Reid, Leahy Try to Sway Bush's Court Decision

Senate Democrats are trying, once again, to “reach out” and help President Bush with his next selection to the U.S. Supreme Court.

--NewsMax.com--

Senate Democrats seem to think that “Advice and Consent” is a power they hold exclusively, as if senate Republicans have no say in the matter. - Ed.

Bush Team Resists Tax Hit on Oil Profits

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration, facing mounting pressure from the U.S. Congress to address record energy costs, has ruled out a tax on soaring oil company profits.

--Toronto Globe and Mail--

Those who believe another tax on oil company profits isn't going to be passed on to consumers are fools. It's good to know that Bush isn't one of them. - Ed.

Bone Marrow Donors Risk DNA Identity Mix-up

It sounds like an open-and-shut case: a clear DNA match is made between semen from a serious sexual assault and a blood sample from a known criminal. Yet in a recent case from Alaska, the criminal in question was in jail when the assault took place. And forensic scientists had already matched the crime sample to the DNA profile of another person who was their prime suspect. It was only after careful detective work that the mystery was solved: the jailed man had received bone marrow from the suspect many years earlier.

--New Scientist--

Military Families ‘Disgusted’ by Sheehan

A number of Gold Star military families say they are “thoroughly disgusted with Cindy Sheehan and her publicity stunts.”

--CNSNews.com--

But see who continues to get the media attention. - Ed.

Economic Activity Jumps 3.8 Percent in Third Quarter

The output of goods and services in the United States increased at an annual rate of 3.8 percent during the third quarter of 2005, a sign that the impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the economy might not be as severe as previously believed.

--CNSNews.com--

Oil Industry Seeks to Cast Huge Profits as No Big Deal

By most familiar comparisons, the $9.92 billion profit earned by Exxon Mobil Corp. in just three months is almost unimaginable. It would cover all Social Security benefit payments for three months. It would pay for an Ivy League education for about 60,000 kids. It would pay the average list price for more than 160 Boeing 737s. It would fund the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for more than two months.

--Washington Post--

Lewis Libby Indicted, Resigns

Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby was indicted Friday afternoon on five counts in connection with the investigation into who leaked the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame to the media - one count of obstruction of justice, two felony counts of making a false statement and two counts of perjury.

--CNSNews.com--

I listened to the beginning of Fitzgerald's press conference, and was appalled when the prosecutor went on and on about how this was a matter of national security, that it's so important to protect the identity of CIA officers, yet there is nothing in the indictment charging any crime related to those things. Clearly, Fitzgerald figured out early on that there was no crime here. So who's going to ask the essential question - What did Fitzgerald know about the lack of crime, and more important, when did he know it? Why, if he knew there was no crime, did he drag on an investigation for two years? Was the only purpose to try to entrap someone into misspeaking? It certainly looks that way to me. - Ed.

Krauthammer: ‘What Didn't Happen Today?’

Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer - who is credited with calling for and predicting the Harriet Miers Supreme Court nomination withdrawal - was left puzzled by Friday's indictment of Lewis “Scooter” Libby in the CIA Leak probe.

--NewsMax.com--

Indictment ‘Evidence of White House Corruption,’ Dems Say

Democrats seized on news Friday that Vice President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby was indicted on five counts in the Valerie Plame case, with some accusing the Bush administration of conspiring to lie to the American people about the war in Iraq.

--CNSNews.com--

Watch for gross distortions in the media, which will report whatever appears on the Democrat talking-point faxes. Mark Levin stated that he heard a “news” report that Libby had been charged with outing a CIA agent. I can almost understand an average (i.e., below average intelligence) journalist misconstruing what Fitzgerald said in his news conference, but the fact is that such a charge does not appear in the indictment. - Ed.

DeLay Decries ‘Politics of Personal Destruction’

AUSTIN - U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay sent constituents a letter Thursday calling the prosecution against him the “politics of personal destruction,” and said he has come under attack because he's been a strong advocate of conservative causes.

--Houston Chronicle--

Miers Withdraws; Bush ‘Reluctantly’ Accepts

President Bush said on Thursday that he has “reluctantly” accepted Harriet Miers' request to have her name withdrawn from consideration for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.

--CNSNews.com--

Conservatives Pleased; Liberals Worried

“It's been a difficult few weeks for the president, his conservative base, and Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers herself.” said American Values President Gary Bauer on Thursday.

--CNSNews.com--

I won't be pleased until Pres. Bush nominates a proven conservative “originalist” to the Supreme Court. - Ed.

Barnes: ‘The President Needs a Brawl’

Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard, said the president should welcome a fight for the next Supreme Court nomination - this time, with Democrats squealing about the selection and conservatives firmly back in the Bush camp.

--NewsMax.com--

Sen. Hatch: Democratic Filibuster? Bring It On!

When Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with Harriet Miers on Oct. 4th, he said he intended to support her nomination, and now says he still would, had she remained a candidate.

--NewsMax.com--

Author: Leo

Date: Friday October 28, 2005 20:18

I wonder which Harriet Miers he would support?

Iraq Ambassador Predicts Troop Pull-Out in a Year

WASHINGTON - The United States may be able to pull back some U.S. troops from Iraq over the next year, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq predicted on Wednesday.

--Reuters--

Cindy Sheehan Called ‘Desperate’ For Media Attention

Like many other anti-war demonstrators, Cindy Sheehan has been waiting for the 2,000th American to be killed in Iraq. When that happened on Tuesday, Sheehan, the mother of one of those slain soldiers, resumed her protest in front of the White House -- a tactic that one of her critics called “desperate.”

--CNSNews.com--

Sheehan would have done well to emulate Rosa Parks who passed away this week. Rosa did what she thought was right without seeking her “15 minutes of fame”. Unfortunately for Sheehan, that opportunity has passed. - Ed.

‘Arrogant’ Black GOP Candidate Launches Senate Bid

Even before Maryland Republican Lt. Gov. Michael Steele announced on Tuesday that he was running for the U.S. Senate in 2006, Democrats had labeled the first African-American to hold statewide office as “arrogant” and “out of touch.”

--CNSNews.com--

Let's not forget that Chuckie Schumer's staff illegally obtained Steele's credit records. They must really fear him to go to such lengths to defeat him. - Ed.

Brown Had Resignation Plans Before Katrina Hit

Michael D. Brown was days away from announcing plans to resign as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency when Hurricane Katrina hit Aug. 29, according to e-mails released by separate House and Senate investigations into the government's flawed response to the disaster.

--Washington Post--

Hillary Clinton Proposes Massive Energy Tax

2008 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said yesterday that she backs a plan to hike gasoline taxes through the roof.

--NewsMax.com--

Do you think Madame Hillary doesn't understand that taxes on corporations aren't passed on to the consumers? Of course she does, but like all big government ‘liberals’, she knows that the unwashed masses don't understand it. - Ed.

Poll Finds Discontent with Both Parties

WASHINGTON - Americans are increasingly critical of President Bush and dissatisfied with the Republicans who have controlled Congress for a decade, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll finds.

--USA Today--

Author: Linda Cebrian

Date: Wednesday October 26, 2005 22:16

Like the saying goes: "Politics is show business for ugly people."

Draft Constitution Adopted by Iraq Voters

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's landmark constitution was adopted fairly by a majority of voters during the country's Oct. 15 referendum, as Sunni Arab opponents failed to muster enough support to defeat it, election officials said Tuesday. A prominent Sunni politician called the vote "a farce.

--Yahoo! News (AP)--

Iraq War Foes Ready for 2,000th Military Death

WASHINGTON - Cindy Sheehan, the military mother who made her son's death in Iraq a rallying point for the anti-war movement, plans to tie herself to the White House fence to protest the milestone of 2,000 U.S. military deaths in Iraq.

--ANC News (Reuters)--

That sounds like an incentive to keep the troops there. - Ed.

British MP Denies US Oil-For-Food Allegations

LONDON - A controversial British legislator challenged U.S. senators to charge him with perjury Tuesday after a Senate subcommittee accused him of lying under oath.

--CNSNews.com--

Top Bush Supporters Set to Launch Anti-Miers Ad Campaign

A 30-second TV ad is set to air tomorrow, Wednesday, that some believe may be as effective at helping stop the Harriett Miers confirmation as the Swift Boat ads were in helping stop John Kerry.

--Human Events--

New Republican Immigration Plan Breaks with White House

WASHINGTON - An influential Republican Senator introduced legislation on Tuesday that would allow many of the estimated 8 million to 12 million illegal aliens in the United States to eventually gain legal status in a proposal that broke with the Bush administration.

--Reuters--

Democrats Suffering From ‘Ethics Vertigo,’ Republicans Charge

Almost two weeks after former U.S. Rep. Frank Ballance, a North Carolina Democrat, was sentenced for misusing taxpayer money, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee still has not returned the thousands of dollars in "dirty money" that Balance contributed to the DCCC, the National Republican Congressional Committee wants everyone to know.

--CNSNews.com--

Hearing Set for DeLay's Request to Remove Judge

AUSTIN - A retired judge will decide whether state District Judge Bob Perkins' donations to Democratic organizations make him too biased to hear the criminal case against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay.

--Houston Chronicle--

Wilson's Credibility Debated as Charges In Probe Considered

To his backers, Joseph C. Wilson IV is a brave whistle-blower wronged by the Bush administration. To his critics, he is a partisan who spouts unreliable information.

--Washington Post--

It's odd that the Washington [Com]Post would run a story like this now. Are they playing a little game of CYA perhaps? - Ed.

Cheney Told Aide of C.I.A. Officer, Lawyers Report (New York Times Breathlessly Reports)

WASHINGTON - I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, first learned about the C.I.A. officer at the heart of the leak investigation in a conversation with Mr. Cheney weeks before her identity became public in 2003, lawyers involved in the case said Monday.

--New York Times--

The Times doesn't get around to noting that “It would not be illegal for either Mr. Cheney or Mr. Libby, both of whom are presumably cleared to know the government's deepest secrets, to discuss a C.I.A. officer or her link to a critic of the administration” until the sixth paragraph. - Ed.

Don't Go There, Democrats Warn Republicans

With a Friday deadline looming for Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to bring charges in the alleged unauthorized disclosure of a CIA employee's identity, newspapers are full of stories about a “public relations blitz” at the White House.

--CNSNews.com--

Senators Plan Push to End Income Tax

A South Carolina senator dissatisfied with the results of a Bush advisory panel's recommendations on tax reform is set to introduce a bill to abolish federal income tax in favor of a levy on business transactions.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

For a Senate Foe of Pork Barrel Spending, Two Bridges Too Far

Republicans in Congress say they are serious about cutting spending, but they learned yesterday to keep their hands off the “Bridge to Nowhere.”

--Washington Post--

GOP to Target Big Oil Profits

House Republicans, worried about political fallout from the high-profit figures that oil companies are expected to release later this week, will demand that companies pour those profits into refining more oil for the U.S. market in order to lower prices.

--Washington Times--

Anti-War Protesters Mark ‘2000 Soldiers Dead’ Milestone

Anti-war, anti-Bush protester Cindy Sheehan reportedly plans to tie herself to the White House fence to protest the death of the 2000th U.S. soldier in Iraq - when the 2000th soldier dies, that is. It could happen any day.

--CNSNews.com--

And they (who claim to support the troops) are anticipating the grim milestone with gleeful anticipation, no doubt. - Ed.

Gitmo Abuse is Real ... Against U.S. Guards

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - In the fall of 2001, the U.S. Naval Facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (“Gitmo” to those who live here) was teetering on the edge of oblivion, with a skeleton crew of fewer than 2,000 service members on duty. Now a contingent of more than 10,000 resides here. Behind that surge: the need for secure confinement of a collection of human debris snatched from the battlefields of Afghanistan in early 2002.

--Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star--

Paper: bin Laden Dead and Buried

A Pakistani newspaper Ausaf published from Multan has reported that Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden died four months ago in a village near Kandahar of severe illness.

--South Asia Network--

Author: Linda Cebrian

Date: Monday October 24, 2005 19:58

May Allah rest him in peace.

Author: Linda Cebrian

Date: Monday October 24, 2005 19:49

I agree with your assessment, Bill; but,I must admit it is hard to have sympathy for Newt.

Author: Linda Cebrian

Date: Monday October 24, 2005 19:50

This is news?

Dems Complain About DeLay's Smiling Mug Shot

There it is, front and center on the Democratic National Committee's webpage: a full-color mug shot of Rep. Tom DeLay, not bad as mug shots go, with the caption, “DeLay Booked.”

--CNSNews.com--

NY Times: Karl Rove, Lewis Libby Likely Cleared on Leakgate Charges

Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has likely decided not to indict top White House aides Karl Rove and Lewis “Scooter” Libby based on allegations they “outed” CIA employee Valerie Plame, lawyers close to Fitzgerald's Leakgate investigation have told the New York Times.

--NewsMax.com--

Recent Woes Put Bush Agenda in Doubt

WASHINGTON - Some Republicans are lamenting President Bush's “lost year” and wondering if he can salvage his agenda. Vice President Cheney is giving pep talks to White House staffers as supporters brace for the possible indictments of Bush's top adviser and Cheney's chief of staff.

--USA Today--

Democrats and their media allies (or is it the other way 'round?) have found it easy to blame Clinton's failures (terrorism, etc.) on Republicans who “hounded” him. Never mind that the “hounding” came as a result of Clinton's own actions. So we know that they know that “hounding” a president can cause that president to fail, with disastrous consequences for the nation. The only conclusion we can draw, then, is that Democrats want this president to fail, and they don't care what happens to the country as a result - as long as it gets them back into power. - Ed.

Larry Flynt: Hillary Turning Me Republican

Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt is so miffed at Hillary Clinton that he's thinking of becoming a Republican.

--NewsMax.com--

Virginia Group to Monitor Illegal Laborers

Herndon, Virginia-area residents concerned about illegal immigration met last night to organize a new chapter of the Minutemen, a group that gained notice across the country when its members began patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border.

--Washington Times--

The Republican Party already has its quota of sleazy operators. We don't need any more. - Ed.

Congressman Makes Waves over Cruise-ship Housing

WASHINGTON - Cruise ships being used as temporary housing on the Gulf Coast are likely yielding a larger profit than Carnival Cruise Lines, their owner, has let on, a Democratic congressman charged Thursday.

--USA Today--

RNC Maintains 2-1 Fund-raising Edge

The Republican National Committee continued to raise more money than its counterpart on the Democratic side by a 2-1 margin in the third quarter of the year, party officials said Thursday.

--NewsMax.com (AP)--

I won't get my hopes up over this. Democrats' main money machines are groups like [Can't]MoveOn.org and high rollers like George Soros. The left (i.e., Democrats) will have plenty of money to get their hate-infused message out. - Ed.

Amish Take Rare Step Into Politics

MIDDLEFIELD, Ohio - The Amish, whose religion dictates that they keep their distance from outsiders and modern conveniences, didn't want to get political. But they say a township's restrictions on the size of home-based businesses prevent them from opening woodworking shops at a time when small farming is no longer profitable enough.

--Newsday (AP)--

Congressman Wants New ‘Able Danger’ Probe

WASHINGTON - A vocal House Republican is calling for a new probe into what he says is a “witch-hunt” by defense officials against a Sept. 11 intelligence whistleblower.

--United Press International--

Powell: ‘U.S. Is Not Doing Bad at All’

AMHERST, N.Y. - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday the United States is “not doing bad at all” diplomatically, despite anti-American sentiment over the war in Iraq.

--Las Vegas Sun (AP)--

He didn't mention the fact that much of that “anti-American sentiment” is coming from the American left. - Ed.

Democrats Gleeful Over DeLay's Arrest

In an update on Tom DeLay's legal situation, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wants fellow Democrats to know that the Texas Republican -- “now twice indicted, will face the humility of a mug shot.”

--CNSNews.com--

Rove Told Jury Libby May Have Been His Source In Leak Case

White House adviser Karl Rove told the grand jury in the CIA leak case that I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, may have told him that CIA operative Valerie Plame worked for the intelligence agency before her identity was revealed, a source familiar with Rove's account said yesterday.

--Washington Post--

This story is full of speculation, but that's not my main concern with it. On the second page, it is noted that “Fitzgerald is not required to produce a report”. My understanding is that not only is the prosecutor not required to produce a report, he is not allowed to without specific direction from a court. If a grand jury completed its term without an indictment, any report from the prosecutor would be a gross violation of the secrecy of the grand jury system, which is at the heart of our justice system. - Ed.

Republicans Trying to ‘Stop the Spending Spree’

House Republicans leaders have postponed a vote, originally scheduled for Thursday, on a budget-cutting amendment that House Democrats strongly oppose.

--CNSNews.com--

Budget Debate a Defining Moment for GOP, Groups Say

The current debate over federal spending is a defining moment for the Republican Party, which not only could lose seats in Congress during the 2006 election, but might also saddle future generations with tremendous debt, leaders from several conservative groups said on Capitol Hill Thursday.

--CNSNews.com--

Fence to Protect Red Sea Resort

Egypt has started to build a security fence around the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh to try to stop attacks on the town, security officials say.

--BBC News--

Can we expect to hear wails of outrage about the indignities suffered by Arabs who are subject to checkpoints? Or does that only apply when it is Jews who are seeking to protect themselves from terror? - James Taranto, OpinionJournal.com

Israel May Build New Roads to Keep Palestinians Away From Israelis

JERUSALEM - Israel is preparing to build new roads in the West Bank to further separate Israeli and Palestinian traffic following terrorist attacks that left three Israelis dead, reports said.

--CNSNews.com--

I'm sure we can expect rote denunciation of this from people who won't utter a peep about Egypts fence (see preceding story). - Ed.

Bush Vows to Oust ‘Every Single’ Illegal

President Bush said yesterday that his goal is eventually to expel "every single" illegal alien from the United States as his administration pressed Congress to pass a guest-worker program.

--Washington Times--

Let's get rid of the married illegals too. - Ed.

Sheehan Compares Hillary Clinton to Rush Limbaugh

Cindy Sheehan, the so-called “peace mom” on a crusade to end U.S. involvement in the Iraq war, is publicly blasting Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for her continued support of the ongoing conflict.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

Ms. Sheehan seems to be so enthralled with her own rhetoric that to her, anyone not in total agreement with her kooky beliefs sounds like Rush Limbaugh. - Ed.

Veterans Day Event Canceled in Berkeley; Political Concerns Cited

At issue was a proposal by the chairman, singer/songwriter Country Joe McDonald, to have Bill Mitchell, a co-founder of Cindy Sheehan's organization, Gold Star Families for Peace, as the keynote speaker.

--Contra Costa Times (KRT)--

If these people really supported the troops like they claim, they'd back off and let the event proceed without them. - Ed.

Suspect in Bush Plot Says Saudis Whipped Him

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia - A U.S. citizen charged with plotting to kill President George W. Bush said on Wednesday Saudi officials chained him to the floor, blindfolded him and whipped him in order to make him talk.

--Reuters--

Law Bars Patrick Fitzgerald from Issuing Report

The New York Times reports in Wednesday editions that sources familiar with the Leakgate investigation say that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has decided not to issue a final public report - a move that the Times claims heightens the “expectation that he intends to bring indictments.”

--NewsMax.com--

Tax ‘Simplification’ Proposals Draw Quick Skeptics

WASHINGTON - President Bush's advisory commission on taxes decided Tuesday to endorse a new, simpler income tax system that would encourage saving while eliminating or reducing popular tax breaks. The plan was immediately criticized by officials from California to New York.

--USA Today--

The present tax code doesn't need to be simplified, it needs to be eliminated! - Ed.

Senate Plan to Cut Food Stamps Dies

Senate Republicans have dropped plans to cut the popular food stamp program, as the chamber's leaders scrambled to assemble a $35 billion spending cut measure to implement the budget plan it adopted in April.

--Washington Post--

If it's so “popular”, why do they have to run media ads to get people to sign up for it? - Ed.

Rumor: Cheney to Resign; Rice as V.P.

After a Washington Post story suggesting that Vice President Dick Cheney's office is involved in the Plame-CIA investigation, rumors are flying around Washington that Cheney might step aside - and be replaced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

--NewsMax.com--

Women Get Lost Returning from Church - Drive 24 Hours

It took 24 hours and detours to Birmingham, Ala., Atlanta and Macon before 72-year-old Alice Atwater found her way back home to Upson County after a trip to church.

--Macon Telegraph--

And here I thought it was men who won't stop and ask for directions. These women stopped to eat and buy gas, but apparently, never asked anyone how to get home. - Ed.

Iraq Voting Results Delayed Over Fraud Fear

Iraq's independent electoral commission says statistical irregularities in last week's referendum could indicate fraud.

--BBC News--

Zawahiri ‘Letter’ Draws Increasing Skepticism

A letter purportedly written by a senior al Qaeda leader - and said to be authentic by U.S. intelligence officials who released it last week - may be a forgery, according to Washington analysts who cite numerous anomalies in the text.

--CNSNews.com--

Dan Rather, call your office. - Ed.

Dick Morris: Khobar Probe Sacrificed for Oil

Ex-president Bill Clinton didn't press Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to help with the FBI's investigation into the June 1996 Khobar Towers bombing because he feared Abdullah would hike oil prices and hurt his re-election chances, according to former top Clinton advisor Dick Morris.

--NewsMax.com--

Military Recruiting Ads Zero in on the Parents

With public support for the Iraq war dropping and military recruits becoming harder to attract, the Pentagon started an ad campaign Monday that skips patriotic images and focuses on the difficult conversations that young people have with their parents about joining up.

--San Francisco Chronicle--

Tunnels Under Baltimore's Harbor Reopen

BALTIMORE - Authorities closed one of two highway tunnels carrying traffic under Baltimore's harbor for nearly two hours Tuesday and partially shut the other because of a threat to detonate vehicles full of explosives inside the tubes.

--Yahoo! News (AP)--

US Security Chief Strives to Expel All Illegal Immigrants

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said his department aims without exception to expel all those who enter the United States illegally.Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said his department aims without exception to expel all those who enter the United States illegally.

--Breitbart.com (AFP)--

Feds Crack Down on Immigrant Child Offenders

A federal effort aimed at cracking down on immigrant child sex criminals has resulted in the arrest of more than 6,000 people, officials say.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

Cheney's Office [Allegedly] Is A Focus in Leak Case

As the investigation into the leak of a CIA agent's name hurtles to an apparent conclusion, special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has zeroed in on the role of Vice President Cheney's office, according to lawyers familiar with the case and government officials. The prosecutor has assembled evidence that suggests Cheney's long-standing tensions with the CIA contributed to the unmasking of operative Valerie Plame.

--Washington Post--

The fact of the matter is that the Washington Post, nor anyone else breathlessly reporting in the leftmedia, knows what the prosecutor is doing. Here's another perspective by Mark Kilmer writing in RedState.org. - Ed.

Some ‘Liberals’ Already Speculating About Karl Rove's Punishment

A coalition of “progressive” organizations has decided that senior White House officials who might be convicted in the Valerie Plame affair - if they are even indicted - could receive a sentence of life in prison under U.S. sentencing guidelines.

--CNSNews.com--

If Rove is exonerated, which is likely, these so-called ‘liberals’ will have little left to advance their cause. They get little support for their true agenda, so their only hope for regaining power is to create “scandal” involving Republicans. But pinning your hopes on scandal requires that there be something of substance behind the charges, which doesn't seem to be the case, despite what the leftmedia is trying to peddle. - Ed.

DeLay Had Rejected Deal for Guilty Plea to Misdemeanor

Attorneys for former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) disclosed yesterday that the powerful politician rebuffed a Texas prosecutor's suggestion that he plead guilty to a misdemeanor violation of election law.

--Washington Post--

Ronnie Earle Is the Problem, Ad Says

A free enterprise advocacy group is going after the man who's going after Rep. Tom DeLay.

--CNSNews.com--

DeLay Judge Supports MoveOn.org

When Rep. Tom DeLay is booked this Friday on charges of money laundering, the presiding judge will be a Democrat Party activist who has contributed money to the presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic National Committee and the George Soros-backed MoveOn.org.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

Kyl Tries to Freeze Pay Raise for Senators

WASHINGTON - Senators should do their part in reducing federal spending by turning down a pay raise, Sen. John Kyl said Monday.

--Fox News (AP)--

Rudy: 2008 Decision ‘A Couple Years Away’

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Tuesday he was not planning to run for political office next year and would probably decide in a "couple years" whether to run for president.

--NewsMax.com--

Bush Upgrade of Sudan's Status Draws Protest

A coalition of groups opposing slavery in Sudan are protesting President Bush's decision to reward the radical Islamic regime in Khartoum for alleged measures to curb human trafficking.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

Rumsfeld Visits China Amid Concerns About Military Buildup

Almost five years after taking office, Donald Rumsfeld on Tuesday began his first visit as defense secretary to China, a country whose military buildup is watched with concern at the Pentagon.

--CNSNews.com--

Bible Printing Press Confiscated in Cuba

Cuban police recently raided a home in the Cuban city of Colon and confiscated what officials later called "subversive and dangerous." But the contraband wasn't drugs, or pornography, or bomb-making instructions. What police confiscated were printed Gospels of John and a small printing press.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

Critics Condemn African Despot's Attack on Bush, Blair

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has drawn strong criticism for comparing President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to Hitler and Mussolini in a speech to a United Nations food agency.

--CNSNews.com--

Iraq Charter Likely Approved

BAGHDAD - Iraq's voters approved their first constitution since Saddam Hussein's ouster with help from some Sunnis, according to partial results released Sunday.

--USA Today--

Christians Concerned that Iraqi Constitution Lacks Religious Tolerance

Since the Iraq draft constitution was finalized on Sunday Sept. 18, Christian leaders have expressed deep concern about the threat to religious tolerance that could emerge upon the adoption of the constitution in October.

--Christian Post--

Russia Supports Iraqi Referendum Despite Differences With US

MOSCOW - Russia, a critic of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, has nevertheless hailed Iraq's country's constitutional referendum, calling it "a necessary step for the country's political process."

--CNSNews.com--

Terror Groups Target Sharon

JERUSALEM - Palestinian terror organizations have detailed maps of Jewish neighborhoods and will fire rockets directly at Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's ranch, and at homes in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the West Bank, Mohamed Abdel-Al, spokesman of the Popular Resistance Committees, told WorldNetDaily today in an exclusive interview.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

This is what trying to appease terrorists will get you. - Ed.

White House to ‘Relaunch’ Miers' Nomination

Get ready for a whole new Harriet. After a disastrous two weeks, White House officials say they hope to relaunch the nomination of Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court by moving from what they call a “biographical phase” to an “accomplishment phase.” In other words, stop debating her religion and personality and start focusing on her resumé as a pioneering female lawyer of the Southwest. “We got a little wrapped around the axle,” an exhausted White House official said. “As the focus becomes less on who she's not and more on who she is, that's a better place to be.”

--Time--

Dick Morris: Condi's ‘No’ Doesn‘t Mean ’No'

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that she has no interest whatsoever in running for president.

--NewsMax.com--

DeLay's Prosecutors Lack a Key Document

AUSTIN, Texas - Travis County prosecutors admitted Friday they lack physical proof of a list of Republican candidates that is at the heart of money-laundering indictments against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay and two of his associates.

--Houston Chronicle--

DeLay Campaign Raises Record Sums

Cash in the campaign coffers of Rep. Tom DeLay rose to $1.2 million over the past three months, although much of the money came before the former majority leader was indicted in Texas.

--NewsMax.com--

House GOP Leaders Set to Cut Spending

House Republican leaders have moved from balking at big cuts in Medicaid and other programs to embracing them, driven by pent-up anger from fiscal conservatives concerned about runaway spending and the leadership's own weakening hold on power.

--Washington Post--

New Orleans Corrupt ‘Down to the Bone,’ Former Pol Charges

A former president of the New Orleans City Council and member of the Orleans Levee Board blames corruption "down to the bone" and "unbelievable ineptness" for the loss of life and injuries during and after Hurricane Katrina. The Republican politician also fears the worst for her city if local officials are allowed to manage the federally funded rebuilding efforts.

--CNSNews.com--

Group Stresses Bible, Constitution at Summit

GREENVILLE, S.C. - The men at the core of the Christian Exodus movement, both those who have organized it and the five or so who have moved their families to this Upstate city as the Exodus' “first wave,” aren't a politically exclusive club.

--South Carolina State--

Whitening Kits Can Wipe Smile from Your Face

Products on sale over the counter that promise to whiten teeth can exacerbate gum disease and are illegal under European law, the British Dental Association (BDA) said yesterday.

--London Times--

I wouldn't expect a dental association to take too kindly to do-it-yourself dental products. - Ed.

Some Sunnis Support Iraq Constitution

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's streets and highways emptied today and police and troops took up positions around polling stations on the eve of a constitutional referendum that insurgents have vowed to disrupt.

--Houston Chronicle--

Saudi King Vows to Crush al-Qaeda

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has vowed to crush the “scourge” of al-Qaeda, in his first televised interview since becoming king.

--BBC News--

Al Qaeda: Letter Is a U.S. Fake

CAIRO, Egypt - A posting on an Islamic Web site Thursday accused the United States of fabricating a letter in which Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader asked for money and laid out the terrorist group's plans for expanding the insurgency in the Middle East.

--Fox News (AP)--

See previous story. - Ed.

President's ‘Terrible’ Rating Better than Last 7

Despite the fact President Bush's job approval ratings have dropped to the lowest point of his presidency, they still remain higher than the low-point ratings of the last seven presidents, including his predecessor Bill Clinton.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

White House: Miers Won't Withdraw

WASHINGTON - The White House is seeking the help of Republican activists in Iowa and New Hampshire to pressure GOP senators with presidential hopes to support Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers.

--Fox News (AP)--

Up until now, I've avoided taking a side in this fight, although I must admit I was very disappointed when the nomination was announced. I believe I've come to the conclusion that this was a very bad move on the president's part. His arguments in Miers' favor don't wash with me. He says he knows her heart, and that she's an Evangelical Christian (although she regularly attends an Episcopal church). But I remember Bush said pretty much the same thing about Russia's Putin, and it was also said that Putin was a Christian. Since then, Putin's proven that he hasn't changed much from his KGB days. So much for Bush knowing his heart. And then there's Jane Fonda, who claimed to have been “born again” as a Christian. Maybe she was, but it didn't change her from the flaming leftist she always was.

So Pres. Bush, I'm imploring you, please withdraw this nomination. - Ed.

Pataki to Endorse Pirro in Hillary Challenge

New York Gov. George Pataki was to throw his political muscle on Friday behind Jeanine Pirro's bid for the GOP nomination to challenge Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's re-election campaign next year, Republicans familiar with the situation said.

--NewsMax.com (AP)--

U2 Distances Itself from Clinton, Santorum

The Irish rock band U2 is complaining about U.S. lawmakers using its concerts to raise campaign money.

--NewsMax.com--

Frist to Take on Border Bill First

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said yesterday that the Senate will tackle border security and interior immigration enforcement before turning to the broader question of immigration reforms and a guest-worker program.

--Washington Times--

White People Won't Vote for Blacks, Congressman Charges

The chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus on Friday urged his Capitol Hill colleagues to extend and strengthen the Voting Rights Act in order to “level the playing field” because, U.S. Rep. Melvin Watt said, “white people ... will not consider voting for an African American candidate.”

--CNSNews.com--

We don't know how people really vote when it's a secret ballot, but sometimes, the votes are public. A good example was the vote for Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court. One thing we do know is that all the votes against him were cast by Democrats. So maybe this guy is on to something, I just wonder why he continues to support the party that epitomizes what he's decrying. - Ed.

Good News! Gore Won't Run for President

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Former Vice President Al Gore said Wednesday he had no intention of ever running for president again, but he said the United States would be “a different country” if he had won the 2000 election, launching into a scathing attack of the Bush administration.

--Las Vegas Sun (AP)--

Have you ever heard of a former European leader coming to this country and trashing the present leadership of his country? Maybe the left is right - Europeans have more class than Americans, at least more than some Americans. - Ed.

Jordan's King Urges Muslim Nations to Unite Against Extremist Muslim Terrorists

JAKARTA, Indonesia - This month's suicide bombings on Indonesia's island are a reminder that Muslim nations must unite against extremists “who are distorting the teachings of Islam,” Jordan's King Abdullah II said Wednesday.

--Fox News (AP)--

Bush ‘Questions’ US Soldiers in Iraq

In a live, satellite video-chat marred by audio delay (satellite lag), President Bush on Thursday morning "visited" with members of U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq, thanking them for their service to the country.

--CNSNews.com--

When I first heard about on the “mainstream” media, they made a point of the fact that the audience was hand-picked to be friendly. Funny, but I don't remember them ever making such an observation when Clinton appeared before troops. - Ed.

‘Giddy Dems’ Point to Bush's Sinking Poll Numbers

Both the right and the left have slammed President Bush in recent days, and a new poll reflects the angst on both sides of the political aisle.

--CNSNews.com--

Democrats have no reason to be giddy. The polls that show Bush's approval dropping don't show any commensurate rise in the public's approval of Democrats. And as long as Dems have no agenda beyond bashing conservatives and Republicans, they never will. - Ed.

SEC Issues Subpoena To Frist, Sources Say

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has been subpoenaed to turn over personal records and documents as federal authorities step up a probe of his July sales of HCA Inc. stock, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

--Washington Post--

Anonymous Phone Calls Target Those Who Took DeLay Funds

WASHINGTON - Using new technology to exploit gray areas in election law, a mystery group has been making anonymous, automated calls to voters in Republican congressional districts across the country, telling them that their representatives should return money received from Rep. Tom DeLay's political action committee.

--Houston Chronicle--

DeLay Supporters Attack Prosecutor Ronnie Earle in New Ad

A conservative group is running a TV ad likening the Democratic district attorney prosecuting House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to a vicious dog.

--NewsMax.com--

Conservatives who castigated Democrats for publicly vilifying Ken Starr can't now condone this. - Ed.

Tom DeLay Prosecutor Tied to Miers-run Lottery

As a key figure in the Texas Lottery Commission under Harriet Miers in 1997, former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes made an illegal campaign contribution to Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, the prosecutor who has brought charges against former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

My first reaction was to skip this story - something about it smells fishy to me. But it makes such a smooth seque to the next story, I just had to include it. - Ed.

Hidden Testimony Reignites Miers Fires

The DRUDGE REPORT has obtained a copy of sworn testimony given by Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers in 1990 in which she said that she “wouldn't belong to the Federalist Society” - a conservative and libertarian lawyers' organization - because it was “politically charged.”

--Drudge Report--

New York Times Reporter Testifies Again in CIA Leak Case

WASHINGTON - With as little as two weeks left in the two-year probe into disclosure of a CIA officer's identity, New York Times reporter Judith Miller testified again Wednesday to the grand jury investigating the matter.

--USA Today--

Sen. Bayh: Rove Must Step Down, Even if Not Indicted

A Democrat senator and potential 2008 presidential candidate said Thursday that White House political adviser Karl Rove must step down if he is linked to the leaking of a CIA operative's name.

--NewsMax.com--

Kennedy: I'll Support Kerry in 2008 Race

Sen. Edward “the Swimmer” Kennedy said Wednesday he would back fellow Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 - even if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton also pursues a White House bid.

--Breitbart.com--

I suspect Kerry will be getting an offer he can't refuse. - Ed.

Vietnam Vets File Lawsuit Against John Kerry

The former presidential candidate who, during his election campaign, proudly contrasted his military service during the Vietnam War with that of President Bush's National Guard service - and who once led an organization of Vietnam veterans protesting the war in Vietnam - is being sued by some Vietnam veterans.

--Human Events--

Clinton's Sex-assault Accusers to Tour Bill's Library

Kathleen Willey and Juanita Broaddrick, two women who both claim they were sexually assaulted by ex-President Bill Clinton, plan to tour the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, Ark., later this month.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

‘Where's the Reform,’ Tax Groups Wonder

A tax advisory panel appointed by President Bush is making waves, even before it releases its final recommendations. Critics are particularly concerned about a mortgage deduction cap that they say could sink the housing market.

--CNSNews.com--

GOP Homosexual Leader Dodges Pie

Log Cabin Republican speaker: “I faked to the left and moved to the right.”

--Raleigh News & Observer--

U.S. Welcomes Iraq Constitution Compromise

WASHINGTON - The White House welcomed a last-minute agreement to gain Sunni Arab support on a new Iraqi constitution as a positive step on Wednesday but cautioned that it likely would do little to quell violence directed at Saturday's vote. President Bush urged Syria to do more to seal its borders against Iraq-bound militants.

--Las Vegas Sun (AP)--

Iran ‘Is Training Basra Killers’

Specialist bomb-makers targeting British troops in southern Iraq are being trained by an elite arm of Iran's armed forces, UK defence sources say.

--BBC News--

Al Qaeda Exploits ‘Blue-eyed’ Muslim Converts

PARIS/BERLIN - What prompts someone to convert to Islam and to sign up for global “holy war” in the name of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda?

--Swiss Politics (Reuters)--

Al-Qaeda No. 2: U.S. ‘Ran’ from Vietnam

WASHINGTON - In a letter to his top deputy in Iraq, al-Qaeda's No. 2 leader said the United States “ran and left their agents” in Vietnam and the jihadists must have a plan ready to fill the void if the Americans suddenly leave Iraq.

--USA Today (AP)--

Rove Told Dobson Other Candidates Refused Consideration

Before President Bush nominated White House counsel Harriet E. Miers to the Supreme Court, his deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove, called influential Christian leader James Dobson to assure him that Miers was a conservative evangelical Christian, Dobson said in remarks scheduled for broadcast Wednesday on his national radio show.

The LA TIMES reports: In that conversation, which has been the subject of feverish speculation, Rove also told Dobson that one reason the president was passing over better-known conservatives was that many on the White House short list had asked not to be considered, Dobson said, according to an advance transcript of the broadcast provided by his organization, Focus on the Family.

--Drudge Report--

Another I-told-you-so! See my comment here. It's been five days since I made it, and in all that time, nobody, in the media or elsewhere (except here), asked the obvious question. Pres. Bush couldn't be expected to volunteer that information, and I wouldn't expect Democrats or their media allies to ask the question, because the answer might mollify disgruntled conservatives. - Ed.

Revised Miers Strategy Raises New Questions

Some find emphasis on her faith suspicious, inappropriate.

It's important to note that contrary to what Democrats would have you believe, the constitutional prohibition against a “religious test” cuts both ways. A nominee's religious beliefs cannot be used to qualify or disqualify him, and therefore, any questions meant to elicit those beliefs is constitutionally prohibited. When you watch the hearing, you'll see the constitution routinely ignored, no doubt. - Ed.

--USA Today--

MoveOn Digging Dirt on Harriet Miers

The left-wing activist group MoveOn.org is enlisting its membership in a nationwide effort to dig up dirt on Supreme Court nominee Harriet Meirs.

--NewsMax.com--

Supreme Court to Take on Issue of Property Rights Vs. Environment

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court set the stage yesterday for what could be a landmark ruling on government authority to regulate wetlands and control pollution, giving Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. his first chance to limit federal regulation of property rights.

--Boston Globe (AP)--

Ex-French U.N. Diplomat Taken Into Custody

PARIS - France's former U.N. ambassador has been taken into custody as part of an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing in the Iraq oil-for-food program, judicial officials said Tuesday.

--The Guardian (AP)--

Karl Rove's Hillary Precedent?

The press is full of speculation that Plamegate Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald is about to indict senior Bush advisor Karl Rove - but not on the allegations originally under investigation.

--NewsMax.com--

DeLay's Lawyers Subpoena His Prosecutor

WASHINGTON - Indicted Rep. Tom DeLay's attorneys turned the tables on a Texas prosecutor Tuesday, delivering a subpoena to compel his testimony about his conduct with grand jurors.

--Washington Post--

More Questions on Frist Family Stock Issue

WASHINGTON - Outside the blind trusts he created to avoid a conflict of interest, Senate majority leader Bill Frist has made tens of thousands of dollars from stock in a family-founded hospital chain largely controlled by his brother, documents show.

--Boston Globe--

I'm not sure what to think about Sen. Frist, but this case seems to show the inadequacy of senate rules in preventing conflicts of interest. I'm sure that's by design. - Ed.

Gore: America ‘Routinely Torturing People’

Former Vice President Al Gore said Wednesday he had no intention of ever running for president again, but he said the United States would be “a different country” if he had won the 2000 election, launching into a scathing attack of the Bush administration.

--NewsMax.com--

Tax Panel May Curb Tax Breaks for Homeowners, Health

President George W. Bush's tax advisory panel, rejecting a fundamental overhaul, agreed to recommend limiting tax breaks for homeowners and employer- provided health-care benefits to help pay for repealing the alternative minimum tax.

--Bloomberg--

Washington is never going to make a fundamental overhaul of the oppressive tax system until we force them to. - Ed.

Corzine Loses Lead in Governor's Race

New Jersey's governor's race, once considered a Democratic lock, is now in a dead heat with four weeks to go before the Nov. 8 off-year election, a new independent poll shows.

--Washington Times--

Rice Opposed Military Strikes Against Insurgents in Syria, Report Says

JERUSALEM - The U.S. considered launching military strikes against insurgents inside of Syria but was persuaded not to do so by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a report in an American news magazine said.

--CNSNews.com--

NYC ‘Threat’ Was a Hoax

The report last week of a “credible threat” to New York City's subway system - which prompted a massive mobilization of law enforcement - was based on bogus information, according to U.S. officials

--WorldNetDaily.com--

This doesn't surprise me, and in fact, I suggested this possibility when the story broke. - Ed.

Dobson to Clarify Info on Miers

WASHINGTON - Focus on the Family founder James Dobson will take to the airwaves Wednesday and Thursday to clarify what information he got from the White House or other sources about U.S. Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers.

--Rocky Mountain News--

Newly Released Papers Offer Glimpse of Miers's Views

AUSTIN, Texas - As a corporate lawyer, Harriet Miers once urged then-Governor George W. Bush to veto legislation that would have prohibited the Texas Supreme Court from regulating or capping attorneys' fees, charging that the legislation did “violence to the balance of power between the legislative and judicial branch.”

--Boston Globe (Washington Post)--

Susan Estrich: Hillary Will Never Be Prez

Democratic strategist Susan Estrich says that Dick Morris is afraid to debate her about who has the best chance to become America's first female president - Hillary Clinton or Condoleezza Rice.

--NewsMax.com--

Highway Sound Barriers as Border Fences?

As discussion of erecting a security fence along U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada heats up, some analysts say it's possible Washington could economically erect thousands of miles of barrier to keep out illegal aliens, smugglers and terrorists, for about half of what the Pentagon is spending a month to fight the war on terror.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

As much as I sympathize with the sentiment, I just can see walling off the country as the thing to do. I can see Mexico's Pres. Fox evoking the memory of Ronald Reagan saying, “Mr. Bush, tear down this wall.” - Ed.

200 Christians Detained in Mass Sweep in Eritrea

The North African country Eritrea has detained more than 200 Christians in an operation said to be the worst of its kind.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

Kurds, Shiites Try to Persuade Sunnis to Vote

BAGHDAD - Shiite Muslim and Kurdish leaders negotiated with Sunni Arab leaders Sunday over possible last-minute additions to Iraq's proposed constitution, trying to win Sunni support ahead of next weekend's crucial referendum.

--USA Today--

UNICEF Bombs Smurf Village

Perhaps it's a sign of Armageddon, or just an outrageously bad marketing idea.

--NewsMax.com--

Scalia Says Confirmation Too Politicized

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, often extolled by conservative Republicans as their ideal model of a judge, said Monday the confirmation process was too politicized and that he wouldn't want to experience it again.

--Las Vegas Sun (AP)--

White House Denies 'Deal' for Miers

The White House has acknowledged that presidential adviser Karl Rove has been making calls seeking conservative support for Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, but it denied that Rove gave “backroom assurances” on Miers' likely votes to secure that support.

--NewsMax.com--

For GOP, Election Anxiety Mounts

Republican politicians in multiple states have recently decided not to run for Senate next year, stirring anxiety among Washington operatives about the effectiveness of the party's recruiting efforts and whether this signals a broader decline in GOP congressional prospects.

--Washington Post--

Dean Borrows GOP Ideas for DNC

WASHINGTON - Howard Dean is no longer screaming - he's scheming. The failed presidential candidate whose howling adieu to the Iowa caucuses helped seal his fate as a presidential candidate is plotting to overhaul the Democratic Party.

--Fox News (AP)--

Your problem isn't a lack of ideas, Howards, it's your extreme values. - Ed.

Schumer Proposes New Fuel Tax

BEACON - Oil companies are gouging the American consumer and should be taxed on their excess profits, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Friday.

--Poughkeepsie Journal--

Recently, Walter Cronkite, once called the most “trusted” man in America (possibly proving what follows), said that America is an “ignorant nation”, and not capable of making the necessary decisions at election time. Schumer, as usual, was talking to the people Cronkite referred to. Only an ignorant person would think that taxes on oil company profits aren't going to be passed on to the consumers. The fact that Schumer gets elected and re-elected doesn't say much for New York voters. - Ed.

Islamic ‘Converts to Peace’ Found Fighting in Iraq

A pioneering scheme to fight Islamist terror by encouraging jailed extremists to rethink their grasp of the Koran is under fire after claims that some of its "converts" have taken up arms again.

--London Telegraph--

Democrats Strongly Defend Miers

Some Senate Democrats are jumping in the middle of a Republican fray to defend Harriet Miers from conservative criticism that she isn't qualified to serve on the Supreme Court.

--NewsMax.com--

Rudy Giuliani May Back Jeanine Pirro

Riding high in the presidential polls, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani took time off from a golf tournament this week to praise Jeanine Pirro, now seeking the GOP nomination for the Senate seat held by Hillary Clinton, but stopped short of backing the Westchester County district attorney.

--NewsMax.com--

Doomsday Don Quixote Will Tilt at Asteroids

Don Quixote is about to ride again in the service of mankind. A mission into the solar system, named after the famous fictional adventurer, is to crash a spaceship into an asteroid millions of miles from Earth in a Hollywood-style attempt to prove that such a massive body can be deflected off course.

--The Scotsman--

Bush Praised for ‘Naming the Enemy’

President George W. Bush clearly identified the enemy for the first time in a speech he delivered on Thursday.

--CNSNews.com--

Britain Suspects Iranian Link to Bombings in Iraq

LONDON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday that explosives used recently by insurgents in Iraq may have come from Iran or an allied terrorist group.

--USA Today--

Dems Promote ‘Smart, Sensible’ National Security Legacy

Their party has often been attacked for lacking conscience and conviction on national security issues, and now a group of Democrats has announced an effort to train the current crop of congressional candidates on how to use military issues in their campaigns.

--CNSNews.com--

In other words, they're going to train candidates how to hide their true agenda better. - Ed.

Nobel Peace Prize a ‘Rebuke of Bush Administration,’ Group Says

By awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed Elbaradei, and the agency itself, the committee is sending a message to the Bush administration, a nuclear disarmament group said Friday.

--CNSNews.com--

This is not the first time the Nobel Committee has used the prize to send a message to Pres. Bush. They even made it clear that was why Jimmy Carter won it. - Ed.

DeLay Accuses Earle of Taking Corporate Funds

Rep. Tom DeLay said District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who is prosecuting him for trying to involve corporate money in Texas politics, has taken such contributions himself.

--Washington Times--

New Voter Registration Complaint Filed Against Karl Rove

The “get Karl Rove” contingent is getting some help from the grassroots. A registered voter in Kerr County, Texas, is now complaining that Rove violated Texas law by registering to vote in Kerr County, where he owns two rental properties.

--CNSNews.com--

Lindsey Graham: Release Clinton IRS Report

Sen. Lindsey Graham is calling on the three-judge panel overseeing the investigation of Independent Counsel David Barrett to release Barrett's final report, which reportedly includes evidence of politically motivated IRS audits launched by the Clinton administration.

--NewsMax.com--

Former FBI Director Decries Clinton Morals

WASHINGTON, - Louis Freeh, the FBI director appointed by President Clinton, says his relationship with his boss fell apart because Clinton's “closets were full of skeletons.”

--San Francisco Chronicle (AP)--

Congressman Proposes Lifting Offshore Drilling Moratorium

Washington - New legislation moving through Congress would end the quarter-century-old moratorium on drilling off the coast of California and other states, and shift the power to block development in coastal waters from Congress to governors and state legislatures.

--San Francisco Chronicle--

Christian Evangelist Arrested in China

Chinese authorities, who forbid any religious activity outside government control, arrested a father and son who both minister in the communist country's underground church.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

Police Investigate New York Subway Terror Threat

The New York City Police Department is investigating what it deems a credible tip that 19 operatives have been deployed to New York to place bombs in the subway, and security in the subways will be increased, sources told ABC News.

--ABC News--

An interesting feature of the tactic of terrorism is that an actual attack is not always necessary. The mere threat of an attack, if deemed credible, can induce the desired reaction. This may be nothing more than a manifestation of this strategy. Or not. - Ed.

Bush: US Cannot ‘Give In’ to Terrorism

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush on Thursday rejected critics of the Iraq war who demand a U.S. pullout and cast the conflict as necessary to prevent Islamic militants from gaining a foothold for a sweeping empire.

--Reuters--

Bill Clinton: U.S. Likely to Lose in Iraq

Ex-president Bill Clinton is predicting that the U.S. will lose the war in Iraq, saying “the odds are not great of our prevailing there.”

--NewsMax.com--

This sounds like wishful thinking on his part. - Ed.

Author: Big Daddy

Date: Thursday October 6, 2005 20:01

How do you think this affects the enemy?

1. They will be demoralized.
2. They will be emboldened.
3. It will have no effect.

Obviously, they will be emboldened. Where is the condemnation?

Author: Linda Cebrian

Date: Thursday October 6, 2005 19:39

Oh,great. A bum who cheated on his wife and kids while in office. The Founders must be turning over in their graves.

" Nothing is more essential to the establishment of manners in a State than that all persons employed in places of power and trust be men of [exceptional] character. The public cannot be too curious concerning the characters of public men."

Samuel Adams

Dems Target DeLay's ‘Dirty Money’

Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) faces two indictments from a Texas prosecutor - a Democrat who is out to get him, DeLay says.

--CNSNews.com--

DeLay Calls New Indictment ‘An Abomination of Justice’

AUSTIN, Texas - Rep. Tom DeLay was indicted for a second time in less than a week by a Texas grand jury looking into campaign contributions, a development the former U.S. House majority leader called “an abomination of justice.”

--Fox News (AP)--

Prosecutor Reveals Third Grand Jury had Refused DeLay Indictment

A Travis County grand jury last week refused to indict former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay as prosecutors raced to salvage their felony case against the Sugar Land Republican.

--Austin American-Statesman--

What's really curious about this is the last indictment was issued just hours after the grand jury was impaneled. Considering the complexity of the laws DeLay is charged with violating, I seriously doubt that the grand jury could have gotten an understanding of the law in that short period of time, let alone hearing evidence of its violation. This really stinks! - Ed.

Salazar Sweats Miers

WASHINGTON - If Focus on the Family founder James Dobson knows a secret about Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, Sen. Ken Salazar wants to know what it is.

--Rocky Mountain News--

Army Takes Control of Iran Nukes

Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has placed the military firmly in control of his nation's nuclear program, undercutting his government's claim that the program is intended for civilian use, according to a leading opposition group.

--Washington Times--

NYC Unveils Hurricane Evacuation Plan

NEW YORK - It's coming, with skyscraper-rattling winds and a 30-foot storm surge that threatens to submerge Wall Street, flood the subways and turn Coney Island into a water park. And when it arrives, more than 3 million New Yorkers - more than six times the population of New Orleans - could be forced to evacuate by the first major hurricane to hit the city since 1938.

--Las Vegas Sun (AP)--

If this ever comes to pass, the evacuation route must be northward. That puts Dutchess County right in its path. - Ed.

‘Hanoi’ Jane Fonda Bankrolling Hillary

“Hanoi” Jane Fonda, whose anti-U.S. activities during the Vietnam war remain an anathema to most Americans, is helping to bankroll New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's reelection campaign.

--NewsMax.com--

Scandal Shows Why Gun-Control Schemes Can't Be Trusted, Group Says

A Second Amendment group says a scandal involving members of Sen. Chuck Schumer's staff shows why the Democrat's gun control schemes cannot be trusted.

--CNSNews.com--

Gov. Bush Reverses Stance, Now Supports Oil Drilling Rigs in Eastern Gulf

Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday he supports federal legislation allowing drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, including areas where he aggressively fought energy exploration just four years ago.

--South Florida Sun-Sentinel--

Congress Seeks to Slash Food Aid for Poor

WASHINGTON - Under orders to whittle agriculture spending by $3 billion, Republicans in Congress propose to slash food programs for the poor by $574 million and subsidies and conservation programs by $1 billion each, The Associated Press has learned.

--Las Vegas Sun (AP)--

Extra Weight May Be Factor in Boat Tragedy

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. - Albany Investigators were focusing on excess weight as a possible cause of the boat accident that killed 20 elderly people on a calm, clear day during a sightseeing tour on an Adirondack lake.

--Las Vegas Sun (AP)--

I've been noticing a lot of elderly people riding around in “scooters” which taxpayers almost certainly paid for. What strikes me is that most of the scooter riders are grossly overweight. I wonder if they got off their scooters and walked around, they might lose some of their blubber. Are we taxpayers subsidizing obesity? - Ed.

U.S. Military Launches New Iraq Offensive

HAQLANIYAH, Iraq - Some 2,500 U.S. troops along with Iraqi forces launched their second major offensive in western Iraq in a week Tuesday, sweeping into three towns to take them back from insurgents who had killed Marines there last month.

--Yahoo! News (AP)--

Al-Qaeda Foreign Legion to Take Terror Home

Foreign fighters who have used Iraq as a combat training ground are returning home with plans to mount similar attacks throughout the Muslim world, Iraq's Interior Minister has warned.

--The Age, Melbourne--

Army Not Punishing Reservists Who Won't Go to War

Seventy-three soldiers in a special reserve program have defied orders to appear for wartime duty, some for more than a year, yet the Army has quietly chosen not to act against them.

--USA Today--

Bush Says He Knows Miers Won't Change on the Bench

At 10:30 on Tuesday morning, one day before Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers was to meet with ranking members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, President Bush answered reporters' questions about his selection of Miers.

--CNSNews.com--

I listened to some of the news conference, and what cracked me up was the question whether she is the “most qualified” candidate. The reason it cracked me up is before she was named, the media told us that diversity (i.e., non-white and/or non-male) was the most important qualification. Are these reporters blind? Can't they see that she's qualified? - Ed.

A Sampling of the Writings of Harriet Miers

What kind of Supreme Court justice would Harriet Miers be? For anyone trying to assess her qualifications, analyze her philosophy and predict her behavior, Miers would seem to present a fairly blank slate. She has no judicial resume and hasn't left a long trail of noteworthy memos, briefs, oral argument transcripts or law journal articles.

--Time--

I detect a move in the media to turn the right against her. In the first citation, they attempt to make it look as if she'll advance the homosexual agenda. But if you read the entire questionaire (you have to click on a link), you get a different picture. What kind of person would want to deny “full civil rights for gays and lesbians”? The question not asked was whether advancing those rights requires re-defining marriage. From her other answers, I suspect she would have answered that question in the negative. - Ed.

Dr. Dobson Praises Miers Pick

Focus on the Family Action Chairman James C. Dobson, Ph.D., issued the following statement today regarding President Bush's nomination of Harriet Miers to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the United States Supreme Court:

--NewsMax.com--

DeLay's Attorney: Second Indictment Looks Like Keystone Kops

AUSTIN - A new Travis County grand jury hurriedly reindicted U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on a charge of conspiring to violate state election laws and added two charges related to money laundering Monday after DeLay's lawyers challenged the validity of an indictment returned last week.

--Houston Chronicle--

If seems to me that if what DeLay is alleged to have done amounts to criminal “money laundering”, a lot of other people could be indicted also. For instance, if someone (including government) gives to Planned Parenthood for “education” purposes, and PP diverts an equal amount of money money in its education fund to its abortion services, wouldn't that be “money laundering” too? - Ed.

Governors Shun Bush Military Disaster Relief Plan

A majority of the nation's governors say they're not on board with President Bush's suggestion the active-duty military take the lead role in providing disaster relief, a new poll says.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

Bush Acknowledges Social Security Plan is Stalled

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush, who had demanded that the U.S. Congress overhaul Social Security this year, acknowledged on Tuesday that the centerpiece of his second-term legislative agenda was going nowhere.

--Reuters--

Medicare Drug Plan Stumps Seniors

WASHINGTON - Most seniors don't understand the new prescription-drug program being offered under Medicare and don't plan to sign up for coverage, even after months of salesmanship by the Bush administration.

--USA Today--

Hillary [Belatedly] Fires Consultant

The Hillary Clinton camp has egg all over its face after belatedly discovering that a consultant hired by Hillary trashed 9/11 victims shortly after the Twin Towers tragedy.

--NewsMax.com--

Cheney: N.Y.'s Rangel Is ‘Losing It’

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney contended Monday that Rep. Charles Rangel, the dean of New York's congressional delegation, is “losing it” - striking back after months of verbal attacks from the Harlem lawmaker.

--Fox News (AP)--

D.C. Red-Light Cameras Fail to Reduce Accidents

The District's red-light cameras have generated more than 500,000 violations and $32 million in fines over the past six years. City officials credit them with making busy roads safer.

--Washington Post--

Bush Nominates Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court

President Bush on Monday nominated White House Counsel Harriet Miers to replace Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court.

--CNSNews.com--

'Cronyism,' Some Democrats Claim

The word “crony” popped up Monday on a number of Democratic websites, after President Bush nominated Harriet Miers to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court.

--CNSNews.com--

Cheney: Cronyism Charge is ‘Bizarre’

Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday refuted charges that the president's nomination of Harriet Miers for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court represented “cronyism” and promised that Miers would please conservative Americans.

--CNSNews.com--

US Car Theft Rings Probed for Ties to Iraq Bombings

WASHINGTON - The FBI's counterterrorism unit has launched a broad investigation of US-based theft rings after discovering that some of the vehicles used in deadly car bombings in Iraq, including attacks that killed US troops and Iraqi civilians, were probably stolen in the United States, according to senior government officials.

--Boston Globe--

Black Coastal Community Residents Could Be Victims of Eminent Domain

Florida's Riviera Beach is a poor, predominantly black, coastal community that intends to revitalize its economy by using eminent domain, if necessary, to displace about 6,000 local residents and build a billion-dollar waterfront yachting and housing complex.

--Washington Times--

Bill Bennett says crime could be reduced by aborting black babies. These people say evicting blacks from their homes can get rid of poverty. The only real difference is that Bennett stipulated that he was morally opposed to his “solution”. - Ed.

NY'ers Back Rudy Over Hillary for Prez

New York State voters would back former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for president over home state senator and Democratic Party favorite, Hillary Clinton, according to a Marist College poll released Friday.

--NewsMax.com--

Kathleen Willey to Release Anti-Hillary Book

Kathleen Willey Schwicker, the woman who says Bill Clinton groped her in the Oval Office, plans to release a new book hammering Hillary Clinton for her failure to support the many women who have accused her husband of sexual impropriety.

--WorldNetDaily.com--

Condi Fans Push Secretary for President

Devoted admirers of Condoleezza Rice bought time for a television commercial during the premiere last week of “Commander in Chief,” backing the secretary of state for the White House in 2008.

--Washington Times--

DeLay Pledges to Keep Raising Funds

WASHINGTON - A defiant Tom DeLay said yesterday that he would continue to be active in shaping the GOP agenda on Capitol Hill and predicted he would be cleared of the ''frivolous" charge that he was part of a scheme to fund illegal corporate contributions to Republican candidates in his home state of Texas.

--Boston Globe--

Katrina Cash Could Create ‘Slush Fund’ For Left

The dark clouds of Hurricane Katrina may have produced a silver lining for the struggling liberal civil rights establishment.

--CNSNews.com--

Bennett's Words Used to Tar Republicans

Ever since he became chairman of the Republican National Committee last year, Ken Mehlman has been reaching out to African-Americans and Hispanics, with a series of meetings the RNC calls “conversations with the community.”

--CNSNews.com--

My comments are here. - Ed.

Bill Bennett Responds to Critics over Black Abortion

Former Reagan administration education secretary Bill Bennett blasted his critics Thursday night, including Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, of whom Bennett said: “”I'll not take instruction from Teddy Kennedy. A young woman likely drowned because of his negligence."

--NewsMax.com--

Bush Expected to Name High Court Nominee

WASHINGTON - President Bush, closing in on another nomination of a new Supreme Court justice, has completed his consultations with the Senate about who should fill the seat of retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a White House spokesman said Friday.

--Las Vegas Sun (AP)--

I didn't make up the headline - it's straight from the article. It would be news if Bush wasn't expected to name a nominee. - Ed.

Money in Indictment Connected to Reid

WASHINGTON - The money that led to the indictment this week of two Las Vegas pastors and the wife of one of them came from federal grants arranged by Sen. Harry Reid in September 2001, a Reid spokeswoman said Wednesday.

--Las Vegas Review-Journal--

General Backs Off on US Troop Cuts in Iraq

WASHINGTON - As fresh violence claimed dozens more Iraqi and US lives yesterday, the top US military commander in Iraq backed off previous predictions that a substantial number of US troops would be withdrawn next year, and he warned that a growing political divide over a new constitution could fuel worse bloodshed in the months ahead.

--Boston Globe--

Groups Want End to Birthright Citizenship

WASHINGTON - Groups upset about illegal immigration and some Republican lawmakers say that any reform - such as the one proposed by President Bush - must include a provision to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants and temporary workers.

--Palm Beach Post-Cox News Service--

The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution would seem to require another amendment to implement this proposal. - Ed.

Nagin's Cops Trained by Farrakhan Deputy

When New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin briefed Nation of Islam chief Louis Farrakhan about damage to the city's levees in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, it wasn't the first time the Louisiana Democrat had reached out to the racially polarizing black leader.

--NewsMax.com--