Gen. Honore Dismisses Talk of Senate Run

Sigh. It would have been fun, but I guess it's not meant to be.

The general who led military relief efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina is denying a report that he may challenge Louisiana Sen. David Vitter in 2010, calling it "speculation and rumors" Sunday.

Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, now a CNN emergency preparedness analyst, said he is moving back to his home state. But "No one's talking to me about running for Senate," Honore said.

"That is a serious rumor that's got started that's created a lot of buzz," said Honore, who left the Army in 2008. But he said he has never declared a party affiliation, and any talk of a Senate run is "all about speculation and rumors."

Honore is best known for taking over a widely criticized relief effort after Katrina flooded most of New Orleans in August 2005. The city's mayor, Ray Nagin, famously described the cigar-chomping three-star general as a "John Wayne dude" who could "get some stuff done."

Gen. Honore to Run For Senate in Louisiana?

Can you imagine this man on the Senate floor berating the Democrats for being Stuck on Stupid? Who cares that he might oust an incumbent Republican? David Vitter has plenty of baggage, plus we can see how much the left really has transcended race when they begin attacking a black man for having the audactiy to be a Republican.

In a breaking story, The Louisiana Weekly and Bayoubuzz.com have learned that the hero of Hurricane recovery, General Russell Honore is seriously considering entering the Republican Primary for the U.S. Senate seat against incumbent David Vitter. Honore, a Republican since the Reagan Administration and a registered Louisiana voter from his Zachary home, has spoken to friends and supporters in the last two weeks signaling that he is, according to one, "more than 50% sure that he will run."

The news comes mere hours after Third District Congressman Charlie Melancon announced his firm intention to be the Democratic challenger to David Vitter in the fall of 2010. Melancon, who represents the critical swing areas of Central Acadiana--a region known for crowing statewide candidates--has already proven a serious obstacle for the incumbent Senator to keep his job. Even if Vitter should emerge victorious from the closed Republican primary, a bruising fight against Honore could leave the Senator financially and visibly weakened before the onslaught of a Moderate Democrat like Melancon--one of the leaders of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Caucus in the House.

While polls show Vitter as the clear favorite in both the primary and the general election, one very senior Louisiana Republican predicted that if Honore runs, "He wins." As that GOP party elder further explained to the www.louisianaweekly.com and Bayoubuzz on the promise of confidentiality, "All he has to say is 'Stuck on Stupid', and Vitter is toast."

Military voters, who constitute a plurality of the Republican electorate, will flock to Honore, and the party leader in question also believes that the General's race will matter to primary voters less than his social stands. Honore admitted through aides to the Weekly that he is "pro-life and pro-family".

Now, just imagine Honore taking on this candidate in the general election.

Democrats, Media Outraged Over Lack of Katrina Funding in Stimulus Bill

Oh wait, they haven't made a peep about it. Nothing like having double standards when it comes to the President-in-Training.

Just image the howls of indignation if George W. Bush shoved a $787 billion spending orgy down our throats and not a nickel of it went to Katrina aid.

The economic stimulus signed by President Barack Obama will spread billions of dollars across the country to spruce up aging roads and bridges. But there's not a dime specifically dedicated to fixing leftover damage from Hurricane Katrina.

And there's no outrage about it.

Democrats who routinely criticized President George W. Bush for not sending more money to the Gulf Coast appear to be giving Obama the benefit of the doubt in his first major spending initiative. Even the Gulf's fiercest advocates say they're happy with the stimulus package, and their states have enough money for now to address their needs.

"I'm not saying there won't be a need in the future, but right now the focus is not on more money, it's on using what we have," said Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who has criticized Democrats and Republicans alike over Katrina funding.

Before they never had enough money. Now all of a sudden Landrieu is the image of economic austerity.

How convenient.

It's a significant change in tone from the Bush years, when any perceived slight of Katrina victims was met with charges that the Republican president who bungled the initial response to the disaster continued to callously ignore the Gulf's needs years later.

Of course as we all know it was the bumbling governor of Louisiana and the hapless mayor of New Orleans who bungled the initial response as well as the build up to Katrina, but that reality disappeared when the Democrats found a convenient punching bag in Bush. Sure, FEMA bore some responsibility, but it sure would have helped if people evacuated when they were warned to. Also, Bush only delivered a mere $175 billion in aid, much of which is still unspent.

Just last summer, Democrats accused Bush of putting Iraq before New Orleans when he sought to block Gulf Coast reconstruction money from a $162 billion war spending bill. Bush was pilloried for not mentioning the disaster in back-to-back State of the Union addresses.

Now they don't get anything and they're silent.

Double standards, anyone?

Last month thousands were without power in Kentucky for weeks and Obama was given a free pass. Heck, he was too busy partying to even visit the people there.

Any outrage from the media?

None whatsoever. Not a peep.

William 'The Refrigerator' Jefferson Ousted by Vietnamese Refugee

Hopefully the next stop for Jefferson is a federal penitentiary. No doubt were his opponent a Democrat, we'd be hearing about the joys of diversity. Of course Democrats don't want much to do with the Vietnamese immigrants since they're a painful reminder of the millions they left behind to be slaughtered by the Communists.

In a year when national Republican fortunes took a turn for the worse, Louisiana delivered the GOP two seats in Congress in elections delayed by Hurricane Gustav.

Indicted Democratic U.S. Rep. William Jefferson was ousted Saturday from his New Orleans area district, while Republicans narrowly held on to the seat vacated by a retiring incumbent.

The wins followed Republicans' reconquest of another House seat earlier this fall that had been lost to Democrats.

In the 2nd Congressional District, which includes most of New Orleans, Republican attorney Anh "Joseph" Cao won 50 percent of the vote to Jefferson's 47 percent and will become the first Vietnamese-American in Congress. His only previous political experience was an unsuccessful 2007 bid for a seat in the state legislature.

In the 4th Congressional District in western Louisiana, Republican John Fleming squeaked past Democrat Paul Carmouche in the race to replace retiring 10-term Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La. Only a few hundred votes separated the two.

Republicans made an aggressive push to take the 2nd District seat from the 61-year-old Jefferson, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, laundering money and misusing his congressional office.

"The people of the 2nd District have spoken," Cao, 41, told supporters at a restaurant near the French Quarter. "We want new direction. We want action. We want accountability."

In a speech that was gracious but stopped short of concession, Jefferson blamed low voter turnout for his showing and said supporters may have thought he was a shoo-in after he won a Nov. 4 primary in the predominantly black and heavily Democratic district.

"I think people just ran out of gas a bit," he said. "People today flat didn't come out in large numbers."

Yeah, probably because some of them might be tired of voting for a criminal.

Hey, where'd those Obama coattails go? His party is now 0-3 in elections held since November 4.

Michelle Malkin has more on Cao's background.

Democrat Family Values: Louisiana State Senator Beats Up and Robs Girlfriend, Then Gets a Lapdance

Of course after the fallout, he says it was just a misunderstanding.

A spokesman for state Senator Derrick Shepherd says he's expected to issue a public statement today with his ex-girlfriend, Thaise Ashford, about an incident in which the senator was arrested Saturday.

Allan Katz said Shepherd would say the incident was a misunderstanding and that they are still good friends. Jefferson Parish 1st. Assistant District Attorney Steve Wimberly wouldn't comment on whether this would have any bearing on the case.

Shepherd was arrested Saturday and booked with simple battery and theft over 500 dollars charges by the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office. Investigators described the argument as "violent" and that Ashford claimed he grabbed her by the arms and hit her in the stomach.

Naturally, he's not identified as a Democrat in this story.

Anyway, after the misunderstanding, Shepherd proceeded to have a couple of women over his place, one of whom was performing a lapdance, as noted by Conservative Punk.

Shepherd, D-Marrero, was arrested around 6:45 p.m. Saturday and booked with unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, simple battery and theft over $500.

Shepherd was arrested at his residence in Stonebridge. The sheriff's office said there were two women in the house, one of whom appeared to be performing a lap dance on Shepherd, who was on a sofa.

This isn't the latest misunderstanding for Shepherd. Just recently he was indicted on federal money-laundering charges.

Surely just another misunderstanding.

Well now, in the time you could say corrupt Democrat, we find out Shephard won't be apologizing for anything.

A spokesman for state Sen. Derrick Shepherd said this afternoon that the senator had reneged on plans to publicly apologize for a fight with his ex-girlfriend that landed him in jail this weekend.

Allan Katz said Shepherd no longer planned to release a statement about an incident with ex-girlfriend Thaise Ashford, 29, who told police that the senator punched her in the stomach and stole $100 and her cell phone.

Katz said this morning that Shepherd would issue a public apology today saying he "deeply regret(s) that a private disagreement got out of hand and mushroomed into a major news story." The spokesman also said Ashford planned to drop charges and announced that the two had resolved their issues amicably.

Just another wacky weekend in the life of a Louisiana Democrat.

Here We Go Again: Jesus Painting Deemed Unconstitutional

If the day comes when we're living under Sharia law, will the ACLU have the stones to sue over paintings of Mohammed? Of course not. They'll be the first ones executed by the Islamofascists, so the point is moot.

Ironically, while they're not busy defending the rights of terrorists at Club Gitmo, they're still busy obsessing over paintings of Jesus.

These people really need to get their priorities straight. Oh wait, their priority is destroying America.

Never mind.

Displaying a portrait of Jesus in the foyer of a Louisiana courthouse is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled this week, siding with civil libertarians who sued over the display.

But inserting Jesus within a group portrait of historic figures at the courthouse is permissible, the judge said.

In a ruling filed Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle awarded "nominal" damages plus attorneys' fees and costs to the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana in its case against Slidell City Court, Judge James Lamz and St. Tammany Parish, which partially finances the court.

Lemelle said during a hearing last September that he would have ordered court officials to remove the Jesus icon if they hadn't already expanded the display to include portraits of other historic "lawgivers," including Moses, Charlemagne and Napoleon Bonaparte.

His ruling this week echoes those remarks and explains that the expanded display is constitutional because a reasonable observer wouldn't see it as sending a religious message.

However, Lemelle concluded that the plaintiffs' constitutional rights were violated by the original display, which depicted Jesus presenting the New Testament above the words, "To Know Peace, Obey These Laws."

"Context" is the "crucial factor" in determining if a religious display is unconstitutional, Lemelle wrote.

Lord, this is so tedious. Oops, can I used ther word Lord in a blogpost?

J. Michael Johnson, an attorney representing the defendants for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian civil rights group, said he is disappointed by Lemelle's ruling and may file an appeal.

"It's unfortunate that the ACLU seems to be on a search-and-destroy mission for all things religious," he said.

Sanity Reigns in Louisiana

As we noted Friday, it appears intelligence has crept back into Louisiana politics.

It's Governor-Elect Bobby Jindal

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Republican Congressman Bobby Jindal has won the governor's race in Louisiana. He carried more than half the vote against 11 opponents to become the state's first non-white governor since Reconstruction.

He told supporters to give Louisiana a fresh start. Later, he said his parents came to this country for the American Dream, and found it alive and well in Louisiana. Jindal revisited a campaign theme, pledging to fight corruption and rid the state of those "feeding at the public trough."

Let's watch and see how little attention this gets from the national media.

Doesn't appear to be getting all that much web coverage.

More from Bryan at Hot Air.

Signs of Intelligent Life in Louisiana

For all they've been through, it appears sanity may reign and the people of Louisiana will get a competent governor.

BATON ROUGE, La. - Four years after he lost a heated battle for governor, Rep. Bobby Jindal is well ahead of the pack in a repeat run that carries a different kind of drama: Can he get enough votes to win outright and avoid a runoff?

If he gets more than 50 percent of the vote in Saturday's primary, the 36-year-old, Oxford-educated son of Indian immigrants will become Louisiana's first nonwhite governor since Reconstruction and the youngest U.S. governor in office.

The Republican's prospects have brightened thanks to three years of congressional experience, a splintered Democratic field and an incumbent whose political fortunes were done in by Hurricane Katrina.

Polls have shown Jindal has the support of nearly half the state's voters, and no one else is even close in the field of a dozen candidates.

"I personally think that Bobby Jindal will take it in the first round," said Pearson Cross, a University of Louisiana at Lafayette political scientist.

Under Louisiana's open primary system, all candidates for governor are running against each other, regardless of party.

Jindal lost to Democrat Kathleen Blanco in 2003, garnering 48 percent of the vote, but has run as a sort of quasi-incumbent since the governor ended her re-election bid earlier this year. Blanco has been sharply criticized for the state's sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the recovery effort will remain a central issue for her successor.

Cold Cash Jefferson to be Indicted

Well, it's about time. The authorities have finally gotten around to indicting William "Cold Cash" Jefferson, the corrupt Democrat from Louisiana.

Sources tell CBS News that authorities are seeking an indictment against Congressman William Jefferson, D-La., on more than a dozen counts involving public corruption.

Jefferson has been the subject of a ongoing probe in which FBI agents allegedly found more than $90,000 in cash in his freezer in August 2005.

CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports that the Justice Department is expected to unveil the charges later today.

This was the latest development in the 16-month international investigation of Jefferson, who allegedly accepted $100,000 from a telecommunications businessman, $90,000 of which was later recovered from a freezer in the congressman's Louisiana home.

Last year prosecutors and the FBI seized nearly 19,000 pages of documents and electronic files from his office.

No doubt his fellow Democrats will be rushing to the microphones demanding he step down.

Louisiana Governor Blanco Will Not Seek Reelection

One term was more than enough for this nitwit.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, whose popularity plummeted after two hurricanes devastated south Louisiana less than halfway through her first term, will not seek re-election, according to a letter written by Blanco and obtained by The Associated Press.

"Today, I am announcing that, after much thought and prayer, I have decided not to seek re-election as your governor," Blanco said in the letter, provided by a source in the Democratic party.

Elected Louisiana's first woman governor in 2003, Blanco, a Democrat from Louisiana's Cajun country, had already drawn a half dozen challengers for this fall's election, including popular Republican U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, whom she defeated the last time out with 52 percent of the vote. Former U.S. Sen. John Breaux, a popular Democrat, has said he will decide soon whether to enter the race.

More at Hot Air, Ace of Spades, Right Voices, Michelle Malkin.