Word is starting to circulate that there may be a special election in Illinois instead of an appointment to fill the vacant Senate seat of President Elect Obama. The story goes like this...... under the US Constitution the state legislature has the power to decide how to fill a vacant Senate seat until the next election. Many states (like Illinois) allow the governor to name … [Read more...] about A Special Election In Illinois?
Will Blagojevich Shift Focus Back To Republican-Democratic Campaign Mode?
,/center> President Elect Barack Obama is unscathed by the unfolding scandal involving Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s Senate Seat For Sale arrest because the record shows he was never close to the governor and kept a distance. President Elect Barack Obama could well be involved because he comes from the same state and worked within that political system and who knows … [Read more...] about Will Blagojevich Shift Focus Back To Republican-Democratic Campaign Mode?
Blagojevich
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune … [Read more...] about Blagojevich
Can Gov. Blagojevich’s Alphabet Soup Lead to Obama?
If the serious allegations against Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich are proven to be true in a court of law, he -- and any other accomplices -- should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. In the meantime, the right-wing media erupted into an orgy of anticipatory celebration and glee, and into unveiled attempts to implicate President-elect Obama, by trying to tie … [Read more...] about Can Gov. Blagojevich’s Alphabet Soup Lead to Obama?
UPDATED: The Blagojevich Saga
UPDATE #4 The American Prospect's Adam Serwer helps decode the Senate-seat candidates referenced by numbers only in the criminal complaint against Gov. Blago. ------------------ UPDATE #3 A rumor is afoot that Obama CoS Rahm Emanuel may have helped spark the beginning of the end of Blago: (Note: Scroll down our home page for Blago-Saga reactions from other … [Read more...] about UPDATED: The Blagojevich Saga
Climate Change Solution: Shoot Cheney into Space – Nachrichten of Switzerland
With Patrick Fitzgerald, the man that indicted Dick Cheney's chief of staff 'Scooter Libby', busy with other matters in Illinois, a Swiss newspaper yesterday carried this article that alleges additional misdeeds by our vice president. Has Vice President Dick Cheney blocked the launch of a satellite that promises to lay to rest the debate about whether human beings are … [Read more...] about Climate Change Solution: Shoot Cheney into Space – Nachrichten of Switzerland
Obama’s Foreign Policy Will Need United Nations Support
Because of President-elect Barack Obama’s genuinely internationalist ambitions, the United Nations will be an indispensable backdrop for the first time in recent decades for the success of US foreign policy. The key foreign policy issues of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the financial and economic meltdown, climate change and energy use have global components coordinated mainly … [Read more...] about Obama’s Foreign Policy Will Need United Nations Support
Dirty Politicians
Every newsperson, every website, every blogger in the United States at this very moment has an opinion on the latest inductee into the Corrupt Politicians Hall of Shame. If it weren't for such a tough name to digest, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich would be a household name for the ages. If any of the criminal charges brought against him are true, he will make yesteryear's … [Read more...] about Dirty Politicians
Blagojevich Auctions Senate Seat
Daryl Cagle, MSNBC.com … [Read more...] about Blagojevich Auctions Senate Seat
Selling Obama’s Senate Seat
The prosecutor who took out Scooter Libby is flummoxed today by the antics of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in trying to auction off Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. "The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald says in a statement. "They allege that Blagojevich put a 'for sale' sign on the naming of a United States … [Read more...] about Selling Obama’s Senate Seat
Blagojevich: Cashing In On the Big Time
Holly already broke this story here, but in terms of media coverage regarding the arrest of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, this headline from the Chicago Tribune really has to take the cake. Blagojevich's Senate Selection Process Investigated Really? You're investigating his selection process? Given the details leaking out already, isn't that somewhat akin to checking … [Read more...] about Blagojevich: Cashing In On the Big Time
Do It For Johnny
Musician, songwriter and filmmaker Haylar Garcia has completed work on a new independent film titled Do It For Johnny. You can read the back-story about how he and his colleagues took a "long strange trip" attempting to hunt down actor Johnny Depp and give him a custom guitar with a movie script stuffed into a secret compartment inside. There's also some background information … [Read more...] about Do It For Johnny
Blagojevich and Media Bias
Let me make it clear from the start that I am not a broad conspiracy nut, I do not think the media sits around and plots how to help the Left or hurt the Right. I also think that the media coverage of this story is perfectly proper, focusing largely on the corruption of a Governor. By all accounts he is not close to Obama and I do not expect the media or the public to hold … [Read more...] about Blagojevich and Media Bias
More Bowl-Bound Football Teams Meet Academic Standards
But the racial gap worsened: The academic performance of college football players on bowl-bound teams improved over all this year, compared with previous years, but the gap between white and African-American athletes increased slightly, says a new report from the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida. This year, 91 percent of the … [Read more...] about More Bowl-Bound Football Teams Meet Academic Standards
No Thomas Jefferson Bailout
With Congress preparing a $15 billion Christmas tip for Detroit, a more basic American industry is slowly going under. "If I had to choose," Thomas Jefferson famously said, "between government without newspapers, and newspapers without government, I wouldn't hesitate to choose the latter." The "latter" is in the grip of the financial squeeze and advertising losses in a … [Read more...] about No Thomas Jefferson Bailout
Laughter The Best Medicine
The Reader's Digest had introduced a column "Laughter The Best Medicine" that remained popular for many years. A recent report says that "Strength Through Laughter" therapy being offered by medical facilities in the US is proving effective. Ula Ilnytzky, Associated Press Writer, says: "While the verdict is out on whether laughter plays a role in healing, the American Cancer … [Read more...] about Laughter The Best Medicine
Canada’s Liberals Set to Pick New Leader
Sorry again to be so self-promotional, but, if you're interested, my latest piece at The Guardian on Canada's rather exciting political situation was posted this morning: Ignatieff's moment. It looks like the new leader of the Liberal Party will be former Harvard professor and noted international relations expert Michael Ignatieff. Ignatieff was first elected to … [Read more...] about Canada’s Liberals Set to Pick New Leader
Illinois Governor Arrested
With a hat-tip to NPR and MSNBC, I have gone to the Chicago Tribune's website: Source: Feds take Gov. Blagojevich into custody A source said today that Gov. Rod Blagojevich was taken into federal custody at his North Side home this morning. The U.S. attorney's office would not confirm the information. A Blagojevich spokesman said he was unaware of the development. … [Read more...] about Illinois Governor Arrested
Where Next for Chuck Hagel?
The generally reliable Chris Cillizza posed an interesting question at The Fix this week. He is pondering the fate of several politicos widely expected to wind up in Obama's cabinet, but who now seem destined to be left out in the cold. Three of them are fairly standard fare: Kathleen Sebelius, Tim Kaine and John Kerry. The last choice, however, left me picking my jaw up off … [Read more...] about Where Next for Chuck Hagel?
The Fall of the L.A. Times. The Rise of EPIC?
Tribune Co. which is the parent of the LA Times, among other media holdings, has now filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. While this is doubtless sad news for the employees and their families, each time we see a story like this I wonder once again whether or not the tale of EPIC 2014 wasn't more prescient than entertainment. For those not familiar, EPIC was a flash … [Read more...] about The Fall of the L.A. Times. The Rise of EPIC?