1,500 gift to one of his daughters.

Roll Call, October 24, 2006: Election Day Is Almost Here, Yet Scandals Continue to Surface: For more than a year, the Blagojevich administration has been besieged by allegations of corruption and investigations by state and federal authorities. Recently, questions have been raised about a $1,500 gift to one of the governor's young daughters from a longtime friend whose wife had recently been hired for a state job. And Tony Rezko, a top fundraiser and adviser to Blagojevich, has been indicted on federal corruption charges.

Governor Hang Together

Blago's political theater again today, as the cameras of the country were turned on Illinois at noon. The occasion was the impeached governor's swearing in the new Senate session of his jurors. Tribune:

After Cullerton was sworn in, Blagojevich gave a brief speech. He asked the Senate to, like him, say a prayer for President-elect Barack Obama's success and offered a nod to Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday next month. Quoting Lincoln, he asked them to work on the state's problems "with malice toward none and charity for all."

Blagojevich did not mention his upcoming impeachment trial. The governor then left the chamber through its back entrance and did not stop to take reporters' questions.

I especially liked Sen. Heather Steans' (D-Chicago, naturally) speech nominating the new Chicago Machine Dem Senate President, in which she mentioned his lawyerly background as appropriate for impeaching their Dem governor, and quoted Ben Franklin, "We shall all hang together, or hang separately". Somehow I think Ben would be appalled at being quoted on this occasion, an impeachment by the perp's enablers--especially after they turned down a recall measure last year.

The new Illinois House confirms its impeachment.

In other news, Barack Obama nominates a Treasury Secretary who cheats on his taxes. What notorious Chicago figure was convicted of tax evasion by an earlier version of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald? You guessed it.

Related posts: Paglia: Nixonian Dark Arts Rahm, Governor Booed? (no, they didn't boo him), Follow the Money Hits O?, In an otherwise smooth path

Paglia: Nixonian Dark Art Rahm

Who would have thought Camille Paglia would be so naive? But until faced with the Chicago Way, most observers can't quite believe the sleaze and thuggery. I would suggest this is the usual Democrat party playbook at its most crass, but it is essentially the Democrat party all the same.

However, you are quite right to call the controversy over the indictment of buffoonishly sly Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich a "mess." That the normally deft Obama team mishandled its rapid response to it was obvious from the get-go. Obama's first statements about his and his staff's communications with Blagojevich were inadequate at best and misleading at worst. Then there was a second stage of needless blunders when Obama opposed the tarnished Blagojevich's perfectly legal appointment of Roland Burris to fill Obama's vacated Senate seat -- a foolishly hard line that the president-elect inevitably had to reverse.

The usual tranquil transition period between an election and inauguration has certainly been overshadowed by the murky Blagojevich scandal, but I think most reasonable people would give Obama a pass on it. Any new president must learn crisis management the hard way. No evidence to date directly implicates Obama in Blagojevich's follies. But Obama's future chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, the arrogant Chicago scrapper who was reportedly a conduit to the governor, already seems like an albatross who should be thrown overboard as soon as possible. Nobody wants a dawning presidency addicted so soon to stonewalling, casuistry and the Nixonian dark arts of the modified limited hangout.

But Barack Obama chose Rahmbo with the full knowledge if his, shall we say, talents. That is why he chose him, presumably to use him as much against Democrats as the GOP--congressional Democrats, to keep their rampant liberalism in line so The One would be reelected and Dems wouldn't be tossed out in the midterm elections a la Clinton's first term.

What The One didn't bank on was that Rahmbo would be caught on tape negotiating with Blago.

Going the Greenie Distance

Who can fail to be in awe of such intricate thinking? Reason's Hit and Run:

Recently-elected Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) recently conducted an odd stunt to promote some electric car technology apparently being developed in his district. He wanted to drive an electric car from his district to his swearing-in at the Capitol in D.C. Problem is, the distance between those two points is out of the car's range. So here’s what he did:

It involves an electric car and an SUV.

Governor Booed?

Snowing again. As we know:) Dug out my newspapers. Blago swears in his own jury today, including his sister in law, noon today:

"I think it's going to be eerie," Sen. Susan Garrett (D- Lake Forest) said Tuesday. "It's like being a part of a family where you're in a position to try to convict a family member—because we worked with him. Whether we liked him or didn't like him, we've been with him for six years."

A family member?--sorry, that's no excuse. Maybe that might work for Patti's sister [Deborah Mell], but she's just starting her term. Of course you could then ask how is it she got elected? The family business.

Throw them all out, before this state goes beyond dysfunctional to totally bankrupt. We already have moral bankruptcy. For some, the crowning blow may be that we've most certainly lost the Olympics. The Capone stench has overpowered the Barackstar aura. Ah, but as Kass notes, Obama has brought some of the Combine bi-partisanship to Washington, and into his cabinet.

P.S. On WLS, Roma wonders if Blago will be booed on the floor.

P.P.S. The lawyer who will conduct the impeachment on the Senate floor, beginning Jan. 26th, is apparently a man of parts:

Ellis has written five novels, including one involving a character named Tony Rezko, though it bore no relation to Blagojevich's top fundraiser and adviser Antoin "Tony" Rezko, who was convicted on federal corruption charges. Ellis said there was "no significance" to the use of the name.

Where are you going to put them?

61 Gitmo detainees released in good faith have returned to terrorist activities. And those were the ones who were thought more likely to have left terror behind them. What do you think the ones left are like, hmm? Where are you going to put them, Barack, Cook County Jail? The governor's unused mansion in Springfield? What if they escape on our mainland and kill someone, kill thousands, take even one child hostage?:

Pentagon officials say that about 110 detainees should never be released because of the potential danger they pose to U.S. interests.

Keep Gitmo open. It's the responsible thing to do.

Follow the Money Hits O?

Wow, is this under the radar. An Illinois connection to the Richardson scandal. The American Spectator Blog:

One reason the Obama transition team pushed New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson overboard was concern that other close associates of Obama might be drawn into the burgeoning "pay for play" scandal that is now enveloping not only Richardson, but also the administration of Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, as well as other prominent Democrats.

"The biggest concern is [Valerie] Jarrett and anyone associated with the public housing industry in Chicago," says an Obama transition team adviser. "Some of Obama's earliest and most influential fundraisers came from the low-income housing industry."

In fact, according to federal law enforcement sources, the company at the center of the "pay for play" scandal, CDR Financial, was about to announce the opening of a new office in Illinois. "They were expecting to make some money there, just how and how much isn't clear yet, but it's something that is being looked at."

Web pages on the CDR website that announced contact information for the Illinois office mysteriously were taken down about a week ago, about the time that Richardson announced he was withdrawing from consideration for Commerce Secretary.

And because of Obama's ties to the housing industry in Illinois, there is growing concern that the CDR story is not something that will go away any time soon, and it threatens to touch some of Obama's closest advisers.

It's not just Rezko, either. Read on. For a refresher, an early housing post, Follow the Money and early mention of Obama's old boss, Alison Davis. Oh, and Dinner with Barack.

UPDATE: Here's the story on Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell.

In an otherwise smooth path

This morning we learn Hillary has been busy accommodating Bill's friends, this afternoon this. Via Drudge:

President-elect Barack Obama's choice to run the Treasury Department and lead the economic rescue effort disclosed to senators Tuesday that he failed to pay $34,000 in taxes from 2001 to 2004, a last-minute complication in an otherwise smooth path to confirmation.

No problem, you're in. The Dems run everything. What are a few taxes between friends. What's a few thousand when we are talking trillions. Hellava job Team Bambi:

Obama reiterated his support Tuesday for Geithner as senators who are considering the appointment quizzed Geithner behind closed doors.

"He's dedicated his career to our country and served with honor, intelligence and distinction," incoming White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. "That service should not be tarnished by honest mistakes, which, upon learning of them, he quickly addressed.

I thought these guys were supposed to be brilliant? And why is it Dems always get to pay it back after the fact, no problem? Oh, and he also inadvertently hired an undocumented worker.

These guys are smooth all right.

Just an ordinary girl

She wears blue jeans and running shoes... just an ordinary girl...

under her hijab... Hezbollah style...

aspiring filmmaker... or suicide bomber.

LA Times, reporting from Lebanon.

TWO Trillion

Time to roll out the logo again, for the era of hopenchange. James Pethokoukis: Liberals: We Need $2 Trillion in Stimulus Spending

Clearly we are in new territory.

UPDATE: Apropos:

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of American adults are opposed to a government economic recovery plan that does not cut taxes, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Passing the Torch