Fred Thompson takes to the radio waves

Fred Heads: rejoice!!

Fred Thompson is not going away... in fact, he will be joining the fight in a very awesome way.

The Houston Chronicle reports:

Fred Thompson, the actor, former U.S. senator and Republican presidential candidate, soon will be adding the title of radio talk-show host to his job resume.

Syndicator Westwood One said that it had lined up the former Tennessee lawmaker and regular on Law & Order regular to take over when The Radio Factor With Bill O’Reilly goes off the air. The program will air two hours every weekday, beginning March 2.

O’Reilly said earlier this month that he would be ending his radio show but would continue hosting his popular TV series, The O’Reilly Factor.

I, for one, will be tuning in. Cannot wait to hear more of Fred's take on the next four years.

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Chrysler: already blowing the money

So we ended up bailing out the car companies (well, except for Ford...). People were against it, they rang up the switch boards at the US Capitol. And certain lawmakers are going to have a difficult reelection because of it.

There's been talk of a "Car Czar" as a watchdog to make sure that the bailout money is spent correctly. And my initial thought was "it's not government's job to do something like that".

Well, then Chrysler went and did something like this... Maybe a watchdog may not be such a bad idea after all...

Chrysler went ahead and took out a series of full-page newspaper ads to thank Americans for "investing" in the company through the government's $17.4 billion dollar bailout plan

So, the money we gave them to fix their companies troubles, were used to advertise a "thank you note". Maybe they don't get it; public opinion towards the auto bailout was not about 30% last I had checked.

These ads ran last week in newspapers like:
USA Today
The Wall Street Journal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Let's talk dollars here a moment. Even though circulation is down... USA Today and the Wall Street Journal still have the highest circulation rate in the country. And these ad's aren't cheap people.

Full-page ads in the WSJ run between $206,000 to $264,000 and a full-page in the USA Today run between $112,000 and $217,000 according to their respective websites.

Chrysler's ad pledged to produce cars and trucks that are "attractive to consumers and improve their fuel economy".

Here's a concept: how's about using the money to actually produce a car, rather than use it to rub in our faces that you got your money against the will of the American people?

When Chrysler was among a group of automakers who started buying their steel from foreign companies and in effect, closed down steel mills in Northwest Indiana and Pennsylvania, we didn't bailout steel mill workers and companies. We let them fold up and put hundreds, if not thousands out of work because the car companies wanted to save money.

So I should have sympathy for GM?

I did my part to help save GM; last year, my wife and I bought two vehicles. A Chevy Equinox and a Chevy Cobalt.

And in my opinion, that's the only help they will get from me again. My next car will be a Honda. At least I know it was made in America...

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2008 MLB Free Agent Bargins & Busts

MLB Trade Rumors determined the biggest free agent bargains and busts of the 2008 season (position players only). They calculated what the player was paid in 2008, including bonuses and incentives.

Top Ten Bargains

• Willie Harris: +$14.6MM (paid $800K, worth $15.4MM)
• Mike Cameron: +12.55MM
• Jerry Hairston Jr.: +10.375MM
• Milton Bradley: +10.3MM
• Eric Hinske: +$8MM
• Aaron Miles: +$6.9MM
• Rod Barajas: +$6.2MM
• Cesar Izturis: +$5.25MM
• Russell Branyan: +$4.8MM
• Pedro Feliz: +$4.4MM

Top Ten Busts

• Andruw Jones: -$15.7MM (worth -$1.6MM, paid $14.1MM)
• Jose Guillen: -$11.1MM
• Jorge Posada: -$9.7MM
• Mike Lamb: -$9.4MM
• Corey Patterson: -$8MM
• Aaron Rowand: -$7.2MM
• Brad Wilkerson: -$6.9MM
• Omar Vizquel: -$6.5MM
• Torii Hunter: -$5.7MM
• Paul Lo Duca: -$5.1MM

A few notes...

• Fair Value Award goes to Sean Casey, who signed for and was worth $800K.
• Doug Melvin and the Brewers came out almost $20MM ahead with their signings of Cameron, Branyan, and Jason Kendall.
• The Cardinals, Astros, and Rangers also did well on position player free agents.
• Ned Colletti and the Dodgers were the worst at a loss over $16MM, mostly due to Jones.
• The Giants, Twins, and Yankees also did not fare well on position players.
• The Nationals made a modest $1.2MM profit, because Jim Bowden's Harris signing was negated by Lo Duca, Rob Mackowiak, Johnny Estrada, and Aaron Boone.
• Of the eight free agent hitters who cost $10MM or more in 2008, six did not earn their salary.

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Manny Ramirez: where's my money?

Buster Olney's latest discusses the bleak outlook for Manny Ramirez in landing the long-term, big money contract he's seeking.

"It is evident that during a winter when many teams have clamped down and watch their dollars more carefully, executives with many teams have decided they cannot trust Ramirez on a multiyear deal."

Olney provides a brief rundown on all teams considered potential players in the Manny sweepstakes, paraphrased below:

• Dodgers: offered 2 years, $45MM and then rescinded offer after Boras didn't respond.
• Angels, Mets, Yankees: Indications are they're out of the bidding.
• Blue Jays, Padres, Rockies, Diamondbacks: Looking to reduce payroll, rather than add.
• Brewers: Are content with Ryan Braun in left field.
• Phillies: Are content to have signed Raul Ibanez.
• Cubs: Have "maxed out" their spending this year, and already have Alfonso Soriano.
• Tigers: Already have too much on the books and a full outfield.
• White Sox: They want to get younger.
• Athletics, Twins, Indians, Rays, Royals and Pirates (among others, Olney suggests): Would never commit $20-25MM per year to one player.
• Cardinals and Braves: Have enough outfielders and are focusing on pitching.

The obvious irony in Olney's breakdown is that the Red Sox are the only team with both the money and the need to offer what Boras is asking and, of course, they're not bidding. Olney suggests the Nationals would be an interesting fit but that the concern there would be that Manny might not play hard during the duration of his contract on a team that may or may not be at all competitive.

Olney concludes with a red flag for any team hoping to get Manny at a reduced rate:

"Some general managers have said privately, a great concern they have about Ramirez is that if you give him a deal of two or more years that is worth far less than he thinks he deserves, you run the risk of having a very unhappy Manny. As the Red Sox can attest, that didn't work out so well in the end."

So did the Boston Red Sox make a good move last season? I think so.

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Global Warming and Dishonest Science

On my way to Florida over the Christmas holiday, I had the chance to catch up on my reading. One of the articles I read in the Indianapolis Star was Deroy Murdock's column about global warming, published on Tuesday of this week. I found a much longer version of the article, titled as "Whatever Happened to Global Warming?," on the National Review website.

In the column, Murdock points out that the year 2008 will be the coldest since 1997 and that the changing temperature has more to do with solar activity than carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Just before Halloween, southwestern Florida’s temperatures plunged to 47 degrees, October’s coldest readings since 1902. On October 29th, the United States set 120 new record-cold measurements and 63 new record-snow figures. On December 11th, eight inches of snow hit New Orleans, and stayed for 48 hours in some neighborhoods.

Faced with the reality that global warming temperatures could well be falling not rising, environmental extremists suddenly changed their tune, now using the term "climate change" to identify the purported threat for which they want nations all over the world to spend trillions of dollars addressing. It is a brilliant way of framing the debate. Unless the climate stays exactly the same year after year (which it never has for the 4.5 billion years ), those advocating government action always have ample "proof" of their theory.

The fact is our planet has gone through periods when it was warmer than today and periods when it has been cooler, including times before and since man walked on the earth. Carbon dioxide levels have been higher than they are today and they have been lower. As pointed out by John Stossel in his 20/20 report, one thing that seems pretty clear is that carbon dioxide levels have historically risen following increases in temperatures not preceded them. The cause and effect relationship that Al Gore and his followers claim exists between rising CO2 levels and rising temperatures is not supported by timelines comparing the two.

Another dishonest approach taken by those who advocate the global warming model is to focus their analysis solely on the period when temperatures have been formally kept, a period of approximately the last 150 years. In the 4.5 billion year of the planet, 150 years is not even a blip. If you look at the history of this planet, there have been periods of global warming and ice ages. In between those periods, temperatures zig-zag back and forth, with each zig (which I am using here to represent an increase) and zag (which I am using as a decrease) representing centuries if not millennia. During the past 150 years, we could have well be in the middle of a normal "zig" in the pattern of temperature patterns and not a long-term, permanent increase in global temperatures. Scientists promoting the global warming theory use computer models to extrapolate the temperatures out assuming that current "zig" increasing temperatures will never be followed by a "zag." History indicates otherwise. As pointed out by Murdock, that zag may have already started.

We are also asked to accept it on faith that today's temperature is the ideal and that temperatures different from today's represent catastrophe for the planet. Again, history say otherwise. The greatest progress of man during the last millennium came during warming periods, which included temperatures warmer than today. Certainly warmer temperatures creates "losers" (think Florida's coastal areas) but also "winners" (think longer growing seasons in Minnesota and Canada.) On balance, history shows the warmer climate is preferred by mankind. People from Florida do not move to Michigan when they retire. People who live in Michigan move to Florida.

Those scientists and pseudo-scientists pushing global warming, and now climate change, as a basis for the governments of the world to take dramatic and expensive action that may devastate the world economy, are in fact are pursuing a political, anti-progress economic agenda. Some of those scientists are remarkably candid that they very well may be wrong about the science, but justify their actions on the basis that the changes they advocate to the way human beings live their lives would nonetheless be beneficial to everyone, even if it does not have an effect on climate change. The sad thing is that science has become politicized. The scientific method we all learned about in school has been tossed aside in favor of twisting and ignoring facts to fit a political agenda.

From: http://www.ogdenonpolitics.com/

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UAW: Robbing the working man

From illinoisreview.com

Check out the Fox News story about the UAW's $6,000,000 golf course and $33,000,000 lakeside retreat.

This, in addition to the millions of dollars they spend on buying politicians in order to take $17+ billion in bailout money from your pocket.

The United Auto Workers may be out of the hole now that President Bush has approved a $17 billion bailout of the U.S. auto industry, but the union isn't out of the bunker just yet.

Even as the industry struggles with massive losses, the UAW brass continue to own and operate a $33 million lakeside retreat in Michigan, complete with a $6.4 million designer golf course. And it's costing them millions each year.

• Click here to see photos of the UAW's $33 million retreat.

The UAW, known more for its strikes than its slices, hosts seminars and junkets at the Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center in Onaway, Mich., which is nestled on "1,000 heavily forested acres" on Michigan's Black Lake, according to its Web site.

But the Black Lake club and retreat, which are among the union's biggest fixed assets, have lost $23 million in the past five years alone, a heavy albatross around the union's neck as it tries to manage a multibillion-dollar pension plan crisis.

Critics call it a resort for union leaders that wastes money from union dues.

Related

Photo Essays

Auto Union's Golf Course

"It's their members' money that they're spending on this thing," said Justin Wilson, managing director of the Center for Union Facts, a union watchdog group. "The union has bigger issues at hand than managing a golf course."

Managing the course may become a burden for the union. The UAW covers costs for the Reuther Center from the interest it earns on its strike fund, according to tax documents, but massive losses in the past five years have forced the union to make heavy loans to keep the center afloat. Critics call it a poor investment for a group with over $1.25 billion in assets.

"Unions certainly have had real estate investments in the past, but investments are supposed to make money, not bleed money," said Wilson.

The UAW did not return calls from FOXNews.com, and a spokesman could not be reached for comment.

The Reuther Center is open 11 months of the year to offer courses on leadership, political action, civil rights and other topics; it hosts nearly 10,000 visitors annually. The UAW says it sends workers there to "learn, experience unionism (and) commit to labor's cause," according to their Web site.

The center was purchased in 1967 and underwent massive renovations in the '90s under the careful watch of former UAW president Steve Yokich. "Today's Black Lake might not exist if not for Steve Yokich," said union member Bob Reidt, whom Yokich appointed as Black Lake's director. "Yokich is responsible for rebuilding Black Lake."

The UAW erected a monument to its longtime president Walter Reuther — the center's namesake — which bears an inscription of his words: "There is no greater calling than to serve your brother. There is no greater satisfaction than to have done it well."

But Reuther, who died in a plane crash en route to the center in 1970, never knew the satisfaction of Black Lake's "well-groomed fairways," a course that Michigan Golf Magazine called a "stunning visual marvel."

Union members can play golf at discounted rates on one of the country's top 100 courses, designed in 2000 by famed course architect Rees Jones at a cost of $6 million.

The center has a storied history. Reuther had his ashes scattered at the site, and Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz honeymooned there in 1940, well before it was bought by the UAW.

"It's funny that they call it an education center — it's a resort," said Wilson. "If I was a union member, I would prefer that they rented out a room at the Ramada Inn."

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Viva Viagra!

From illinoisreview.com

The Washington Post features a story today about how a unique way the Army's getting info out of Afghan men -- and you can forget waterboarding. There's more than one way to get secrets out of Afghans...

"Take one of these. You'll love it," the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam.

The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taliban movements and supply routes -- followed by a request for more pills.

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Yet another challenge filed about Obama...

This is getting ridiculous.

These types of lawsuits have already shown that they are going no where... but another lawsuit about Obama's eligibility has been filed in Indiana.

The Indianapolis Star reports the suit was filed in Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis by Steve Ankeny, New Castle, and Bill Kruse, Roselawn.

It names Gov. Mitch Daniels and the RNC and DNC as defendants, saying they failed to uphold the Constitution when they certified results of the November election. It asks Judge David Dreyer to throw out the election results.

The suit questions whether Obama meets the constitutional requirement that the president must be a "natural born citizen."

Obama's birth certificate says he was born in Hawaii, but his father was not a U.S. citizen and some have claimed the document is a fake.

A few weeks back, the U.S. Supreme Court this month refused without comment to hear another challenge filed.

I guess, I just don't understand these suits. How many have been filed? At least a dozen that I know of... and each of them get dismissed or ignored. Yet within a week or so, someone else files another.

A Republican administration certified Obama's birth certificate. Doesn't anyone remember that? If there was something the least bit of of place, the GOP would have already jumped on it and turned it over to the proper authorities.

And, let's just say that Obama is asked not to be sworn in until all this can be investigated... that means Joe Biden is sworn in. Or if Obama is removed after being sworn in, that STILL leaves us Joe Biden.

Is that really want people want?

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Larry the Cable Guy has good advice for America

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Fred Thompson on the Economy

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What to do today?

Christmas is over.

Now what do I do with my day off?
Well, here's an idea:

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First, gas, then coffee, now this?

I saw this article this morning and just went... what?
First, gas, then coffee, now this?

Cocoa prices on Tuesday surged to a 23-year high as speculative investors poured into the market amid concerns about dwindling supplies from Ivory Coast, by far the world’s largest producer.

Prices for cocoa have risen 70 per cent in the past year, bucking the weakness in overall commodities prices.

The drop in sterling has helped push London-based, sterling-denominated cocoa futures higher, but analysts said the main factor was low supplies.

The International Cocoa Organisation said in its latest monthly report that cocoa bean arrivals until the end of November at ports in Ivory Coast, which provides almost 40 per cent of the world’s supplies, were the lowest in years.

“Only 251,000 tonnes of beans are estimated to have reached the local ports during the first two months of the current season, a level around 40 per cent below average for the four preceding seasons,” it said.

The problem has continued in December – the traditional peak of the harvesting season – because of the impact of cold weather and heavy rains earlier this year, the so-called black pod disease, reduced use of fertiliser because of high prices and a spate of strikes among farmers and customs personnel, traders said. They added that cocoa supplies from Ivory Coast’s west African neighbour Ghana, the second largest producer, were also lower than last season.

As a result, Fortis bank warned that the market faces its third seasonal deficit in a row, further depleting global stocks, which are already at a 20-year low. Inventories are at 39 per cent of global consumption, down from 54 per cent in 2005-06.

In London, Euronext.Liffe cocoa for delivery in May, the market benchmark, on Tuesday jumped to £1,820 a tonne, the highest since October 1985, and 4 per cent higher on the day. New York cocoa futures, denominated in dollars, have risen almost 30 per cent in the past year.

Fortis, nevertheless, said the market was overbought, warning that traders were “fully discounting that, on the production side, everything that can go wrong . . . will indeed go wrong”, without paying attention to lower demand because of the impact of the economic crisis.

Although cocoa consumption has been in the past resilient to economic downturns, traders forecast a drop next year, particularly in the US and Europe.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

Bottom line: the price of my Mocha at Starbucks has gotten out of hand. Along with a box of my Cocoa Rice Krispies...

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True meaning of Christmas

"Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about."
- Linus VanPelt

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Christmas Eve Humor

From all the writers here at Hardball:

Merry Christmas!!

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Cost of the 12 days of Christmas rises

Ya know, I never thought of buying my wife seven swans-a-swimming... or my daughter four calling birds. But if I did, this is what it would cost this year.

According to PNC Wealt Management, here's a breakdown of the 2008 cost of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,”:

• Partridge, $20 (last year: $15)
• Pear Tree, $200 (last year: $150)
• Two Turtle Doves, $55 (last year: $40)
• Three French Hens, $30 (last year: $45)
• Four Calling Birds (canaries), $600 (last year: same)
• Five Gold Rings, $350 (last year: $395)
• Six Geese a-Laying, $240 (last year: $360)
• Seven Swans a-Swimming, $5,600 (last year: $4,200)
• Eight Maids a-Milking, $52 (last year: $47)
• Nine Ladies Dancing (per performance), $4,759 (last year: same)
• 10 Lords a-Leaping (per performance), $4,414 (last year: $4,285)
• 11 Pipers Piping (per performance), $2,285 (last year: $2,213)
• 12 Drummers Drumming (per performance), $2,475 (last year: $2,398)

Grand Total: $21,080.00

The three French hens (down $15 to $30) and six geese-a-laying (down $120 to $240) reflect declines in food prices.

The eight maids-a-milking will cost 12 percent more, $52.40 from about $47 last year, thanks to their second annual minimum wage increase.

The 10 lords-a-leaping, 11 pipers piping and 12 drummers drumming are all up about 3 percent, reflecting the general average wage increase.

Now, where does one go to buy a Lord-a-Leaping?
Is that something Lowe's carries?

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Christmas lights cause global warming... I'm serious.

Not to spoil your Christmas... but now apparently, I have to unplug my Christmas lights?

SCIENTISTS have warned that Christmas lights are bad for the planet due to huge electricity waste and urged people to get energy efficient festive bulbs.

CSIRO researchers said householders should know that each bulb turned on in the name of Christmas will increase emissions of greenhouse gases.

Dr Glenn Platt, who leads research on energy demand, said Australia got 80 percent of its electricity by burning coal which pumps harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

He said: "Energy efficient bulbs, such as LEDs, and putting your Christmas lights on a timer are two very easy ways to minimise the amount of electricity you use to power your lights."

He said the nation's electricity came from "centralised carbon intensive, coal-based power stations" which were responsible for emitting over one third of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.

Dr Platt added: "For a zero-emission Christmas light show, you may consider using solar powered lights or sourcing your electricity from verified green power
suppliers."
This is really getting out of hand.

I suppose next is that no more Christmas dinner's too? I mean, everyone using their ovens and stove at the same time is putting such a drain on the power grid and all that extra heat is warming the earth as well.

Hot cocoa could become a casualty of the War on Global Warming...

An article like this must really be a downer to Clark Wilhelm Griswold Jr.

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Special Mtg for the RNC Jan 6th

Cross Posted from Porter County Politics

This story is "breaking" in nature - for updates go to TCOT Report

The election of the new National Chair for the GOP has turned just a little frustrating and controversial over the last week. Perhaps for the same reasons that elections for similar chairs in states and counties nationwide will be just as difficult. Republicans lost, and lost big time, and conservatives nationwide are asking some hard questions. "Who chooses these people to lead our party?" "Who chooses the choosers, and why do RNC members think they're above being thrown out after losing so substantially?

In Indiana we have an RNC member, Jim Bopp, who leads a study committee mentioned in the article below. Should he even have a say in choosing future party leadership after the embarrassing loss of Indiana to Obama just 45 days ago? I'm just asking, and wondering what the process is that chooses and chooses again the same or similar people?

The co-founder of #TCOT the three-week old Twitter movement of roughly 1,700 conservatives online called two days ago for Mike Duncan to step down and agree to not run again for RNC chairman. Some agreed wholeheartedly, others beat up the author for daring to suggest that any of us have anything to do with this decision, it's all about the 168 voting RNC members they said. What?

Articles of interest:
Special Meeting Request by RNC member
Response on Next Right - only matters what 168 voters thing

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More Christmas humor

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Obama to use Lincoln Bible next month

Well, he keeps trying.

Obama will keep trying to do all he can to tie himself to Abraham Lincoln. And now he has taken a step to surround himself with Lincoln’s things as well.

Obama’s transition team announced Tuesday morning that the president-elect would be sworn in with the Lincoln Bible, used by 16th president when taking the oath of office in 1861. Here’s the info they released via press doc:

Washington, D.C.- On January 20th, President-elect Barack Obama will take the oath of office using the same Bible upon which President Lincoln was sworn in at his first inauguration. The Bible is currently part of the collections of the Library of Congress. Though there is no constitutional requirement for the use of a Bible during the swearing-in, Presidents have traditionally used Bibles for the ceremony, choosing a volume with personal or historical significance.

President-elect Obama will be the first President sworn in using the Lincoln Bible since its initial use in 1861.

'President-elect Obama is deeply honored that the Library of Congress has made the Lincoln Bible available for use during his swearing-in,' said Presidential Inaugural Committee Executive Director Emmett Beliveau. 'The President-elect is committed to holding an Inauguration that celebrates America's unity, and the use of this historic Bible will provide a powerful connection to our common past and common heritage.' "

Ok, this move should shut up some of those who were worried that he’d use a Koran or something else. And I also thinks this move may give some “hope” to the worry that Obama will also use the phrase “so help me God” at the end of the Oath of Office.

I want to believe deep inside that Obama is a man of his word and that he is a good Christian. Maybe these are steps to show more of that.

I don’t know what his fascination is with Lincoln. And don’t send me emails/comments about it’s because Lincoln freed the slaves. That’s all crap.

Could be that he is intrigued with how Lincoln held everything together during a trying time in our history.

Hard to believe that no other President has used Lincoln’s Bible to be sworn in with. Only Lincoln and now Obama. All I know is that Demmies must be beyond pissed that Obama is using a Republican’s Bible to be sworn in with.

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MLB Trade Rumors for 12/22/08

SI.com's Jon Heyman says baseball people expect Mark Teixeira to sign before Thursday. Rival execs see the Red Sox as the favorite. The Orioles and Nationals remain engaged; the Yankees are the wild card. Heyman says the Yanks would only want to spend slightly more than the $161MM they committed to C.C. Sabathia.

• Angels: Have reportedly taken their 8 year, $160 million offer to Mark Teixiera off the table.
• A's: Placed Bobby Crosby on outright waivers over the weekend, but he went unclaimed. They're also talking to Jason Giambi.
• Braves: Re-signed Greg Norton to a one year deal.
• Mariners: Have offered a split major/minor league deal to R.A. Dickey, and are waiting to hear back.
• Nationals: Signed former Oriole Daniel Cabrera for $2.6 million.
• Orioles: Have reportedly offered Mark Teixiera the highest annual salary, but may not be willing to go eight years.
• Padres: Re-signed Jody Gerut to a one year deal.
• Pirates: Signed Ryan Doumit to a three year deal, buying out his arbitration years.
• Rays: Sold 1B Dan Johnson to the Yokohama BayStars of Japan.
• Reds: Signed LHP Aaron Fultz to a one year deal.
• Yankees: CC Sabathia's contract calls for him to be paid bi-monthly year round, instead of the normal in-season payments. They may also be close to signing Manny Ramirez to a three year, $75 million deal.

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Christmas humor for the afternoon

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Oh no... not Manny too...

According to a report in the Dominican newspaper Impacto Deportivo, the Yankees are on the verge of signing Manny Ramirez to a three-year, $75MM deal. The report says negotiations are advanced and an announcement would take place Monday or Tuesday. If true, this would be an incredible scoop. However, there is reason for skepticism. The money and timing just don't seem right.

A look at Impacto Deportivo's recent history:

• 11/24/08: Reported the Braves as the mystery team in on Rafael Furcal, offering four years and $52MM. The offer was inaccurate, but they did nail the mystery team.


• 11/12/08: Correctly scooped the Damaso Marte signing.


• 2/21/08: Incorrectly indicated the White Sox reached an agreement with Bartolo Colon. Also incorrect on a similar rumor involving the Royals.


• 1/21/08: Correctly scooped the Octavio Dotel signing.


• 11/18/07: Correctly scooped the Luis Castillo signing.

Take it with a grain of salt?? Stay tuned...

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Huckabee: Christmas Reminds Us That God Cares

We think of Christmas as a time of year when people have places to go and are surrounded by good friends and loving family. I hope it's that way for you. But the first Christmas wasn't like that at all.

It is the story of a lonely, scared, unmarried and pregnant teenage girl about the age of 14, who on a long trip from home with a slightly older teenager she barely knew was forced to give birth to her child in a barn without the comfort and assistance of any medical personnel or even family members.

She must have felt totally abandoned and hopelessly forgotten. It was in this incredibly unlikely, unconventional and humble setting that God chose to deliver his message of love and he decided to do it by becoming a person.

If people feel abandoned and forgotten, they should be of good cheer. They are not alone and the one who identifies most with them is the one who can be of most help to them now.

Far better than a government bailout is a God bailout.

His doesn't mean that he removes the consequences of our actions from us or takes us out of all our circumstances. In fact, His approach isn't a bailout at all — it's a "bail in."

He doesn't always change the circumstances we face, but he bails right in the midst of us and promises that we will not be alone or abandoned.

Christmas is not so much our doing something for God, but his doing something for us: Coming to us and doing it in person.

I realize you might be Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or have no particular faith. It's not my intention to offend, but simply to explain why Christmas really means so much to those of us who are followers of Christ. It is a reminder that God does care and he comes to us and does it in person.

So accept from me a sincere and heartfelt Merry Christmas.

That's my view, I would love to hear yours. E-mail your comments to: huckmail@foxnews.com

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Auto Bail out in progress

Breaking this morning:

BULLETIN
WASHINGTON — The federal government will provide $17.4 billion in short-term financing to the troubled U.S. automakers.

A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said $13.4 billion in short-term financing will be drawn from the $700 billion Wall Street rescue program, with another $4 billion to be added later.

It's all down hill from here...

Companies/industires are going to be lining up to be next to be bailed out.

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Burger King launches beef-scented body spray

Ya know, I know some dance clubs or bars are commonly referred to as "meat markets". Or that members of the opposite sex refer to each other as "pieces of meat". But now, this is taking it a bit far, don't you think?

Check out what Burger King is up to.

Honey, let's make sure our son doesn't own any of this...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Looking to beef up your mojo this holiday season?

Burger King Corp. may have just the thing. The home of the Whopper has launched a new men's body spray called "Flame." The company describes the spray as "the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat."

The fragrance is on sale at New York City retailer Ricky's NYC in stores and online for a limited time for $3.99.

Burger King is marketing the product through a Web site featuring a photo of its King character reclining fireside and naked but for an animal fur strategically placed to not offend.

The marketing ploy is the latest in a string of viral ad campaigns by the company. Burger King is also in the midst of its Whopper Virgins campaign that features an taste test with fast-food "virgins" pitting the Whopper against McDonald's Corp.'s Big Mac.

"Flame"? Do you know how many jokes/wise cracks/sarcastic comments I could be making right now?

I know for a fact that my wife would NOT be turned on by the fact that I smell like a burger. In my younger days when I was a restaurant manager, and would work for 8/10 hours at a time, I would come home to smell like a restaurant.

And some of those clothes we threw out because the smell wouldn't go away.

Never once did my wife get turned on because I smelled like a bacon cheeseburger from Chili's.

Now an order of Fully Loaded Nachos from Taco Bell???? Nope, not that either.

Folks, I am not making this up!
Check out the website: http://www.firemeetsdesire.com/

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Teixeira: Boston not in the running

Wow, didn't see this one coming...

Last evening, Red Sox owner John Henry made a statement:

"We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor."

Michael Silverman was able to get this quote from Scott Boras as a semi-response:

"The Boston ownership was kind enough to request and travel to meet with Mark Teixeira. While it was a very positive meeting Mark was candid and advised he is in the process of making a decision and is now attempting to eliminate teams."

From a favorite... to no longer in the running...?

Mark, good luck on your choice... just please stay out of New York.

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"So help me God"

Just had to repost this...

From RedState:

Barack Obama’s transition site, change.gov gives a breakdown of Obama’s inauguration. According to the website, Obama will deliver the following oath of office:

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

That is, in fact, the actual oath found in the actual constitution. But every President has added “so help me God” to the end.

Washington did.

Lincoln did.

FDR did.

Will Obama? I mean, the website says, “President-elect Barack Obama will take the oath of office, which states . . .” and then gives the text. Why not note “so
help me God.” It is, though not in the constitution, as much a part of the oath as “I do solemnly swear” given the history of the words.

Will Barack Obama conclude his oath with “so help me God”?

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Jenks: no entension talks yet

MLB.com's Scott Merkin talked to White Sox closer Bobby Jenks, who is arbitration-eligible for the first time. Jenks told Merkin there's been no talk of an extension to date. It does sound like he is open to the idea:

"For me, if the White Sox offer a fair, long-term deal, we would take it [over] arbitration. If it's not considered fair, then even as a worst-case scenario, I'm excited to go into arbitration with what I've been told is a strong case."

Jenks figures to top the first-year arb figure Huston Street received a few years ago, $3.3MM. Boston's Jonathan Papelbon is also eligible for arbitration for the first time.

There's also been rumors that Jenks is being floated around for a trade...?

People have been worried since his velocity has been down. There were days when Jenks was throwing 98-100 mph fast balls. This past season, there were less and less of those being thrown.

"This is the last time I have something to say on it, but I've dropped my velocity on purpose," said Jenks, 27, during a phone interview from his home in a western suburb of Chicago. "If you don't think this is true, look back when I was throwing more consistently harder at the end of this last season than at the beginning.

"Against Minnesota [in the American League Central tiebreaker], I was throwing 97-to-100 to get those last three outs. It's not about velocity drops. It's about getting outs. Anyone can time 100 mph if they see it enough.

"Basically, I sat down and discussed what would make me a better pitcher," said Jenks of a conversation he had a few years ago with White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper. "We didn't discuss velocity, but we talked about command and consistency with all of my pitches. My strikeouts are down, yes, but my pitch efficiency is higher than ever and my walks are down. I'm getting hitters swinging early in the counts, and when they get behind, I can put them away."

And his stats back him up too. His ERA dropped from 4.00 in 2006 to 2.77 in 2007, when he tied a Major League record by retiring 41 straight hitters, to 2.63 in 2008. Jenks' innings pitched totals also dropped in each season, but only from 69 2/3 in 2006 to 61 2/3 during last season.

So, who's been interested? Rumor has it: the Mets, Brewers, Dodgers and even the Angels, who cut Jenks loose after the 2004 season. All of which need a dominate closer like Jenks.

With all this, why would you trade him? The White Sox won their division (not by much) again this year. I don't think you are going to see Bobby Jenks going anywhere.

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Manny to NY? Tex to Red Sox?

Well, it's possible the Yankees are pursuing Manny Ramirez.

As much as I would hate that... and Boston fans would almost see it as a declaration of war... (since they lost Johnny Damon to the evil empire as well), it might force the Yankees to make a few tough decisions.

They might have to force Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui back to center and leave them without a place to play Mike Cameron (who they've been working on picking up from Milwaukee). It is about the money, stupid isn't thrilled with that premise.

Also, rumor has it Mark Teixiera is getting close to making a decision. About time...

If he signs with the Red Sox, Brewed Sports thinks it will set off a series of moves ending with Milwaukee Brewer J.J. Hardy in Boston and Red Sox players Mike Lowell and Manny Delcarmen in Milwaukee.

Maybe not a bad trade...? Just as long as Ramirez stays out of New York.

Trade Updates:

• Cardinals: The team is one of several talking to Brian Fuentes, and may also be interested in Takashi Saito, Kenshin Kawakami and Koji Uehara.
• D-Backs: CEO Jeff Moorad chatted with fans Tuesday and made it sound like the team is still in the market for a fourth starter.
• Mets: Are treating newly acquired reliever J.J. Putz as a one-year acquisition, despite his $9.3 million club option for 2010.
• Pirates: Signed reliever Chris Bootcheck to a minor league deal.
• Tigers: May be getting ready to sign Matt Treanor, who has a history with Dontrelle Willis.

More to come later...

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And now, a message from the Governor of Illinois...

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is ready to talk.

ABC News is reporting:

On Wednesday morning, Blagojevich told reporters outside his Chicago house that he is eagerly anticipating the chance to state his case.

"I can't wait to begin to tell my side of the story and to address you guys and most importantly the people of Illinois, that's who I'm dying to talk to," said the governor.

"There's a time and place for everything. That day will soon be here and you might know more about that today and no later than tomorrow," Blagojevich added.

I can see the this press conference now...

Blago: "I have done nothing wrong. And I admit nothing. But, to the people of Illinois, I am going to fight these charges.

I will waste your tax dollars, lawmakers time and energy to prove I did nothing wrong. And, in the end, I will most likely take a plea bargin deal, serve a few years... and then come out and write a book."

Reporter: "So you admit you were involved?"

Blago: "Nope, I didn't say that. Hey, are you taping this too? (F-Bomb), forgot that."

Reporter: "Any comments about Jesse Jackson Jr. and how he's been working for some time with the Feds about corruption in Illinois?"

Blago: "Who? Oh, Senate Candidate Number 5... Yeah... looks like he's not going to be the US Senator from Illinois any time soon, now doesn't it?"

I'd love a seat at this press conference. I just want to know if Blago is actually going to take any questions or will his attorney keep him to a statement only. His attorney, high-profile Chicago defense attorney Ed Genson, has already stated that the governor is not guilty, not resigning, and instead will fight the charges.

Looks like Genson should be talking with Clinton's attorney's for advice.

How do you admit to doing something wrong and illegal, yet serve no time, receive no conviction and remain in office...? Hhmmmm....

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Lessons from the 2008 trenches, part 1

As promised I am bringing you part 1 of our series on Lessons from the 2008 trenches. Our first contributor is Ben Porritt. Ben served as the national spokesman for the McCain-Palin campaign and a co-founder of Outside Eyes strategy group in Southern California.

CF What campaign on the GOP side showed real innovation in fundraising?

BP - Although mainstream pundits never took Ron Paul seriously, the amount of money he raised as a dark horse candidate was outstanding. The disappointing factor in giving this award to Ron Paul is that our party never took him seriously. Ron Paul brought a fundraising engine to the GOP side that had only been replicated by Governor Dean in 2004. The difference is that the Democrat party took notice and invited him in to help with the revolution. Our party made Ron Paul look like a fringe candidate who offered very little. Maybe I am wrong on this but this is how it looked from the outside—which is where I was until July.

CF What campaign on the GOP side had the most effective use of New Media?

BP - Although we were overshadowed by Barack Obama’s $600 million force and unlimited text messaging, the McCain campaign had an amazing online team which made up one of our bright spots.
Stephan Dinan of the Washington Times posted a story in March crediting McCain’s blogger outreach as the simple aspect that kept the Senator alive during tumultuous times. During biweekly conference calls with McCain, bloggers provided the Senator the only opportunity outside of staged events to deliver his message. After the implosion the mainstream media was busy asking questions regarding financial longevity and writing the Maverick’s obituary. McCain found solace with bloggers who were interested in talking policy, Iraq, and Senator McCain’s favorite pork-barrel spending.
McCain treated the blogosphere not as an addendum to the mainstream media, but a completely separate application that offered him the opportunity to have a conversation that didn’t concentrate on soundbites.
Throughout the campaign, during the debates, and conventions our new media apparatus was aggressive and in my opinion better and more active than any other GOP or Dem candidate running.

CF What campaign on the GOP side showed the greatest comeback?

BP - You almost have to give this to Ted Stevens just for being part of the game. After being found guilty of seven felony charges he was still able to force overtime.
Here’s hoping we can put Norm Coleman in this category. Four years ago, Norm Coleman seemed destined for bigger things and now he is holding on by the grit of his teeth. Minnesota is a very odd state. In the last decade they elected Paul Wellstone, Jesse Ventura, Tim Pawlenty, and Al Franken has obviously been competitive. These people have nothing in common. It is possibly the most amazing state in the country.

CF What GOP pollster was the most accurate?

BP - I think the biggest obstacle in declaring a winner here is the simple fact that we were inundated with polling in 2008. We saw more polls during the month of October than we did the entire 2004 election, making it impossible to determine who is the most accurate. On a national level which is where most of my focus was, we were behind nearly every day post Sept. 15 (give or take). So I think the pollsters clearly got it right.
I do think that this election finally took its toll on national polls. When will people realize that the only thing that matters in presidential politics is 12-15 state polls where the race will be decided. And looking back, I am still shocked that we lost Indiana… (CF …me too.)


CF What GOP mail vendor had the most creative and effective designs?

BP - I am a huge supporter of Faulkner Strategies, although I have seen some work from two Southern Californiavendors in the past that I was extremely impressed with. One is Jim Bieber of Bieber Communications and the other is Eric Brown of Dynamic Marketing. Both are creative, innovative and do strong work delivering the message.

CF What GOP campaign showed the best ability to integrate it’s website into its’ over all campaign operation?

BP - Again I would go with Ron Paul and add Mike Huckabee. Right out of Joe Trippi’s 2004 handbook both of these campaign’s used the website as a viral stomping ground for support. These campaigns used their website as more than a virtual doorfront, it was a meeting place of ideas that brought people together using Meet Up, etc.
As we all know the bulk of Mike Huckabee’s support came from the Christian right whose social circles are well defined by churches, home-schooling, or small groups. Huckabee was able to transcend this and move his supporters in and out of their common place to spread his message.

CF What GOP candidate has the biggest ideas for the future of our party (even if they lost)?

BP - For what she stood for I think Sarah Palin did a lot in this regard.
Much has been said about the selection of Sarah Palin. Was it the right choice, a political choice, or the reason we lost? Questions aside it provided the GOP something we desperately needed, which is a different voice. For decades our party has succeeded yet suffered from an old guard unwilling to hand over the reigns or at the very least address the changing electorate.
At a time when our party is badly outnumbered in Washington there is one simple prescription for our ailments. We must recruit different Republican candidates and leaders from a precinct level up.
At a minimum Sarah Palin proves that the Grand Old Party is ushering in new voices. We will always survive, but in order to succeed we need to bring in more Hispanic, African American, Asian, and female voices to our party all across the country.

CF What GOP campaign showed the best use of its email list?

BP - Being at the top of the ticket certainly has its advantages and the email list is one of them. Until the general election funds took over, the McCain campaign used its email list extremely well and were able to raise substantial dollars while doing it. Outside of fundraising our lists were used to drive crowds and host tele-townhalls. I though we did this very well.

Chris Faulkner

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Why so quiet Rahm?

The other day, I thought to myself… ya know, all this going on with Blagoyevich… why hasn’t Rahm Emanuel had ANYTHING to say about it? I mean, Obama nor Emanuel are being investigated for wrong doings… right?

Well, it turns out there’s a pretty good reason why Emanuel has been SOOO quiet about this whole situation.

The Chicago Sun Times’ columnist Michael Sneed was able to shed a little light on to why Rahm Emanuel has been so quiet.

It seems that Obama's White House Chief of Staff designate has been recorded by the Fed’s a few times talking with Blagoyevich… well, maybe more than just a few.

What were they talking about? Oh, nothing much. Just about the appointment of Obama's replacement in the Senate:

Sneed hears rumbles President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, is reportedly on 21 different taped conversations by the feds -- dealing with his boss' vacant Senate seat!

A lot of chit-chat?

Hot air?

Or trouble?

Yesterday, the Obama transition team announced its own review of conversations between its staff and the governor. Guess what? They came up with no problems whatsoever.

However, the transition team is not releasing a report of its findings listing all contacts supposedly at the request of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's office. That information will have to wait until December 22.

Stay tuned…

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MLB Trade Updates for 12/16

It looks like Rafael Furcal's free agency may be nearing its end. The Blue Jays have pulled out, the A's offered four years, the Royals may be willing to do so too, but Fox is reporting he's about to agree to terms with the Braves.

Elsewhere on the hot stove:

• Astros: Signed Jason Michaels to a one year deal worth $750,000.
• Cubs: Signed Joey Gathright to a one year deal.
• Mariners: are believed to be interested in Taiwanese lefty Fu-Te Ni, who became available somewhat suddenly when his Taiwanese team folded.
• Mets: May be interested in signing Tim Redding.
• Orioles: Have been linked to Randy Wolf and Japanese starter Kenshin Kawakami.
• Phillies: Re-signed Jamie Moyer to a two year deal.
• Red Sox: Have made an offer to Mark Teixiera that could be worth as much as $200 million.

This isn't really a big surprise, but Padres owner John Moores, in the midst of a divorce, has put the Padres up for sale. The Padres and Blue Jays both might sell for less than the combined contracts of CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

Bobby Abreu would like 3 years/$48 million, which probably explains why he's still a free agent.

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IL Special Election ad

The Illinois GOP seem to have found a theme that people agree/connect with.



When did Illinois AG Lisa Madigan become supportive of a special election?

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Vizquel Wants To Play Again

Get this...

Omar Vizquel wants to play another year in the majors and maybe more according to MLB.com.

He said his agent "has been talking to a couple of teams," but didn't reveal which ones.

Vizquel realizes he's not going to get long-term offers at his age, but he's interested in one-year deals, especially from National League teams.

The 41-year-old said he feels "really good" and can play better than he did last season for the Giants.

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MLB Transactions Afternoon Update

• Angels: Have reportedly offered Mark Teixiera $160 million for seven years. The Nationals previously offered $160 million for eight.
• Braves: May be interested in Japanese right-hander Kenshin Kawakami.
• Cubs: Re-signed Chad Gaudin and Neal Cotts.
• D-Backs: Acquired Scott Schoeneweis from the Mets for P Connor Robertson.
• Dodgers: Non-tendered Takashi Saito, Scott Proctor, Yhency Brazoban and Angel Berroa.
• Mets: May be looking at Randy Wolf as an option for their rotation.
• Nationals: Re-signed Willie Harris for two years, $3 million.
• Orioles: Will reportedly bring Chad Moeller into spring training to compete for their Opening Day catcher's job.
• Pirates: Are reportedly among half a dozen or more teams interested in Derrick Turnbow, who will throw for teams in January in the hopes of getting a major league deal.
• Reds: In addition to Wigginton, they're rumored to be interested in Willy Taveras and Aaron Miles. They also signed Laynce Nix.
• White Sox Signed Cuban infielder Dayan Viciedo to a four year, $10 million deal.

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Ok already, he's the President-Elect

Well today's the day America...

In a few hours, the Electoral College will meet in state capitol's accross the country to formally elect Barack Obama our 44th President.

It's a mostly ceremonial procedure, but one mandated by the Constitution — and a necessary one, as well.

So later today, Barack Obama will go from being citizen Barack Obama to officially President-Elect Barack Obama.

Since the Electoral College has never gone against the election results from the previous month, it is safe to say that the Presidential Election will be certified by the evening.

So as of today, Hardball will now give the credit that is due to Barack Obama and officially refer to him as President-Elect.

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Time again for our weekly rhetoric... I mean address from Obama

Background changed AGAIN, finally a new tie and now a new camera angle.



Not a bad choice for HUD Secretary...

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David Gregory's debut...

So, how'd he do?

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Cubbies have "singular priority"

Hey Cub fans, this one's for you:

Citing him as "singular priority", the Cubs have switched gears and they are working to sign Milton Bradley. He has been a Cubs target since early in the Winter Meetings, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Cubs were considering Raul Ibanez before he signed with the Phillies, but they have shifted their focus to Bradley, according to a Cubs official. One of Bradley's representatives said the 30-year-old has the Cubs at the top of his list as well.

The Cubs don't appear to have made a formal offer yet and Bradley's rep didn't say what sort of offer he was seeking.

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Astros Oswalt wants to win; leading by example

A little baseball rant here this evening... Here’s a story that probably gets over looked.

In a day and age when players want someone to “show them the money”, there are actually players who want to win. And are willing to “take a pay cut” in order to help the ballclub find that winning combination.

Yes, I said take less money to help the team move forward. Take the Houston Astros Ace Pitcher Roy Oswalt. Oh come on Cubs fans… you know who he is.

Roy Oswalt says he's willing to renegotiate his contract if it'll allow Drayton McLane to improve the ‘Stros. McLane is chairman and CEO of the Houston ballclub.

Apparently, for years, Oswalt has heard time and time again that his contract is one of the reasons why they cannot bring in other strong players/pitchers to the franchise. Instead, the ‘Stros watch for someone to come out of their farm system. And let’s face it, their farms system isn’t like Boston’s…

Well, it seems that Oswalt got sick and tired of hearing McLane’s excuses about the team and Oswalt’s contract. So Oswalt is calling his bluff.

But it ain’t all that easy. Just to keep the 2008 team together would cost around $120 million.

McLane has said he’d like to keep the payroll around $100 million. So recently, the Astros have shopped a few of their players around to see if the might be able to unload them or get a valuable trade. Players like: Jose Valverde, Ty Wigginton and Miguel Tejada. And McLane is trying other things as well it seems. The ‘Stros saved around $8 million just by signing Mike Hampton instead of Randy Wolf.

Guess what? It still wasn't enough. Four players--Oswalt, Tejada, Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee—as a group will make $60 million in 2009. So the ‘Stros are a bit strapped for cash already.

But Oswalt apparently wants to win. He’s been around a while in the league and he knows that teams like Boston and both New York teams (I don’t mention the Y-term on this blog) spend money to improve their rosters because they want to win.

But one of the reasons the ‘Stros are in this position is because of Oswalt. As much as he hates to hear it, McLane waited entirely too long to get an extension to Oswalt (along with Berkman). In the end, McLane paid WAY note that he needed to.

Rookie…

And because of this, McLane was forced to shop for players they couldn’t afford. Tejada and Lee were shots in the arm to their line up. But proved expensive. Their farm system really needs an overhaul.

Oswalt is willing to “take a pay cut”. Well, not really… Union rules prohibit reducing a contract's value. He probably would agree to lower his 2009 salary from $14 million to, say, $5 million. In return, McLane would tack on a couple of years at the end.

And you know what? Betcha Lance Berkman would follow his example.

So his offer is on the table. Let’s see what McLane does in response.

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Colin Powell issues a wake up call to the GOP

Not too long ago, Republicans druelled at the thought of having Colin Powell on our ticket in any form. US Senate. Vice President. Heck, I have a button from 1996 that says Powell for President.

Well, within the last few years, Powell gets burned by intel from the Bush Administration during his tenure as Sec State. Yet, he still served honorably and does our country a great service.

Then, he endorses Barack Obama for President. And reminds the country that he never was a “declared Republican”.

Now, to add insult to injury, Powell say the GOP must stop "shouting at the world" and start listening to minority groups if it is to win elections in the 21st century.

"I think the party has to take a hard look at itself," Powell said in the interview with CNN. "There is nothing wrong with being conservative. There is nothing wrong with having socially conservative views — I don't object to that. But if the party wants to have a future in this country, it has to face some realities. In another 20 years, the majority in this country will be the minority."

He also added that the GOP must see what is in the "hearts and minds" of African-American, Hispanic and Asian voters "and not just try to influence them by… the principles and dogma."

"I think the party has to stop shouting at the world and at the country," Powell said. "I think that the party has to take a hard look at itself, and I've talked to a number of leaders in recent weeks and they understand that."

Now, Powell says he still considers himself a Republican. And that his party should also stop listening to conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

"Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh?" Powell asked. "Is this really the kind of party that we want to be when these kinds of spokespersons seem to appeal to our lesser instincts rather than our better instincts?"

General, thank you for your thoughts. But at this point, I don’t know what to think. Limbaugh speaks of the conservative agenda, not always the Republican one. As does Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck. I don’t believe these gentlemen have ever said to compromised conservative principles just so the GOP can continue to be the majority Party.

But, Limbaugh has also been a distraction to the Party over the years. He tends to be very outspoken and sometimes his comments can be explosive. He legal troubles too, with pain meds and dumb comments the press likes to zone in on don’t help the conservative movement. Limbaugh still does have a following though. One that cannot be ignored.

Back to the General here… Powell makes a few good points as well. Taking minorities into the Party is needed. Look at how the all flocked to Obama because he gave the impression that he listened to them and would keep their needs in mind.

Powell’s comments should be used as a wake up call. While I have never thought that the GOP was yelling at the country or our state or the world, I think we need to make outreach a priority going into the next few years. I think most of the candidates for RNC Chair have addressed this issue as well.

Would you welcome Powell back into the Party? I would. We as a Party cannot exclude anyone at the point. And Powell’s comments and record to prove he is a conservative.

Maybe Colin Powell’s actions and words are what the GOP needs right now. A new train of thought and direction.

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Baron's for This Bailout, Just Not That Bailout

I'm sure it all makes sense to him in his own mind, really.

Baron Hill opposed bailing out the financial industry. He voted for bailing out the automobile industry. His reasoning? His statement reads: "Our economy simply could not withstand the collapse of the American auto industry. One in 10 American jobs is linked to the domestic auto industry."

The cynic in me wonders whether our economy could withstand the collapse of the American financial industry (or whether it will withstand it, since it all but has). How many American jobs are linked to the financial industry? Probably more than one in ten when you figure in businesses that are dependent on short-term credit, or consumers at stores, or homeowners, or pretty much any other area of the economy.

Anyway, Mitchell Blatt, over at the Indiana Daily Student, didn't take long to dig down to the heart of the matter:

Baron Hill raked in $23,750 from the auto industry this past election cycle. That is the 6th highest total of any Representative.

Ron Paul, who received $27,911 from the industry (That fact alone proves the industry is incompetent.), voted against it.

The top 20 voted 16-4 in favor of it. Nine of them were from Michigan though. Michigan, of course, had all of it’s Reps vote in favor of it except one who did not vote.

As a practical matter, it's interesting that Baron Hill voted for this bailout but opposed the financial one when the election was going on. (He got much less money from the financial industry as a point of comparison, only about $8,000 and much less in terms of rankings of overall contributions from that industry.)

Baron has historically had a contentious relationship with labor unions, particularly over free trade (they still have not forgiven him for voting for Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China, among other things).

There also isn't a significant Big 3 presence in the 9th District, so I can't help but wonder if this vote might also serve to repair Baron's relationship with the UAW (he needs to do that if he has statewide ambitions someday).

I've already made my opinion of bailing out the Big 3 pretty clear.

I don't think this is a serious bailout of the Big 3; they'll be back asking for more money before you can say Muscatatuck River three times fast.

This is really more of a bailout for the United Auto Workers, whose onerous contracts have contributed in large measure to the creation of the woes of the Big 3.

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Coffee Wars

So it begins.

Starbucks is down, hurting. Maybe even bleeding a bit.

So McDonalds and Dunkin' Donuts sees their opportunity.

Check out this article from the Seattle paper:

McDonald's has erected a billboard in sight of Starbucks headquarters declaring, "four bucks is dumb."

If Dunkin' Donuts' taste test commercials were the schoolyard equivalent of blowing spitballs at the coffee giant from afar, then the latest from McDonald's is like pulling a wedgie. Starbucks employees driving northbound can see the billboard on their way into the city.

Another billboard slogan jabs, "large is the new grande." The two phrases are displayed on 140 billboards in Western Washington, some of them near Starbucks cafes.

"The billboard placement was done because we picked high visibility locations," said Alan Finkelstein, who owns four McDonald's in King County. "We really wanted to point out that ordering an espresso at McDonald's is quick and simple. Small, medium and large. It's easy."

Earlier this year, McDonald's started unsnobbycoffee.com to promote the launch of espresso drinks in the Seattle market.

Will Starbucks respond in kind? Unlikely.

While the coffee wars received much media and Wall Street trumpeting this year, Starbucks has been mostly silent, maintaining that its customer base is different.

Starbucks could fire back that not all of its coffee costs four bucks, or that extra cents help pay for health care for baristas. (A 12-ounce cup of brew starts at $1.40 at Starbucks, a penny more than the average McDonald's brew price. A small McDonald's latte costs $1.99 compared with $2.45 to $3.15 at Starbucks.)

Instead, it is fighting back in a more subtle way. Executives have hinted that Starbucks is taking the high road.

"We get a lot of questions on the competition and that everyone seems to be picking on Starbucks through their advertising and try to reposition Starbucks as expensive or snobby, and, boy, when is Starbucks going to start advertising and join in that coffee conversation?" Starbucks Chief Marketing Officer Terry Davenport told investors last week in New York.

"We're not going to get into that conversation. We're not going to get sucked into the, 'My coffee is better than your coffee,' price point type of coffee conversation.
We're going to play at a much higher level."

Starbucks is relatively new to the advertising game after two decades of building its brand on word of mouth. However, armed with newly hired advertising agency BBDO New York, Starbucks placed two commercials recently. One, which ran during the "Saturday Night Live" show before Election Day, advertised that Starbucks would give out free coffee Nov. 4.

The second ran on the heavily traveled Wednesday before Thanksgiving, on the Weather Channel and CNN, to let customers know that Starbucks would be donating portions of coffee sales to help African AIDS victims.

The coffee giant also is turning to cheaper modes of advertising via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

During an interview that aired this week with CBS anchor Katie Couric, Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz made clear his feelings about one of the rivals.

"I think the way we deal with that is not to respond to something that's that frivolous," he said. "Are you going to say to your friend, 'Let's go meet at Dunkin' Donuts?' Are you going to say that?"

He pointed out the "Saturday Night Live" advertisement as a success. "We had an amazing response to that. Amazing."

More insight into how Starbucks' top brass really feels about McDonald's and Dunkin' can be found in ousted Chief Executive Jim Donald's severance agreement, in which he was prohibited from working for either competitor, but was permitted to work for Burger King.

Even though Starbucks won't play along publicly, it's still fun to pick on the company, said consumer anthropologist Robbie Blinkoff, who studies consumer reaction to the financial crisis.

"It's even more fun now with the economy," Blinkoff said. "I'm back and forth about my love, hate with Starbucks. I love to hate them."

A new type of consumer, more conscientious, less vain, is emerging. Fewer will be "slaves" to Starbucks, he said.

"We're going to come out with a new identity. It doesn't mean that people won't go in and buy a Starbucks cup of coffee, but they'll know why they're buying it again. It's more like a reboot."

The advertising campaigns against Starbucks signal a shift in the rules, especially when a corporate behemoth such as Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald's goes after a company half its size.

The commonly held wisdom that attack ads are an underdog's game no longer applies, said Emily Bryson York, a Chicago-based food reporter for Advertising Age.

Attack ads are popular right now: Mac vs. PC. Campbell's vs. Progresso. Dunkin' vs. Starbucks.

"A big part of this is the economy and marketers feeling like the economy is in horrible shape, people have fewer discretionary dollars and you have to sharpen your elbows," York said.

McDonald's is trying to build up its coffee credibility.

"That at least seems to be why they're going after the Seattle market so aggressively," York said. "The thing about these comparative campaigns is you have to hammer away at them for a long time. You can't just hit someone and then run away. You have to have a lot of marketing dollars to put behind it and that's something that McDonald's could theoretically do."

It's unclear whether McDonald's will take its "four bucks is dumb" campaign national. Nationwide, 4,000 out of 13,000 McDonald's restaurants sell espresso and the number is growing. Out of the 190 McDonald's in Western Washington, 155 sell espresso.

"We see ourselves as trying to enter a new category and steal as much of the breakfast and coffee share as we can garner," said Kelly Hoyman, Northwest region marketing director for McDonald's.

The fact that "four bucks" sort of rhymes with "Starbucks" is not on purpose, said John Livengood, executive creative director at DDB Seattle, McDonald's advertising agency.

"The idea is, in a billboard, you got three or four seconds to capture people's attention," he said. "You're trying to be as short and sweet and as pithy as possible."

No matter what McDonald's does, Starbucks is likely to stay on its own message, and surgically pick advertising spots that promote social responsibility.

Says Starbucks chief marketer Davenport: "The answer to how we're going to respond to the competition is we're not going to respond. We're going to keep doing what we do and we're going to keep doing it our way."

Do I enjoy coffee? Yes.
And is McDonalds cofee or Dunkin' Donuts coffee any good? Yes, they are. I have tried both.

But the article makes a good point: you don't go out to Dunkin' or Mickey D's for a cup of joe if you want to sit down and have a good coversation with a friend. I mean, you could. But both places just don't make sense to me (at least) as being that kind of place.

So begins... the Coffee Wars.

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The return of Brose McVey

It's never too early to start planning, right?

A few days back, I wrote about Congressman Dan Burton may already have challengers lining up to run against him in 2010.

Well today, one of them officially threw his hat into the ring.

Brose McVey.

Brian Howey wrote today:

Republican Brose McVey has sent an e-mail to friends seeking counsel on a 2010 challenge to U.S. Rep. Dan Burton in the 5th CD. “Yes, I am exploring a run,” McVey writes. “I need to complete some goals within my business in the mean time. But, fortunately, I have attracted a strong team of late. It is quite possible that the best thing that could happen to my company and my clients is for me to get out of their way! I look forward to your counsel, feedback and hopefully, your encouragement. If I run, and if the feedback is positive, I hope I can count on your support.”

Does this surprise anyone? Not me.

McVey challenged the late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson in the 7th CD in 2002, losing 53-44 percent. He out-raised Carson with $1.1 million. McVey ran a credible campaign , bringing in major help and support.

Lately, he's been helping Greg Garrison as a guest host on his radio program and being involved in different GOP activities. Many of us who worked on his 2002 campaign (myself included) had hoped that we hadn't heard the last of Brose.

Apparently, we haven't.

Brose, run. Your message was strong in 2002. And many people in Burton's district have been wanting to see change. Maybe McVey is the change they need.

But nonetheless, I am always up for a good dialogue and exchange of ideas. And a good primary fight wouldn't be a bad thing either.

Suddenly, the 5th Congressional District Race got interesting...

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Jindal: "No" to running for POTUS

"And another one's gone, and another one's gone..."

People once thought that Republicans would be lining up to take a shot at Obama in 2012. But apparently, that's not the base with Bobby Jindal.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal told the AP, flat out Tuesday.

"No," was the answer when asked if he was interested in being president, according to The Associated Press.

Jindall made the comments at a Richmond, Virginia, news conference, during which he endorsed Bob McDonnell – a Republican running for governor of Virginia.

Jindal said instead he has his sights set on seeking reelection to his current office in 2011.

But AP reports Jindal did not rule out the possibility he may change his mind about a White House run.

Jindal ventured to Iowa last month for a set of appearances and fundraisers — a move that fueled speculation he was begining to lay groundwork in the crucial early presidential voting state.

So, for those of your keeping score at home...
Move Jindal to the "Maybe" category.

Wait... does that mean "No" actually means "Maybe"?

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MLB Trade Rumors for 12/10/08

• Astros: Reportedly met with Randy Johnson at the winter meetings.
• Blue Jays: The team is reportedly targeting a 2009 payroll of $84 million, down from $97 million in 2008.
• Cubs: Jake Peavy seems to think he'll be a Cub soon, but the Cubs don't seem to know that.
• D-Backs: Reportedly are prepared to join the legions of others with a contract offer out to Arthur Rhodes.
• Dodgers: Signed Hector Luna to a minor league deal.
• Indians: Are reportedly near agreement on a two or three year deal with Kerry Wood.
• Mets: The team may bring Pedro Martinez back after all and have also met with Raul Ibanez.
• Phillies: May have reached an impasse in negotiations with Jamie Moyer, who is reportedly seeking a two year deal.
• Rangers: Nolan Ryan met with Ben Sheets and has reviewed his medical records, but they're still not sure they have the money to sign him.
• Rays: Are reportedly interested in trading for Rick Ankiel.
• Royals: One of baseball's smallest markets has joined Oakland, the Dodgers and Toronto in pursuit of Rafael Furcal. They're also reportedly discussing trading Zack Greinke to the Braves for Jeff Francoeur.
• Yankees: Before the ink is even dry on Sabathia's deal, the Yankees may also be offering four years, $66 million to Derek Lowe.

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Wasn't there global warming going on?

Wait a minute...

Didn't Obama meet with Algore today?
Then I read this:

Rare 50 year Arctic Blast Sets Sights On Southern California.

With a warm November, Southern California is finally ready for cold storms to make their way in. Resort level snow will be likely next week, and in pretty hefty amounts if things stay on track. OWSweather.com Meteorologist Kevin Martin predicts a 50 year event. While Martin is usually conservative on these events, the pattern highly favors it. "We are in a pre-1950 type pattern, "said Martin. "We know we are due for a winter storm sometime this year. The type we may be dealing with will be ranked up there with the known years before 1950, which set record low daytime temperatures into the forecast region. With this, may come low elevation snow."

Forecaster Cameron Venable is seeing very cold temperatures in the Los Angeles areas as well. Torrance is not usually known for winter weather, thus making this an interesting event for Venable to track.

"Temperatures in Siberia, Russia will be -81 degrees this week, "said Martin. "With those type of temperatures the arctic air mass has to spill somewhere. Our answer of the exact track will become more clear this week. All residents in the mountain communities should prepare this week for very cold, winter weather, with snow."

Indications are a second, colder storm could hit near the 18th-22nd time-frame. The details on that will have to be sorted out.

San Diego, CA is not supposed to have weather like this... nor is Siberia, Russia supposed to be this cold already.

- 81 degrees? Good Lord...

But according to Algore, our planet is heating up. Ice caps are melting at an alarming rate.
Where?

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IL Gov. Blagojevich, chief of staff, arrested

Could be worse... we could live in Illinois.

By Jeff Coen, David Kidwell and Monique Garcia
Tribune staff reporters
9:14 AM CST, December 9, 2008

Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested by FBI agents on federal corruption charges Tuesday morning.

Blagojevich and Harris were arrested simultaneously at their homes at about 6:15 a.m., according to Frank Bochte of the FBI. Both were transported to FBI headquarters in Chicago.

In one charge related to the appointment of a senator to replace Barack Obama, prosecutors allege that Blagojevich sought appointment for himself as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the new Obama administration, or a lucrative job with a union, in exchange for appointing a union-preferred candidate.

Another charge alleges Blagojevich and Harris conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of him in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co.

Hey, anything to help with the sale of the Cubbies, right?

Gimme a break.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, reacting at a news conference, said today is "a sad day. If it's true, it's very, very sad because the selection of a U.S. senator is vitally important."

U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald called the arrests, a "staggering" level of corruption involving pay-to-play politics in Illinois' top office.

At a news conference late this morning, Fitzgerald said Blagojevich "has taken us to a truly new low" and went on "a political corruption crime spree. We acted to stop that crime spree."

"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a statement.

"They allege that Blagojevich put a 'for sale' sign on the naming of a United States senator; involved himself personally in pay-to-play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target; and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism."

Would someone tell me how Blagojevich got elected in the first place? Please??

Looks like our state friends to the west will also be looking at a new governor, as well as a new US Senator.

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Obama's Web presence fading

Interesting...
The Washington Times has a very interesting piece about Obama and his "web presence". It seems the "Chosen One" is losing some of his appeal.

Stephen Dinan
Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Viewership for President-elect Barack Obama's weekly YouTube "fireside chats" has tanked, dropping more than 50 percent since his initial video three weeks ago.

"I've heard a lot of puffed-up rhetoric about how this is going to change the face of politics and how it's going to be FDR's fireside chats. The data doesn't back it up," said David Burch, marketing manager for TubeMogul, which tracks YouTube video views.

The first video address, released four weekends ago, drew 789,868 viewers over its first three days and is nearing 1 million total, according to TubeMogul's figures. But the second video was viewed 451,077 times in three days, Thanksgiving weekend's video garnered 152,222 views, and this weekend's fourth installment had about 370,000 views as of Monday evening.

Interest in Mr. Obama's postelection YouTube channel, ChangeDotGov, is down substantially overall compared with the heady days of his campaign, when BarackObama.com regularly cracked the top 10 channels and some of his videos drew more than 5 million views.

The drop from Mr. Obama's campaign to the transition may have been inevitable, given what the campaign achieved. Mr. Obama compiled a list of e-mail supporters 13 million strong, raised money from about 4 million of them, and drew millions of them to BarackObama.com to look for videos, exchange ideas and generally express their admiration for the candidate.

Now, he's no longer their candidate. Instead, he has to strike a balance as president that appeals to even those who didn't vote for him or weren't part of his movement.

Mr. Obama's campaign didn't immediately have a comment on the numbers. But members of his new-media team, speaking at a symposium in New York last week, said the difference between a candidate and a president is affecting how the Web site is run.

"The relationship is different," Joe Rospars, the campaign's director of new media, told the Alliance of Youth Movements summit. "In the campaign, we had a relationship between Barack Obama and a whole lot of people who supported him and his policies and his ideas and his vision for the country."

"If you look at Change.gov ... that's focused more on transparency and accessibility and service and these kinds of things rather than implementing a legislative agenda and sort of having a political organization," Mr. Rospars said.

Mr. Obama (not President-Elect just yet...) is having some trouble.

He is ticking off his Party by not jumping in all over the economic mess.
And now, he's losing his base? Because they might be frustrated as well that he hasn't started to lead yet?

Give respect to Mr. Obama; he knows President Bush is still in charge and he is allowing the President to finish his job.

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Red Sox Interested In Pettitte?

Late last night...

According to Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox expressed interest in free agent lefty Andy Pettitte. Could Pettitte cross enemy lines in 2009? For now Massarotti says the Red Sox have simply kicked the tires, as they seem to do with most interesting free agents.

Developing...

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RedState: call to action!

Received an email from RedState about the auto bailout:

Republican Senators are split on whether or not they should support a bailout of the automobile industry.

Congress, in bailing out the car companies, is not demanding that the United Auto Workers renegotiate labor contracts that are bankrupting the car companies. In fact, Congress is going to hand over your money without anyone really doing much of anything to fix problems.

This is unacceptable. Call your Senator at 202-224-3121 and tell him to oppose the auto industry bailout.

If you want more information, please read this piece at RedState. Then, call your Senator at 202-224-3121 and tell him to oppose the auto industry bailout.

Hafta agree. You want help? There will be requirements...

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MLB Winter Meetings Preview

Winter Meetings are getting started. Here's a preview:

• Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune discusses the Padres. Kevin Towers will keep the Jake Peavy talks going with the Cubs while also searching for a shortstop and veteran catcher.
• Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reminds us that Peavy and a left-handed hitting outfielder are on the Cubs' wish list. The bat comes first, says Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star says Dayton Moore has already accomplished his main goals, and now looks to replenish his right-handed relief. The Royals would also like to add a proven middle infielder and seem to have a glut of corner/DH types.
• Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune analyze the Diamondbacks. Josh Byrnes seeks a second baseman, left-handed reliever, and pitching in general. Miguel Montero is the top trade chip. They have about $10MM to spend, less if Brandon Lyon accepts arbitration.
• Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers could trade Gerald Laird, Hank Blalock, Kevin Millwood, or Vicente Padilla.
• Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talked to Doug Melvin about C.C. Sabathia, who still hasn't reacted to their offer. If Sabathia and Ben Sheets leave, Melvin could add two starters. Melvin also said it'd be too risky to trade J.J. Hardy and start Alcides Escobar at short. Rickie Weeks has drawn interest, but Melvin would require "a pretty good hitter" in return. Mike Cameron is a more likely trade chip. As for the team's closer search, Melvin doesn't expect to be in on the big names.
• Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says the Marlins probably won't steal headlines at these Winter Meetings as they did in '07. Still, Jorge Cantu, Matt Treanor, and Jeremy Hermida may be dealt. The Fish have been "actively shopping" Treanor and Hermida. The Marlins have mild interest in free agents Ivan Rodriguez and Carl Pavano.
• Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says Ken Williams has asked the Reds about Homer Bailey. Could the Reds match up for Jermaine Dye? The White Sox hope to add more MLB-ready starting pitching and maybe a backup catcher.
  The Orioles need starting pitching, with a slew of names under consideration according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun: A.J. Burnett, Paul Byrd, Jon Garland, Mark Hendrickson, Braden Looper, Randy Wolf, Kenshin Kawakami, Koji Uehara, Bartolo Colon, and Matt Clement. The O's also hope to extend Brian Roberts, trade Ramon Hernandez, and find a shortstop. They have interest in Adam Everett.
• Roch Kubatko of MASN Online explains what it's like for a reporter at the Meetings.
• Yahoo's Tim Brown runs through plans for all of the American League teams.
  

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Never forget...

Thank you:
Stanley Scott Phillips,
Frank Phillips,
Harry Kloman
and Walter B. Jessen

for your galant service.

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Obama's Weekly Rhetoric... I mean Address

Last week, there were buildings behind him in the open window.
Obvious security risk.

Now it looks like he moved up 20/30 floors and a different directional exposure.
At least they lost that overgrown plant behind him.



Now that you are done watching... ask yourself another question.
How are you going to pay for upgrading schools and our infrastructure?

Jobs has changed from "save or create 2.5 million jobs". Before it was just "create 2.5 million".

Making government building more efficient by upgrading building heating systems and new efficient light bulbs will put people back to work?

How do you pay for better roads?

Make schools energy efficient and put new computers in place? With what money?!?!

Giving kids internet access will better empower kids?

Broad approaches. Some good ideas.
I just want Obama to tell us where the money is going to come from to pay for all this.

Again, no "God Bless America"; just a "thanks for listening".

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Irony

Jill Long Thompson, who ran the worst gubernatorial campaign in Indiana in my lifetime, is being considered for agriculture secretary in the Obama cabinet (well, she is unemployed...).

Joe Andrew, who stabbed Evan Bayh and the Indiana Democratic machine in the back by endorsing Obama right before Indiana's primary, hasn't gotten anything (perhaps an ambassadorship to France or some other suitably ironic country will soon be in the offing).

Baron Hill, who likewise endorsed Obama (and took a huge risk in his district doing it), hasn't gotten anything either (he may not even want anything; hard to say).

UPDATE: A reader emails, parodying The One and Obamassiah memes of the campaign and quoting Lincoln's second inaugural:

But still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

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Bill O'Reilly going off the air

Relax... it's just on the radio... and it's by his choice.

"The Radio Factor" heard in Indianapolis on WXNT 1430am in the afternoons is going away.

Bill O'Reilly will step down as the host of his syndicated talk radio show early next year.

In a statement, O'Reilly said the workload has become too much, adding, "I can no longer give both TV and radio the time they deserve."

O'Reilly will continue hosting "The O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox News Channel and writing his weekly newspaper column.

I catch Bill O'Reilly some afternoon's. Not a bad program. I know he has a huge following. I wonder now where will they turn their radio dials.

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Burton facing challenges in 2010?

Matt Tully at the Star has a good column about possible challenges to Congressman Dan Burton in 2010. (Is anyone really thinking that far ahead already?)

On the political front, it's never too early to start thinking about the next election. So it should be no surprise that many political types already wonder whether a big-name Republican will wage a primary battle against U.S. Rep. Dan Burton, R-18th Green.

Yes, Burton won re-election just a month ago. But the 2010 primary is only 17 months away. And while Burton cruised to victory in the general election, many people failed to notice, in the midst of the presidential election year, that he squeaked through the May primary by less than 7 percentage points.

That's razor-thin for a 13-term incumbent who won his 2006 primary by 75 points.

Many observers, this one included, believe Burton would have lost this year had the presidential primary not driven many moderate Republicans and independents to the Democratic primary. Moreover, in other years, with little to worry about in the Democratic primary, many Democrats would have voted in the GOP primary simply to vote against Burton.

Remember, the 5th District, which stretches from Shelbyville to Huntington, has been so gerrymandered that it is one of the nation's most Republican districts. It's one of those districts in which the winner is determined in the primary.

As such, it's none too early to look at whether Burton, if he decides to run again,
will face a serious primary challenge. The prospects for such a challenge are good, according to Republican Party operatives I've talked with in recent days.

Few on the list of possible candidates will talk on the record at this point. But GOP insiders say several top names have expressed interest. They include Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold, Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi, state Sen. Mike Delph of Carmel and former congressional candidate Brose McVey.

Some would run only if Burton retires.

The two most intriguing names being mentioned are John McGoff, the emergency room doctor and former Marion County coroner who ran against Burton in this year's primary, and former state Rep. Luke Messer of Shelbyville.

McGoff ran hard this year and would be a tough 2010 opponent.

The toughest challenge, though, likely would come from Messer, a partner at Ice Miller who spent his legislative years pushing creative proposals to improve Indiana's high school dropout rate. Messer has a close relationship with top state Republican officials as well as rank-and-file types. Armed with one of the state's brightest political minds, and a clean reputation, he'd offer a compelling contrast to Burton.

It's still early. But if either McGoff or Messer runs, Burton could be in trouble come 2010.

Look, it's no secret that Star has no love for Dan Burton.

But Tully makes some good points here. Burton did "get by" McGoff. But McGoff might have been closer if it wasn't for the Obama/Hillary battle that had many RINO's cross over to vote for Hillary.

Would Messer make a good candidate, let alone a good Congressman? Yes, he would. Knowing Luke, he would be a definite contrast to Dan Burton.

Some of these names are big names. Brose McVey can raise cash as can Carl Brizzi. Sen. Mike Delph is a rising star in the state Party.

I am not saying that Dan Burton is not a good Congressman and he does represent his District to the best of his ability.

But with McGoff running a hard challenge eariler this year, and now other GOP names are coming up in conversations about making possible runs, maybe it's time to start thinking that Burton may need to change his approach on how he takes care of his District.

Or consider retiring?

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GM-Ford-Chrysler thoughts

So last night, my Mom sends me an email, all worried about going into a depression because the Big Three are going to fail.

I've tried to avoid this topic, but I thought this morning, over an electronic copy of the Indy Star (because does anyone really buy one anymore) and a cup of coffee, I will give my two cents about this.

The Big Three are not going away. Those jobs are not going to be lost. Are you kidding?

Why? Because UAW workers vote Democrat, namely in my opinion. Do you really think that the Democrats are going to alienate a major voting block of their Party?

So yesterday, the Big Three show up in their own vehicles to beg for help.
Here's what the Star has on it:

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., pushed the idea of a single trustee designated by the president to control disbursement of additional money after March 31 and to force changes on the companies and the United Auto Workers union, which has been criticized for protecting current compensation packages for its members.

"I think that there's a general view that we want to see the conditions before we give you the money. And you folks sort of want the money and then say, 'Let the conditions work out,' " Schumer said. "I don't trust the car companies' leadership. . . . I worry that, if they're left on their own, they'll be back a short time later asking for more, and we won't be better off."

The company executives said they welcomed the prospect of government oversight.

"It would be very helpful for us, whether it's a board or an individual, to have someone to work with on this, to submit our proposals, and then for that person to say, 'OK, don't agree with that. You've got to change this,' " GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said.

Another idea floated at the hearing was to force banks that have received bailout money to lend to the automakers, with government guarantees on the loans. That would require federal officials to renegotiate the terms of the capital injections.

Ok, someone write this down... I agree with Chuck Schumer.
Now, pick up your jaw and read on.

The issue here isn't that the US Government doesn't want to help, it's that GM-Ford-Chrysler want the cash on their terms.

It's like me dictating terms of my mortgage to the mortgage company. "I want 1% interest and I will pay you when I want." Right, they'd show me the door.

I drive a Chevy and so does my wife. GM-Ford-Chrysler are not going anywhere. It's just they are going to have to agree to terms Schumer and the committee lay down.

If the Big Three want to survive, they will have to bend more. It appears that they are headed that way.

So, take a deep breath Mom... things are going to be okay.

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Random Thought

I've read a lot about the whole Obama birth certificate thing. As much as I doubt many things about the junior senator from Illinois, the birth certificate allegations are things about which I have more doubts about the allegations than about the alleged.

Now comes news that the Supreme Court may hear the allegations after all. Of this whole affair, there seems to be no framework to judge the supposed evidence (which I suspect will be found lacking), so in some sense the Supreme Court needs to look at the case, if only to 1) set to rest any lingering doubts, and 2) devise a legal test or framework for addressing these issues when they arise in the future.

A decision on such things could easily be unanimous and relatively straightforward (or it could be convaluted, in the probably very unlikely event that the allegations prove out).

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Democrats want Obama to jump the gun

The Electoral College meets later this month (Dec. 15th to be exact) to nullify the Presidential Election.

Techincally, at this point, Obama is a regular citizen, without power and position. Face reality, he isn't even President-Elect yet.

And even after the Electoral College votes, and Obama becomes OFFICIALLY the President-Elect, Obama holds NO POWER until the day he is sworn in as our next President. In the mean time, George W. Bush remains President.

That's the facts and reality.

But Democrats don't care.

According to the AP:

Democrats are growing impatient with President-elect Barack Obama's refusal to inject himself in the major economic crises confronting the country. Obama has sidestepped some policy questions by saying there is only one president at a time. But the dodge is wearing thin.

"He's going to have to be more assertive than he's been," House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., told consumer advocates Thursday.

Frank, who has been dealing with both the bailout of the financial industry and a
proposed rescue of Detroit automakers, said Obama needs to play a more significant role on economic issues.

"At a time of great crisis with mortgage foreclosures and autos, he says we only have one president at a time," Frank said. "I'm afraid that overstates the number of presidents we have. He's got to remedy that situation."

Congressman, we only have one President at a time. That is reality and fact. Obama is giving the respect George W. Bush frankly DESERVES.

Nothing Obama can do between now and mid January will change that. Obama CANNOT "remedy that situation".

Look Congressman, your Party won the election. I concede that. But your Party comes to power in mid January, no eariler.

To think otherwise is in fact insulting to Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. It is a slap in the face to General Washington who fought for those freedoms and a slap to President Lincoln who fought hard to keep those freedoms together.

I make no lie that I am not an Obama fan. But come mid January, Obama is my President. And I will also bestow upon him all the respect that is given to each President.

Congressman Frank, keep your pants on. Obama will have plenty to do once he is sworn in to office.

Two Democratic senators involved in trying to salvage the auto companies have said Obama could help move the process along and should become more engaged.

"The Obama team has to step up," Sen. Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate
Banking Committee and one of the lead negotiators, said Nov. 21 in Hartford, Conn. "In the minds of the people, this is the Obama administration. I don't think we can wait until January 20."

Two days later, Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, a point man in helping his state's main
industry, called on Obama to help resolve the dispute over money for the auto loan package.

"It would be very helpful if the president-elect would become more involved in resolving the issue over the source of the funds," he said. "I want him to offer his assistance. He is a person who can really bring people together."

Sen's Dodd and Levin: you too need to read the Constitution. Dodd just seems bitter that he hasn't been offered a cabinet position like everyone else who ran against Obama. (Hey, what happened to John Edwards...?) Plus, Dodd still pissed that once again, he has found that typical Democrats don't like him outside of New England. They rejected him big during Presidential caucuses.

Levin is just grasping at straws...

If Bush and Cheney resigned tomorrow, Obama could STILL NOT take office until he is sworn in. Pelosi, I believe would be sworn in as President until January 20th.

America will have to wait until January 20th to see just what Obama is going to do, face the facts.

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A Look at 2010, Cont’d.

More information and speculation on some of the 2010 races (following up on this post).

Aaron Hankins for Congress, it seems, was so 2008. His twin brother, Travis, will be running this time. There’s even a website and–according to one commenter at Hoosier Access–a mailing (which is interesting because I don’t see a committee filing online at the FEC website, and such an obvious campaign expenditure would have to come from a committee). The mailing should make for interesting reading; I’ve asked the commenter if they can scan it and email it to me.

Color me cynical, but I’m satisfied with Mike Pence being the Congressman from the 6th District. I don’t want a younger carbon copy of him running from the 9th, and I find the constant references to Pence on the Hankins website to be rather unusual.

Mike Sodrel had some help from Mike Pence’s team in 2008. I’d just as soon not have the help expand to include the candidate too.

I had some emails also about the possibility of Kent Benson running. Several suggested he would never run again after his interesting experience in the secretary of state race a few years back. Others seemed hopeful that he would never run again. I’ve never heard from Benson himself that he would be interested in running, only from a few others who hoped that he would (individuals who probably weren’t familiar with the inside baseball of his SOS run).

On the Bayh front, there seems to be speculation that Todd Rokita (also from northwestern Indiana) might be interested (along with earlier-mentioned Dan Dumezich) in running against Birch III.

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Lessons from the trenches 2008

2008’s electoral results are getting clearer as we close in on a final result in MN and GA. As President-elect Obama sorts out his administration and we all eat turkey sandwiches there are some great lessons to be learned from GOP campaigns of 2008.

In the coming weeks I will interview consultants, campaign staff and candidates to look at the tactics and where they made a difference. Before I start the interviews I want to hear from you on what questions you want answered.

Some of the questions I am considering asking are:

What campaign on the GOP side showed real innovation in fundraising?
What campaign on the GOP side had the most effective use of New Media?
What candidate on the GOP side best leveraged earned media to get traction?
What campaign on the GOP side showed the greatest comeback?
What campaign on the GOP side showed the best mobilization of grassroots supporters?
What campaign on the GOP side had the most effective GOTV organization?
What GOP media consultant showed the most appreciation for web video and integrated it into their mix?
What GOP pollster was the most accurate?
What GOP mail vendor had the most creative and effective designs? (yes, I am biased)
What GOP campaign showed the best ability to integrate it’s website into its’ over all campaign operation?
What GOP candidate has the biggest ideas for the future of our party (even if they lost)?
What GOP campaign showed the best use of its email list?
What GOP campaign was really good at the small stuff? (yard signs, bumper stickers, t-shirts, etc)
I also have a sizeable list of people to interview, if you have some you would like to see, let me know.Email your suggested questions and interviewees to chris@faulknerstrategies.com

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Beech Grove's WiFi gamble

Beech Grove, Indiana. Does everyone know where that is? Southeast side of Indianapolis. Nice small town. Built on an Amtrak facility.

Now, Mayor Joe Wright is trying to take the city into the tech age. Now, I realize that you are online now, reading this. But Beech Grove wants to start WiFi service for the city's residents.

Joe Wright said this in the Star:

"Residents can be anywhere in Beech Grove and access their service, whether they're on Main Street or at the downtown cafe or in the park enjoying their kids with their family and friends," Wright said.

Ok, so take your laptop to your kid's sports game. Make sure you are not paying attention or anything.

The wireless initiative will cost the city about $850,000, Wright said. That price includes about 100 wireless access points installed on utility poles throughout Beech Grove.

Joe, $850,000 is a lot of money. Are you sure there isn't something a bit more pressing to use this cash on?

Brownsburg, Indiana is trying this too. And they are hitting so many road blocks that now they are wondering if this is truly worth it.

Residential subscribers will pay $5.95 to $15.95 per month for the service,
with the price depending on the desired connection speed. Business subscribers
will pay $24.95 to $30.95 per month.

My home PC is a Dell knock off. It isn't set up for a wireless connection. And I would not rely on the city to provide service. Number one, it's not their job.

The city of Anaheim, CA had city-wide WiFi and they pulled the plug on it in September because not enough people used it. Philadelphia, PA also had a similar project that was abandoned. San Francisco, CA has been planning one for years and it hasn't come to fruition because its providers say it's not economically viable.

If Silicon Valley can't sustain a municipal WiFi network, why do they think this will work in Beech Grove? I sincerely hope someone does some serious research into this for the taxpayer's sake.

For a city the size of Beech Grove, $850,000 is a lot of money.

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GM's latest stupid PR stunt

Not impressed... nor does it change my mind.

Here's a pic tonight of General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner as he steps from a Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid car tonight upon arriving at his hotel in Washington after driving from Detroit to testify at Congressional hearings on the auto industry bailout.

AP Photo Reporter Gerald Herbert says:

If the Detroit Three automakers have learned anything since their last trip to Washington, it's that the old way of doing business just won't fly. So the decision by auto executives to travel in hybrid cars rather than corporate jets is just the start to overhauling their image as the industry pleads its case for $25 billion in federal loans.

Yeah, a bit late for an image booster.

Notice what side of the car he is getting out of... you think he drove himself there?

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Cantor promises more aggressive GOP

Amen Congressmen.

By ANDY BARR
Politico.com

Newly minted House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) promised Tuesday that a retooled and more aggressive GOP will be better prepared for the 2010 election cycle than it was for 2008.

Cantor said Republicans can “expect” that the party will be more active in recruiting and financially backing candidates in tough races. “I think it’s very important that we put this new face on and put it into action, and put our money where our mouth is,” he said during an appearance on the Hugh Hewitt radio show.

But Cantor added that if the party wants to perform better in 2010 it “can’t keep doing things the same way.”

“We’ve got to start obviously making some inroads into some of these seats that have been taken from us on the political front, but at the same time, we do that through the promotion of ideas based on our common sense conservative principles,” he said, promising “we’re not going to defend corrupt behavior, we’re not going to be the party that points fingers without making sure we’re honest with ourselves.”

One of the changes the party needs to make, Cantor said, is to better utilize new media to build its brand and connect with voters.

“The Internet provides extraordinary potential for us to reach out to like-minded people that want to get involved,” he said. “It allows us an avenue to access the younger voters of this country who frankly really haven’t heard from us over the last several years, and that’s very exciting to me, because that’s our future. And I believe that’s how our ideas are going to be taken and put to work this century.”

The Republican whip also laid out three principles that the party must adhere to in order to rehabilitate its image with voters.

“One, we have to stop defending the type of spending that we’ve always criticized the other side for engaging in. No. 2, we need to stop defending unethical conduct on either side of the aisle, and that includes our own. And third, we’ve got to go about trying to regain the credibility as adherents to the core principles that this country was based on and our party’s based on,” he said.

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Go ahead liberals: Blame Bush for this one!

Cant blame Bill Clinton for this one... blame the US Constitution.

Hillary may have a "confirmation problem" when she appears before the Senate for confirmation to the post of Secretary of State.

According to an emolument clause in the Constitution, no lawmaker can be appointed to any civil position that was created or received a wage increase during the lawmaker's time in office.

President Bush ordered Cabinet salaries raised to $191,300 from $186,600 by executive order early this year, while Clinton was senator.

Everyone was more concerned that Bill's galloping around the globe raising dinero was going to trouble her confirmation. Nope, Obama got past that one.

But then again, this isn't the first time this came up. According to Fox News:

"My understanding is that does prohibit her unless they can find some way around it and I gather that they have in the past," former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger told FOX News.

"This isn't the first time this has come up," he said, referring to appointees of other presidents. "Maybe she has to renounce the salary increase but I'm sure they'll find a way around it."

And...

"I don't believe it presents a serious issue because the legislative fix which has been done in the past is perfectly constitutional," said Adam Bonin, an attorney at the Philadelphia law firm of Cozen O'Connor.

The legislation that Bonin referred to is the "Saxbe fix" that allowed President
Richard Nixon to name Ohio Sen. William Saxbe his Attorney General.

The attorney general's salary was raised during Saxbe's term in 1969 but Nixon
convinced Congress to lower Saxbe's salary to what it was before 1969.

The most recent case involved Texas Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, who was nominated to be President-elect Bill Clinton's treasury secretary in 1993. To avoid conflict, Congress passed legislation lowering the salary of that position to its 1989 level.

And you think Harry Reid and Nancy "the fist" Pelosi won't pass the legislation needed? They are probably already working on it.

Maybe we could fillabuster it after she resigns? I'm kidding...

Hillary may be Obama's best selection so far.

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One name not up for Hillary’s replacement

So this doesn’t bother me one bit.

Hillary Clinton is likely to be our next Secretary of State. And I have to say that I think Obama did well in choosing her for this position.

But because of that, politicians in New York are scrambling to get Gov. David Patterson’s attention on why they should be his choice to fill the seat.

Former POTUS Bill Clinton’s name has also been making the rounds as a replacement.

One name won’t be part of that group any longer: NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Turncoat Bloomberg took himself out of the running during a press conference yesterday:

“Nobody’s mentioned my name and I have no interest in the job, and he wouldn’t, David wouldn’t pick me either," the mayor said at a press conference earlier today attended by the DN's Frank Lombardi.

"I have not had a discussion with the governor about that, nor do I think it’s appropriate that I should," Bloomberg continued. "He’s got to make a choice. I just think that the criteria should be, and I assume will be, who is the best person to carry forward the state’s agenda and the country’s agenda and nothing else other than that.”

Darn, right?

Bloomberg’s name doesn’t even belong in this conversation. This is a man who not only walked away from the Party, but then changed the rules to allow himself to be elected to another term as mayor in NYC.

Actually... those qualifications make him perfect to be at least one thing.

Democrat.

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A Look at 2010

In Indiana, from DailyKos:

If Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh runs for a third term - and as yet, there's no indication he won't - he's a virtual lock to be reelected. Even if he didn't (suppose he got some appointment in the Obama administration), Dems would have a decent chance of keeping the seat with someone like Rep. Baron Hill.

Speaking of Hill, the Republicans may just put up former Rep. Mike Sodrel again to run against him (for their fifth matchup). He doesn't seem to have much else to do.

Republican Mark Souder has had two tough challenges in a row, putting up 54% in 2006 and 55% in 2008. He'd be out of a job if his district weren't so overwhelmingly Republican.

All the other Republicans should be favored to win reelection. Barring a retirement, don't expect much action in Indiana at the House level.

The Republicans can probably make a good run at one Democratic Congressman. Whether that run comes in the 2nd, 8th, or 9th will depend on candidate recruitment in the coming months.

I don't think that Mike Sodrel will run again; I know of at least two names looking at challenging Baron Hill. One is Todd Young, whose name was floated briefly before Sodrel decided to run again. The other is Aaron Hankins, who had something of a campaign in this past cycle that in the end never went anywhere.

Other names that have appeared in the past in the 9th and are the subject of the current round of parlor games include Floyd County Prosecutor Keith Henderson (of David Camm trial fame), IU basketball legend Kent Benson, and newly-elected Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett (if the elected post is to be done away with as a part of government reforms, as is rumored).

The rest of the Republican bench is relatively thin; the GOP holds a number of mayorships in the district, but the 9th has no especially large cities and those that could be considered "large" either aren't big enough or have Democratic mayors.

There aren't a lot of GOP state legislators in the 9th, and those present have espoused no Congressional ambitions in the past, though this could just be a result of eight years of Sodrel running. Newly-elected legislators (Ed Clere and Mark Messmer) just got into office and probably won't turn around and pursue a Congressional campaign; there are no Jon Elrods here.

Last, but not least, you have the (former?) Libertarian candidate, Eric Schansberg, about whom there has been some speculation of a party-change to run as a Republican. If he could bring in national assistance in terms of big money and lots of volunteers from the supporters of Ron Paul (a test case in their manifesto to remake the Republican Party, perhaps), a Schansberg candidacy could make the race quite interesting.

Moving on to the 3rd District, Souder will probably be safe. I haven't surveyed the terrain in the 2nd and the 8th in the wake of the victories by Donnelly and Ellsworth, so I won't venture an opinion as yet about possible challenger candidacies in those districts. As Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid will tell you, an awful lot depends upon candidate recruitment in the coming couple of months.

It's too soon to tell whether Bayh will be safe in the Senate race. He is apparently retaining big political talent in expectation of a serious challenge, though. Already, I have heard of one name circulating as a possible Republican challenger to our plastic senator, namely Lake County attorney Dan Dumezich.

On top of it all, the Secretary of State race is a wild card (Hamilton County GOP Chairman Charlie White has shown early interest) and the Treasurer and Auditor races will probably be sedate and affairs with little change or challenge.

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Sorry Barry, no 60 for you!

Score one for our side.

Jim Martin, the Democrat trying for the second time in a month to unseat Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss, lost. He had staff paid for with Obama's dollars, a logo almost as catchy as Obama's and lit that promoted the two.

And it still didn't work.

With 70 percent of the precincts reporting, Chambliss captured 60 percent to Martin's 40 percent. Chambliss' win is a rare bright spot for Republicans in a year where they lost the White House as well as seats in the House and the Senate.

This runoff election between Martin and Chambliss was the first test of whether Obama was able to pass power down more to local allies than merely the trappings of a presidential campaign. The results offered an answer to questions that many pundits wanted to know: Is there a sustainable Obama coalition, and is the Obama machine durable? Has Obama created anything greater than himself?

Guess what? Obama took a hit. Martin had all of Obama's help and celeb's coming in to help with this run and it still didn't work.

In the end, Martin, a 63-year-old former state lawmaker from Atlanta, wasn't able to get Obama voters back to the polls in large enough numbers to overcome the Republican advantage in Georgia, which has become an increasingly a reliable red state since 2002.

Turnout was light throughout the state Tuesday. A spokesman for Secretary of State Karen Handel predicted between 18 and 20 percent of the state's 5.75 million registered voters would cast ballots - far less than the 65 percent who voted in last month's general election.

Senator Chambliss, thank you for securing the firewall.

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"Smell the tourists"

Well, you asked for it America... yet another sign on the elitism and snobs coming in to power in Washington.

This is your US Senate Majority Leader:

Reid: Capitol Visitor Center Will Minimize 'Smell' of Tourists
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is looking on the bright side as the Capitol Visitor Center opens years behind schedule and millions over budget.

The Capitol Visitor Center is opening years behind schedule and millions over budget, but at least it's got good ventilation.

That was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's take at the official dedication for the center Tuesday morning, as he quipped that members will no longer have to "smell the tourists" on hot summer days.

"My staff has always said, 'Don't say this,' but I'm going to say it again because it's so descriptive because it's true," Reid said.

He referenced House Minority Leader John Boehner's comments about the long lines of tourists that stream into the Capitol complex, and said: "In the summertime, because (of) the high humidity and how hot it gets here, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol."

As the crowd laughed, Reid said, "And that may be descriptive but it's true. Well, that is no longer going to be necessary."

So put the deo away, and let the Capitol Visitor Center do the work.

The massive, 580,000 square-foot facility is the largest addition to the Capitol complex in its history.

An exhibit hall contains important documents and artifacts, and the facility is expected to host about 3 million visitors a year.

The $621 million project, however, was completed more than $350 million over original projections and four years behind schedule.

FOX News' Brian Wilson contributed to this report.

Gotta love Harry Reid.

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24 Free Agents Offered Arbitration

MLB NEWS:
All of the arbitration offers are in. Here's a list of which free agents were offered arbitration. If these players decline the offer and sign elsewhere, the original club will get one or two draft picks.

There's an additional "tax" on these Type A free agents, as you have to give up a pick to sign one. For more about the process, click here. For the full up-to-date free agent list, click here.

Type A (15 players)
A.J. Burnett
Orlando Cabrera
Juan Cruz
Brian Fuentes
Orlando Hudson
Raul Ibanez
Derek Lowe
Darren Oliver
Oliver Perez
Manny Ramirez
Francisco Rodriguez
C.C. Sabathia
Ben Sheets
Mark Teixeira
Jason Varitek

Type B (9 players)
Casey Blake
Milton Bradley
Paul Byrd
Jon Garland
Mark Grudzielanek
Brandon Lyon
Dennys Reyes
Brian Shouse
David Weathers

Surprisingly not offered arbitration:
Bobby Abreu
Joe Beimel
Pat Burrell
Adam Dunn
Braden Looper
Jamie Moyer
Randy Wolf (not confirmed yet; implied from AP article)
Kerry Wood

Dusty Baker plans to give Wood a call and see if he might be interested in setting up Francisco Cordero in Cincinnati. No word on Ken Griffey Jr.

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Marriage amendment dead this session

I wanted to repost something Gary Welsh over at Advance Indiana posted yesterday.

GLBT activists are being given a bit of a reprieve in efforts here in Indiana to enact a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages. A state law enacted by the legislature in 1995 already bans same-sex marriages, but proponents of the ban want to see it written into Indiana's Bill of Rights. Sen. Brandt Hershman, the principal author of the amendment during the past several sessions, says he believes action on the amendment, if it is to occur, should begin in the Indiana House where it died during the last legislative session. House Speaker Pat Bauer says the state law is enough. "I've been asking people to show me that the current law has been broken, and they haven't showed me yet. I want to see the couples that were illegally married," the Star's Bill Ruthhart quotes Bauer as saying earlier this year.

Right wing fanatics on the issue haven't thrown in the towel yet. Advance America's Eric Miller tells Ruthhart he plans to continue the fight. Now that 30 states have enacted similar bans, Rep. Eric Turner, the principal proponent of the amendment in the House, laments to Ruthhart that Indiana is becoming a bit of anomaly because it has not enacted an amendment. "Certainly there are those, including the speaker, who say we have a law, and I understand that rationale," he said. "But we also have judges who sometimes interpret the law differently than we intended, thus the need for a constitutional amendment."

The same-sex marriage ban process is following a historically similar path as that taken by similar efforts to bar interracial marriages. The vast majority of states in the earlier part of the 20th century had enacted either legislative or constitutional bans preventing couples of different races from marrying. The state laws and constitutional amendments, referred to as anti-miscegenation laws, were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1967 landmark decision, Loving v. Virginia. The Court held that a couple's due process rights and equal protection guaranteed by the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments were violated when they were criminally prosecuted for violating Virginia's interracial marriage ban.

UPDATE: It looks like Rep. Eric Turner has finally acknowledged the arguments of opponents that the amendment he proposed went beyond banning same-sex marriages. Turner tells WIBC that he is tweaking the language he will offer in a newly-proposed amendment next year to address those concerns. It's not going to make a difference with House Speaker Pat Bauer, who has already declared he will not allow a vote on the amendment in the House until he sees evidence that Indiana will be required to allow same-sex marriages in the absence of a constitutional amendment. Hat tip to Don Sherfick.

Well, back to the drawing board... the fight begins again.

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Pres. Adams and Johnson... now Clinton?

John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson have something more in common that just that they served as President of the United States.

They also "returned" to the Senate, after serving as President.

President John Quincy Adams lost his re-election bid in 1828. Two years later he returned to Washington after winning election as a congressman from his home state of Massachusetts. He served in the House of Representatives until his death in 1848.

President Andrew Johnson also served as a Senator from Tennessee in 1875, 7 years after the Senate acquitted him of impeachment charges. He died a few months after taking office.

And now... Bill Clinton may join that group.

With Hillary accepting Obama's nomination, that leaves her Senate seat up for grabs. And Bill Clinton's name is being dropped around as a possible replacement.

The task of choosing a successor falls to David Paterson, New York's Democratic governor. Whomever he picks would serve for two years, before a special election in November 2010 to decide who fills the last two years of Clinton's term.

Paterson has a strong bench to choose from. There are a number of contenders, including at least eight members of New York's delegation in the House of Representatives, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo or Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.

Paterson could surprise us all and pick a name like a Kennedy. Robert Kennedy Jr. or Caroline Kennedy.

In the Washington Post last week, "journalists" Karl Meyer and Shareen Blair Brysac urged Paterson to "send Bill Clinton to the Senate."

If that happened, Clinton would become the third former president to go from the White House to Capitol Hill.

But would a former leader of the free world want to take a step down and become the Junior Senator from the state of New York? Doubtful... come on, this is Bill Clinton we are talking about.

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