Great News: Obama To Announce Taliban Stimulus Plan

He can't do anything about rising unemployment in this country, but it appears Barack Obama is ready to cut some checks for the Taliban. I wonder if they'll also be able to receive ObamaCare?

The defense bill President Barack Obama will sign into law on Wednesday contains a new provision that would pay Taliban fighters who renounce the insurgency, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said on Tuesday.

The provision establishes a program in Afghanistan similar to one used in Iraq where former fighters were re-integrated into Iraqi society, Levin told Reuters.

Obama plans to sign the bill authorizing Pentagon operations for fiscal 2010 on Wednesday, the White House said.

Reaching out to moderate Taliban members is part of the Obama administration's plan to turn around the eight-year war in Afghanistan. Levin also has advocated trying to convince Taliban fighters to change sides by luring them with jobs and amnesty for past attacks.

Under the legislation, Afghan fighters who renounce the insurgency would be paid for "mainly protection of their towns and villages," Levin said.

It would be "just like the sons of Iraq," he said, referring to the program used in Iraq which military commanders say helped turn around a failing war.

"You got 90,000 Iraqis who switched sides, and are involved in protecting their hometowns against attack and violence."

The bill authorizes using money from an existing Commanders Emergency Response Program, which U.S. commanders can use for a variety of purposes. It does not set a specific dollar amount for the fighters' re-integration program.

There is $1.3 billion authorized for the fund in fiscal 2010, which began Oct. 1. The money must still be allocated by defense appropriators, who are working to finish the legislation.

As part of his overall strategy review on Afghanistan, Obama is debating whether to send more U.S. troops to the region and is set to meet on Friday with Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the heads of the military services, the White House said.

The meeting was "probably getting toward the end" of Obama's decision-making process, said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

This is the Afghanistan plan we've been waiting for?

Good grief.

Majority Say America Is On The Wrong Track

The results of a Wall St Journal/NBC poll taken last week for a lot of us just states the obvious. I have no doubt CNN will be able to recast the questions to get a more favorable outcome or the NY Times can up their sampling size of Democrats to around 85% and give a different finding.

Fifty-two percent say the country is on the wrong track compared to 36 percent who say it is headed in the right direction with 9 percent saying conditions are mixed and 3 percent undecided. While there have been pluralities saying the U.S. is on the wrong track in four of the previous five WSJ/NBC polls during Obama's presidency, this is the first time the number broke 50 percent. The one month where that was not true was April when 43 percent said things were on the right track and an equal number said they were going in the opposite direction.

And yet he still enjoys a 51% job approval rating. Which, I guess if you are good at compartmentalizing, is conceivable since the path this country is headed on is being spearheaded by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and their progressive brethren in the congress.

The thing is Barry O is no leader. He won't lead his liberal congress, he won't take the lead in outlining and defining any sort of strategy in Afghanistan, and he damn sure can't lead this country out of it's economic woes. He got the job and the only thing he seems capable of doing is making more campaign speeches and attending fundraisers. Several times Democrat leaders in the congress have looked to him for some sort of guidance on the health care issue only to find out he is either giving another speech to some union chapter in the Midwest or teeing it up with his political cronies somewhere.

Of course all of this was foretold in the run up to the election and was apparent to those willing to listen. For a lot of us the best we could hope for is that he would surround himself with some halfway competent advisors who could give the appearance he was leading the country while pulling the strings in the background. Unfortunately those closest to him also know nothing about how to govern but rather are all excellent campaign managers.

There is no telling when the adults will once again be in control and given the way the Republican party is acting they too seem more enamored with the election process then what the actual effect of winning an election means.

Why couldn't you people have voted for Fred!?

UPDATE: Here is the link to the full poll and for those that are curious the sampling percentage of Democrat/Republican is 43% Dems and 31% Republican and 17% who were strictly Independent.

They asked a lot of other questions covering the gamut from climate change to political figures.

Things You Don't Say To Your Wife

Look folks we need some humor every once in awhile.

Possible Third Bailout for Obama Motors

Hold onto you wallets folks, ObamaMAC may get even more of your tax dollars handed to them.

The U.S. Treasury Department is in talks with GMAC Financial Services Inc about a possible third cash infusion to the company, an Obama administration official confirmed. The official declined to say how much additional money was under discussion for GMAC, which already has received $12.5 billion of taxpayer funds. The Wall Street Journal said the government may have to inject another $2.8 billion to $5.6 billion into the Detroit-based lender.

GMAC is the traditional lender to General Motors dealers and customers and is taking over the auto loan business of Chrysler.

With the U.S. auto industry still struggling as key companies like GM come out of bankruptcy, the administration has shown signs of willingness to step in to help them try to get back to stability.

This means that they have burned through $12.5 billion in less than a year and still can't get it right. Where is the exit strategy here? When is enough enough? How much of our hard earned tax dollars (I know, I know, the Marxists in charge hate the concept of hard work and earning money) are going to be shoveled into this furnace?

For those who think government-run health care is a good idea, look at this situation with the auto companies and project the same situation onto your family's health.

Good luck.

Was Alan Grayson Really a Mental Patient?

Judging by the incredibly erratic behavior of loony left-winger Alan Grayson, people have been wondering whether he has a screw loose. Well, that may just be the case.

After Grayson's latest outburst became public, former Keller aide Johann Kipling told the Saint Petersburg Times that the 2008 Keller campaign had unearthed curious inconsistencies in Grayson's professional career.

Kipling's statements were chronicled in an interview set to be released on November 5. Kipling stated that while Grayson touted that he was a respected economist he had actually failed an economics course in his sophomore year. In addition, some of Grayson's senior papers were accused of widespread plagiarism.

In addition, Kipling stated that Grayson's campaign had a glaring omission. During 1988, when Grayson had just turned thirty and while working for the Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson law firm, he spent four days in the Psychiatric Institute of Washington. What the cause of this stay was is yet unclear, although testimony from co-workers suggests that Grayson was extremely combative with fellow employees, including slapping a female intern in the face. Grayson was released after PIW doctors declared him "not to be a threat to the public."

Asked why the Keller campaign did not release this information, Kipling stated that it was the decision of Keller himself. Keller was a four-term Congressman before the insurgent Grayson captured 52% of the vote last year.

If indeed Grayson is mentally unstable it would explain why he's so popular with the Keith Olbermanns of the world.

Why it is some interview isn't scheduled until November 5 remains to be seen so take it for what it's worth until this Kipling is formally on the record.

Update: Heh. The hyperventilating mental patients at Media Matters just wet themselves. Hey, we're just using their standards. Alan Grayson seems awfully unstable, therefore the story is believable.

While JammieWearingFool is careful to add a question mark to his headline and couch his post in wishy-washy language like "take it for what it's worth," this is yet another case of conservative bloggers proving they lack even basic fact-checking skills.

Coming from the Soros-funded goons that's quite a compliment. If there was ever an outfit that would know about distortions, it's them. The same people who use made up quotes by Rush Limbaugh. They wouldn't ever make anything up, would they?

Such fine, upstanding people that they are.

Bowling for Dollars at the White House

So nice to see Barack Obama and his Democrat pals lining their pockets by pimping out the White House.

During his first nine months in office, President Obama has quietly rewarded scores of top Democratic donors with VIP access to the White House, private briefings with administration advisers and invitations to important speeches and town-hall meetings.

High-dollar fundraisers have been promised access to senior White House officials in exchange for pledges to donate $30,400 personally or to bundle $300,000 in contributions ahead of the 2010 midterm elections, according to internal Democratic National Committee documents obtained by The Washington Times.

Of course since the Washington Times isn't part of the President Approved Punditry, this story will be largely ignored.

One top donor described in an interview with The Times being given a birthday visit to the Oval Office. Another was allowed use of a White House-complex bowling alley for his family. Bundlers closest to the president were invited to watch a movie in the red-walled theater in the basement of the presidential mansion.

Mr. Obama invited his top New York bundler, UBS Americas CEO Robert Wolf, to golf with him during the president's Martha's Vineyard vacation in August. At least 39 donors and fundraisers also were treated to a lavish White House reception on St. Patrick's Day, where the fountains on the North and South Lawns were dyed green, photos and video reviewed by The Times and CBS News also show.

Note how Obama's pledges of "transparency are largely ignored.

Since taking office, Mr. Obama has pledged that his administration will be "the most open and transparent administration in history" and has agreed to make public the names of those who sign into White House visitor logs, though a request from The Times for logs that show visits from his top 45 bundlers has so far gone unfilled.

Requests for guest lists to various White House events, such as a recent cocktail reception surrounding the celebration of the Pittsburgh Penguins' National Hockey League Stanley Cup victory or the Latin music concert last week, have also been denied repeatedly.

The White House, for their part, provided some comic relief.

"This Administration has across the board set the toughest ethics standards in history. As a result, we have reduced special-interest influence over the policymaking process to promote merit-based decision-making. We believe that is due in no small part to our insistence on strict adherence to the rules - an approach we intend to continue."

Chimps Pay Their Respects

An amazing photo.

A family of chimpanzees rush to a perimeter fence to mourn the death of a fellow ape.

They stand silently in line with their hands resting on each others’ shoulders for comfort as the elderly chimp, who was in her 30s, is buried.

The extraordinary photograph was taken by Monica Szczupider, a worker at the Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Centre in Cameroon.

Ms Szczupider, 30, said Dorothy, who died of heart failure, was a “prominent figure” in a group of about 25 chimps.
...
“I cannot emphasise enough how silent and still they were. Chimpanzees are typically not like that. They are loud, with short attention spans. It was unbelievably emotional. We were all struck.”

Obama's Favorite 'Out of Control' Democrat Apologizes

After some Democrats said loose cannon Kos Kid Alan Grayson was out of control and a fry short of a Happy Meal, we got word the imbecile in the White House lavished praise on the man who called a female lobbyist a "K Street Whore."

Stay classy, Barry.

Meanwhile, Grayson, the new darling of the far-left fringe, realized he may have gone just a wee bit far with that whore comment. Saying the GOP wants old people to die -- and die quickly -- apparently is still OK.

Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida has apologized for calling an adviser to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke a "K Street whore."

"I offer my sincere apology to Linda Robertson, an adviser to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke," Grayson said in a statement emailed to reporters. "I did not intend to use a term that is often, and correctly, seen as disrespectful of women."

"This characterization of Ms. Robertson, made during a radio interview last month in the context of the debate over whether the Federal Reserve should be independently audited, was inappropriate, and I apologize," he added.

While appearing on the Alex Jones radio show a month ago, Grayson complained that "this lobbyist, this K street whore, is trying to teach me about economics." (The comments were posted online this week.)

He was roundly criticized by members of both major political parties for the comment, with Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner asking, "Is this news to you that this guy’s one fry short of a Happy Meal?"

But until now, Grayson has stood by the comment.

Seems someone may have since gotten to Weiner.

"Is this news to you that this guy's one fry short of a Happy Meal?" Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., told Politico, a Capitol Hill publication. Weiner later issued a statement calling Grayson a "patriot" and said his criticism was "obviously playful."

Most of the media doesn't seem to be at all concerned Grayson is appearing on radio with one of the looniest of 9/11 Truthers out there in Jones.

The Democrats need to ask themselves whether this embarrassment is worth it. How many time must a guy go around apologizing before you take action?

Update: I hadn't even heard of this tool Grayson until this summer, but I have to chuckle reading this.

Roll Call: Freshman Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) lost $3 million in a stock swindle between 2000 and 2005, a Florida television station reported this week.

According to Orlando’s Local 6, Grayson was an investor in a Ponzi scheme run by the company Derivium Capital. The scheme allowed Grayson and other investors to turn over stock to Derivium in exchange for cash loans and redeem the value later if the stock prices increased.

The station cited court filings indicating that Grayson transferred about $29 million in stock to the fund, taking out about $26 million in cash. A South Carolina court ruled earlier this year that Derivium shareholders were owed about $270 million in lost profits and that Grayson’s share of that would be about $34 million.

So this boob was swsindled in a Ponzi scheme yet he and his people are claiming he's some sort of sage economist.

"She attacked the Congressman and his efforts to promote a Republican bill to audit the Federal Reserve," Jurkowski said of Robertson. "She actually questioned his understanding of the difference between fiscal and monetary policy. She had the audacity to attack a Congressman who used to be an economist. She's a career lobbyist who used to work for Enron and advocates for whatever she gets paid to promote."

I can see Obama bringing Grayson on as an economic adviser after he gets the boot from Congress next year.

'I'm the Creative Type! Maybe We Can Help Each Other!'

Looks like some fans of the Philadelphia Phillies will do most anything to support their team.

A 43-year-old Pennsylvania woman was busted today for allegedly posting an Internet ad offering sex in exchange for World Series tickets, authorities said.

Police in the Philadelphia suburb of Bensalem claim Susan Finkelstein placed an ad on the Web site Craigslist, saying she was a die-hard Phillies fan and buxom blonde in desperate need of two ducats, police said.

Police said her ad claimed the price was negotiable.

"I'm the creative type! Maybe we can help each other!" the ad read.

The Associated Press reported that an undercover cop responded to the ad on Monday night.

That's when, police said, Finkelstein offered to perform various sex acts in exchange for the tickets between the Phillies and the Yankees.

"She was willing to do anything, she said," Bucks County public safety director Fred Harran told Philadelphia's KYW Newsradio. "And she told the officers that she would engage in sexual activity with two individuals for two tickets."

She really drives a hard bargain. One can only imagine what she'd do for a private box.

Her Craigslist ad is still up.

Diehard Phillies fan -- gorgeous tall buxom blonde -- in desperate need of two World Series tickets. Price negotiable -- I'm the creative type! Maybe we can help each other!

I guess Craigslist isn't big on truth in advertising.

'I Was Ready to Put Him Back in Office'

Looks like George W. Bush really did motivate someone in his debut last night as a motivational speaker.

Joining the ranks of Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins and several past leaders of the free world, former President George W. Bush made his first foray into motivational speaking Monday at the Fort Worth Convention Center.

"Every single day, I was honored to be your president by bringing honor and dignity to the office," Bush said to more than 11,000 people as the premier guest of the Get Motivated business seminar.

Bush, who lives in Dallas, spoke in a relaxed tone about how he stands by the decisions he made as president and encouraged others to stick to their principles and live each day to its fullest.

"It’s so simple in life to chase popularity, but popularity is fleeting," said Bush, who battled low approval ratings during his second term. "It’s not real."

The former Texas governor was greeted warmly by the Metroplex crowd.

"I was ready to put him back in office," said Richard Jones of Cleburne following Bush’s speech.

Get Motivated is the latest incarnation of Peter and Tamara Lowe’s traveling convoy of celebrity-delivered entrepreneurial optimism, still strong after more than 20 years.

The couple launched Tampa, Fla.-based Get Motivated Seminars Inc., after Success Events International shut down in 2001, owing millions in unpaid bills and facing complaints from attendees of false advertising. Before that, the Lowes’ daylong events had been held under other company names including Peter Lowe International, a nonprofit.

Bush joins a long line of presidents, including his father, George H.W. Bush, who have spoken at Lowe seminars.

Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford have all headlined Lowe’s events. Other Texans who have been a part of the series include former first lady Laura Bush and late Gov. Ann Richards.

Other speakers at Monday’s event included long-standing Lowe speakers: former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and motivational speaker Ziglar.

A spokesperson for Get Motivated would not say how much the company pays its speakers, but personal finance disclosure forms filed by Giuliani in 2007 during his presidential campaign showed that he was paid $100,000 per Get Motivated speech in 2006.

There's one obvious difference between Bush and his successor.

Speaking without a tele-prompter, Mr Bush didn’t make any of the verbal gaffes for which he has become famous.

Yes, he's famous for his gaffes. When Obama makes them it the TelePrompter's fault.

City of Chicago Seeking Snitches

Earlier this year it was the White House caught looking for snitches.

Now we know where they got the idea from.

Would you be willing to rat out a business that's cheating Chicago on taxes in exchange for a share of back taxes recovered?

City Hall is counting on it.

Mayor Daley's tough-times, 2010 budget includes a first-ever "Tax Whistleblower Program" expected to include cash bounties for informants who deliver the goods on unpaid business taxes.

The cash reward would be a percentage of the amount recovered, but specifics are still being worked out. The dreaded employee head tax and lease tax are just two of the most frequent targets for tax cheats.

"It's just another way of bringing people into compliance," said Revenue Department spokesman Ed Walsh.

"It would probably be ... a business knowing that a competitor is not remitting a tax. An employee [of the tax-dodging business] could know that, too. Typically, you need to provide some type of incentive."

Now since Chicago has their fair share of illegal aliens, what happens if you rat on on their employers? Will the feds be allowed to come in and remove the illegals?

How about politicians on the take? Will it be OK to rat on them or do you risk a trip to the bottom of the Chicago River?

Man-Caused Disaster Foiled: Two Chicago Men Charged in Danish Cartoon Terror Plot

Don't be alarmed, folks, Bill Ayers isn't one of them.

Federal authorities have arrested and charged two Chicago-area men in connection with an alleged terrorist plot focused on targets in Denmark after a newspaper there published cartoons that enraged the Muslim community.

Prosecutors in Chicago and the District said that the men posed "no imminent danger" and noted that David Coleman Headley and Tahawwar Hussein Rana have been in U.S. custody for several days while they conducted further "investigative activity."

Headley, 49, allegedly identified targets in Denmark for a possible terror strike and traveled there twice this year to conduct surveillance and to report to overseers in Pakistan with ties to al Qaeda, according to court papers.

He was arrested earlier this month at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in a flight that was to culminate in Pakistan, authorities said. He faces charges including conspiracy to murder people abroad and providing material support to terrorist groups.

A U.S. citizen who changed his name three years ago, Headley allegedly conspired with high-ranking operatives overseas, using code words to conceal the plot called the "Mickey Mouse Project." Among Headley's correspondents, prosecutors say, were two unnamed people with ties to the al Qaeda affiliated group Lashkar-e-Taiba and with Ilyas Kashmiri, the operational chief of another Pakistani organization connected to al Qaeda.

Rana, a Pakistani native who resides in Chicago where he owns a halal meat business and an immigration operation, has been charged with conspiring to provide support to terrorists by allegedly helping to arrange Headley's travels.

"The public should be reassured there was no imminent danger in the Chicago area," U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a statement.

An immigration operation?

Hmm.

In other terrorist news, two men in New York are charged with aiding Hezbollah.

An Indian man and an alleged accomplice have been charged with agreeing to sell guns and military equipment in a sting operation to Lebanese Shi'ite guerrilla group Hezbollah, U.S. authorities said on Tuesday.

Patrick Nayyar, a 45-year-old Indian citizen who had been illegally residing in New York City, is accused of meeting with an FBI informant posing as working for Hezbollah and agreeing to sell guns, ammunition, vehicles, bulletproof vests and night vision goggles, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Nayyar and an alleged accomplice, Conrad Mulholland, face charges including conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization after they had meetings with the informant between July and September of this year, according to the indictment filed on Monday.

Nayyar was arrested on September 24 at his home in New York on separate charges while Mulholland remains at large.

Here's an FBI press release.

Glad to see we've managed to avoid any man-caused disasters.

Update: A further look at the Chicago arrests and the neighboorhood Rana hails from.

Rasmussen: Christie Up 46-43 in NJ

Well, so much for that dubious poll that had Jon Corzine leading Chris Christie by nine points. That poll, of course, led many to declare Corzine the winner already.

So how does that one show a 12-point difference from today's Rasmussen poll?

With just a week to go in New Jersey’s closely contested race for governor, Republican Chris Christie holds a three-point advantage over incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in New Jersey show Christie with 46% of the vote and Corzine with 43%. While the margin is little changed from a week ago and the week before, the biggest news may be that support for independent candidate Chris Daggett has dropped four points to seven percent (7%). The number of undecided voters is down to four percent (4%).

The decline in support for Daggett comes in a week when several state newspapers endorsed Christie or Corzine, but none followed The (Newark) Star-Ledger’s lead and came out in favor of the independent candidate. Additionally, Christie began a new ad campaign linking Corzine and Daggett.

Christie leads by eight points among those who are certain they will show up and vote. A week ago, he was up by five among that group. Christie’s supporters are also less likely to say they might consider voting for someone else.

Corzine does better among voters who might not make it to the polls. That's one reason President Obama, former President Bill Clinton and other Democratic Party luminaries are spending time in the Garden State in hopes of encouraging turnout.

So Christie's voters are more likely to show up? You know what this means, don't you? Expect a swarm of SEIU and ACORN thugs to fire up those buses to bring in all those needed votes.

Instapundit links. Thanks!

'He’s Out of Control'

Well, how else does one get to be a darling of the far left blogs and a star on MSNBC than by being out of control. It's funny, though, nobody in the Democratic Party thought he was out of control when he he was doing his Ed Schulz impersonation on the House floor or invoking the Holocaust. I guess that was OK.

Republicans and Democrats slammed Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) for calling Linda Robertson, an adviser to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, a “K Street whore” in a month-old radio interview that circulated on Capitol Hill Monday night.

“There’s no call for that language. No call for it. That’s absurd. If he was standing here now, I’d say that to him,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.)

“He’s out of control,” added Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who is vice chairwoman of the House Republican Conference.

The remarks are the latest to surface in a string of controversial statements by Grayson, who said on the Alex Jones radio show that he believes Robertson, a former Enron lobbyist, is not qualified to pass judgment on intricate financial matters.

It’s clear that his colleagues’ opinion of him has suffered.

“Is this news to you that this guy’s one fry short of a Happy Meal?” asked Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.)

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer defended Robertson, whom he said he knows.

"I think it's inappropriate and unfair," the Maryland Democrat said. He decried the "heated rhetoric" that he said interferes with the ability solve problems. Late last month, Grayson said Republicans’ health care plans were for Americans to “die quickly.”

Grayson, who is Jewish, later earned reproach from the Anti-Defamation League for referring to the health care system as a “holocaust in America.”

More recently, Republicans complained that a Website he created and promoted on the House floor – www.namesofthedead.com – had links to both his official House Web site and his campaign site. He later removed the link to his campaign site.

Nancy Pelosi was unavailable for comment.

Remember, House business came to a screeching halt for days as Democrat freaked out over Joe Wilson calling out Obama as a liar. This guy gets a free pass, I guess.

Let this be a lesson to Democrats. This is what you get when you have Kos Kidz in the House.

'Sex Addict' Steve Phillips Heads to Rehab

I wonder if he'll run into David Letterman at some meetings? Well, now that he's out of work, he'll have plenty of time for therapy. And look here, we finally see a photo of his wife, Marni Phillips. Slick move cheating on her.

Ex-ESPN baseball analyst Steve Phillips is an admitted "sex addict" who headed off yesterday to have his head shrunk -- as his young lover hit the unemployment line.

Phillips, 46, "really needs help, and this was the best way to do it," said his agent, Steve Lefkowitz, in describing his decision to attend a high-priced facility -- in a mystery location -- that specializes in sex-addiction treatment.

"It was a bid to keep his life. He's going in for an illness," Lefkowitz said. "The problem is, he fell off the wagon."

Meanwhile, the sports network canned Phillips' former lover Brooke Hundley, whom police suspect of using ESPN computers to create phony online accounts to contact Phillips' son and pump him for dirt on the family.

It isn't his first trip to sex rehab. Phillips, while serving as the Met GM, took a brief leave back in 1998 to get counseling after admitting he had multiple extramarital affairs. His wife, Marni, last month sued for divorce after learning of his trysts with Hundley, 22.

"He knows he needs help, and he wants to work it out," Lefkowitz said, adding that Phillips decided to enter rehab last week, and that it was not part of an effort to save his job. "He wants to keep his four boys and his wife. He doesn't want to lose them."

ESPN fired Phillips Sunday night.

The move came just four days after The Post exclusively revealed that he had a brief affair last summer with Hundley, a production assistant who allegedly developed a "Fatal Attraction"-like fixation on his family after he ended their dalliance.

'An Audacious Scheme to Violate the Law'

Color me shocked to discover the far-left Working Families Party isn't exactly abiding by the law. Next thing you know we'll discover ACORN is run by shady characters.

The labor-backed Working Families Party has engaged in "an audacious scheme to violate the law" to help the party's favored political candidates get elected, a sweeping new lawsuit charges.

The first-of-its-kind suit says the WFP created a political outfit, Data and Field Services, that it is using to "circumvent state election and local campaign finance laws."

The way the scheme works, according the suit, is that the WFP gets involved in local races, backing its favored candidates, who in turn hire DFS for vital campaign services, such as phone banking, polling and get-out-the-vote efforts.

But under the plan, the WFP-endorsed candidates pay only "a nominal sum, well below fair market value," for those services -- giving those candidates a major, unfair advantage over their opponents, whose spending is limited by law.

"This is a case about an audacious scheme to violate the law by using corporate subterfuge to hijack our local election process," says the suit, which was filed in Staten Island.

"It goes to the very heart of our local democracy and undermines the fairness and integrity of our local elections."

The suit, filed on behalf of five aggrieved Staten Island voters, highlights the relationship between the City Council campaign of Debi Rose, a WFP-backed candidate, and DFS.

The court papers provide a case study for how the WFP, which has been increasing its influence, operates.

Two WFP candidates, Bill de Blasio and John Liu, are expected next week to be elected as public advocate and comptroller, respectively, and the party scored recent wins in a number of key council races.

The lawsuit charges that he Rose campaign -- which bested incumbent Democratic Councilman Ken Mitchell in the primary last month -- paid a mere $19,000 to DFS in that contest.

The real value of the campaign services in a council race is at least $100,000, according to the legal papers.

DFS provided aid to Rose's campaign, including polling, phone banking and petitioning in the primary, according to court papers.

"Something doesn't fit. Somebody's cooking the books," attorney Randy Mastro said.

"It would appear DFS was created as a corporate veil to shield the WFP, [which is] funneling campaign contributions to candidates they support."

Since corporations are limited to giving political candidates $5,000 worth of services or cash in a calendar year, the discounted DFS rates are tantamount to in-kind political contributions that never get reported, the suit says.

How clever. It's almost as if the left didn't have faith in the public to vote for them so they have to discover ways to steal elections.

By the way, did someone mention ACORN?

A new lawsuit against the Working Families Party also hits another target -- the scandal-tarnished group ACORN, which shares office space with the party.

Pointing to a string of probes that ACORN is facing and news reports about the two groups sharing a Nevins Street address in Brooklyn, the suit seeks to flush out the overlap.

Critics of the two groups have long complained they work hand in glove -- and have found compelling evidence in Brooklyn.

"Another organization that helped found and remains closely [allied] with the WFP is the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, commonly known as ACORN," reads a petition filed in the case, charging that "ACORN not only shares office space with the WFP . . . but Bertha Lewis, the executive director of New York ACORN, is also a state co-chair of the WFP."

The suit goes on to say the WFP "has remained closely" tethered to the group.

The court papers cite an exclusive Post story about hidden cameras at the Nevins Street offices capturing ACORN workers counseling a couple posing as a prostitute and pimp on how to buy a home and keep authorities from catching on.

Imagine my surprise to discover Lewis is the state co-chair of the WFP.

Community organizer Barack Obama was unavailable for comment.

Corzine to Christie: Hey, Sorry About That Fat Ad

He's so remorseful it only took six weeks to figure out it may have been a bit insensitive.

Gov. Jon Corzine said tonight that it may have been a "good idea" to use different wording in a campaign commercial that spawned accusations he was calling Chris Christie overweight.

Corzine, speaking on CNN's "The Situation Room," defended the advertisement that said Christie "threw his weight around" to get out of traffic tickets while U.S. attorney. The ad, which showed unflattering images of Christie's girth, sparked a backlash against Corzine after it was written up in the New York Times.

Corzine said the word choice diverted attention from the real issue at hand, "the abuse of power in that office."

"How many people can abuse their power, abuse their office by flashing their credentials, throw their weight around, however you want to say it?" Corzine said.

Christie had criticized Corzine during an appearance on the same program last week, saying the governor was exploiting a decades-long battle with his weight.

"There's a lot of people out in New Jersey who have the same kind of struggles, and I think that kind of stuff is just beneath the office that the governor holds," Christie said.

Now that it appears sufficient damage has been done, Corzine can pretend he's sorry. What a sport. I'm dubious about that poll showing a nine-point lead after Corzine has been trailing for months and it may well be designed to depress turnout, but whatever the case, it may well be New Jersey voters prefer the corrupt Democrat machine. Consider six days ago a poll had it tied and last Thursday Christie was up a couple of points.

Meanwhile, some whispers about the surging independent candidate.

'They are Reporters, Not Trivia Experts. And the Buzzer is Complicated'

A CNN "insider" lamely tries to spin away the abysmal showing on Jeopardy of Wolf Blitzer and Soledad O'Brien.

CNN should consider banning its anchors from appearing on "Celebrity Jeopardy" after the humiliating defeats of Wolf Blitzer and Soledad O'Brien. Wolf was blitzed last month, coming in last with minus-$4,600, behind comic Andy Richter, a past winner who racked up $68,000 for charity. "Desperate Housewives" star Dana Delany came in second. This month, it was O'Brien's turn against NBA legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Michael McKean, of "Spinal Tap," "Laverne & Shirley" and "Saturday Night Live." McKean, a previous winner, ended with $24,800, followed by Abdul Jabbar with $8,800 and O'Brien with $6,200. A CNN insider defended the journalists: "They are reporters, not trivia experts. And the buzzer is complicated. It's not activated until Alex [Trebek] finishes the last syllable of the question. If you hit the button too soon, nothing happens."

So I guess we're to believe Blitzer getting blitzed by Andy Richter is a result of faulty buttons.

Please.

Here's Blitzer moment of ignominy.



I can't locate any video of O'Brien in particular, and she at least won some money so it seems she didn't humiliate herself like Blitzer did. Meanwhile, here's a clip of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar botching a UCLA question.

They Love Obama! They Really Love Him!

Students burn an effigy of President Barack Obama in protest at American troops allegedly desecrating a copy of the Koran Photo: AP

Afghan police open fire after protesters burn effigy of Barack Obama

Afghan police opened fire to disperse up to 1,000 protesters in Kabul on Sunday after they burned an effigy of President Barack Obama in protest at American troops allegedly desecrating a copy of the Koran.

The protesters blocked roads at Kabul University and outside the national parliament with some shouting: "Death to America! Down with Israel!" Several students threw stones at riot police, but there were no reports of casualties. Zabiulllah, one of the demonstrators, who were mainly students, said "the people behind this humiliation should be arrested."

One banner displayed by the crowd said: "No to democracy. We just want Islam."

US forces have denied burning a copy of Islam's holiest book while carrying out a raid last week in Wardak province, south-west of the capital.

Captain Elizabeth Mathias, a spokeswoman for the coalition, said an investigation had found the allegation was Taliban propaganda.

She said: "We did not burn a Koran ... It is unfortunate that the protesters believe a Taliban rumour."

Security remains tense in the capital after President Hamid Karzai agreed to face his rival Abdullah Abdullah in a second round of voting on Nov 7. Both men said yesterday they were determined to press ahead with the election despite hopes in Washington that they might come to an agreement over the make-up of a future government that would dispense with the need for a second vote.

The Ministry of Truth & Reconciliation was unavailable for comment.

Via The Telegraph

H/T Esther @ Islam in Europe

More Post-Racial Harmony: Even Nobel Prize Reveals Racial Divide

So glad Barack Obama is bringing us all together by driving us further apart.

Gallup has added another bit of data to its poll finding that most Americans (61%) don't believe President Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize: There's a huge divide between white and black America.

There's nearly a 50 percentage point split, with just 27% of whites saying Obama deserved the accolade, while 76% of blacks believe he should have gotten it.

OK, so who's raaaaacist here? Can you racial bean-counters out there let me know? Is it the 76% of blacks saying he deserved it or the 73% of whites who believe he doesn't?

The gap narrows a bit among Americans who are glad he won. While overall the split was 46% glad and 47% not, among whites, it was 42% on the glad side and 80% among blacks.

This seems like more than simple identity politics to us. In the earlier analysis that Gallup released, even many of the people who like Obama did not think he deserved the prize. That suggested to the pollsters feelings were more nuanced than usual with political polls, and rather than a "knee-jerk" reaction, people were wondering if the winner shouldn't have a greater body of work before garnering such acclaim.

Considering the racial divide, it may be a positive thing that whites are looking at Obama not as a black President, but as any politician, and weighing whether he deserves something on the merits, not just reacting.

Yes, yet when we dare to disagree with Obama as a politician, we're accused of having some sinister racial motive behind a simple criticism.

Ironic, isn't it, that for two solid weeks after he received a peace prize, Obama has escalated his assault on Fox News into a full-blown declaration of war?

What a peacemaker.

Meanwhile, Mr. Peace has already established himself far above President Bush in at least one regard. He's played more golf than Bush did in his eight years.

President Obama, accused of running a fratboy White House by some women's advocates, went golfing Sunday with a woman for the first time since he took the oath of office.

Melody Barnes, 45, Obama's chief domestic policy advisor, accompanied the nation's commander in chief to a golf outing at the U.S. Army's Fort Belvoir golf course in Virginia.

At first, a White House spokesman denied that Barnes was the first woman to go golfing with Obama since he became president. But when pressed by a reporter, the aide confirmed Barnes was, indeed, the first.

The golf game was also notable for being Obama's 24th, tying it with Bush's total number of golf games played - during his entire adminstration. It took Bush 2 years and 10 months to reach that tally, according to Mark Knoller of CBS News. Obama has reached it in 11 months.

I'm sure some of the President Approved Pundits won't have any problem with this. It's worth noting Bush stopped playing golf (at least publicly) altogether after the Iraq War commenced or shortly thereafter. Glad to see Obama able to juggle three major conflicts without it distracting him from his important time on the links.