Take, for example, Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel. He has some mighty interesting Connections, as this article highlights, The Ties That Bind. Remember Rahm Emanuel’s Rent-Free D.C. Apartment? The owner: A BP Adviser. Oh, oops – this could get a bit messy:

In case you were tempted to buy the faux Washington outrage at BP and its gulf oil spill in recent days, here’s a story that reveals a little-known corporate political connection and the quiet way the inner political circles intersect, protect and care for one another in the nation’s capital. And Chicago.

We already knew that BP and its folks were significant contributors to the record $750-million war chest of Barack Obama’s 2007-08 campaign.

Now, we learn the details of a connection of Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago mayoral wannabe, current Obama chief of staff, ex-representative, ex-Clinton money man and ex-Windy City political machine go-fer.

Though plenty of Obama supporters want to gloss over that little connection with BP and the flow of money, it doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t still living in the Reality-based community.

(Photo from Left Coast Liberal)

Back to Rahm, seen above with buddy, Blago:

Shortly after Obama’s happy inaugural, eyebrows rose slightly upon word that, as a House member, Emanuel had lived the last five years rent-free in a D.C. apartment of Democratic colleague Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and her husband, Stanley Greenberg.

For an ordinary American, that would likely raise some obvious tax liability questions. But like Emanuel, the guy overseeing the Internal Revenue Service now is another Obama insider, Tim Geithner, who had his own outstanding tax problems but skated through confirmation anyway by the Democratic-controlled Congress.

Remember this was all before the letters BP stood for Huge Mess. Even before the Obama administration gave BP a safety award.

Now follow these standard Washington links if you can:

Greenberg’s consulting firm was a prime architect of BP’s recent rebranding drive as a green petroleum company, down to green signs and the slogan “Beyond Petroleum.”

Greenberg’s company is also closely tied to a sister Democratic outfit — GCS, named for the last initials of Greenberg, James Carville, another Clinton advisor, and Bob Shrum, John Kerry’s 2004 campaign manager.

According to published reports, GCS received hundreds of thousands of dollars in political polling contracts in recent years from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Probably just a crazy coincidence. But you’ll never guess who was the chairman of that Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee dispensing those huge polling contracts to his kindly rent-free landlord.

Surely, just a CRAZY coincidence.

Hmm – you don’t suppose this is why the Obama Administration gave BP a Safety Award for the very oil rig platform that blew up, do you? Or why they failed to perform the monthly safety inspections required by the Minerals Management Service policy?

Or that the plans for the drill rig were not subjected to environmental review (thanks, Ken Salazar)? What makes that one particularly mind boggling are the claims by the Federal Government that LA cannot get emergency permits to build barriers to protect their shores because the Feds don’t know what the environmental impact of the barriers would be yet. Um, here’s a hint – when you see dolphins washing up covered in oil, or pelicans unable to take off because they are coated in oil, there is ALREADY an environmental impact. Jeezum crow. (After a month – a full month of LA’s drive for sand berms – BP is making its first payment of $60 million to put up these sandbag barriers. One can only guess what a difference it could have made had the Feds not dragged their feet on this.)

Or why BP was a finalist for the Pollution Prevention Award? Well, the latter at least sounds like Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for something he MIGHT accomplish someday.

You just can’t make this stuff up, people. Well, you could, but no one would believe it. Yes, each and every one of those is true.

Now, I’m not saying that Rahm’s being in bed with a BP oil adviser, or at least living in his apartment for free, is definitively why BP has gotten all of these breaks, exemptions, and lack of oversight. What do you say?

Heck, just today, the Washington Post put out a poll it did with ABC News in which the headline says things might be a bit hairy for incumbents for the next election, but that overall, Obama is seen as trustworthy on a number of issues. But what you DON’T learn in that article is the breakdown of the 1001 people polled, and how Obama’s positive numbers could be higher now than they were in a recent Gallup poll. Well, HotAir explains:

Why did Obama and the Democrats still manage to hold more trust over their GOP opponents? The pollster talked to more of them, that’s how — and more of them than they did in the last poll, relative to Republicans. In the March 26th poll, the WaPo/ABC sample had a D/R/I split of 34/24/38, giving Democrats a partisan advantage of 10 points in the poll. This time, the sample’s split went 34/23/38, and even the independents split in favor of the Democrats, 19/17, up from 17/17 last month. Just to give some perspective, the partisan gap from their November 2008 poll just before the election was nine points — and 26% of the sample was Republicans, compared to 23% now.

Given the expanding partisan gap shown in this poll, small wonder that Obama winds up with more trust than Republicans among respondents. It’s also no mystery why the WaPo/ABC poll shows Obama adding to his job approval rating, 54/44, when every other pollster has Obama sinking. That ten-point swing in the sample makes quite a difference.

It also makes a big difference in the consolation news the Post and ABC offered Democrats. The 46/32 split for Dems on trust by party shows that Democrats would be considerably narrower than the 14-point lead this survey shows. The eleven point lead that Obama has over the GOP for trust on the economy would be completely gone, and the 4-point edge Obama enjoys over Republicans on the deficit would have more than reversed itself.

So you can see why I was a bit surprised to see the Politico story indicating the love affair with Obama was over. Yet that is the claim in this lengthy article. (Let me say up front, I will not be including the whole thing here for space reasons, but I urge you to read the whole piece.)

And now to the story itself:

One of the enduring storylines of Barack Obama’s presidency, dating back to the earliest days of his candidacy, is that the press loves him.

“Most of you covered me. All of you voted for me,” Obama joked last year at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

But even then, only four months into his presidency, the joke fell flat. Now, a year later, with another correspondents’ dinner Saturday night likely to generate the familiar criticism of the press’s cozy relationship with power, the reality is even more at odds with the public perception.

President Obama and the media actually have a surprisingly hostile relationship – as contentious on a day-to-day basis as any between press and president in the last decade, reporters who cover the White House say.

Reporters say the White House is thin-skinned, controlling, eager to go over their heads and stingy with even basic information. All White Houses try to control the message. But this White House has pledged to be more open than its predecessors – and reporters feel it doesn’t live up to that pledge in several key areas:

— Day-to-day interaction with Obama is almost non-existent, and he talks to the press corps far less often than Bill Clinton or even George W. Bush did. Clinton took questions nearly every weekday, on average. Obama barely does it once a week.

— The ferocity of pushback is intense. A routine press query can draw a string of vitriolic emails. A negative story can draw a profane high-decibel phone call – or worse. Some reporters feel like they’ve been frozen out after crossing the White House.

— Except for a few reporters, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs can be distant and difficult to reach – even though his job is to be one of the main conduits from president to press. “It’s an odd White House where it’s easier to get the White House chief of staff on the phone than the White House press secretary,” one top reporter said.

— And at the very moment many reporters feel shut out, one paper – the New York Times – enjoys a favoritism from Obama and his staff that makes competitors fume, with gift-wrapped scoops and loads of presidential face-time.

“They seem to want close the book on the highly secretive years of the Bush administration. However, in their relationship with the press, I think they’re doing what they think succeeded in helping Obama get elected,” said the New Yorker’s George Packer.

“I don’t think they need to be nice to reporters, but the White House seems to imagine that releasing information is like a tap that can be turned on and off at their whim,” Packer said.

Okay. You know what I am going to say about this already. Had they actually done their jobs during the campaign, looked at who Obama really is, his job performance (or lack thereof), refrained from categorizing him as “cool” when he was being arrogant and aloof, maybe they would not surprised now.

And they sure would not be surprised by this, had they followed his “career”:

Much of the criticism is off-the record, both out of fear of retaliation and from worry about appearing whiny. But those views were voiced by a cross-section of the television, newspaper and magazine journalists who cover the White House.

“These are people who came in with every reporter giving them the benefit of the doubt,” said another reporter who regularly covers the White House. “They’ve lost all that goodwill.”

And this attitude, many believe, starts with the man at the top. Obama rarely lets a chance go by to make a critical or sarcastic comment about the press, its superficiality or its short-term mentality. He also hasn’t done a full-blown news conference for 10 months.

Obama’s White House aides can rightfully say they’ve set new standards for opening up access on several fronts, such as releasing previously secret visitors’ logs, expanding White House web content and offering more than 150 sit-down interviews with Obama to selected reporters.

But Gibbs is unapologetic about sometimes taking a hard line in his dealings with the press, saying it’s a response to the viral nature of modern media.

“There’s a danger in letting something go. Trust me, I read a lot of news every day. Not a day goes by that something that I didn’t pay enough attention to, or close attention to, doesn’t go from being myth to reality over the course of several hours,” Gibbs told POLITICO.

“I understand if you’re a reporter and get 95 percent right, and your word choice isn’t right on 5 percent. But that 5 percent goes on to become reality. I’ve got to live with that, when it may or may not be true,” Gibbs said. “It does make our jobs difficult.”

The correspondents association recently met with Gibbs to discuss, in the words of Bloomberg’s Ed Chen, “a level of anger, which is wide and deep, among members over White House practices and attitude toward the press.”

A few days later, Gibbs said at one of his briefings, “This is the most transparent administration in the history of our country.”

Peals of laughter broke out in the briefing room.

Hold the phone. Did they agree with Chris Matthews that a journalist’s job was to make Obama’s presidency a successful one and that’s why they gave him goodwill he did not EARN?? If so, they are unclear about the role of a journalist in a free society.

At least they acknowledged the total Obama/Gibbs “Transparency” meme with the response it deserved – laughter.

Here are their beefs with the Obama Administration:

The press’s bill of particulars boils down to this:

Dodging questions

If you cover City Hall, you talk to the mayor. If you cover the Yankees, you’ll hang around Derek Jeter’s locker. The White House is no different, and aides past routinely filled that need by letting the press pool toss the president a couple of questions every so often, usually at one of the various events that fill his calendar every day.

Not Obama. He has severely cut back the informal exchanges with the press pool, marking a new low in presidential access.

The numbers speak for themselves: during his first year in office, President Bill Clinton did 252 such Q&A sessions—an average of one every weekday. Bush did 147. Obama did 46, according to Towson University Professor Martha Kumar.

“Too many of the president’s meetings are ‘no coverage’ for my taste,” said ABC’s Ann Compton. “That is a stark reduction in access for us.”

White House aides say Obama has hardly avoided the media. Indeed, he has done so many interviews that at times journalists have accused him of being overexposed. In his first year, Obama gave 161 interviews, according to Kumar’s tally. Bush and Clinton each did about 50.

Reporters point out that the Bush White House was no paragon of press transparency. And since the meeting with Gibbs this month, Obama took a couple of questions at a meeting with congressional leaders last week and still photographers got into a couple more events.

“I give credit to Robert for having the meeting, hearing our concerns and taking some action after the meeting to show that, while he may not agree to all the things we’re pushing for, he respects our concerns,” said CNN’s Ed Henry, the correspondents’ association’s secretary.

Playing favorites

It’s one thing to feed a scoop to the Times. Every White House does it.

But Team Obama did it right in front of the other reporters’ faces – then, in their view, lied about it.

Say Whaaaaa?? The Obama Administration LIED about something? Yeah, like every time Obama or Gibbs open their mouths. For the rest of this particular tale of how the White House dissed a whole bunch of reporters and lied about it, click HERE.

As for the New York Times being a favorite of the Administration, Spokesweasel Gibbs had this to say:

Gibbs denied an “unnecessary advantage” to the Times, while saying it has far more reporters covering topics of interest to the White House than most outlets. Times Deputy Washington Bureau Chief Dick Stevenson said it would be “absurd” to suggest the Times doesn’t get access in certain instances that others don’t.

But Stevenson said, “Like every other journalist in Washington I would say there’s a lot more they could do in terms of access for us and everyone else. While we appreciate the instances in which they cooperate and are accessible, there are plenty of cases where they’re not terribly accessible or responsive.”

While the Obama administration’s decision to stiff-arm Fox News caused a huge dust-up for a time last year, his back-benching of the Wall Street Journal has barely generated a peep. The Journal’s White House reporter, Jonathan Weisman, occasionally vents his frustration over the near freeze-out that has left the Journal with a single exclusive interview since Obama took office.

This was news to me. I read a lot of news. How is it that this was NOT out there? I mean, the Wall Street Journal is a pretty big news source, so why was this not discussed more? If anyone knows, I’d like to hear it.

Anyone who watched MSNBC during the Primaries/Campaign is familiar with Richard Wolffe, the Obama sycophant. Well, guess who is a WH fave? You got it:

[snip] Another event that riled many in the press corps took place on March 20. The Washington Examiner’s Julie Mason confronted former Newsweek correspondent Richard Wolffe, author of a highly favorable book about the Obama campaign, when he attempted to join the White House pool on the Saturday before Congress’ big health care vote.

“You’re not in the pool,” Mason recalled telling Wolffe. “You shouldn’t be joining.” Mason said Wolffe claimed that he was there courtesy of “a special invitation from the Obama administration.” Wolffe is working on a second book on the Obama administration.

“Are you working for them officially now?” shot back Mason.

“The White House wants their friend to be in the pool and we don’t know what recourse we have,” Mason later told POLITICO. “It’s just completely unfair to the press corps and flies in the face of the concept of a free press.”

Oh, snap. And a “free press”? Yeah, I’d love to see what this country was like if we REALLY had a free press. You know, one that actually covered the differences in protests between, say, Tea Partiers and AZ Anti-Immigration people. I suppose a girl can dream, right?

As indicated above, this White House can be a tad vindictive:

[snip]Getting mad

And just what happens when you upset the White House?

Among White House reporters, tales abound of an offhand criticism or passing claim low in an unremarkable story setting off an avalanche of hostile e-mail and voice mail messages.

“It’s not unusual to have shouting matches, or the email equivalent of that. It’s very, very aggressive behavior, taking issue with a thing you’ve written, an individual word, all sorts of things,” said one White House reporter.

“It’s a natural outgrowth of campaigning where control of the message is everything and where a very tight circle controls the flow of information,” the New Yorker’s Packer said. “I just think it is a mistake to transfer that model to governing. Governing is so much more complicated and is all about implementation—not just message.”

One of the most irritating practices of the Obama White House is when aides ignore inquiries or explicitly refuse to cooperate with an unwelcome story—only to come out with both guns blazing when it takes a skeptical view of their motives or success.

“You will give them ample opportunity on a story. They will then say, ‘We don’t have anything for you on this.’ Then, when you write an analytical graf that could be interpreted as implying a political motive by the White House, or something that makes them look like anything but geniuses, you will get a flurry of off the record angry e-mails after you publish,” one national reporter said. “That does no good. If you want to complain, engage!”

Gibbs said the White House’s efforts to push back tend to focus on fixing factual mistakes before they take hold in the media.

“The way we live these days, something that’s wrong can whip around and become part of the conventional wisdom in only a matter of moments and it’s hard to take it, put a top on it and put in back into the box,” Gibbs said. “That’s the nature by which the business operates right now.…This isn’t unique in terms of us and it’s likely to be more true for the next administration.”

Asked about some of the more aggressive tactics, including complaints to editors, Gibbs said, “We have to do some of those things….I certainly believe anyone who goes to an editor does so because it’s something they feel is very egregious. I don’t think people do it very lightly.”

Some reporters say the pushback is so aggressive that it undermines the credibility of Obama’s aides. “The willingness to argue that credible information is untrue is at its core dishonest and unfortunately calls into question everything else the press office says,” one White House reporter said.

While some reporters note improvements since the Bush era, like more informed deputy press secretaries and assistants, others complain of rigid image control pervading the government. “The access is much poorer than the Bush administration,” one national newspaper who regularly covers the White House said. “This is wider than just the White House. I feel like the political appointees in a variety of agencies are more difficult to get to. There are people…you could reach in the Bush administration that now they say ‘That position does not speak to the press. We do not give background. We do not give anything.’ ’’

Compton said that if the Obama White House’s sense of being besieged by the press is authentic it bespeaks a kind of innocence born from a candidate and a president who have never confronted a full-on Washington feeding frenzy.

“They ain’t seen nothing yet,” the longtime ABC reporter said. “Wait ‘till they have to start really circling the wagons when someone in the administration under attack, wait ‘till there’s a scandal, wait ‘till someone screws up, then it’ll get hostile.”

Well, it seems like the press is going to have ample opportunity with the revelation of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s phone calls with Obama. We shouldn’t have long to wait to see if there is a “feeding frenzy” over THIS scandal.

And if the press actually does their job, I am sure the level of push-back will be noteworthy given what the press is receiving now:

Getting even

While complaining about stories is hardly unique to the Obama administration, White House reporters charge that sometimes, aides even retaliate against reporters who cross them.

One reporter said that after he wrote a story the White House viewed as critical, aides tried to cancel meetings he’d lined up with other administration officials. “I was told very clearly the press office tried to stop those appointments going ahead,” the journalist said.

Gibbs said he couldn’t recall any such instance. “I’m sure people may have thought that, though,” he said.

While the Times clearly enjoys more access than any other publication, its perceived transgressions often get a heated and sustained response from the White House. “There certainly is no lack of friction or the appropriate tension that goes into this relationship—to put it mildly,” Stevenson said.

And that is with a favored organization. I imagine we can extrapolate to those the WH does NOT like:

[snip]“They throw some brush-back pitches every now and then,” one White House reporter for a major newspaper said. “They’ve been pretty heavy handed and have cut some people off.”

Edward Luce of the Financial Times drew the ire of Obama aides for a couple of articles arguing that decision making in the Obama administration is extremely centralized. Neither piece was a devastating indictment of the White House, but they prompted a furious reaction.

“I was just in awe of the pummeling Ed took from top White House people,” said policy blogger and New America Foundation senior fellow Steve Clemons. He began talking to White House reporters and came away convinced that what he calls an “extremely unhealthy” relationship has developed in which the White House generally cooperates only with reporters who are willing to write source-greasers or other fawning articles.

Gibbs referred questions about the Luce stories to McDonough. “Who’s Ed Luce?” McDonough said. “I’m not familiar with that.”

Clemons’s post on his findings, “Communications Corruption at the White House,” was harsh, particularly coming from a policy wonk who tends to agree with most of Obama’s stances.

“Has the bar moved so far that a reasonable piece that gives and takes a little but provides both criticism and applause, that is something White House has to respond to in such a prickly, thin-skinned way?” asked Clemons.

Um, YES!! For the gazillionith time, we tried to tell you so. We tried to get you to really, really look at this candidate instead of regurgitating whatever talking points Obama wanted you to spew for him. Or to quit transferring definitions for one word to another, like “even keeled” for “prickly,” “angry,” or “dismissive.” But would you listen? No. So on many levels, the press is getting what it has coming to it.

And that would be peachy keen-o if the press hadn’t given such a massive pass to this man who now occupies the White House, shoving through policies that are disastrous for our country, using the legal system as his personal bully under the guise of the Constitution (several things come to mind, but I’ll mention two: the DOJ supporting DADT, and Obama going after Arizona for trying to do something the Federal Government has failed to do – strengthen their border). Who knows, maybe when these reporters’ own outlets decide it’s cheaper to NOT cover their health care now that Obama got this god-awful law signed, they’ll wish they had actually done their jobs a bit better.

You know, come to think of it, they deserve pretty much what they are getting from the White House now. I’m willing to bet good money that a Clinton White House, even a McCain White House, would not be treating the press – our eyes and ears in the public arena – with such callous disregard, and even contempt. But they wanted Obama in there, and as he noted, they (most likely) voted for him.

So how does it feel now? Those Kool Aide fumes dispersing any?? If so, welcome to our world, the one you, the media, helped bring upon us. And thanks shitloads for that. Ready to do your jobs now?

No, I am talking about political connections that can get you into the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Like if you are related to Tony Rezko, for example (if you want more information about Rezko, just do a search at NQ – you’ll get plenty of posts on him and his connections to Obama). Oh, I am not making this up. It has been a big scandal in IL. Haven’t heard about this? Huh – there’s a surprise!! Ahem. Seriously, though, Board of Trustee members of the flagship university have been resigning like rats fleeing a sinking ship over this issue, including the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Niranjan Shah. Shah resigned earlier this month. Considering this story broke in MAY, it makes me wonder what took so long…

And about Tony Rezko’s relative, the Chicago Tribune reported:

In one case, a relative of Antoin “Tony” Rezko, the now-convicted influence peddler for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, got admitted after U. of I. President B. Joseph White wrote an e-mail stating that the governor “has expressed his support, and would like to see admitted” Rezko’s relative and another applicant.

White’s message to the university chancellor was passed on to admissions officials on the same day they entered a rejection decision for the Rezko relative. “He’s actually pretty low,” replied an admissions officer, referring to the applicant’s ACT score and other credentials. “Let me know when the denial letter can go out.”

Instead, the relative was admitted.

Since 2005, about 800 undergraduate students have landed on the clout list for the Urbana-Champaign campus. It’s unknown how many would qualify for entry on their own, but their acceptance rate is higher than average. For the 2008-09 school year, for example, about 77 percent were accepted, compared with 69 percent of all applicants.

Wow. It seems that maybe “Chicago-style” politics are actually “Illinois-style” politics. Especially considering what this means in terms of academics, and what the University President had to say about all of this:

That’s in spite of the fact that patronage candidates, as a group, had lower average ACT scores and class ranks than all admitted students, records show.

In 2008, for example, freshmen on average ranked in the 88th percentile in their high school class, while clouted students ranked in the 76th percentile.

High school counselors and admissions experts said letting clout affect admissions compromises the integrity of the university.

“Whether it’s [a Rezko relative] or any other kid who takes a spot, he typically takes a spot of someone who is more qualified. That’s the part that gets my blood boiling,” said Jim Conroy, a New Trier Township High School college counselor. “This is not a private institution. This is yours and mine. Our flagship state university should not be part of any political shenanigans.”

President White said it’s not unusual for selective universities to receive input on applicants from interested parties, and it’s important to have a system to track the requests. The additional information can help the admissions office make a more informed decision, he said – though the university discourages applicants from sending letters of recommendations, saying on its Web site that “sending unsolicited materials can be distracting.”

He declined to discuss specific cases, including the Rezko relative, but said: “I would never support admission of a student over better-qualified students simply because of connections and pressure.”

But the Tribune review of about 1,800 pages of documents shows politically appointed trustees and lawmakers routinely behave as armchair admissions officers advocating on behalf of relatives and neighbors – even housekeepers’ kids and families with whom they share Hawaiian vacations. They declare their candidates “no brainers” for admission and suggest that if they are not accepted, the admissions system may need revamping.

Um, well, yes – I would say that’s a Newsflash from the Department of DUH on the whole revamping thing.

Here’s what the investigation found: The investigation found:

–University officials recognized that certain students were underqualified – but admitted them anyway.

–Admissions officers complained in vain as their recommendations were overruled.

–Trustees pushed for preferred students, some of whom were friends, neighbors and relatives.

–Lawmakers delivered admission requests to U. of I. lobbyists, whose jobs depend on pleasing the lawmakers.

–University officials delayed admissions notifications to weak candidates until the end of the school year to minimize the fallout at top feeder high schools.

For example, this spring an applicant described as having “terrible credentials” by the undergraduate admissions office was denied admittance. She sought help from Trustee Frances Carroll, who encouraged her to appeal the denial – an option not mentioned in rejection letters or any university literature. Carroll forwarded the appeal to University Chancellor Richard Herman and sought his help. The applicant was admitted.

Then, to avoid drawing attention at the applicant’s high school, where her acceptance could raise eyebrows, documents show the university planned to wait until the end of the school year to notify the applicant.

Carroll said the Lincoln Park High School senior, whom she didn’t know, had a 3.2 grade-point average, participated in many extra-curricular activities and deserved a spot at U. of I. Carroll said she likes to help disadvantaged students who may not understand the system.

Patronage has become such an entrenched part of the admissions process that there’s even a name for the applicants with heavy-hitting sponsors: “Category I.”

While some trustees and lawmakers said they didn’t realize there was a separate category for their requests, the records showed they needed only to forward a name and a few vital statistics to have the student placed in it.

And many did so without reservation.

Doesn’t this all sound eerily familiar? Sure does to me…

CQ Politics:

"Rep. Jane Harman, the California Democrat with a longtime involvement in intelligence issues, was overheard on an NSA wiretap telling a suspected Israeli agent that she would lobby the Justice Department to reduce espionage-related charges against two officials of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, the most powerful pro-Israel organization in Washington.

Harman was recorded saying she would “waddle into” the AIPAC case “if you think it’ll make a difference,” according to two former senior national security officials familiar with the NSA transcript.

In exchange for Harman’s help, the sources said, the suspected Israeli agent pledged to help lobby Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., then-House minority leader, to appoint Harman chair of the Intelligence Committee after the 2006 elections."  Jeff Stein

—————————————————

Life is just not fair.  Rod Blagojevich was impeached for corruption, is under massive indictment for the same and was pilloried for seeking to bargain with people (various) over President Obama's vacated senate seat.

Jane Harman (according to CQ and Jeff Stein) bargained with a suspected foreign espionage and covert action agent (Israeli) on an open telephone line in a discussion as to whether or not she would attempt to have espionage charges reduced in the case of two men who are still awaiting trial for illegally handing over US secrets to the Israeili embassy.  In return the suspected Israeli operative (not an American) offered to go to Nancy Pelosi to influence her to appoint Harman chair of the House Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), a position in which she would have been able to do a lot for Israel (or anyone else).

Firstly, consider the fact that this spook was comfortable enough with Harman to make her an offer like that…  Harman and her husband, Sidney, are major figures in the world of political think-tankery, charity, etc.  BENS, WINEP, AIPAC, JINSA, etc.  They get around.  She has had to "settle" for a lesser committee chairmanship.  As I said, life is not fair.

Then there is the fact that this spook said that he, a foreigner, would go to the minority leader of the House of Representatives (Pelosi) with some prospect of success to ask for Harman to be made chairman of the HPSCI.  Chutzpah indeed!  There must have been a good case that he knew Pelosi well enough for Harman to think that plausible.  I guess if enough people go to enough dinner parties, eventually everyone knows everyone?

Who was this person, the mysterious voice on the phone?  Did he flee the country at some point?  Is he now likely to visit Washington soon as a member of a new government?  Will there be a dinner party?  pl

PS.  There is some thought that the "Israeli operative" may be a naturalized dual Israeli/American national.  This is unclear, but not very important.

STEPHEN DIAMOND: I am a lawyer, political scientist and law professor. I teach courses and conduct research on the global capital markets, business law, international human rights and labor law. My blog is Global Labor and Politics. You may read my other posts at NoQuarterUSA.net here.

Obama is clearly losing goodwill points every day that Blago-gate drags on. Now it appears that indeed Rahm Emanuel was in touch with Blago and aide Harris about the senate seat though no evidence yet of malfeasance on Emanuel’s part.

The stench of Chicago machine politics now clings to Obama like a cheap cologne.

It did not have to be this way.

Obama started out his career firmly in the reform anti-Daley machine wing of the Chicago Democratic Party. That’s what it meant to be an Alinsky-ite Community Organizer in black south side poor and working class neighborhoods in the 80s (where, by the way, he first got to know the powerful Balanoff family of Tom Balanoff aka “SEIU Official” – the flag pole contact in the Feds affidavit against Blagojevich).

That’s what it meant to fight the Mayor’s office and the powerful school board and the teachers union simultaneously in the push for a school reform bill in 1988 which Obama did alongside his pal Bill Ayers. And Obama did that in opposition to mainstream black organizations like Operation PUSH and The Woodlawn Organization.

That’s what it meant to join again with Ayers in securing and then spending $160 million on education reform AGAINST the desires of Mayor Daley in what were called the Chicago School Wars. That’s what it meant to hold his initial campaign event in the home of his “family friends” Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers. That’s what it meant to step into the shoes of outgoing state rep. and fellow traveler Alice Palmer.

In fact, that’s what it meant if your aspiration in political life, as it was for Obama, was to depose Richard Daley Jr. inspired by Obama’s hero, Harold Washington, the first black mayor of the city who died in office while Obama was a community organizer.

But at some point in the late 90s or so, Obama realized he had higher ambitions and perhaps becoming Chicago Mayor was not enough. At that point he began to establish relationships with the Chicago mainstream, including key business figures like Penny Pritzker and he even began cozying up to the Daley machine itself. These would prove critical in his rise to national prominence

And now he is stuck with them. Instead of taking advantage of his new national ties to the Kennedy family or VP-elect Joe Biden he immediately fell back on the Chicago crowd for his earliest appointments – Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett, for example – while only leaving behind Jeremiah Wright and, hopefully, Billy Ayers.

For whatever reason Democratic Presidents seem too heavily dependent on the home team. Carter had his Georgia buddies as Clinton had his Arkansas cronies. Usually, however, it takes a few years for their inadequacies to shine through. Obama hasn’t even moved to Washington yet!

From my blog, Global Labor and Politics.

MORE ON ALINSKY:

Here’s a brief summary of Saul Alinsky’s relationship to Obama, via Wikipedia:

Alinsky codified and wrote a clear set of rules for community organizing. His rules for radicals are now used as key tactics to learn in the training of new community organizers and were the tactics used by then candidate Barack Obama to win the 2008 election.

[...]

Alinsky’s teachings influenced Barack Obama in his early career as a community organizer on the far South Side of Chicago. Working for Gerald Kellman’s Developing Communities Project, Obama learned and taught Alinsky’s methods for community organizing.

Join Paulie at 9:00 p.m. ET to discuss Saul Alinsky’s legacy at No Quarter Radio!

MATT TAIBBI – Rolling Stone

Blago crapping in the Democrat’s Punch

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/25556350/blagos_revenge

Matt, You Obama sucking assHat, I love what Blago has done to you.  After how you treated Hillary Clinton and John McCain you have the nerve to cry that Governor Blagojevich is shitting on your party?

Not only has the man not been indicted, there’s a very good chance he never will.  I have a feeling that he learned from his mentor, Barack Obama, how to avoid paying any price for stupid political missteps.

I hope that scum keeps giving you and your lying pseudo journalist friends nightmares.  I hope he sticks it to all of you during his appearance on Larry King next week.  I hope I don’t run out of popcorn as I watch this hilarious play.

All this bullshit, we hoped, might end with Barack Obama. But then came Blagojevich, a sleazeball whose massively publicized success in scheming a way to drop turd in the new president’s inaugural punch bowl is a gate-crashing leap above station on the order of Paris Hilton screwing her way into a speaking role in Gandhi or Amadeus. It’s a political disaster that happened only after Democrats once again froze in the headlights at the crucial moment, trying to flee in two different directions at once while a third-rate bookie in a tracksuit seized control of the U.S. Senate.

Don’t ask me what I think of their treatment of Senator Burris in the above cartoon.

I couldn’t read beyond the third paragraph and I left the shitty Rolling Stone down by the wood stove for help keeping us warm tomorrow.

Cross posted from Partizane

Here is the new Cabbage patch doll

for Illinois residents.Now YOU too

can buy the governor.

(Sent to me by our Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy, who’s on the mend.)

What else is goin ‘on?

OR was he a poison pill? (Sadly, this won’t keep the MSM from incessantly — and I do mean incessantly — blathering on and on and on and on about Bill and Hillary and Bill/Hillary vs. Barack/Joe and all that utter nonsense they use to fill the empty hours at MSNBC.)

Via Political Wire:

Clinton Confirmed

The U.S. Senate confirmed Hillary Clinton to be President Obama’s secretary of state in a 94 to 2 vote.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was instrumental in urging Republicans to support Clinton. Only Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) voted against her nomination.

JOHN McCAIN IS A CLASS ACT! (Second time today I’ve published that!)

And a purveyor of prostitutes as well as a customer of the D.C. Madam who’s in for the fight of his life when reelection comes in predominantly-religious Louisiana (with its significant population of conservative Catholics appalled by David Vitter’s behavior), along with a South Carolinian homophobic, anti-single-parents rightwinger (Jim DeMint, who says that not just homosexuals but also single parents should not be allowed to teach in schools, I kid you not!) were the only two nay votes.

Damn good, Hillary. If those two losers had voted for you, I’d worry.

And so …
What else is goin ‘on?

“Roland Burris is a good man and a fine public servant, but the Senate Democrats made it clear weeks ago that they cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat. I agree with their decision, and it is extremely disappointing that Governor Blagojevich has chosen to ignore it. I believe the best resolution would be for the Governor to resign his office and allow a lawful and appropriate process of succession to take place. While Governor Blagojevich is entitled to his day in court, the people of Illinois are entitled to a functioning government and major decisions free of taint and controversy,” said President-elect Obama.

Oh, no. Obama is “extremely disappointed.” Well, join the freakin’ club, Obama. You aren’t the only one. There are millions of us who are disappointed. Heck, despairing might even be the word of choice. But I digress.

Now, Obama has changed his tune (surprise!!!!!). According to this CBS Report, Obama is now saying:

Mr. Obama was just asked about the Burris appointment during his morning press conference. The president-elect did not take a position, saying it was “a Senate matter.”

Mr. Obama noted he had known Burris for years, adding: “If he gets seated, then I’m going to work with Roland Burris, just like I work with all the other senators.”

Newsflash from the Department of Duh: You already took a position, Mr. Obama. Perhaps YOU should learn hot to use that whole Google thing to remind yourself of what you said about a week ago. Just sayin’.

And for the record, the Senate does NOT get to decide who they will allow in or not. It’s a matter of who each state sends. You might want to go take another little look-see at that pesky piece of paper you find to be so “deeply flawed,” the Constitution. Just a thought!

But Obama isn’t the only one who is probably making Burris’ head spin (and mine). The above-mentioned Senate owner (hey, that’s how he is acting), Harry Reid. His constant stand that Burris will now be admitted to his playgroup is now weakening:

After repeatedly saying they wouldn’t accept him and turning him away Tuesday, it now appears that Senate Democrats eventually plan to seat Roland Burris after all.

After Burris met privately with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, Reid told reporters today that he hopes “sooner rather than later” the full Senate will vote on whether to accept Burris.

And get this:

Reid said he and Burris met for 45 minutes and since he had “never met the man,” it was “very enlightening,” calling Burris “obviously very engaging, a very nice man.”

Well, by all means, Harry, if the only criterion you have is if you think someone is “nice” enough, glad to hear Burris suits you on that level.

I have written about this before, but holy crap – our Senate is a very small junior high school. Grow the hell up already, Harry!! Sheesh!

By the way, in the article linked above about Reid, there is a link to a US News and World Report article (by Michael Barone)regarding issues of legality and seating Burris. I’ll bottom-line it for you: they have to seat him.

In the meantime, I think the following should be Burris’ theme song:

So, what will it be? Will he stay or will he go?

Say this is not true.

You tell us that armed guards are going to keep Roland Burris from taking his seat. One strike.

But Harry, now this?

Days before Gov. Blagojevich was charged with trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder, top Senate Democrat Harry Reid made it clear who he didn’t want in the post: Jesse Jackson, Jr., Danny Davis or Emil Jones.

Rather, Reid called Blagojevich to argue he appoint either state Veterans Affairs chief Tammy Duckworth or Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Now, granted Harry recommended women, which is REALLY rare from today’s Regressives Progressives. But Harry blew off four, count them four, black potential candidates to fill Barack Obama’s slot. The only black US senator is leaving that seat, and Harry couldn’t abide one of these four guys? And looking at the names tells me that Roland is the best pick of all.

At least Roland is not a long-time New Party borderline Communist waiting to send us all to the potato fields after he redistributes our income, like Danny Davis.

At least Roland is not a typical Chicago Fixer and Obama’s political Godfather like Emil Jones. How ironic, though. Jones Made Obama. Incidentally, this is the same guy who called an African American Clinton delegatean “Uncle Tom”. I wonder what he’s thinking now about his “Godson” Barack Obama turning his back on Roland Burris.

I honestly don’t know what Jesse Jackson Junior is, besides being Jesse Senior’s son. Furthermore, he thew his own father under the bus for Barack Obama, which to me is a strong indicator of just how far he would go to get ahead.

Say what you want about Jesse Sr. Agree with him or don’t agree with him, but he has worked his tail off for the African American community since he was a young puppy. I remember Jesse speaking at my college during what the Gen-Y crowd would call the Stone Age. Jesse Junior’s achievement record is Nil compared to his father. He’s hitching a ride off of Daddy’s name and everybody knows it. So the least he could have done was show his father some respect. This goes to character. But still, this guy went all out for Barack Obama, even unto turning his back on his own father.

But Harry seems to have a problem with placing of anyAfrican American in the seat of the only black person in the Senate. And apparently Barack Obama has the same problem.

Barack would do well to remember that if he hadn’t bamboozled the African American community into thinking, among other things, that he is going to drop money from the sky upon them, he would not be President-Elect Obama today. This has to be a huge blow to the morale of the community. The Congressional Black Caucus has got to be wondering where Reid and Obama are really coming from.

Overall, I cannot avoid the temptation to say on behalf of Women in America: Welcome To The Club. Unfairness Sucks, doesn’t it? I’ll bet it does. That’s why this statement from the Obama camp is particularly unconscionable:

An Obama transition team spokeswoman would not comment, referring reporters to a report released by Obama’s transition team before Christmas.

I have a feeling, if this “transition” is any indicator, we are going to hear a lot of “No Comments” from Barack Obama in the next four years. He is doing the same thing with the Gaza conflict. He acts as if we are interrupting his hoops and workout every time the press asks him a burning question. Considering the practice he got during the primaries and the election, he’s seasoned at avoiding questions that force him to reveal a detail or make a commitment. But what’s up with this subject of his Senate seat replacement? Does Barack want to pull a Clarence Thomas and kick the ladder out from under him for African Americans now that he got to climb it?

This morning Reid has denied having this conversation at all. I hope this is true. But I have the distinct feeling that Blago knows where plenty of bodies are buried and some of those bodies were dragged across the room while the tape was rolling–

Considering Reid’s behavior over Roland Burris’ appointment— what with talk of Armed Guards–and considering there is a boatload of audio tapes– my money is on the man with the Big Hair on this one.

Things are lookin’ bad for ya, Harry. This morning FOX paraphrased you as saying on this morning’s Meet The Press,

“We have the right to do whatever we want to”.

Nice to know we are living in a Democracy, Harry. Nice to know. Just really hard to tell when we have a cranky Totalitarian bastard like you in charge of the Senate.

Rather, I want to share with you the backbone, the intestinal fortitude, with which some of NY’s politicians are made. You may recall that not everyone in NY was happy with the whole Kennedy Schlossberg push for Clinton’s Senate seat. Specifically, the Assembly Speaker, Sheldon Silver, was opposed to her appointment. I know I should not be surprised by this, but in this NY Post article, “Silver Now Takes Shine To Caroline,” we learn WHY he has made this 180 turn. Ready for this? Here it is:

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who last week sharply questioned whether Caroline Kennedy should be appointed to the US Senate, said yesterday he’s rethinking his views because he believes Gov. Paterson may soon pick her.

The emphasis is mine. I am practically speechless. Silver wasn’t, though:

“I have determined there’s a good possibility she will be the appointee of the governor,” Silver, the state’s second most powerful Democrat, told The Post.

“If she is the appointee of the governor, I will certainly be supportive of her. I will work for her and will work strenuously for her election.”

Let’s see – even though he was opposed to her the other day, because he now thinks the governor may pick her, he’s for her. Wow – way to stick to the courage of your convictions there, Silver! Oh, yeah – and he’s willing to work for her re-election, too! Just like that – snap! I am sure his constituents are thrilled that he is such a man of his word.

Here is the recap of the past week on Silver’s position:

Last week, Silver said Kennedy seemed more loyal to Mayor Bloomberg, who has twice defeated Democratic opponents, than she was to Paterson.

He also said he was unhappy with Kennedy’s less than 100 percent commitment to support the Democratic candidate who’ll run against Bloomberg, who was twice elected as a Republican, this year.

Asked if he was now more favorably inclined toward Kennedy then he was last week, Silver responded, “Yes, it’s true.”

The speaker insisted he had no inside information – from the governor or anyone else – that Kennedy would be named to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton, President-elect Barack Obama’s choice to be secretary of state.

But he said he reached the conclusion her appointment was likely because of “public opinion polls, which are not negative, and because the governor, I think, wants to run [in 2010] with a strong candidate, and I’m sure . . . having a well-known woman on the ticket will be helpful.”

Well, one would think. Didn’t help Hillary, but, oh, yeah – that’s because she was cheated, as we all were. But I digress.

Here’s the problem. Silver’s math comprehension:

While a national poll earlier this week showed a majority of Americans view Kennedy as qualified to be senator, a survey of New York voters last week found that 41 percent felt she was not qualified and 40 percent thought she was.

Apparently, he is not clear on PERCENTAGES. A friend who’s a math professor could help him with that. And even though it is a small percentage, it is not that Kennedy Schlossberg is being received with OVERWHELMING support the way, oh, I dunno, CLINTON was. Just sayin’.

But get this explanation for why it should be the exceedingly wealthy, connected Kennedy (and someone remind me why this is not a “pay to play” scheme? Does ANYONE think favors have not been promised for her to get in? Really??):

Meanwhile, Bloomberg’s top political aide, Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey – who has been lobbying for Kennedy – played his trump card yesterday. He argued that only Kennedy, an early Obama supporter, would have the clout a cash-strapped New York will need within the next administration.

“I think New York needs someone who can work with the new president. I think New York needs someone who supported the new president. I think New York desperately shouldn’t appoint someone who opposed the new president,” Sheekey said.

I think Sheekey means to say this is the payback for all Kennedy Schlossberg did for Obama during the campaign, like comparing him to her father, though there is absolutely no basis whatsoever for such a comparison. And for her coming out of her private little world to stump all over creation for The One (and no doubt, her uncle’s influence in having the RBC make a mockery of any sense of decency and fair play).

Just seems to me that this is different only in small degrees from what has happened in IL. She is someone Obama wants in there because she won’t EVER buck him (I assume that’s what Sheekey means when he says she’ll “work” with PEBO), and will simply be a yes-woman to him. We all know that would NOT have been Hillary’s role – acquiescing to whatever PEBO wants. The other piece of the equation often left out is the representation of the people of NY. Cuomo would be a much better pick for that, but why quibble. If PEBO wants her in, you know she’ll get it, even though she is unqualified for it. Welcome to New Politics Obama-style, same as Chicago-style. Seems it’s here to stay…

Rod Blagojevich may be a little crazy alright—crazy as a pissed-off fox. The still-legally-sitting Governor’s appointment of Roland W. Burris to take over Barack Obama’s vacated senate seat has set off a firestorm among African American lawmakers and legal scholars, and should be of great concern to all of us for reasons noted below.

No matter what we think of the guy, Blagojevich is legally permitted to make such an appointment, despite being charged (but not yet indicted) for conspiring to commit fraud and soliciting bribery. No constitutional provision exists to defy his action.

But Senate Democrats have vowed to refuse to seat anyone appointed by the besieged Governor of Illinois. Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid has stated in no uncertain terms that Burris, specifically, will never be seated.

Here’s the looming problem for Senate Democrats. Burris is an African American. He wants the job. His credentials and other requirements (i.e., age, residency, citizenship) to be a U. S. Senator are satisfactory, which is all the Constitution demands. And, with Obama gone, there would be no other AA senators.

Burris is standing strong against Reid’s threat. He has already taken Illinois’ Secretary of State Jessie White to court to force him to certify the appointment. Burris may well prevail because the SoS, it turns out, has no real veto power. And if Burris prevails there, what will Harry Reid do if he shows up on the Senate stairs later this month? Ask Capitol Police to whisk him away? How is that going to play out on the 6 o’clock news?

Black members in the House have given fair warning. As stated in the New York Times, “Several black lawmakers said the Senate’s efforts to block the appointment of Mr. Burris by Mr. Blagojevich would be viewed by many black voters as a signal that systemic roadblocks continue to prevent qualified, respected African-Americans from climbing the political ladder. They said Mr. Obama’s opposition to the appointment would do little to ease such concerns among their black constituents, who remain concerned that the Senate has no black members.”

Rejecting an African American who was legally appointed and qualified for the job adds up to a PR nightmare and puts our new President in an even more precarious position. President-elect Obama’s response is,

Roland Burris is a good man and a fine public servant, but the Senate Democrats made it clear weeks ago that they cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat. I agree with their decision, and it is extremely disappointing that Governor Blagojevich has chosen to ignore it. I believe the best resolution would be for the Governor to resign his office and allow a lawful and appropriate process of succession to take place. While Governor Blagojevich is entitled to his day in court, the people of Illinois are entitled to a functioning government and major decisions free of taint and controversy.

So now the Senate, with the concurrence of the newly elected President, wants to expand its powers. Legal analyst Peter Johnson points out, as have many other legal scholars, that the law favors Blagojevich and Burris. He notes that the Consitution allows Congress to make a decision based only on constitutional parameters, not, whether they like who appointed him.

So, this is the change we’ve been waiting for? Increased Washington powers in state affairs?

As for Harry, he should have kept his mouth shut. Chicago plays much rougher, tougher and smarter than he can.

Twas the night before Christmas, and across this great nation, there was a strange feeling. It was not jubilation.

For the Messiah had come to much hallowed ground. Yet, there was absolutely no hope and change to be found.

Barack was his name. A name funny indeed. He was black, he was white. He could be whatever you need.

He flew into D.C. on a shiny new sleigh. Yet called Pastor Rick to say the hell with the gay.

With his middle finger extended, brushing dirt here and there, he let women feel used and he just didn’t care.

For us at No Quarter it was so plain to see. A messiah he wasn’t, it just couldn’t be.

Susan in her stockings and Larry in his cap. We all knew, Saint Obama was just full of crap.

We would not build him a throne made of gold, cloth and brass. For the dirt from Chicago grew way past his ass.

Blago the Ogre knew many truths to be told. How this so-called Messiah could be bought and sold.

But, a crafty Messiah, works hard Christmas night. He gathered his elves to prepare for the fight. On Rahm, On Hillary, Caroline, Oprah too. Leave Biden at home, he should have nothing to do.

We must spread word to the people across our great land. That the Messiah is real, and hope and change are at hand. With ABC, NBC, CBS and the cable, the people will know he is virtuous and able.

Distractions so numerous must not interfere with Michelle’s plans to rule above and to sneer.

Let the people think you’ll pay for their mortgage and gas, just as long as they give us a pass.

And many were fooled and they slept the good sleep. Yet many of us knew this just goes to deep.

Larry and Susan, Truthteller too. Rabble Rouser Rev Amy just to name a few. And Ani and Pat along with LD, Patsy and Sugar, Pamela and me. We will not go quietly, we will stay in plain sight. So Merry Fitzmas to all and have a good night.

Commercial Note: Please remember Capture the Magic and all of the sponsors here at No Quarter as you finalize your Holiday purchases. The proceeds go a long way to helping us keep doing what we do. At www.capturethemagic.com, you can upload a picture of your living room (tree, fireplace etc.) and add a stunningly realistic looking Santa to your picture. The kids (or grandkids) will love it. It’s a lot of fun and helps out my day job and this website at the same time. Just click on the banner on the top of the page.

Thanks again and have a great Holiday!

Rob

ITEM: Illinois Governor Rod Blagoevich says he has done nothing wrong and vows to remain in office:

“It’s begining to look a lot like Fiztmas. Everywhere you go. Take a look a look at all the hacks, trying to watch their backs before Blago takes the stand and lets out all he knows.” The Gov could be the gift that keeps on giving.

The last thing anyone connected with Illinois government wants to see is Blago on the stand during an impeachment preceeding with absolutely nothing to lose. Then again, they might prefer that to seeing him cut a deal with the U.S. Attorney.

Either way, a whole lot of Chicago machine cronies are not getting very much sleep right now. They would love to cut a deal with the Governor, but can’t. He is being watched way too closely.

ITEM: Rick Warren will offer the invocation at Barack Obama’s inaugaration. The left, Gay and Lesbian activists and especially Rachel Maddow are not happy:
“O Come all Ye Faithful”. As long as you come with someone of the opposite gender. The good news is this is all part of the Obama economic recovery plan. Detroit will makes lots of money keeping up with the orders for new buses for PEBO to throw his supporters under. This does add credence to my initial thoughts about Obama that he doesn’t believe in anything except advancing the cause of Barack Obama. Whatever works best for his self-interest is where he will go. The gay and lesbian community, along with their supporters are just too small for him to be worried about.

ITEM: Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg launches a campaign to be appointed Senator in New York:

“Teddy the Lion, was a holly jolly soul. With blood shot eyes, and and puffed out cheeks, he just realized he is very old.” And he wants to keep a family member in the chamber to be there after he finally has to answer for Chappaquidick. Yes David Patterson, is the only vote that matters, but the Kennedy-Schlossberg team are making it impossible for him to choose anyone else.

They are running all over the state wooing Democratic leaders with Kennedy-Schlossberg cash to use them to help pressure Patterson. They are using the media’s Kennedy lust to help promote her to the public as a worthy candidate and they are very quietly letting it be known that this is the will of the Messiah.

Of course, those Democratic officials who have worked hard on behalf of the people and party for decades in New York and have earned the right to be considered by the Governor will just have to step aside.

Condi is on Meet the Press Today:

“Run, Run Condi. Get out of Washington as fast as you can.” One of the best thing about George W. Bush leaving office is he is taking Condi with him. Never has someone so incompetent been allowed to serve, so long. She was working on the Bush Revisionist platform with David Gregory this morning. Her premise that the media would rather focus on the shoe, than all the good that is now taking place in Iraq. As always, they miss the point. Yes, things are better now in Iraq, but that shoe does represent something. It represents a belief from Iraqi citizens that no matter what the final outcome is in Iraq, it is not worth what the United States has put them through the past six years. And Condi is part of the team that prepared to destroy their lives from day one of the Bush administration.

PETA names Oprah as “person of the year”: Obviously her kindness to misogynistic pigs shows her commitment to animal rights.

Commercial Announcement: Just four more days until Christmas. If you have young children or know people who do, please consider Capture The Magic dotcom. The link to their website is at the top of this page. The website allows users to upload a picture of their living room and create a very realistic looking image of Santa visiting their home. No Quarter gets 15% from every sale made via the link on our page. You can make a kid smile and help Larry and Susan keep the lights on here.

The Nocturnal Warrior Show will be on the No Quarter Radio Channel on Blog Talk, Tuesday Night at 9:00:
Join us as we get ready to celebrate the holidays together.

Governor Rod Blagojevich apparently has been trying to sell Obama’s Senate vacated seat. Shameful!

Then along comes Caroline Kennedy (Schlossberg) who appears to believe that genealogy is sufficient to take over Hillary’s Senate seat.

This all stinks. I see them in my mind’s eye as little children who both belong somewhere other than in leadership positions.

But which one is the lesser of two wrongs?

I come down on the side of Governor Rod Blagojevich. At least with “pay to play,” more than one person gets a shot at the prize. A tiny sniff of the American way is built in there. With Caroline, it’s all about perceived entitlement as part of a dynasty. Didn’t our forefathers and foremothers risk all to escape that?

Well, despite his protestations to the contrary, when Gov. Rendell decided to endorse CHRIS MATTHEWS in his run for the 2010 US Senate run in PA, he pretty much sealed his own place in the Sexist Hall of Fame. I mean, REALLY – how can he go from supporting Hillary Clinton to supporting one of the most sexist, misogynistic men in the MSM, who ROUTINELY demeaned and belittled Clinton??

Unbelievable.

And along those lines, did you catch Rahm Emmanuel complaining the other day that he couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time? Oh, no – that’s not right. No, he said he couldn’t be a father and answer a reporter’s questions all at the same time. I am not kidding. It was in the Chicago Sun Times, regarding the whole Blagojevich debacle:

President-elect Barack Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, refused to take questions from reporters this morning about whether he was the Obama “advisor” named in the criminal complaint against Gov. Rod Blagojevich…

Emanuel was uncharacteristically absent from Obama’s news conference this morning. He was spotted two hours later in the lobby of Chicago’s City Hall. He was there to listen to his two children performing in a concert with their school, Anshe Emet.

A Sun-Times reporter pressed him to comment about whether he was the emissary named in the criminal complaint.

“You’re wasting your time,” Emanuel said. “I’m not going to say a word to you. I’m going to do this with my children. Don’t do that. I’m a father. I have two kids. I’m not going to do it.”

Asked, “Can’t you do both?” Emanuel replied, “I’m not as capable as you. I’m going to be a father. I’m allowed to be a father,” and he pushed the reporter’s digital recorder away.

Holy cow. Can you IMAGINE what would have happened if, say, PALIN had said that? Oh, here’s a little example of the crapola said about HER being a parent:

Where the hell was Ed Schultz when Rahm Emmanuel couldn’t even answer a SIMPLE question because he’s a FATHER??? He’s something – besides being a father. Let your imaginations go wild…But hey – I didn’t hear any hew and cry from the Brotherhood of Sexist Men about THAT response, oh no.

Oh, but Schultz isn’t the only one. Remember this little gem by Campbell Brown questioning Palin’s fitness as a mother?

How about when Obama got all pissy with reporters for following him around when he took his two girls trick or treating? Oh, wow – can you IMAGINE if Hillary or Sarah or ANY WOMAN in public life got all cranky with the national media if they were out and about with their kids?? Whooey – the airwaves would be filled with the videos of them, over and over, with the predictable question of, “if they can’t handle a little thing like this, how are the going to deal with National Security” or whatever the issue of the day is. Yeah. But Obama can tell these folks to get back on the bus, Gus, and with a very few exceptions, we don’t hear a lot more about it. Just like the little Rahm fit.

Gwen “I Want to Help Obama Get Elected So My Book Is Relevant And Sells” Ifill asked Rep. Heather Wilson the wrong question. Rep. Wilson pretty much says it all about the vast discrepancies between the sexes, with some bonus discussion on how much more Palin was vetted than the other candidates:

It really is remarkable. Somehow, Governor Palin is capable of being governor of an entire state while having five children, and HER abilities are questioned all of the time. How DARE she not be there full time for her children!! Rahm Emmanuel has a hard time answering a question when he is at his kids’ school to just LISTEN to a concert, and gets whiney about how he cannot do two things at once. Please. Don’t use your kids as a damn excuse, Rahm. Funny – it seems you were capable of multi-tasking before, you know, talking to your good buddy, Rod, and being Obama’s right hand man.

My advice, if you can’t handle being a parent and a Representative/Obama tool, maybe you should give one of them up. I vote for giving up the Representative/Obama tool part. That would make one less Chicago politician in Washington, which would be just peachy with me. Just go home with your kids, Rahm. You can teach them all about Politics, the Chicago way! Make sure you tell them ALL about Uncle Hot Rod, Uncle Billy (Ayers), Uncle Tony (Rezko) while you’re at it. Or maybe you could call Hillary and ask her how to do more than one thing at a time. I’m sure she could teach you how to walk and chew gum at the same time.