Tea Partier to Plead Guilty to Felony Charges

Well, that would most surely be the headline if this criminal was a member of the Tea Party. Or a Republican. But since he's a formerly powerful New York Democrat, the New York Times figures it's not worth mentioning his party affiliation.

Former State comptroller Alan G. Hevesi was to plead guilty on Thursday morning to a felony count stemming from a state pension scandal, several people involved in the case said. He was in custody and awaiting arraignment in State Supreme Court in Manhattan.

Mr. Hevesi has been a subject of a lengthy investigation focusing on allegations that his friends, family and associates sold access to the state’s $125 billion pension fund, one of the world’s largest, to reward allies, pay back political favors and reap millions of dollars for themselves.

Mr. Hevesi was brought into the court by two marshals with his hands cuffed in front him beneath a draped trench coat. Once inside the lobby, he had his hands uncuffed before being taken to the fifth floor for his arraignment.

Mr. Hevesi’s plea would make him the highest-ranking state official convicted in the case. In 2006, he pleaded guilty to a separate felony after admitting that he had used state workers to chauffeur his ailing wife, but he avoided jail time in that case after he agreed to resign.

Who knows, if Hevesi plays his cards right he'll have a primetime show on CNN in no time.

H/T Spitfire Murphy.

'We Are Making Progress'

Courtesy of the Republican Governors Association, an absolute nuking of Obama and his merry band of nitwits.

H/T.

Tale of Two Phony Soldiers

First the good news: This lowlife was sentenced to seven and a half years for impersonating a United States Marine.

A Scottsdale man who posed as a highly decorated Marine for several years was sentenced Tuesday to 7 1/2 years in prison, according to the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

John W. Rodriguez, 31 was sentenced in Maricopa Country Superior Court on charges of forgery, fraudulent schemes and presentation of a false instrument for filing. Along with prison time, the sentence includes four years of probation upon his release.

Between 2005 and 2010, Rodriguez falsely represented himself as a Marine who was honored with a variety of prestigious medals, according to Molly E. Edwards, press secretary for the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

Dan Ryan, a former Marine and FBI agent, first came in contact with Rodriguez at a Republican committee meeting in 2008. He noticed Rodriguez wearing a service uniform with some of the military branch's highest honors, including the Navy Cross. The Navy Cross is the second highest award for Marines and sailors.

"My first reaction was, 'This guy's a stud,' " Ryan said. "Then I looked a little more and thought, 'Something's going on here.' I'm very, very sensitive about the Navy Cross. I happen to have written one of the citations for the Marine who was killed right next to me in 1967 in Vietnam in a firefight."

Ryan decided to look into Rodriguez's background. After doing some research, Ryan alerted investigators at the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

A search of Department of the Navy and Department of Defense records found that Rodriguez never served in any branch of the military.

Good for Ryan. That's how Republicans handle their business with these phony soldiers.

As to the Democrats, they don't out and go after their phony soldiers. They have them run for the United States Senate.

Sick and Getting Sicker: Global Warmers Now 'Hanging' Children

These maniacs seemingly are trying to outdo the Islamists. So far we've seen them blowing children up, and now these global warming maniacs are depicting children being hanged? How sick is this?

Ironically enough it's from a leftist group called ACT Responsible. Sure. If they acted responsibly they'd get off their high horse, get real jobs and become useful members of society. Instead they get off on blowing up kids on film and putting nooses around their necks.

Just imagine if a leftist politician were portrayed the same way. There'd be worldwide condemnation and hand-wringing over civility. There would be calls for hate crimes prosecutions. Instead most media just ignore craziness like this and then tell us we don't get the "humor" of it all. Seriously, how can anyone look at this image and not be outraged?

Poll Shows 1 in 4 Democrats Want ObamaCare Repealed

They must be racist or something. No wonder so many endangered Democrats are fleeing Obama.

Healthcare reform is hurting the reelection chances of freshman Democrats in the House, according to The Hill/ANGA poll.

A majority of voters in key battleground districts favor repeal of the legislative overhaul Congress passed this year.

President Obama predicted in the spring that the new law would become popular as people learned more about it. But the poll shows Republicans strongly oppose it, independents are wary of it and a surprising number of Democrats also want it overturned.

Republicans have vowed to repeal the law if they take control of Congress, and the findings of Mark Penn, who led Penn Schoen Berland’s polling team, show that healthcare is a major issue for voters this year.

When asked if they wanted the legislation repealed, 56 percent of voters in the surveyed districts said yes. “Only Democrats were opposed to repeal (23 percent to 64 percent),” Penn said. “Undecided voters wanted the healthcare law repealed by 49 percent to 27 percent.”

In each district, a majority of those surveyed said they want the controversial law gone.

Sixty-five percent back repeal in Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick’s (D-Ariz.) district, while only 27 percent oppose such an effort. Kirkpatrick voted for healthcare reform.

Fifty-nine percent of those polled in Rep. Debbie Halvorson’s (D-Ill.) district back a repeal, with 29 percent against. More than one in four Democrats polled also favor repeal. Halvorson was a late yes vote on healthcare reform and is now 18 points behind her Republican challenger.

I recall Nancy Pelosi also declared there'd be an immediate surge of 400,000 jobs once they passed the bill they refused to read. How's that working out?

Freshman Democrats, meanwhile, face a bloodbath on November 2.

'That's OK, You All Know Who I Am'

Sadly, we do know who he is. Apparently his TelePrompters couldn't help him save face.

If this bumbling idiot were a Republican we'd never see the end of this.

D'oh! Dopey Feingold Violates NFL Copyright in Ad

Twenty-eight days from political extinction, Wisconsin Senator Russ McCain-Feingold has been flagged for copyright infringement.

Sen. Russ Feingold's (D-Wis.) reelection campaign is changing a television ad after a complaint from the NFL.

Feingold's ad shows a series of football players celebrating after scores, and then accuses Republican Ron Johnson of engaging in "excessive celebration" because he leads Feingold in polls.

Feingold accuses his opponent of siding with special interests, and says the game between them is not done yet.

Most of the players in the ad are unrecognizable and do not seem to be from the NFL, but there is one notable exception sure to draw attention in football-mad Wisconsin.

The ad clearly uses 2005 footage of then-Minnesota Vikings receiver Randy Moss pretending to moon the crowd after a crucial score in a playoff game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Fox NFL commentator Joe Buck can also be heard stating "that is a disgusting act."

That apparently drew a complaint from the NFL, which careful monitors how images from the league are used.

"We are making an edit to the ad to accommodate the NFL’s concerns," Feingold campaign spokesman John Kraus told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

According to the Journal Sentinel, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league did not license the footage and that it requested that Feingold remove the clip.

You'd think the man who co-authored legislation restricting campaign advertising would know better. But I guess a guy trailing so badly hasn't got the time to worry about legalities. At the same time, I find it hilarious the NFL wants to protect an image of Randy Moss pretending to moon a bunch of cheeseheads.

Here's the Feingold spot:



I noticed in the video a clip of the USFL Houston Gamblers dancing in the end zone. Perhaps former USFL honcho and aspiring 2012 presidential candidate Donald Trump owns the rights to that image. He could sue Feingold and win $1 in court for his troubles.

Speaking of Moss, in a deal that makes sense for both teams, he may actually be headed back to the Vikings.

Tears of an Illiterate Clown

Get this clown a TelePrompter

Looks like that Brazilian clown elected to office the other day may not be prepared for his swearing in.

A CLOWN who got more votes than any other candidate for Brazil's congress will have to convince authorities he can read and write if he wants to take office.

I'm telling you this guy is perfect for the Democratic Party. They don't read the bills they churn out, so why should it deter this clown?

In a ruling posted on the Sao Paulo electoral court's website, a judge found there is sufficient doubt about whether comic performer Tiririca - which means "grumpy" in Portuguese - meets a constitutional mandate that federal legislators be literate.

Tiririca, whose real name is Francisco Silva, will have 10 days after being notified of the ruling to prove his literacy through a written defence. If it fails, he will be barred from taking up his seat representing Sao Paulo in Congress.

Mr Silva's run for office attracted wide media coverage and his online campaign videos drew millions of viewers with slogans such as "It can't get any worse" and "What does a federal deputy do? Truly, I don't know. But vote for me and you'll find out."

But a week before the election, Epoca magazine reported that people who worked with Mr Silva on his TV shows and a book credited to him said he was illiterate, as is 10 per cent of Brazil's population.

A video on Epoca's website shows a reporter reading questions from an election poll to Mr Silva. He is then asked to read one of the questions himself. Visibly shaken, he hesitates before campaign aides rush to the rescue.

Can't the sad clown just use a TelePrompter with prepared talking points?

Hoffman Abandons NY-23 Bid

Smart move. Losing a special election is one thing. Being a two-time loser and spoiler would have earned him special enmity on the right.

Doug Hoffman said, “I entered the 23rd Congressional District race for the good of our nation and to represent the common sense beliefs and values of the voters of upstate New York. Our nation is at a crossroads and it is imperative that on Election Day we wrest control of Congress from Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat majority.

“It was never my intention to split the Republican vote in the 23rd District. So today, I withdraw as a candidate from this race. Under New York State Election Law my name cannot be removed from the Conservative Party line on the ballot. However, I strongly urge and request that my supporters not vote for me and certainly not vote for the Democrat or Working Families Party candidate.

“Matt Doheny and I may have differed on some issues during the course of our primary race. Now, we must put those differences aside and do what is best for our nation. So today, I am asking all my supporters to cast their vote for Matt Doheny on Election Day, November 2nd.

Where Not To Live

Some group has come up with a list of the 25 most dangerous places to live in America and it should be no surprise that the boyhood home of our most famous community organizer tops the list, but 4 of the deadliest areas are in Atlanta, and in reality concentrated in one area.


The map shows the driving route if you went from point to point based on the zip codes given for the area. Gee don't see no pattern there. This is the infamous, for those of us who live in the area, southwest side of Atlanta. You only go there if you have a death wish.

Richard Cohen Morphs in Charles Johnson

I think maybe it's the bike-riding that makes these people lose their minds. Cohen draws some kind of weird analogy between Kent State and Tea Partiers. Angry words kill people, stuff like that. It's incoherent drivel as an art form.

Back in the Vietnam War era, the left also used ugly language and resorted to violence. But the right, as is its wont, stripped the antiwar movement of its citizenship. It turned dissent into treason, which, in a way, was the worst treason of all. It made dissidents into the storied "other" who had nothing in common with the rest of us. They were not opponents; they were the enemy: Fire!

On my bike, I recalled those days and wondered if they have not returned. Sticks and stones may break bones, but words -- that singsong rebuttal notwithstanding -- can kill. We lose presidents to words and civil rights leaders to words -- homosexuals and immigrants and abortion providers, too. Richard Nixon is named in the song because he was the president at the time and because his words were ugly. He was enthralled by toughness, violence.

I hear the song more clearly now than I ever did. It is a distant sound from our not-so-distant past, but a clear warning about our future. Four dead in Ohio. Not just a song. A lesson.

I guess the lesson is tea partiers are about to go on some killing rampage, taking out presidents, civil rights leaders, gays, immigrants and abortion doctors. Except of course back in those halcyon days (or in Cohens's case, likely a halcyon daze) of Kent State it was Palestinians and Communist dupes taking out presidents and aspiring presidents.

Memo to Cohen: You should wear a helmet when riding your tricycle. Falling on your head can be embarrassing. Especially when the next thing you hit is the keyboard.

Predictable: Stupid Bloggers and Climate Deniers Didn't Understand the Humor of Blowing Up Children

You see, blowing up children and others was simply a subtle, nuanced form of humor that the great unwashed just couldn't comprehend. If only we could appreciate the genius behind obliterating climate change skeptics then the idiots behind this wouldn't have had to yank their film so quickly and issue rote apologies.

Whatever you think about No Pressure, the Richard Curtis short film for the 10:10 climate campaign published last Thursday before its withdrawal by the campaign group less than 24 hours later, one thing is undeniable: it has generated a high pressure torrent of comment across guardian.co.uk, Twitter, the blogosphere and the press.

Indeed, mass homicide pretending to be humor can elicit immediate response. I guess they figured everyone would immediately appreciate blood-spattered classrooms littered with the body parts of children. Har-de-har-har.

First, a recap in case you missed it. The film, intended as a tongue-in-cheek spoof of hectoring greens, shows schoolkids, office workers, football manager David Ginola and actor Gillian Anderson being blown up for not signing up to cut their carbon emissions (hit Wikipedia for more detail). 10:10 has since apologised to anyone who was offended by the film - saying that it "missed the mark".

Plenty of people on our comment threads and Twitter thought the pantomime gore in the film was hilarious. And the film's shock value has certainly exposed 10:10 to a massive amount of global press coverage, including the Daily Mail, the BBC, the Independent, the Daily Express, The Australian. Even the Sun had some fun with it in their piece headlined "Gionola 'blown up' in internet ad". It has received over 170,000 views on YouTube and postings on countless other sites.

Some found it hilarious? These are the same people, of course, who can't even laugh when environmental wackos are made fun of. They'd prefer those who employ such humor to be brought up on hate crime charges, put in front of tribunals and, once can only assume from their mindset--executed for their "crimes" against humanity.

They just don't get it, and judging by the smarmy response from the warmers, they never will.

Jim Treacher has some thoughts, including a video remix. Tim Blair reminds us the big 10:10 day is coming. No doubt by then the warmies will all be portrayed as the protectors of the environment rather than those who revel in fantasy snuff films.

From The Religion of Environmentalism™ - With Love

Here's a series of professionally produced global warming adverts promoting the Left's war against modern civilization.

Trying to do some damage control, the video has since been removed from the 10:10 website. Such mishegas. Some eeeeevil, mean-spirited, right-wing extremist, global warming skeptic at JWF has uploaded it into our archives so you can download a copy to yours. Such mishegas.

If you're using Firefox or Flock, download and install the free browser addon, NetVideoHunter. Afterwards, you can download the video from here. Open NetVideoHunter from your browser's tools menu and click the download button.

al-Gore was unavailable for comment.

I agree with Professor Richard Lindzen from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who said: “future generations will wonder in bemused amazement that the early 21st century’s developed world went into hysterical panic over a globally averaged temperature increase of a few tenths of a degree, and, on the basis of gross exaggerations of highly uncertain computer projections combined into implausible chains of inference, proceeded to contemplate a roll-back of the industrial age”.

--- Vaclav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic

Previously: Global Warming Scam to Cost EU $100 Billion

Brazilians Vote Clown Into Congress

They're got it all backwards. Most people these days are looking to vote the clowns out of office.

Voters the world over complain about having clowns for politicians, but Brazilians embraced the idea on Sunday by sending a real one to Congress with more votes than any other candidate.

Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva, better known by his clown name Tiririca, received more than 1.3 million votes in Sao Paulo state in Brazil's presidential and congressional elections.

That was more than double the votes of the second-placed candidate in Brazil's most populous state.

Tiririca caught the attention of disillusioned voters by asking for their support with the humorous slogan: "It can't get any worse" and a promise to do nothing more in Congress than report back to them on how politicians spend their time.

"What does a congressman do? The truth is I don't know, but vote for me and I'll tell you," the 45-year-old said in his campaign advertisements.

Sounds like a Nancy Pelosi protege.

'The Fact This Guy Now is Going to Tell America How to Function After What He Did to New York is a Disgrace'

Three days after firing bigot Rick Sanchez, CNN tonight rolls out another disgrace, Eliot Spitzer. According to CNN employee Howie Kurtz, Spitzer's show with pretend conservative Kathleen Parker will be a civil chat, about the "shoutfests" the rest of knuckle-dragging America so enjoys.

This who know the real Spitzer aren't impressed.

Then there was the Spitzer who promised a new ethical day in Albany and yet tried to cover up his and his staff's role in trying to smear a political foe by misusing the state police.

And there was the Spitzer with the political tin ear.

The self-proclaimed "steamroller," who waged an early battle with the Legislature over the selection of a new controller, even though he had no formal role in the process of picking the person who would audit the executive branch. It wound up costing him his needed Democratic support and torpedoing his agenda.

And then there was the Spitzer who made national headlines for weeks when he proposed granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. At one point, he actually managed to alienate his strongest supporters by floating a compromise that they hated while doing nothing to appease critics.

The controversy not only raged for weeks until he backed off the plan, but also led to Hillary Clinton's first big gaffe on the presidential campaign trail when she fumbled for an answer when asked about the proposal during a Democratic debate.

By the time the hooker scandal forced him from office in March 2008, his poll numbers were down, he had no friends left in the Legislature, his administration was under investigation and he broke his key campaign promise that on day one, everything in dysfunctional Albany would change.

"He was not a good governor, he didn't get anything accomplished and he created chaos - otherwise he was fine," said veteran Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf.

"The fact this guy now is going to tell America how to function after what he did to New York is a disgrace."

Look at the bright side. There won't be many people watching.

Senate Dem: Tea Party is John Birch Society Faux Populism or Something

With 29 days to go before the midterm annihilation, angry Democrats keep whistling past the graveyard, pissing people off by the day, clueless to realize this childish rhetoric is only alienating more people.

Progressives are an impatient bunch. We fight for people who have waited too long already — for health care, for educational opportunity, for jobs to keep them in the middle class.

But for generations, conservatives have appealed to fear to protect the privileged and preserve the status quo — fear of immigrants, fear of diversity, fear of big government. For conservatives in 2010, it's easy:

"Stop."

"No."

"Repeal."

Meanwhile, for more than a century — in churches and temples, in union halls and neighborhood centers, in the streets and at the ballot box — progressives have moved the country forward. Progressives brought us minimum wage and Social Security in the 1930s, civil rights and Medicare in the 1960s, and health care and Wall Street reform in 2010.

Opponents of these accomplishments — some of society's most privileged and well-entrenched interest groups — have not changed much. The John Birch Society of 1965 has bequeathed its fervor and extremism to the Tea Party of 2010.

I like the part about churches and temples. Funny how Democrats use them when convenient. What about the sanctity of the separation of church and state?

Tea Party populism is driven by anger at our government and at our country. Real populism fights for all Americans, while Tea Party populism divides us.

Republicans have always been good at coming up with catch phrases and slogans that traffic in fear and misinformation.

But impatient progressives, like generations before us, have the truth on our side. And this time we have the perfect bumper sticker.

"Bring back pre-existing conditions. Vote Republican."

How clever.

The fear and anger have spread to Brown's state, apparently. Yet their senator would prefer to insult independents and conservatives and accuse them of faux populism. After that pathetic showing of faux populism in DC Saturday, Brown may indeed be fearful of what's in store come November 2.

Deadbeat Democrat: Conyers Writing Bad Checks

He and his party have been spending our money like drunken frat boys the past couple of years, so really, is it surprising to find out a high-ranking Democrat is writing his own bad personal checks

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) lost his driver’s license temporarily this summer because he bounced the check used to pay the renewal fee, according to an Associated Press report.

Conyers, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, attempted to renew the license Feb. 2 but months later was informed that he wrote a check for the renewal on an account with insufficient funds. The license was suspended June 30 until July 26 when Conyers paid the fee.

Conyers’s office issued a written response after the AP asked for an explanation.

“…A check was inadvertently written to renew the chairman’s driver’s license from an account that had been recently closed,” the office wrote. “As a result his driver’s license was suspended. Immediately upon learning of this, a replacement cashier’s check was provided, and his driver’s license was immediately reinstated.”

The Associated Press discovered the lapse after inquiring about the driving histories of all major-part candidates in Michigan. The secretary of state’s office produced records dating back to 2003.

In addition to Conyers, 11 out of 30 candidates for Congress had marks on their driving record that included 19 speeding tickets, four citations and three suspensions.

Monica Conyers was unavailable for comment.

'Don't Worry, I'm Gay'

If he had allegedly groped a male student, would it have been OK? I'm very confused by all this.

A skydiving instructor who joked with a female student that he couldn't be falling for her because he's gay has filed a discrimination suit, claiming he was cut loose from his job because of the quip.

Donald Zarda was strapped tightly to the woman, identified only as Rosanna, as they floated to earth in a tandem jump June 18, when he told her, "Don't worry, I'm gay."

Rosanna complained to his then-boss at Skydive Long Island in Calverton, Ray Maynard.

Zarda says Maynard accused him of "inappropriate behavior" and also said he had touched the student "in a way that made her uncomfortable."

But the skydiver scoffs at the allegation he had fondled the woman.

"I'm 100 percent gay," Zarda told The Post.

"So, you're accusing me -- the gay guy -- of touching the girl inappropriately?

"The situation is so bizarre."

He claims all the instructors routinely joke with customers about the awkwardness of a stranger being strapped to their backs, including raunchy sexual references.

Zarda, 40, says he has applied for jobs elsewhere, but, because of the incident, was told to take a flying leap.

"It's been very difficult," he said. "It has had a very big impact, emotionally."

He claims Maynard has refused to let him watch videos of the jump, which he insists would clear him.

Seems to me looking to get off while you're hurtling to earth might be the last thing on anyone's mind. Seems also if you're a novice jumper your instructor is going to be holding on to you pretty tightly.

'This is the Most Superficial Report I've Seen in My 30 Years in Congress'

Not for nothing, but Rep. Chris Smith is being a little naive here. Does he actually expect a report from a so-called government watchdog to do anything but exonerate the Obama regime?

A government watchdog has issued a report saying it found no evidence that the Obama administration illegally funded groups seeking to legalize abortion in Kenya for the first time with changes to the constitution -- a conclusion that immediately was blasted by one of the administration's top critics on the issue.

Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, the top Republican on the House Africa panel, said the report by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) inspector general was "poorly researched, superficial, incomplete and a whitewash."

"This was not a well-researched investigation," he said in a written statement. "We had expected the truth and nothing else. We had hoped the IG would dig deep for the facts. This is the most superficial report I've seen in my 30 years in Congress."

The inspector general's office did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Kenya has long been ripe for a new constitution, one that would balance power in the country and prevent the kind of violent rioting that followed Kenya's 2007 presidential election.

But Smith and other lawmakers have accused the Obama administration of offering incentives to Kenya to approve the controversial new constitution, promising that passage would “allow money to flow” into the nation's coffers.

Smith has cited an earlier report by USAID that estimated more than $23 million in U.S. taxpayer funds had been spent on the referendum. He and other conservatives have alleged that at least some of that money has been spent in support of the proposed constitution, possibly in violation U.S. law that prohibits "lobbying for or against abortion" in other countries.

All that money spent in Kenya and Obama's half brother is still living in a hut. USAID recently hailed Obama's vision. No wonder they won't do anything to criticize him.

Outrageous Outrage: Chris Christie Has Friends Who Are Lobbyists

The previous governor of New Jersey was dating the head of a union and it didn't merit much outrage. The thugs from SEIU and the AFL-CIO practically have offices in the White House and the media yawns.

But a "powerful lobbyist" travels to Ohio with Chris Christie to stump for John Kasich and suddenly the Star-Ledger is concerned about influence peddling.

A senior partner with Public Strategies Impact who describes himself on the firm’s website as an "icon" of New Jersey lobbying, Bodman was a ranking official in Gov. Tom Kean’s administration and a key adviser to Kean. Bodman explained that his travel with Christie was the result of nothing more than Bodman’s own long-standing friendship with the man Christie was stumping for, Ohio gubernatorial candidate John Kasich. Bodman said he was subbing for former congressman Bob Franks, one of Kasich’s closest friends, who died of cancer earlier this year.

"I understand perception. I’ve been around this business long enough," Bodman said. "But this had nothing to do with lobbying. In life, there are some relationships that pre-date and post-date politics. I would hope no one would read anything more into it. In my mind, I was standing in for Bob Franks, who would have been on that trip if he were alive. People can read what they want, but personal relationships exist."

Christie, who ran for governor on a campaign dedicated to ending the coziness and insider dealing that has become synonymous with state government, has already visited three states in a whirlwind monthlong tour. He returns to the road tomorrow with stops in Wisconsin and Iowa. In recent months, Christie has become the toast of the GOP establishment and his trips are viewed by some as a sign he is angling for a spot on his party’s national ticket in 2012.

The governor’s top political adviser, Mike DuHaime, said the reasons for Bodman tagging along were personal, not professional. Christie, he said, is not concerned that it could lead to questions.

"Roger Bodman was going as a sign of friendship and support," DuHaime said. "It was great he was able to go."

Christie left New Jersey on a chartered jet Monday and attended a private fundraiser in a wealthy Cincinnati enclave before returning downtown for the night. The following day, Christie headlined an event with Kasich, a former congressman and Fox News personality, and then returned to New Jersey to announce education reform proposals.

Bodman was with the governor the entire way. He said he paid for all of his own expenses except for his place on the private plane, which was covered by the Kasich campaign. Bodman said he would be glad to pay for his spot on the plane if the campaign wants the reimbursement. He said he was the one who asked if Christie would aid the Kasich campaign and he asked the governor if he could go along.

Despite the personal element to the trip, the fact that a lobbyist had such access to a governor is troubling, watchdogs said.

"This is the epitome of influence peddling," said Craig Holman, an expert on lobbying regulations at Public Citizen in Washington. "In close quarters with an office holder, that’s as great as the wining and dining. Even better. This is something like a lobbyist’s dream come true."

Of course Holman should know plenty about lobbyists, since he is one for a liberal organization.

Yesterday's View

Click to enlarge
I found this at ep_jhu's photostram; one of the better pix from the Leftisphere's circle jerk.

'Sen. Reid Has Been a Water Boy for the Obama White House'

The Las Vegas Review Journal endorses Sharron Angle for the Senate, and gives quite a smackdown to Dingy Harry.

Socialist Senator: GOP Doesn't Want Americans to Succeed or Something

In one respect he's right. We don't want morons like him to succeed at destroying our economy, although they're doing a damn good job of it.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Sunday that Republicans "do not want Americans to succeed" in laying out his case for energizing the liberal base to go to the polls in November.

Sanders, a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist who caucuses with Democrats, discussed President Obama's disconnect with the liberal wing along with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday.

While Obama's accomplishment including healthcare reform have been "nothing to sneeze at," Sanders said, the middle class is shrinking while poverty increases and income gaps become wider.

"We have a very serious situation and I think there's a concern that the president hasn't seen that urgency," Sanders said, and "stood up for the American people the way we would like him to."

He said Obama needed to rally on a "progressive agenda to expand the middle class."

Uh, Bernie, it's exacly becasue of Obama's "progressive agenda that his party faces ruin next month. Good grief, some people just never will get it.

When pressed by host Bob Schieffer on his comments about Republicans, Sanders defended his words, saying that given the choice between political power and "initiatives to help the American people" that the GOP would choose power.

"The Republicans have said no, no, no," Sanders said. "They have been the party of no and obstructionism."

Of course Republicans haven't had the votes or ability to block any of the Democrat agenda the past 20 months, but let's not let facts get in the way of a good rant.

Richardson said it was more than just invigorating the liberal base, but about conservative and moderate Democrats as well, and he advised the various ideological wings to "stop complaining" and work together to win in November.

"All Democrats, we should stop firing at each other," Richardson said. "We've got enough people -- the Republicans -- firing at us."

Expect heavy fire in 30 days, champ.

One Nation Avoiding Washington Together

Judging the this livestream at CNN, nobody has showed up for the kook left rally in Washington. How sad.

While Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin's rally drew hundreds of thousands, the media's avoiding even mentioning figures, that how embarrassing this is.

"We are together. This march is about the power to the people," said MSNBC host Ed Schultz. "It is about the people standing up to the corporations. Are you ready to fight back?"

In a fiery speech that opened the "One Nation Working Together" rally on the National Mall, Schultz blamed Republicans for shipping jobs overseas and curtailing freedoms. He borrowed some of conservative commentator Glenn Beck's rhetoric and promised to "take back our country."

"This is a defining moment in America. Are you American?" Schultz told the raucous crowd of thousands. "This is no time to back down. This is time to fight for America."

Raucous crowd? Huh?

The typical, manufactured signs were present at this sparse gathering.

Rally signs range from benign to fiery. They include: "The Left is What's Right," "Stop Racism Now," We March for Hope Not Hate," "Proud to be a Democrat," "Stand with Obama," "Silence GOP Lies,""No Cuts to Social Security" and "Axis of Ignorance - Tea Party, Republicans, Fox News."

William Teach surmises we won't be seeing many, if any, overhead shots. Don't want to humiliate this diverse coalition of Democrat-leaning groups too much, I guess.

More: Jim Hoft has video of cranky Castro-lover Harry Belafonte. I flipped on Fox to see if they were covering it and they're have a Beck rereun on. Heh. Schultz's own station, the low-rated MSNBC, has taped programming. Ouch.

Around this time on the day of Beck's rally, the blogosphere was buzzing. Today not so much. Oh well, at least with so few people there they won't leave as big a mess as they normally do.

Linked at Instapundit. Thanks!

House Democrat Runs Ad Comparing Himself With Boehner

Guess that White House campaign to demonize John Boehner isn't working. In fact now you've got a vulnerable Dem.ocrats showing himself in an ad with Boehner.

In perhaps the most striking example of a vulnerable Democrat racing away from the national party as the midterm elections near, Rep. Bobby Bright (D-Ala.) is running a TV ad that features side-by-side photos of him and Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio). The spot touts that he "votes 80 percent with the Republican leader."

Several House Democrats have run ads that speak out against Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) by name, but Bright appears to be the first incumbent to feature Boehner, her chief rival in Congress and the man who would be speaker if Republicans win control of the House.

Bright, a freshman in a tight reelection race, has broken with Pelosi on major legislation more than any other Democrat. He voted against the stimulus bill, healthcare reform, cap-and-trade climate legislation and the financial regulatory overhaul. He has refused to endorse Pelosi for another term as speaker, and in August he made national headlines by joking that she "might get sick and die" after he was asked whether he would support her again in January.

I suspect we may well see any surviving conservative Democrats switching parties come January. A delusional Democrat Koolaid slurper responds.

A House leadership aide backed that up on Friday. Responding to the Bright ad, the aide said: "That's a darn good ad. It's because of independent members like Bright that we'll keep the House."

Coping with reality is clearly not his strong suit.

'Democrat-Leaning' Groups to Rally in DC

The angry left is bribing a bunch of their fringe activist to show in Washington today in response to Glenn Beck's huge rally in late August, and the AP call this rag-tag band of far-left kooks Democrat-leaning. Sure. If they leaned any more Democrat they'd fall over.

Organized labor and civil rights groups are looking to energize their supporters with a rally at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where a month ago tea party activists gathered to hear conservative commentator Glenn Beck.

More than 400 organizations, ranging from labor unions to faith, environmental and gay rights groups, expected tens of thousands of activists to participate in Saturday's "One Nation Working Together" rally.

With a month of campaigning to go and voter unhappiness high, the Democratic-leaning groups are banking that the four-hour program of speeches and entertainment will unify the activists who are crucial if Democrats are to retain their majorities in the House and Senate.

This rally wasn't set in motion until after Beck drew hundreds of thousands, but the Washington Post tells us it's been planned for months.

Progressive groups hope to draw tens of thousands of supporters to the Mall on Saturday and create a show of force that will rival the conservative tea party movement.

The One Nation Working Together march is the culmination of months of planning begun by civil rights organizations and labor unions. In recent weeks, more than 400 supporting groups have signed on to the rally, which is to span four hours and feature speeches, poetry and musical entertainment.

So if it's been planned for months, why have groups only signed on recently? The aptly named Ben Jealous explains.

NAACP President Benjamin Jealous, a lead organizer of the event, has said it will be the most "diverse march in the nation's history."

Most diverse march in our history? Sure. We've got the left, hard left, far left, kook left, angry left and leftover left. Sure seems diverse to me.

The groups backing the march - including the National Council of La Raza, the NAACP, the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union, USAction and the U.S. Student Association - hope to make a strong statement in response to conservative commentator Glenn Beck's rally in August. That gathering partly filled the Mall with tens of thousands of his supporters, and tea party groups across the country have held anti-tax rallies.

SEIU, La Raza and the AFL-CIO. Real diversity there.

The rally has stirred a rivalry between Beck's supporters and One Nation. In recent days, both sides have been slinging mud. Beck spent a segment of his Fox News show decrying the march - and pointing out that among the more than 400 groups that have signed on are the Communist Party USA and the New York City Democratic Socialists of America.

One thing you can be sure of s the media will wildly overstate the amount of people who show up and the coverage will all be very positive.

Bloomberg: 'Irrational' Tea Party Not a Political Movement

Did someone drop this guy on his head? What kind of nonsense is this?

Mayor Bloomberg went on for quite a while about immigration reform, and about Washington's roadblocks to progress in general during his WOR-AM radio show with host John Gambling, before turning the topic to the Tea Party.

"The wake-up call, John, is called the Tea Party. That's what the Tea Party is. It's funny, it's not a political movement. They don't, they're not pro-choice or pro-life. They're not pro-gun or anti-gun. They're not pro-gay-rights or anti-gay-rights. They're not with any of the social issues."

I'd lay big money most Tea Partiers are pro-Second Amendment, unlike this gun grabber.

And then, Bloomberg, the registered Independent, put the Tea Party in some historical context. "They are a group of people, and you see this every eight, 10 years, there was a Perot boomlet if you remember, and then there's the, there was a McCain boomlet eight, 10 years ago.

Huh? A McCain boomlet? What the hell is he babbling about? DId I somehow miss that "McCain boomlet from 2000 to 2002?

"And it's, 'I'm sick of it.' That's what people are saying. 'I don't know what the answer is, your job is to figure it out, Mr. Congressman, Mr. Senator, Miss President, whatever it is. But I'm just telling you, I'm annoyed. I'm not going to do, I don't want to take this anymore."

The billionaire businessman-turned-Big Apple mayor then turned to the "direction" of the Tea Party.

"And so they cast out," he said, and in many cases they, their casting out may be irrational in terms of the direction they go, but there is the argument that they've listened to both Republicans and Democrats again and again saying, 'If you elect me I'll fix it.'"

This from a guy who was a Democrat, then became a Republican (in name only) to run for mayor, and is now an independent. But it's Tea Partiers who are irrational, not a guy with an identity crisis.

'I Was Absolutely Convinced of It Until After He Supposedly Died'

What an awful human being this woman is.

Roseville police say 47-year-old Carol Schnuphase raised more than $7,000 at church fundraisers from sympathizers who believed her son had leukemia. A family member says she even told relatives the 12-year-old had died.

Only problem? Her son remains physically healthy, aside from the fact she allegedly spiked his applesauce with opiates to make him appear sluggish in public.

Deputy Police Chief James Baron said Wednesday that Schnuphase spent several months convincing Facebook friends of her son's illness and eventually held a series of fundraisers at St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Eastpointe.

She allegedly went so far as to shave her son's head and eyebrows for the public appearances in an attempt to convince people he was receiving chemotherapy.

"This woman was telling anybody that would listen that her son was terminally ill with leukemia and she needed assistance to pay her medical bills, and many people stepped forward out of the goodness of their heart to help her," Berlin told Fox 2.

A family member who asked not to be identified told the television station she believed the boy was sick until Schnuphase took her tale too far.

"I was absolutely convinced of it until after he supposedly died," the relative said. "And she decided, with no thought, there's not going to be a funeral. There's not going to be any service. There's going to be nothing. I'm like, 'Why?' And she said, 'Well, because I just can't look at his little body in the coffin.'"

The Macomb County Prosecutor's Office on Friday is expected to arraign Schnuphase on two counts of accepting more than $1,000 under false pretenses and one count of second-degree child abuse -- five and four-year felonies, respectively.

The child, whose father is deceased, has been placed in foster care.

Osama Embraces His Inner Al Gore: A Kinder, Gentler Terrorist

He's moved on from mass murder to climate change. How special.

Osama bin Laden criticized relief efforts in Pakistan and called for action against climate change in what appeared to be a new audio tape from the al Qaeda leader issued on Friday in an Islamist forum.

He's also seeking more help for flood relief. Maybe he should hold a benefit concert. ABC wonders: A Kinder, Gentler Terrorist?

In several recent messages bin Laden has shifted slightly from militancy and addressed geopolitics, climate change and environmental disasters, seeking to appear as a humanitarian. His previous message, however, threatened the US with violence if 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Muhammed is executed by the US government.

Maybe he's part of the 10:10 movement. They also enjoy blowing people up. Of course he's still into mass murder, so his environmental buddies have quite a conundrum on their hands.

"The number of victims caused by climate change is very big ... bigger than the victims of wars," said the voice, whose authenticity could not be immediately verified and made available by SITE Intelligence Group today.

Alan Grayson: A National Embarrassment

The poster boy for the modern Democratic Party. He's yours, kids. You own him.

Now he's even an international embarrassment.

The mental patient now has to answer to a subpoena. Not content with his self-immolating ads, now the idiot is trying to goad Sarah Palin. Who Grayson follows on Twitter speaks volumes. He's obviously desperate now that his ads have backfired.

"Yesterday, Sarah Palin once again engaged in her chosen form of mortal combat - the tweet - by attacking me, and endeavoring to promote my Republican opponent, Daniel Webster, to Palin's zombie horde," the note read.

"What is it about Sarah Palin and Twitter? Is Palin fond of tweeting because she can draft a tweet on her palm?"

Palin had tweeted about Grayson and his race twice Thursday morning, calling him "odd" and "troubled" and his campaign "twisted."

"[Grayson] blatantly lies in vile rant,but greedy media run it anyway w/no fact check," she said. "Florida deserves the best! ... Take pride in Daniel Webster."

A poll conducted Sept. 25-27 showed Webster leading Grayson by seven points.

Bob '0 for 8' Shrum: Democrats Will Hold House and Senate

If you want to make some cash betting on your favorite candidates come election time, just follow the picks of Bob Shrum and go against whoever he likes. This may well be the final nail in the Democrat coffin.

Maybe I’m wrong.

In fact, maybe I’m really, really wrong, which is the reaction I hear when I dare even to broach this notion to commentators and political strategists in both parties. So let me state it plainly: I now think the Democrats will hold the Congress—yes, the House as well as the Senate—and turn back high profile Republican challengers in California and elsewhere.

The GOP strategy of “no” worked to slow the recovery, stoke fears about fictions like death panels in the health reform bill, and persuade voters to strike out in frustration against Democrats. The trend peaked in August, a month Democrats probably wish they could abolish given the dog days they suffered then, in 2009 as well as 2010.

But with the onset of autumn, there are signs that the Republican tide is receding. Karl Rove would understand – the same dynamic was the key to George W. Bush’s narrow re-election in 2004, when the GOP base showed up to vote in numbers that defied the polling models. This time, it’s the Democratic base that’s stirring—and finally engaging—and the survey research is registering the shift. In the new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, the Republican advantage in the ballot for Congress has declined from nine points to three. The explanation: African-Americans and Hispanics are re-entering the likely electorate.

Read the rest if you need to laugh a little more. It's quite possible Shrum may be more out of touch than even the current occupant of the White House.

Lovely: Reduce Carbon Emissions By Blowing Up Children

No pressure at all. Just kill people who don't go along with environmental extremism.

Blowing up school children is just so hip, isn't it?

There has been a concerted campaign to paint everyone who does not agree with Al Gore and James Hansen as monstrous, ranging from allegories with the railroad trains filled with coal heading to some concentration camp to the late Stephen Schneider’s pathetic paper attempting to assert primacy and purity by miscounting academic publications.

But this is hate speech, pure and simple. It legitimizes almost any action against or characterization of those who do not agree with the most hysterical version of Catastrophic and Cataclysmic Climate Change–shoot ‘em all and let God sort ‘em out.

Using ten-year-old kids as both props and victims is a particularly nice touch.

When DDB created an ad for the WWF showing planes crashing into the World Trade Center as an advertisement asking for support for green activism, it was grotesque, tasteless and an insult to all who suffered losses on September 11th, 2001. It would have been impossible to imagine a cruder, less sensitive call to green action.

Until now.

For any of those on the activist side who wonder why skeptics (and lukewarmers) don’t trust the communications put forward by their team, they might wonder just how much any sign of reason might be contaminated by the stench from garbage like this.

It's a global movement. No pressure, of course.

Is it possible for these people to sink any lower?

They call it explosive comedy. Let them know how you feel.

'I'd Appreciate a Little Break and Some Tuscan Sun'

I hear the golf courses in Tuscany are lovely this time of year. I'm almost tempted to start a collection just to get this idiot out of the country.

It's often remarked that President Obama has enjoyed a number of getaways, vacations, and mini-vacations during his 20 months in office. But at a Democratic fundraiser Thursday night, the president said, "I'd appreciate a little break."

The fundraiser -- $30,400 per person -- was at the home of Linda Douglass, the former CBS and ABC News reporter who joined the Obama White House to sell national health care to a skeptical public. Douglass is now a top executive at Atlantic Media, the Washington-based company that runs The Atlantic, National Journal, and other publications. Douglass' husband, John Phillips, is a wealthy lawyer, and according to a White House pool report, he introduced Obama tonight by saying, "I can remember walking down those snowy streets of Des Moines in the primary…We sleep much better knowing that you are our president at this difficult time."

According to the pool report, Obama thanked Phillips for the work he and his wife have done for Team Obama. Then the president mentioned that Phillips and Douglass have an opulent place in Italy and wondered why there had been no invitation to visit. "I'd appreciate a little break and some Tuscan sun," the president said, according to the pool report. "Some pasta. I can use it."

Is pasta approved by his wife these days?

'I Can’t Imagine What Those Parents are Feeling Today, I Can’t'

What can anyone say about such unspeakable cruelty that would drive a young man to throw himself off the George Washington Bridge?

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie today called the suicide of Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi an "unspeakable tragedy" and said he can't imagine how the two students accused of secretly filming Clementi can sleep at night "knowing that they contributed to driving that young man" to suicide.

The governor spoke hours after a body that was pulled from the Hudson River was identified as Clementi. The student leaped to his death after his roommate allegedly secretly filmed him during a "sexual encounter" with a man and posted it live on the Internet,

The medical examiner's office said an autospy revealed the 18-year-old had drowned and suffered blunt impact injuries to his torso.

Christie grew emotional when discussing Clementi's death.

"As the father of a 17-year-old…I can't imagine what those parents are feeling today, I can't. You send your son to school to get an education with great hopes and aspirations, and I can't imagine what those parents are feeling today," he said.

The governor also wondered about the two students accused of taping Clementi, bragging about it online and then trying to catch him on video a second time.

Here are those two charming students:

May their lives endure pain and hardship every day for what they've done to this young man.

Christie said his feeling on the case as a father “overwhelms whatever feelings I have as governor” and that he didn’t know how Ravi and Wei could sleep at night “knowing that they contributed to driving that young man to that alternative.”

Christie said his feeling on the case as a father “overwhelms whatever feelings I have as governor” and that he didn’t know how Ravi and Wei could sleep at night “knowing that they contributed to driving that young man to that alternative.”

“That kind of stuff is just unacceptable,” he said. “And you don’t know the feelings of the person on the receiving end of that …There might be some people who can take that type of treatment and deal with it. There might be others, as this young man obviously was… much more greatly affected by it.” he said. “And you don’t know the feelings of the person on the receiving end of that …There might be some people who can take that type of treatment and deal with it. There might be others, as this young man obviously was… much more greatly affected by it.”

More here.

Bias charges are being considered against Rutgers students Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei, who are accused of using a camera hidden in a dorm room to transmit online a gay sexual encounter involving Ravi's roommate Tyler Clementi, authorities said tonight.

Clementi, of Ridgewood, committed suicide after he learned of the hidden camera by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. Authorities confirmed a body found in the Hudson River Wednesday was Clementi's.

Ravi, 18, of Plainsboro, and Wei, 18, of West Windsor, face charges of invasion of privacy and transmitting the image over the internet. Both are free pending court hearings.

‘’The initial focus of this investigation has been to determine who was responsible for remotely activating the camera in the dormitory room of the student and then transmitting the encounter on the Internet,’’ Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said in a statement released this evening.

‘’Now that two individuals have been charged with invasion of privacy, we will be making every effort to assess whether bias played a role in the incident, and, if so, we will bring appropriate charges.’’

Call it a hate crime, call it a bias crime, call it what you will, this was a simple case of evil. Is this the "Jersey Shore" mentality coming home to roost, the lowest cultural denominator? You show up at school, your roommate is gay (closeted, perhaps) and this is how you treat him? How clueless are these two?

Tyler Clementi deserved better than this. His name will long be remembered. These punks Ravi and Wei should also be remembered, and shunned.

'It’s Always, You Know, a Race Factor'

As if LeBron James hasn't already ruined his public image, now he's playing the race card. No doubt this will be well received in Cleveland.

As if on cue, LeBron James and his dunce of a marketing agent have proclaimed that his plummeting Q Scores have something to do with race.

“It’s always, you know, a race factor,” the noted sociologist/sneaker salesman himself told CNN interviewer Soledad O’Brien.

“It definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media, things that were written for sure,” said Maverick Carter, the rising star who conceived of “The Decision.”

Carter was a 22-year-old college dropout when James gave him a gig as CEO of something called LRMR Marketing and Branding. Neither the title, nor the intervening years, nor his audiences with such luminaries as Warren Buffet and Jay-Z, have taught Carter a thing. In fact, he may have gotten stupider. Or perhaps, just more cynical.

Race had a role? Stories and columns were race-based, or somehow racist?

Again: “For sure.”

For real?

Prove it. Go ahead. Show me. Show the world. Which things that were written? By whom? Why? How are they about race?

You want to bring race into this? Fine. Just the same, introducing it at this point in the story – and now I can’t help but wonder how long before someone invokes the “million dollar slave” cliché? – obligates James and Carter to provide a bill of particulars.

Short of that improbable development, the theme of this story doesn’t change. It only intensifies. Now more than ever, this is about arrogance, or rather, a particular form of hubris found in rich, young stars.

You see it in entertainment. You see it in sports. You see it, of course, in every race, creed and color. The problem is fame and wealth of a degree that leaves a young person hopelessly out of touch. It happened to Mike Tyson. It happened to Lindsey Lohan. It’s happening to LeBron James.

Here you have a manchild who we all thought was far more mature beyond his years, a savvy entrepreneur who know how to sell himself on Madison Avenue. He'll still sell, perhaps, but his target audience is shrinking by the day. Nonsense like this doesn't sell with people who aren't racists, those people who shell out top dollar to go see spoiled athletes play their games while richly rewarded.

James has more money than he can ever spend, but he doesn't have the slightest bit of class and decency. If he thought he would be facing hostile crowds on the road this year, he likely has no idea what's now in store. He'd be wise to shut up and play, then reconsider who's representing him.

“The Decision” instantaneously transformed him into a bad guy. Now, the more he tries to justify it, the more the trouble he causes himself. He doesn’t like playing the heel, but he can’t stop.

The introduction of race is merely the latest and crudest attempt to deflect the greatest backlash in American sports. Pretty much everyone but James and Carter could see it coming, a reaction in proportion to the hype.

I don’t know of anyone – certainly no one outside Ohio – who had a real beef with James leaving the Cavaliers or exercising his rights as a free agent. But don’t play hometown hero, and expect people to applaud when you leave. And don’t jerk them around.

Top Democrat to Murdoch: 'Why Don't You Use Your Power To Help Us Promote What You Are Talking About?'

Gee, it was only the other day Barack Obama was whining about Fox News. Oh, the unfairness of it all, one network won't be lapdogs for the Democrats!

But I guess Fox would be useful to certain Democrats if they adopted and promoted one of their pet causes.

"So our border security must also be matched with efforts to make sure employers can't hire illegal immigrants," Murdoch said.

Murdoch and Bloomberg said they believe Congress needs to help employers discern between workers authorized to work in the U.S and those who are not.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., told Murdoch she thought his support for immigration reforms in his testimony did not match the way the immigration issue is presented on Fox News, which is a large part of Murdoch's News Corp. empire.

"Why don't you use your power to help us promote what you are talking about?" Waters asked.

There you have it. A top Democrat admitting a news channel propagandizing on her behalf is acceptable, yet opinions contrary to hers and Obama are not. Clearly she's not satisfied with every other cable and network outlet doing her bidding.

Mark it down: Waters will be one of many shrieking about Fox News when her party is relegated to minority status on November 2.

Pakistan Government Worker Aided Shahzad

Our friends, the Pakistanis.

An employee at Pakistan’s state-run Islamic advisory body has been detained for allegedly playing an important role in assisting the failed New York Times Square car bomber, an intelligence officer said Thursday.

The suspect accompanied Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistan-American bomber, to Pakistan’s northwest to meet militant leaders, said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the intelligence agency does not permit its operatives to be named in the media.

The suspect, identified as Faisal Abbasi, was with Shahzad throughout his time in Pakistan, the officer said.

He said Abbasi worked for the government’s Council of Islamic Ideology, which advises on Islamic affairs.

The secretary general of the council confirmed Abbasi had worked there but had been on “vacation” for the last three months.

Pakistan has already charged three men with assisting Shahzad while in Pakistan and sending him money in America.

Don't forget though that they hate us because of threatened Koran burnings and opposition to the Ground Zero mosque. Oh wait, this happened before those latest conflagrations?

'I Think It's An Embarrassment'

Coming up next on Man Vs. Food, Adam Richman devours Alton Brown in one sitting!

Eric Ripert isn't only chef who's got a bone to pick. TV host Alton Brown has joined the fray.

His beef is with Adam Richman, host of Travel Channel's "Man vs. Food" and his larger-than-life appetite for five-pound cheesesteaks.

Brown, host of the food science show "Good Eats", has deemed Richman's show, where he routinely chows down on impossibly large portions of everything from two-pound doughnuts to stacks of pancakes to gargantuan hero sandwiches "disgusting."

"That show is about gluttony, and gluttony is wrong. It's wasteful. Think about people that are starving to death and think about that show," Brown, in an interview with Zap2It, via the Huffington Post. "I think it's an embarrassment."

Richman didn't waste any time responding.

He replied on Twitter: "Alton Brown: MvF is about indulgence - NOT gluttony - & has brought loads of biz to Mom-n-Pop places. You were my hero, sir. No more."

I enjoy Man vs. Food and my only beef is I'm curious why Richman insists on wearing ill-fitting jackets while in the midst of crushing down whatever's on his plate. They look like something he was wearing about 40 pounds ago. Outside of that I marvel at his eating ability. As to Brown, how many times can you watch some guy talking into his refrigerator? Dude just sounds like he's jealous of Richman's ratings.

'He Wants Me Dead'

Every time we see a story about how a Democrat is supposedly threatened we see an avalanche of commentary on the left blaming Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck et al. warning of the "climate of hate" on the right. Well, now that Sarah Palin has been granted a restraining order against some punk, can we blame the angry left, Barack Obama, MSNBC and the leftwing blogosphere for their relentless attacks upon Palin that may have set off this loose cannon?

The Mama Grizzly is protecting her den.

An Alaskan court granted former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin a restraining order earlier this week against an 18-year-old man in Pennsylvania she has accused of making threats of sexual assault against her and her family.

"Petitioner testified that respondent has told her that he has had an affair with Gov. Palin and that petitioner needs to tell the FBI the truth about the affair," court documents reveal according to a report in Palin's hometown paper, the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman Tuesday.

Palin claims Shawn Christy has threatened the Tea Party darling with phone and written messages allegedly telling her to "watch her back."

Testifying by telephone, Palin said of Christy in the court transcript: "Bottom line is, he is crazy and could kill me," she said. "He wants me dead."

The 20-day protective order prohibits Christy from having any contact with Palin or her family and he must stay a mile from her home.

Palin's friend, Kristan Cole, said Christy has been contacting Alaska's former governor since 2009. Cole also has received a restraining order against Christy.

Christy is also accused of telling Palin in lengthy letters that "he is trying to follow God but has evil in him, and that he is going to sell everything and come to Alaska with his shotgun."

'You Send Another Goon to My Daughter's House and I'll Take You Out, Buddy!'

This may well mark the end of loose cannon Carl Paladino's bid for New York Governor. The political neophyte will be getting plenty of publicity today, and none of it will be good. Not exactly the best idea to be threatening reporters, especially a guy from a newspaper that is one of the few outlets that was relatively friendly to him.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino and Post State Editor Fredric U. Dicker last night got into an angry confrontation -- during which Paladino threatened, "I'll take you out."

It started when Dicker asked Paladino if he had any proof of his shocking allegation that Democratic rival Andrew Cuomo cheated on his former wife during their marriage.

"What evidence do you have for something most people would consider a smear?" Dicker asked.

Instead of responding to Dicker's question, Paladino accused him of sending a "goon" to stake out his former mistress at the home where she lives with their love child.

Sunday's Post featured a front-page story about Paladino's wife, Cathy, and his ex-lover, Suzanne Brady. It included an exclusive interview with Cathy Paladino.

"You send another goon to my daughter's house and I'll take you out, buddy!" Paladino told Dicker.

When Dicker asked how he planned to do that, Paladino replied, "Watch!"

"Are you threatening me?" Dicker asked.

When the candidate's aides jumped in to separate the men, Paladino, referring to Dicker, told them, "F- -k him."

Paladino's campaign manager, Michael Caputo, then got involved, and began arguing with Dicker.

"You're out of here, you're off our campaign list, you get nothing more from us," he told Dicker, as stunned members of the state government press corps looked on.

"You're off the Christmas list!" Caputo bellowed to Dicker.

Off the Christmas list? What is this, a election for grade school president?

For a guy worrying about being smeared, he casually throws out his own.

Video via Mediaite.

MSNBC Tool Lawrence O'Donnell Interviews Parasite Levi Johnston, Asks Same Questions Couric Asked Palin

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Really clever, highbrow stuff from Obama's favorite network. Is it any wonder nobody knows who these MSNBC morons are and why people distrust the media in record numbers?

Speaking of distrustful media, the New York Daily News is kvelling how Johnston is just marginally dumber than Sarah Palin.

O'Donnell suggested to Johnston that he read other publications besides the Frontiersman and he would soon be "up to speed" with Palin. The host said he respected Johnston for being honest during his first national grilling on his political positions.

Does O'Donnell really think he's burnishing his journalist credentials with a weak stunt like this?

Arlen Specter: Hey, Maybe I'll Join the Obama Administration

You'd think some people would just gracefully retire.

Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) on Wednesday said he is still mulling his retirement plans, but that he might accept a post in the Obama administration.

Just what America is clamoring for: More Arlen Specter.

Specter, who lost his primary bid this spring after switching parties in 2009, is down to his last few months as a member of the Senate he joined in 1981. He said he plans to return for the lame-duck session after the election, but then isn't sure what the future holds.

"I'm thinking about it, but I'm following [former Senate Leader] George Mitchell's advice to never do anything too sudden," Specter told The Hill.

"I am writing a book, but I'm always doing that. I've written two — three, actually, but only two are worth reading," the senator deadpanned.

Surely there'll be a rush to bookstores to read how a man turned his back on one party to then be rejected by the other. Fascinating reading, no doubt.

Asked about rumors of his interest in serving in the Obama administration, Specter acknowledged interest but declined to offer specifics. The longtime Judiciary Committee chairman has been mentioned for positions at the Justice Department, but is also reportedly interested in a role in Middle East peace talks.

Maybe he'll be a prosecutor when the Fox News Un-American Activity Show Trials convene.

Times Square Bomber So Enraged By Bush Tax Cuts He Planned Second Bombing

Just trying to keep up with the kneejerk liberal logic here. Considering it was suggested the Times Square bomber must have been upset over ObamaCare, it would stand to reason another leftist pet peeve may have inspired him to further mayhem?

Prosecutors say the man who admitted trying to bomb Times Square boasted that he thought it would kill at least 40 people and said he planned to detonate a second bomb in New York city two weeks after the first.

The government included the details Wednesday in a court filing before Faisal Shahzad is sentenced next week. He faces life in prison.

Shahzad was arrested two days after his May 1 attempted bombing fizzled in a Times Square packed with tourists. The bomb he had packed into the back of a sports utility vehicle sputtered and did not explode.

Ho, Canada: 'Bondage Bungalow' Madam Wins Court Challenge

Enough legal maneuvering and Canada may soon become famous for activities involving things other than beer, hockey and curling.

An Ontario court struck down key provisions of Canada’s prostitution laws on Tuesday after finding that they endanger women by forcing them to work on the streets rather than from their homes. While prostitution is legal in Canada, federal criminal law bans almost every activity that makes it possible. The decision, by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, overturns laws prohibiting “the keeping of a bawdy house, communicating for the purposes of prostitution and living on the avails of the trade.” The constitutional challenge was brought by two prostitutes and a dominatrix who was convicted under the bawdy-house law for running what she called the “Bondage Bungalow.”

That dominatrix pictured above looks eerily familiar. Well, at least her hair does.

In case you're now planning a trip north to get your freak on, just make sure you're up on provincial laws.