'He's a Pig'

Calling Anthony Weiner a pig seems to be the mildest reaction in the aftermath of his pathetic press conference yesterday where the once brash and belligerent New York Congressman was reduced to a blubbering mess. The forthcoming days may not be so pleasant for Weiner if some of his constituents are to be the judge, as he claims they will be.

"He's a pig," said Danielle Cione, 35, a teacher who succinctly summed up the feelings of many of Weiner's former supporters.

"Yuck!" said Rae Sankar, a Kew Gardens Democrat who has voted for Weiner in the past.

"It is so disgusting how he would say and do such things like that to women. It's so disrespectful and gross."

Given how derelict the media was last week, we wonder if these women even knew about Weiner's lewd string of double-entendres during a presser last week? We doubt it.

"He didn't come across as sincere at all. I just didn't buy it," said Gladys Staats, 76.

She's voted for Weiner before -- but said she never will again.

The men are also jumping ship.

"Those little girls are my daughter's age," said Sean Stephans, 41, who had voted for Weiner repeatedly.

"He took full advantage of his powers to another level, like he wouldn't get caught."

Andrea Peyser muses on the absence of Huma Abedin during Weiner's crybaby performance.

It was clear yesterday from her staunch refusal to play along with the sham that is her marriage that Huma, unlike her husband, is in no mood to lie about the state of her union.

Some women accept their husbands' quirky habits. Mine likes to watch football. Weiner gets his jollies sexting with women, including one to whom he wrote he had a "ridiculous bulge in my shorts now. wanna see?"

But being publicly outed as a woman scorned, whether it be online, in the flesh or on the phone, is too much to take.

See ya, lover.

From John Podhoretz:

People tell me Weiner is a smart guy. But unless he unconsciously sought to get caught, which I doubt, what he has done over the past week should forever retire the notion that he is anything but a colossal boob of the highest order.

Let's be honest. Many elected officials the world over are colossal boobs. But here's the thing: Most colossal boobs in politics tend to comport themselves with a certain surprising modesty.

There's a reason you probably hadn't heard of Reps. Chris Lee and Mark Foley or Sens. Larry Craig and David Vitter before their careers were derailed by sex-related scandals that suggested a comparable degree of idiocy. You hadn't, because they kept a low profile.

Not Weiner. He is as allergic to a low profile as he is, evidently, to boxer shorts.

Being a colossal boob isn't a crime, of course. Nor is being a liar. Nor is being a 46-year-old man who sends suggestive photos to a woman 25 years younger than you -- a crime against elementary decency, of course, but not a violation of statute. (Assuming she was, in fact, the youngest . . .)

He says he's not resigning. We'll see about that, too.

Let's go and give the Post the Headline of the Day while we're at it.

Reaction from the Democrats isn't pretty.

"The only question is how soon he realizes he has to go," a prominent Democratic strategist said. "He's finished. He should have resigned."

Weiner claims he never used government resources to send his lurid photos.

Sure.

Take a victory lap, Andrew Breitbart, as your pathetic enemies snivel like babies. Others, notably the low-rated cable networks talked over Breitbart. How weak is that?

Recognition still proved hard to come by for Mr. Breitbart on Monday. Fox News was the only cable channel to carry extended footage of his remarks at the Weiner press conference. CNN and MSNBC played the video but talked over Mr. Breitbart.

These people implied Breitbart was behind the "hack," yet when he comes to defend himself they talk over him.

One huge upside to this whole affair is the fact the most brazenly obnoxious punk in the Congress and his political mentor have been rendered near silent. Give thanks for small favors.

The National Republican Congressional Committee distributed a memo to reporters with a series of quotes from top Democrats in which they gave Mr. Weiner the benefit of the doubt when the scandal first erupted a week ago.

A spokesman for the committee, Paul Lindsay, said, “It’s time for Democratic leadership to explain why Congressman Weiner’s actions never aroused any suspicion, and why they rushed to his defense while so many Americans were shocked and confused by his bizarre and disturbing behavior.”

In the Senate, Republicans went after Mr. Weiner’s political mentor, Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, noting that Mr. Schumer had defended him in the early days of the controversy.

“Given Senator Schumer’s firm defense of Mr. Weiner, we look forward to hearing what the senator has to say now,” said Brian Walsh, a spokesman for the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. “Does Senator Schumer believe no ethics rules were broken?”

Mr. Schumer issued his own statement late Monday saying he was “deeply pained and saddened” by the day’s news.

Only issued a statement? What, no rush to the cameras, Chuckie?

Clueless Obama: 'Is Cleveland Still Rooting Against Miami?'

I guess he's too dense to realize some folks are still holding a grudge against LeBron James.

President Barack Obama had an overall optimistic message for Northeast Ohioans Monday as NewsChannel5’s Leon Bibb sat down with him for an interview in Washington.

The topics discussed included the auto industry, the economy, the future of NASA Glenn Research Center, Osama bin Laden death on the impact of American troop withdrawal and urban education. But before everything got officially started, the president – unsolicited – brought up the topic most Clevelanders have chosen to forget, LeBron James.

“Is Cleveland still rooting against Miami?” asked the president as Bibb was taking his seat (and before the cameras were rolling).

“Yeah, we're working on that,” replied Bibb, laughing and asking his thought on the series.

The president said he expects the Heat to take it.

Way to go out on a limb.

His stupidity was exposed before video rolled. Video's at the link. Typical nonsense about electric cars and having already created millions of jobs or something.

Obama Flashback: Jobs Are 'The First Thing I Think About When I Wake Up Every Morning'

Wash this quote around before we proceed any further.

"But you should know that keeping the economy growing and making sure jobs are available is the first thing I think about when I wake up every morning. It's the last thing I think about when I go to bed each night."

Of course he was just paying lip service because back in 2009 he said:

As President, my greatest responsibility is the security of the American people. It is the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning. It's the last thing I think about when I go to sleep at night.

So if the economy and jobs are the first thing he thinks of when he wakes up and before he goes to sleep, then why isn't he receiving any economic briefings?

At some point during the first two years of his administration, President Obama stopped receiving the daily economic briefing that he requested when he took office.

Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs announced at this own first daily briefing reporters that Obama asked for the daily economic briefing, described then as comparable to the daily intelligence briefing the president gets every morning.

“The president asked that this be added every day to his schedule,” Gibbs said at the time. Gibbs added that Obama believed it is “important that each day he receive the most up to date information as it relates to the economy.”

But at some point, the daily economic briefings stopped showing up on Obama's daily schedule.

White House officials said the meetings slowly petered out, but Obama still receives a daily economic briefing on paper.

Which he probably lights his cigarettes with.

Weiner Interrupts Breitbart Press Conference

Forget that sniveling sack of shit Anthony Weiner. The big hero today is Andrew Breitbart.

So. Full. Of. Win.

Update: Too funny, but also waaaaay too late.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Steve Israel, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, are calling for an investigation into Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) over the series of sexually explicit conservations and lewd photos he exchanged with a half-dozen women during the last several years.

“I am deeply disappointed and saddened about this situation; for Anthony’s wife, Huma, his family, his staff and his constituents,” Pelosi said in a statement released on Monday night.

When Christopher Lee went topless, he was gone in hours. Nancy Pelosi calls for "an investigation" 10 days after the fact.

Weiner to Hold 4 pm Presser: Update: Cries Like a Baby, Refuses to Resign After Breitbart Warms up the Crowd

We expect his resignation. He just cannot survive the damage being done today.

You'd think he'd at least have the decency to do it at a time when I'll be online.

Sigh.

For what it's worth, his resignation is now at 80% on Intrade. Probably will be at or close to 100% by the time 4 pm rolls around.

Some think he won't be resigning. We'll see. I just don't see how he can come out and pretend his world hasn't fallen apart.

Update: In a surreal scene, Breitbart basically took over the press conference before Weiner emerged.

Weiner cried like the little bitch he is and says he's not resigning. Weiner also apologized to Breitbart and the lefty stooges in the media who ran with his bogus hacker tale.

Woman Claims She Has Hundreds of Explicit Weiner E-mails; Update: Weiner Goes Topless

This isn't from Andrew Breitbart (more on him below), but apparently breaking from Radar.

Weinergate is getting bigger and bigger.

Another woman has come forward to RadarOnline.com and Star magazine and provided a sexting exchange with embattled New York Representative Anthony Weiner.

The woman says she has 200 sexually explicit messages from Weiner from a Facebook account the Democratic politician no longer uses.

RadarOnline.com and Star magazine verified that the account where the messages originated does belong to Weiner.

He told the woman he had a "ridiculous bulge" in his shorts and asked if she "wanna see" it -- almost three months before a photo of an erect penis in tight fitting briefs appeared in the pol’s Twitter stream.

It’s a sensational twist to the scandal plaguing the embattled New York congressman. This new woman is middle-aged and from Nevada.

It gets better. Or worse, I guess depending where you sit.

Weiner, 46, wrote to the woman, "ridiculous bulge in my shorts now. wanna see?"

She responded: "Yea! can u send a pic?"

"jeez, im rushing. let me take a quick pic," Weiner answered.

After the woman asked how she was going to receive the image, Weiner allegedly told her: "It wont go away. and now im taking pics of it. making me harder still."

The woman told us the married politician never sent her the nude photo because he "got cold feet."

But she claimed she has long been the object of Weiner's steamy flirtation and the pair have carried on a "long-term Facebook affair" since early this year.

"I have more than 200 messages from him and they're all explicit in nature," she told us.

Dude. Is. Finished.

Meanwhile, let's give New York Times credit where due. They're actually picking up early reports from today.

Representative Anthony D. Weiner, a Queens Democrat already under fire because of an online episode involving a young female college student who followed him on Twitter, may be facing even more trouble.

The conservative Web site Big Government reported on Monday that it had been contacted by a woman who said she had exchanged intimate photos and online communications with Mr. Weiner.

The report did not identify the woman or provide information about the woman’s relationship with Mr. Weiner, who aggressively uses social media to communicate with constituents and supporters.

Well, not any more. Five days of silence now from Weiner on Twitter. Imagine the agony he's going through not flapping his gums every five minutes.

More from the NY Post.

If you somehow missed Breitbart's haymakers this morning, they're here, here and here in order, with more to come.

Hilariously, Weiner's been using an AOL email account to send the photos in question. I wonder if his wife knows about that account? (By the way, the email address is still working.)

Weiner just cannot last much longer knowing his fate lies in the hands of Breitbart. The Democratic leaders at some point will have a sitdown with him and let him know it's over? How can they not living under the fear of more photos to come every day? Who knows what Breitbart's still go up his sleeve? And no doubt the angry left, pathetically obsessed with Breitbart, are quietly raging today. Judging by their lack of reaction today, they clearly know defending Weiner is a futile and lost cause.

Update: It keeps getting better.

How is it Weiner's resignation by the end of September is only at 25%. He may be gone by this evening at the current rate.

I recall Chris Lee was gone within hours after his topless photo was released last January. Will Democrat leadership react as quickly as the Republicans were wise to do?

Wonderful: U.S. Seeks Direct Talks With Mullah Omar

I guess this will be a negotiated surrender. Should do wonders for Obama's re-election and let's face it, that's what this is all about.

American officials have set a goal of direct negotiations with Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban, prompting Washington to approach intermediaries to broker meetings within months.

With America expected to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in July, Washington has stepped up the pace of talks with Taliban leaders.

During a visit to Islamabad last month, Marc Grossman, Washington's special envoy to the region, appealed for help in contacting the reclusive Taliban leader, according to Imtiaz Gul, the head of the Centre for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad.

"He said we are looking for people or groups that can demonstrate their access to Mullah Omar," Mr Gul said.

In February, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, signalled a sea change in policy when she compared talking with the Taliban to President Ronald Reagan's decision to "sit down with the Soviets". During a farewell trip to the region last week, Robert Gates, the outgoing US defence secretary, predicted that talks would start "by the end of the year".

Mr Grossman, the replacement for special envoy Richard Holbrooke, has been nicknamed "Mr Reconciliation" and has been told to focus on tying up an agreement that will speed up the return of American troops.

American officials had already contacted Tayyab Aga, Mullah Omar's personal secretary, who was the last public voice of the Taliban in 2001. Analysts believe that President Barack Obama, with Osama bin Laden dead and an economic crisis at home, could announce a larger than expected initial withdrawal this year – at least 10,000 troops – although no announcement has yet been made.

One senior defence official said: "The president has said he wants the withdrawal to start in July and to be meaningful. Those are the discussions that have to happen."

Mr Gul said that time was running out to strike a political deal between Afghanistan's warring factions.

"They [the Americans] are desperate. The timeline has already been announced so they are operating by the idiom 'the sooner the better'," he said. Last year a shopkeeper posed as Mullah Mohammed Akhtar Mansour, a former Taliban minister, and twice met Western officials before they realised they had been tricked – and fleeced for thousands of dollars.

NYC Businesses Cash in on Obama Name

I wonder what the name of the business will become when he's booted from office next year?

A growing number of business owners in the city's black neighborhoods are making a buck off President Obama by naming their shops after him.

The Daily News combed through city, state and commercial property records before checking out a dozen businesses sporting the commander in chief's surname.

"People like his name," said Muhammad Seraji, owner of Obama Beauty Supply on Utica Ave. in East Flatbush, the first stop on the presidential tour.

"I like his name," he said. "My family likes his name. He is better than all the Presidents. I am proud. I am black, too. I am from Bangladesh."

And he loves the First Lady.

Seraji sells wigs, weaves and hair-care products, and one of the most popular items is an $89.99 lace-front wig named after the First Lady.

"I've sold hundreds," Seraji said of the layered bob wig.

Seraji opened his business right after the 2008 election.

"If I was President Obama, I would start charging a gratuity," said construction worker Kirk Semith, 37, shopping at Obama Beauty Supply. "I would make money off of them trying to use my name."

Semith pointed out that there's an Obama Fried Chicken a few blocks away on Rutland Road. Harlem has an Obama Fried Chicken, too - and even an Obama Country Deli.

Months after the 2008 election, others opened Obama shops too. SM Obama Parking garage opened in the spring of 2009, and Obama Deli Grocery, on Clarkson Ave. in Brownsville, debuted last year.

Imagine how many businesses would be named after him if he actually had any accomplishments.

Unpaid Army of Obama Zombies to Be Unleashed: 'As Summer Organizers, We're the Face of the President'

They might want to get used to not being paid. If this economy gets any worse these schlubs won't be finding any paying jobs.

A legion of 1,600 newly-recruited Democratic campaign volunteers, armed with Tweet-producing smartphones and a contagious spirit of enthusiasm, are fanning out across 40 states today to begin laying the groundwork for the reelection of President Barack Obama.

Armed??? Isn't that dangerous talk in this new age of civility and moderation?

The forces -- college students, recent graduates, teachers, and retirees -- will work unpaid through August, aides say, to grow and re-energize Obama's grassroots volunteer network that had remarkable success in 2008, and gather troves of voter data in the process.

Obama campaign managers hope the effort will give the president something of a head start over his yet-to-be-determined Republican rival, in what is expected to be a tough campaign.

The operation kicked-off Saturday at boot-camp-style training sessions held jointly by the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee in conference rooms and community centers across the country.

ABC News received exclusive access to one of the two-day sessions held at DNC headquarters, where 15 volunteers received a briefing on campaign strategies and ground operations for the summer ahead.

"As summer organizers, we're the face of the president," Jenn Brown, a DNC staffer leading the training, told attendees. "So, whether it's here or in our lives, we represent the president 24 hours a day, and that's a really big responsibility we take on."

If they're going to the the face of Obama, they want want to start working on their putting game.

Over coffee and bagels, sub sandwiches and pizza -- which Brown called "the diet of an organizer" -- the recruits shared personal stories, flipped through glossy official instruction manuals and studied up on the Obama's first term with a game of "POTUS Accomplishments Jeopardy."

I'll take Miserable Failure for $200, Alex!

On the upside, one of these zombies is already used to losing.

Sam Polstein, 20, a junior at the University of Wisconsin, said he was inspired to become an organizer after witnessing the union protests in Madison earlier this year.

"It was kind of a big moment in my life," he said. "It didn't really inspire me to work toward some particular policy goal as much as it inspired me towards a motivation to work harder for families and workers in general."

Historians Support Palin's Paul Revere Account

The pathetic lefty haters aren't going to like this. Oh well, they'll just move on and fabricate some other nontroversy.

So much hate, so little time.

Sarah Palin yesterday insisted her claim at the Old North Church last week that Paul Revere “warned the British” during his famed 1775 ride — remarks that Democrats and the media roundly ridiculed — is actually historically accurate. And local historians are backing her up.

Palin prompted howls of partisan derision when she said on Boston’s Freedom Trail that Revere “warned the British that they weren’t going to be taking away our arms by ringing those bells and making sure as he’s riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be secure and we were going to be free.”

Palin insisted yesterday on Fox News Sunday she was right: “Part of his ride was to warn the British that were already there. That, hey, you’re not going to succeed. You’re not going to take American arms.”

In fact, Revere’s own account of the ride in a 1798 letter seems to back up Palin’s claim. Revere describes how after his capture by British officers, he warned them “there would be five hundred Americans there in a short time for I had alarmed the Country all the way up.”

Boston University history professor Brendan McConville said, “Basically when Paul Revere was stopped by the British, he did say to them, ‘Look, there is a mobilization going on that you’ll be confronting,’ and the British are aware as they’re marching down the countryside, they hear church bells ringing — she was right about that — and warning shots being fired. That’s accurate.”

Patrick Leehey of the Paul Revere House said Revere was probably bluffing his British captors, but reluctantly conceded that it could be construed as Revere warning the British.

“I suppose you could say that,” Leehey said. “But I don’t know if that’s really what Mrs. Palin was referring to.”

McConville said he also is not convinced that Palin’s remarks reflect scholarship.

“I would call her lucky in her comments,” McConville said.

So first she's a blithering idiot, but then is proven historically accurate and she just got lucky.

Good grief, these people are a dense bunch. Surely they'll all be lining up to offer their apologies.

It's Come to This: Australian Columnist Calls for Climate Change Skeptics to Be Tattooed

Don't believe in junk science? Well, not only must you suffer the slings and arrows from the know-nothings, but now they want you tattooed so you can suffer public ridicule.

Sure, sounds like a plan.

Surely it's time for climate-change deniers to have their opinions forcibly tattooed on their bodies.

Not necessarily on the forehead; I'm a reasonable man. Just something along their arm or across their chest so their grandchildren could say, ''Really? You were one of the ones who tried to stop the world doing something? And why exactly was that, granddad?''

On second thoughts, maybe the tattooing along the arm is a bit Nazi-creepy. So how about they are forced to buy property on low-lying islands, the sort of property that will become worthless with a few more centimetres of ocean rise, so they are bankrupted by their own bloody-mindedness? Or what about their signed agreement to stand, in the year 2040, lashed to a pole at a certain point in the shallows off Manly? If they are right and the world is cooling - ''climate change stopped in the year 1998'' is one of their more boneheaded beliefs - their mouths will be above water. If not …

How about we tattoo those whose predictions have been 100% wrong for the past few decades? If we did that then Al Gore and some of these chumps would be unrecognizable they'd be covered head to toe with permanent ink.

OK, maybe the desire to see the painful, thrashing death of one's opponents is not ideal. But, my God, these people are frustrating. You just know that in 20 years' time, when the costs of our inaction are clear, the climate deniers will become climate-denial-deniers. ''Who me? Oh, no, I always believed in it. Yes, it's hard to understand why people back then were so daft. It's so much more costly to stop it now.''

This is who these people are. they can't win in the court of public opinion since they don't have facts on their side. Instead, they want to brand you and "see the painful, thrashing death" of their opponents.

This guy's a monster and should be laughed out of the journalism business.

More on the Climate Change Derangement Syndrome™ from Tim Blair.

Bombshell: New Woman Comes Forward With Info on Weiner

No wonder he's been in virtual seclusion since his ill-fated press conferences last week. He must have come to the realization there are other out there he's sent his junk mail to.

Of course this is Andrew Breitbart breaking the news, so the left will have an extremely difficult time dealing with this reality. Well, that's their problem.

A new woman has come forward with what she claims are photographs, chats, and emails with Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY). These appear to undermine severely Rep. Weiner’s explanations that he was the victim of a “prank” or a “hack.”

The detailed new information suggests that the Brooklyn- and Queens-based representative and the young woman in question were involved in an online, consensual relationship involving the mutual exchange of intimate photographs.

This one should be exploding today.

How much long can Weiner pretend he was hacked? Not much longer, apparently. Even the most diehard Kool-Aid slurpers aren't buying his nonsense any more.

If Weiner did take that picture and did send it to this young woman, he's through; it would mean he was lying about the hacking, and is the latest example of why creep is short for creepy. If he took that picture of himself for any reason, if that really is him, then he's just a dope, even in a world where other dopes seem to think sending pictures like that to women are some kind of go-to move.

It is no surprise that Weiner would have a Twitter account and use it to toss off insults and one-liners at Republican opponents. He is perfect for Twitter, and a modern world where there are supposed to be no unspoken thoughts, ever, where even those from the House of Representatives think that the whole world is hanging on their every word.

Can Weiner get past this? Nobody, not even Weiner, who didn't show up for the Celebrate Israel Parade Sunday because neither would you, can say that with certitude. But you can be certain of this:

If Rep. Anthony Weiner has been lying about this, and that means any of it, then the real jackass of the story is him.

"Y'all Didn't Save My Kids No Damn Ice Cream and Cake"

It looks like we have discovered the anti-Michelle Obama.

Police arrested a man in South Memphis on Saturday after he allegedly threatened the host of a child’s birthday party with a gun because his children didn’t get any cake or ice cream.

Joseph Hayes, 48, was arrested in the 1300 block of Clementine late Saturday night and was charged with aggravated assault.

According to a police affidavit, Hayes became upset and began yelling at the victim because “Y’all didn’t save my kids no damn ice cream and cake.”

Hayes then left the party and went to his apartment.

According to the affidavit, he returned with a small black handgun tucked into the back of his pants, approached the host, lifted up his shirt and said, “I ain’t scared to go to jail, just take care of my kids."

The host then called police and said she was in fear of her life.

After being arrested, Hayes told police at 201 Poplar that he did not bring a gun to the party, just an object that looked like one when tucked in his pants, the affidavit says. Hayes’ bond is set at $30,000 and is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Too bad there's no mug shot available yet. I'm sure this one would be a doozy.

Cross-posted.

Cowardly Weiner Skips Israel Day Parade

For years this guy would show up anywhere there was a camera. He learned well at the foot of the odious Chuckie Schumer. Yet now here's Anthony Weiner in virtual hiding as his lies unravel.

Poor thing.

Rep. Anthony Weiner ditched the Israel Day parade for the first time in years as the ballooning boxer brouhaha continues to dog him.

Several of his fellow Democrats and political rivals questioned why the congressman was nowhere to be seen.

"It has become a huge distraction," said former city Controller William Thompson Jr., a likely Democratic mayoral contender.

"It has become a circus. Every answer raises another question."

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) said Weiner should have attended the parade up Fifth Ave.

"I'd like to see him here," he told reporters before marching. "He cares about Israel and \[is\] very active in the Jewish community and he ought to be here."

Meanwhile, recall that photo from yesterday in what turns out to be a Nissan Pathfinder. Well, it turns out Weiner's registration is way out of date.

After a week of facing questions about lewd Twitter photos, Rep. Anthony Weiner Saturday had more explaining to do: why his Nissan Pathfinder has New York license plates but a 2007 registration sticker.

A photo of Weiner behind the wheel of his more than 20-year-old SUV appeared in Saturday's Daily News as he left his Washington home Friday night.

It had a New York license plate - US Congress 9 - but no sign of an inspection sticker in the windshield and what appeared to be an expired July 2007 registration sticker.

Jammed on the dashboard was a sign that read "Congress."

A Weiner spokesman said the car is properly registered but the updated sticker was not displayed because the vehicle is not kept in New York.

A state Department of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman said registration, insurance and inspection data are not public records.

In March, the Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, reported Weiner owed more than $2,000 in parking tickets for violations around the Capitol and near Reagan National Airport. The fines, racked up between March 2006 and March 2010, were immediately paid.

Nancy Pelosi (D-etached from Reality) Blames May's Lousy Economic News on Tornadoes

Of course.

The Democrats always seem to have handy excuses for the consistently lousy economic data that keeps pouring in month after month. Rest assured, it never has anything to do with their audaciously reckless spending or drop-dead idiotic policies.

SCHIEFFER: You know, the unemployment figures came out, and they were worse than expected, as you know. Unemployment actually ticked up to 9.1%, but this was just part of the story. A series of numbers that have been really, really bad lately. The number of new jobs created - 54,000 - far fewer than expected. Home prices hit a new low in the first quarter of the year. Home sales are down again. Consumer confidence is down, and gas and food prices are up. I have to say, Congresswoman, many of the experts thought the recovery would be well underway by now. But it looks like we're going backwards now, that we may be on the verge of a double-dip recession here. Do you fear that's what's happened?

PELOSI: Well, I think we have to take a careful look at those figures to see. The unemployment numbers are obviously disturbing. Are they an anomaly as some people suggest because of the disasters in the south and the mid-west and the rest or is this something systemic that we have to accommodate in a different way? But, all of it translates into hardship for America's middle class and they are feeling it very, very severely.

Check out the video at Real Clear Politics.

Cross-posted.

'I Think He's the Kind of Guy Who Didn't Get a Lot of Girls in High School and, All of a Sudden, He Got Attention'

Indeed, now he's getting more than enough attention. Texting your junk will do that for a guy.

Sexting crotch shots isn't usually his style.

So say ex-girlfriends of Rep. Anthony Weiner, who tell The Post that the Queens and Brooklyn congressman -- despite his reputation as a womanizer -- can be quite the gentleman.

"The rap he gets is that he's a smooth operator," says Fox news analyst and occasional Post contributor Kirsten Powers, who dated Weiner for three months in 2002. "But he's very sweet, very funny, very charming."

Weiner married Huma Abedin, Hillary Rodham Clinton's top aide, in July 2010 -- but "everybody knows Anthony is a bit of a cowboy," says one New York political player.

While a City Council member in the 1990s, Weiner pursued interns, but as his profile rose over the last decade, he was able to raise his own bar, chasing a slew of smart, attractive glamour girls.

In addition to Powers, he dated former New York magazine publicist Serena Torrey (she later married Theodore Roosevelt V), TV journalist Gigi Stone and television producer Alli Joseph, whose blog lists "[driving] her convertible with her knees" as a favorite pastime.

According to one ex-girlfriend, Weiner spent years mooning over Abedin but his active social life perhaps kept her from taking it seriously. Weiner's preoccupation with beautiful women extended to his policy prescriptions: In 2008, he co-authored a much-mocked bill that would have loosened immigration restrictions on foreign supermodels.

The model, the bill said, should have "distinguished merit and ability."

Back on Earth, Powers and Weiner met at the now-defunct dive bar Siberia, on Manhattan's West Side. He called her the next day, and they began dating immediately, having low-key dinners at Dos Caminos or catching movies in Chelsea, her neighborhood.

The only thing that struck her as odd was that "women would frequently just walk right up and shove their business cards at him. He was just used to it; he'd say, 'Hi. How are you?' "

Powers says his ability to take such brash come-ons in stride was surprising, given how insecure he was. "He was self-deprecating about everything," she says. "He'd make jokes about his nose, his neck, about being skinny."

"I think he's the kind of guy who didn't get a lot of girls in high school and, all of a sudden, he got attention," says another ex-girlfriend, who asked to remain unnamed. She says that he pursued her doggedly and that, even though she wasn't attracted, she gave it a shot.

"He gets very smitten," she says. "He was very taken with me, in a very doting, admiring way."

Aww.

Powers is here on Fox News Watch discussing -- what else? -- Weiner.



Meanwhile, the media continues to embarrass themselves with ridiculously bad reporting.

Liberal websites targeted conservative blogger Dan Wolf, who uses the handle "patriotusa76," as the person who spotted the photo among Weiner's tweets and sent it to biggovernment.com, which broke the story.

First of all, they misspelled the name. It's Dan Wolfe (if indeed that's the person's name). Second, Wolfe was a Twitter user, not a blogger. Is it that difficult to get simple facts right?

Spending Your Money To Get Re-Elected: Obama To Throw More Money at Struggling Homeowners

It's funny. I never hear Obama and the left decry the lack of "affordable housing" any more. They're the ones that nearly collapsed the economy with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac so they probably don't want to remind people. But Obama is desperate now and realizes his term in office may not last past January 20, 2013, so it's time for some payola.

The Obama administration wants to help more struggling Americans stay in their homes by reducing the amount they owe on their troubled mortgages, a top Treasury official said on Saturday.

"We are very definitely trying to facilitate more principal reductions," said Timothy Massad, Treasury's acting assistant secretary for financial stability. "It is a very important piece of the overall solution," he said.

The administration is trying through taxpayer-funded programs to prevent homeowners from losing their homes. Nearly $50 billion has been set aside from the $700 billion bank bailout known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, to help distressed homeowners.

In a truly stunning development, Reuters admits a stark reality the media has studiously avoided the past couple of years.

Persistently high unemployment and a weak housing market pose a threat to President Barack Obama's re-election prospects next year.

Uh oh. They're actually hinting The One might not be re-elected.

Obama's really going to be dipping into the stash the next 17 months.

I wonder if this one is getting paid?

Howard Dean: Yes, Palin Can Beat Obama

He couches it by saying she probably wouldn't win the GOP nomination. But considering how beatable Obama is, it's not inconceivable whoever does win the GOP nod stands an excellent chance of being the next president. Especially if the economic calamity that is the Obama administration gets any worse over the next year.

Howard Dean, the former Democratic National Committee chairman who helped Democrats capture the White House in 2008, warns that Sarah Palin could defeat President Obama in 2012.

Dean says his fellow Democrats should beware of inside-the-Beltway conventional wisdom that Obama would crush Palin in a general-election contest next year.

“I think she could win,” Dean told The Hill in an interview Friday. “She wouldn’t be my first choice if I were a Republican but I think she could win.”

Dean warns the sluggish economy could have more of a political impact than many Washington strategists and pundits assume.

“Any time you have a contest — particularly when unemployment is as high as it is — nobody gets a walkover,” Dean said. “Whoever the Republicans nominate, including people like Sarah Palin, whom the inside-the-Beltway crowd dismisses — my view is if you get the nomination of a major party, you can win the presidency, I don’t care what people write about you inside the Beltway,” Dean said.

Dean spoke to The Hill the same day the Labor Department revealed the national economy added only 54,000 jobs in May and the national unemployment rate had risen to 9.1 percent.

If not Palin, indeed anyone else has a good shot.

Dean said Republicans made the mistake of underestimating Bill Clinton in the rest of the Democratic field in 1991 when former President George H.W. Bush seemed to have a strong advantage but the economy was still mired in recession.

“I can remember Bill Clinton, I think, was one of the seven dwarfs,” Cain said. “This goes on every four years and I think it’s best not to pay attention to that kind of talk.”

Obama Unveils New Dietary Guidelines, Then Pounds Some Chili Dogs

It would be one thing if he and his wife didn't constantly lecture us about what to eat if they actually practiced what they preach. Instead, she runs around wolfing down cheeseburgers and short ribs and he stuff his pie hole with chili dogs and fries. Well, I guess he at least works it off with all that golf.

When his wife unveiled the USDA's new nutritional plate yesterday, there definitely wasn't a space for chili dogs.

But that didn't stop Barack Obama wolfing down two in Toledo today - with fries and an extra bowl of chili on the side.

The president happily munched on the unhealthy meal before he visited the city's Chrysler factory, and even teased one of his hosts for ordering ketchup, a faux-pas in his home town of Chicago.

According to USA Today, he told representative Marcy Kaptur: 'Marcy just wants ketchup. By the way, as an aficionado of hot dogs, you shouldn't put ketchup on hot dogs... I'm trying to teach my girls.'

A Ride in the Weinermobile

How many miles you get on that gas guzzler, Tony? Enjoy this photo via the New York Daily News as the poor, beleaguered national punch line flees his Washington home. I figured Weiner would practice Democrat gospel by driving a hybrid or an electric car.

But no. Weiner rolls in a 4x4.

Oh, and the Daily News Washington Bureau Chief throws him a beatdown.

Weiner compounded his predicament by calling a cable TV producer a jackass, reeling off a string of ill-advised, double-entendre wiener jokes and essentially reducing what he calls a "prank" to New York slapshtick.

The ever-loquacious Weiner has now opted for radio silence, clearly hoping this goes away in short order. Barring new disclosures, that's probably a reasonable bet.

There's always another juicier scandal or gaffe for reporters to chase.

He got some help Friday, for example, from disgraced ex-Sen. John Edwards, whose indictment helped push Weinermania to the periphery.

But the damage is done. Weiner - a spirited and eloquent spokesman for Democratic priorities - has been discredited for now. You can bet House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic mandarins aren't anxious to include him in their next photo op.

Even his allies in the congressional delegation are suddenly looking at their shoes, just like they did with Charlie Rangel before his censure.

For the moment, Weiner's a punch line, an object of largely self-induced ridicule. And that presumes he's being evasive but truthful.

If not, he's political toast.

Also worth reading, especially the part about the loathsome Kos.

Weasel Weiner Wimps Out of Wisconsin Event

It's almost as if he's afraid to show his face. What happened, tough guy?

New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, who found himself at the center of a media firestorm this week after a lewd photo appeared on his Twitter stream, has canceled a Friday evening appearance in Wisconsin in order to spend time with his wife.

Weiner had been slated to speak at the Wisconsin Democratic Party’s annual convention Friday at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee. But he told state party officials that he would not attend the convention and would instead spend the weekend in New York with his wife, Huma Abedin, Wisconsin Democratic Party Communications Director Graeme Zielinski confirmed Friday afternoon.

Maybe if he spent more time with his wife he wouldn't have been so busy sending photos of his junk around to Twitter admirers.

Meanwhile, the Republican who ran against him last year is mulling another challenge in 2012. He's letting Weiner stew in his own mess for now.

Turner said he was scratching his head over how Weiner has handled the incident. Not only has Weiner declined to refer the case to federal authorities to find the hacker, but he's hinted that the kinky photo might be of him.

"Hacking into a congressional account is serious business. There's probably a reason he won't let authorities investigate. We can only speculate," Turner said.

"The whole thing is kind of unseemly. The best thing the opposition can do is find a good seat, get some popcorn and enjoy the show. There is no need to pile on here. He's doing a wonderful job himself."

On the upside, a Friday night passed without Weiner exposing himself for anyone.

Three days and no tweets now, Tony? What's the matter, Huma got your Blackberry or something?

Cass Sunstein: Don't Hold Me to What I Wrote 8 Years Ago, I Was Young at the Time [He Was 48]

Nice to know I can still use that handy excuse for another decade or so.

President Barack Obama’s regulatory czar retreated from a 2003 academic report he wrote advocating that government assign a higher monetary value to the lives of young people than to senior citizens during testimony to Congress on Friday.

Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Cass Sunstein testified in front of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations about the Obama administration’s plans for reviewing and reducing federal regulations.

“I’m a lot older now than the author with my name was, and I’m not sure what I think about what that young man wrote,” Sunstein, 56, told the House panel. “Things written as an academic are not a legitimate part of what we do as a government official. So I am not focusing on sentences that a young Cass Sunstein wrote years ago. So the answer is no.”

Sunstein wrote the paper when he was a professor at the University of Chicago. It was titled “Lives, Life-Years, and Willingness to Pay.”

Burgess said he would take him at his word, “But still, it does point out an important philosophical approach, and many of us are concerned about the Independent Payment Advisory Board right now.

Feeling better about the death panels yet?

Remember When News Used To Be Informative?

This is why Fox News beats the pants off of the competition. Today Bret Baier hosted a special on the Medicare issue. In this segment he had Rep Paul Ryan (R) and Rep Chris Van Hollen (D) on to present their sides of the argument and to debate each other. This segment is but 10 minutes out of the 1 hour special but it pretty well sums up how the debate is going to go.

Rep Ryan was as sharp as ever and Van Hollen's arguments always seem to go off on a tangent with references to tax breaks for oil companies, raising taxes on the rich or that Medicare wasn't really in that much trouble and we shouldn't be trying to take action until it is in it's death throes.

Of course more people are probably watching the Weiner spectacle or Casey Anthony trial more closely then they are this important issue which is what allows the Dems to demagogue the hell out it and distort the matter.

Without knowing all that much about either man it is certainly clear that Rep Ryan is the point man when it comes to fiscal matters and if Van Hollen is the best the Dems have to offer, then they very definitely lose the debate, but today it is all about viral You Tube videos and catchy jingles and not so much about substance. To both representative's credit they engaged in a discussion without acrimony, shouting or issuing insults. It is just for me Rep Ryan came with facts and Van Hollen came with a fog machine.

I implore you to spend 10 minutes watching the clip, I am sure Fox will rerun the entire special, or at least I would hope they do, and somehow, someway we could get everybody to watch it and leave your political leanings aside until afterwards. There was a lot of good information presented and Bret did a good job of being a newsman and moderator.

Flashback: Commission Recommends Choppers For NJ Governors After Corzine's SUV Crash

Interesting little tidbit here pertaining to the idiotic Chris Christie Helicopter Kerfuffle, which CBS buries way down in the next-to-last paragraph:

A special commission recommended New Jersey governors use helicopters as a matter of safety after the 2007 car crash involving then Gov. Jon Corzine.

Oh, that's right.

Now, a more common-sense recommendation at the time might have been to, you know, drive in the vicinity of the speed limit and wear a seat belt. In other words, use your head. Obey the law. But, whatever. Helicopters.

For safety!

Added bonus: Helicopters, unlike SUVs, cost NJ taxpayers no additional money. Presumably, that is true no matter who is Governor.

Except I don't recall Corzine ever going the extra mile and actually reimbursing the state for the expense.

Cross-posted.

UPDATE: Silly me. I should have remembered that fat-cat gazillionaire Jon Corzine of course paid for his own helicopter rides.

My bad.

9 Out of 10 Reports Agree, We're Screwed

Wow, ABC must stand for the All Barack Channel for the amount of spin they put on this story about our worsening economy and jobs picture. It seems to them all of the news is good while everybody else is reporting how this bodes ill for America.

California is well represented on our list of the areas with the most layoffs as four other cities made the list including: San Francisco (No. 4), Riverside (No. 5), San Diego (No. 6) and Sacramento (No. 9). California leads the way among the 50 states with 390 layoffs statewide which affected 48,497 employees. That is three times more than any other state.

But ABC seems to be arguing with itself over just what the jobs numbers mean.

"We do not see a double-dip recession or hyper-inflation in the future, but we do think U.S. economic growth prospects are pretty weak," he said.

From CNBC:

“Let’s face it — no matter how you cut this data, it’s lousy,” Mesirow Financial Economist Diane Swonk told CNBC Friday.

From the White House mouthpiece, and head of Obama's economic counsel, Austan Goolsby we get this little pearl:

"There are always bumps on the road to recovery, but the overall trajectory of the economy has improved dramatically over the past two years," he said in a statement. "This report is a reminder of the challenges that remain."

While I can agree the the overall trajectory of the economy has moved dramatically, improved is not the word I would use. More like stagnant at best.

Even the BBC, which tries to take a more balanced approach to the news finds little good news, and the person they defer to for analysis brings up the specter of yet another bailout.

And that prospect will fuel speculation that the US Federal Reserve may embark on a third round of "quantitative easing" - purchasing government bonds to pump more cash into the financial system - later this year.

"Arguing about the merits of whether QE3 would be a good idea, is irresponsible right now," said Tod Schoenberger, managing director at Landcolt Trading in Delaware.

"It would be proactive for the [Federal Reserve's monetary policy committee] to discuss and develop a strategy for implementing QE3, because it's painfully clear the United States is headed for a very messy second half of 2011."

Just imagine how much more "Change" Barry O can accomplish in his remaining two years.

John Edwards Indicted

This would have happened a couple of years ago if we had a press interested in investigating corrupt Democrats.

A federal grand jury has indicted two-time presidential candidate John Edwards in a campaign finance investigation.

The criminal charges filed Friday came after a two-year federal investigation into money used to cover up an extramarital affair during the 2008 presidential election.

Edwards, a former U.S. senator from North Carolina, said in a statement through his attorney in 2009 that he was confident no funds from his campaign were used improperly.

College Girl Worn Out by Weiner

Well, this is what happens when you flirt with chumps like Anthony Weiner. He desperately clings to power while your life ends up a mess. Maybe she should lawyer up. You never know if there's a possible payday involved.

"Weinergate" has put a Seattle college cutie through the wringer -- jeopardizing her academic dreams, embarrassing her family and shattering her privacy.

"I'm just collateral damage," Gennette Cordova, 21, lamented in explaining how her world was turned upside-down when she wound up on the receiving end of a lewd, underwear-clad crotch shot sent from Rep. Anthony Weiner's Twitter account.

"I just want this to be over," she told The Post yesterday during an exclusive photo shoot and interview near her Bellingham, Wash., college campus.

Cordova thinks the package-hugging picture -- which Weiner "can't say with certitude" isn't his -- was meant for somebody else and landed in her Twitter account by mistake.

Cordova is one of 198 people, many of them young, beautiful women, whom Weiner follows on Twitter.

Until recently, the congressman also followed stripper and porn actress Ginger Lee, 28, who openly gushes about her "Mr. Sexy Congressman" on social-network sites.

"Her name is Ginger -- it makes sense he might have mixed us up," Cordova said, noting that two of the first three letters of their names are the same.

Weiner has admitted he sent Lee at least one private Twitter message, but has declined to reveal the content and claims they've never met.

Meanwhile, Congressman Mealy Mouth desperately clings to his lie that he never sent Cordova the photo, but -- get this -- may have sent lewd photos before this occasion.

Of course, the simplest explanation of the scenario is that he had, in fact, tried to send a picture of his genitals to a 21-year-old Washington state college student. Weiner has denied that in public and in private. Two people who spoke to him privately said he had suggested that, as one said, “he took or sent a photo or photos like this at some point — but in this case actually was hacked/set up, perhaps with a posting of one of his own photos or something very similar.”

Where there's smoke there's fire, and this is an seven-alarm blaze.

It's over. He has to go.

Ohio Republican Has Twitter Account Hacked in Clever Breitbart Distraction

I guess this is the start of the payback for the nefarious right-wing conspiracy that threatens to topple Anthony Weiner. A bit of a difference between this hacking and Weiner's plight, however.

This actually happened.

For most of his 35 years in the legislature, impersonating House Speaker William G. Batchelder would have required the purchase of some thick-rimmed glasses and a nice seersucker suit.

In today's online world, faking the Medina Republican can be done from a laptop computer nearly anywhere on Earth, if the user has the ability to hack into the right Twitter account.

On the heels of a firestorm in Washington, where U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York said he was a victim of a hacker when his Twitter account was used to post a photo of a man's crotch, the Ohio speaker found his own account taken over by an unknown intruder.

Mike Dittoe, communication director for the House Republican caucus, said he got a call Monday night from a follower of Batchelder's Twitter account informing him of the unusual postings on the account.

Dittoe said he knew it had become a real problem when the liberal group ProgressOhio tweeted on Tuesday: "Wow!! Suddenly Bill Batchelder supports" and went on to list various liberal groups and causes, and a link to the fake tweets.

Among the fake tweets were those that promoted former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland and criticized Republican Gov. John Kasich.

Dittoe said House GOP legal counsel Michael Lenzo worked with Twitter to get the account shut down and the posts erased.

We're going out on a limb and and saying it was leftists behind it.

But instead of posting crotch shots, as in Weiner's case, the hacker posted support for liberal causes - which caught the attention of a loyal follower who called Batchelder's office. It was too late, though, to prevent the liberal groups mentioned in his tweets from gloating - if only for a moment. Among the causes he supported was Progress Ohio, Ohio Democrats and Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland.

"Woo! Bill Batchelder Supports @plunderbund @ohiodems @progressohio?!" Progress Ohio tweeted gleefully on Tuesday, referring to liberal causes that his hacker tweeted support for.

Of course now those folks who live in the fever swamps -- Kos, Charles Johnson, for a couple of examples -- they'll no doubt quickly debunk this story and swiftly move to prove it's really just some clever astro-turfing by Batchelder minions. All of whom are surely working at the behest of Andrew Breitbart.

That's how they think: Man obvious guilty such as Weiner? He was set up. This sap in Ohio? An unwitting dupe of dark forces out to silence those speaking truthiness to power!

Finally Outraged Over Being Hacked, Weiner Calls Police ... on a Reporter

Way to man up, Tony. I'd call him a slimy piece of shit, but hey, you already knew that.

He sure does look guilty, no?

Congressman Anthony Weiner said Thursday he’s finished talking about the lewd photo sent from his Twitter account.

But he still wouldn’t say whether he’s the one in the picture.

So CBS 2 political reporter Marcia Kramer decided to go to his office on Capitol Hill to try to get you some answers.

You’ll never believe what happened.

Kramer tried to get an interview with the six-term New York Democrat and as a result had the cops called on her.

Kramer walked in to Weiner’s office, announced herself as being from CBS 2 in New York City and said she’d like to see the congressman. Those few words created quite the stir. Doors slammed and people pretended she wasn’t there.

Finally, brave press secretary David Arnold arrived.

Read the exchange.

Marcia Kramer has been a reporter here in the New York area for decades. Once the locals absorb a little bit more of this churlish behavior it's safe to say they'll have had enough. This punk has got to go. A shame no adults in the Democratic Party are coming forward to let their out-of-control man-child know it's over.

White House: No, We Weren't Hacked by the ChiComs

I guess we're supposed to believe them since they'd never lie to us, right?

The White House says no official U.S. government email accounts were accessed during what Google alleges was Chinese hacking of its email systems.

Obama spokesman Jay Carney says the FBI is investigating Google's allegations, but had no comment on whether China was involved. Google says personal Gmail accounts of several hundred people, including senior U.S. government officials, military personnel and political activists, were exposed.

In all likelihood they wouldn't want to admit it if, as stated, Google says government, military and political activists were hacked.

I doubt they have to hack any left-wing activists since they'd all probably be glad to give it up for the ChiComs.

If we are to believe them, then obviously our government officials all have secure systems, huh? Which makes the weak theory floated by the left that Anthony Weiner was "hacked" by some random "prankster" now null and void.

I've been rather busy today. Has the left concocted any more ridiculous excuses for Weiner today?

'Fess Up or Shut Up'

Michelle Malkin gangster-slaps Anthony Weiner. Good stuff.

Meanwhile, an important read from Ace, who gets a plug from Malkin in the clip.

Al Jazeera Loving Weinergate

These folks are just kvelling over the downfall of the evil Zionist infidel.

Poor Congressman Anthony Weiner. As if it weren't tough enough making a living out of bashing Arabs and Palestinians to satisfy New York's pro-Israel voters.

Now the self-deprecating references have taken a difficult, bizarre turn for the New York representative, after a lewd photo of a man clad only in underwear was sent from his Twitter account to a college student.

Weiner refuses to acknowledge in any of the interviews that the photo is definitively not a picture of him. Weiner further alleges he was hacked and wants an investigation. Yet days into the fray and--here comes the real surprise - no FBI investigation has been initiated.

Congressman Weiner knows better. Were federal agents to investigate at his initiation and determine Weiner's own involvement (i.e., that this was not a case of hacking), then the Congressman would be committing a felony for a making false statements, intentionally misleading federal agents, not to mention be wasting everyones time and tax payer dollars.

And that's presuming Weiner did send the photo and was not auditioning for a post-Congress career as an underwear model.

If he did not send the photo, an investigation would be the most logical course of action, given he is a serving US Congressman and those breaches are rarely taken lightly. Twitter would receive a subpoena. The alleged hacker's IP address could be learned. A warrant would be issued for the computer. An arrest warrant might follow. That would pretty much be the the end of story.

Well, we can't disagree with that last part. Read the rest. It quickly descends into Jew-hating nonsense that has nothing to do with anything, but then again, it's Weiner's wife's mentor Hillary Clinton who told us what a valuable news source Al Jazeera was.

A 'Face That Makes Children Cry'

No, this isn't another Anthony Weiner story. He's got something else making the children of the left cry.

'As Her Mother, I'm Really Upset'

This woman must really be enjoying the spotlight she now finds herself under. Another victim of the Crotch Shot Heard 'Round the World.

The furious mom of the Seattle college coed at the center of Weinergate yesterday demanded that the cocky congressman come clean about the lewd photo.

"I'm really upset. I feel like he's a person of power and influence, who can make a statement and make all this go away," Carol Mizuguchi said, blasting Rep. Anthony Weiner for his continued snarky sidestepping.

"As her mother, I'm really upset," Mizuguchi told The Post. "I'm pissed off at that."

Mizuguchi's 21-year-old daughter, Gennette Cordova, got the surprise package -- a close-up of an underwear-clad crotch -- over the weekend in a tweet from Weiner's account.

After days of dodging, Weiner yesterday admitted he "can't say with certitude" that the photo isn't of him.

But he continued to deny he sent the picture.

Let's face it. Everyone on the planet knows what happened here. It's just Weiner and his desperate left-wing blogosphere fanboys don't want to admit it. Anything that in their minds that would ostensibly give the right a "victory" just cannot happen, and they'll be happy to sacrifice every last shred of credibility to have their way. Their most recent fabrication involved some absurd Yfrog theory that was quickly debunked.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, sane Democrats are starting to call for Weiner to fess up if he wants to salvage his career.

Former Mayor Ed Koch said Rep. Anthony Weiner is in a pickle over Weinergate -- and the young mayor wannabe must come clean to save his career.

"It's not too late to prevent damage by turning [the Twitter case] over to the Capitol police and let them find the hacker," Koch said yesterday.

But Koch, on his NY1 show Tuesday night, went even further.

"You do commit a crime if you give false information to the police and report a crime when a crime didn't take place," he said while discussing possible reasons why the embattled congressman hasn't filed a police report about the alleged hacking.

"I think he's in trouble . . . I think he has a problem," the former mayor added, because of the media firestorm and Weiner's refusal to immediately answer all questions.

Koch's statements are a clear warning that Weiner's long-sought dream of becoming New York's next mayor may be going up in smoke.

And the longer he waits before admitting the lewd photo that was sent from his Twitter account to a co-ed in Washington state was actually his, the more he endangers his chances in what will be a rough-and-tumble Democratic mayoral primary in 2013, political analysts said.

"He's got to come clean," said one veteran consultant who has advised mayoral and gubernatorial candidates.

"As they say, the cover-up is worse than the crime. If it is him [in the lewd photo], playing these crazy games is not going to help him. Voters are going to take a second look at Anthony Weiner and what they see is not going to be pretty."

Weiner has until Friday afternoon to get this resolved. His options at this point are to admit colossal stupidity, say he's going away for sexting rehab, declare it a private matter and run for cover, hoping enough gullible people and the Democrat leadership can move forward with him obviously damaged goods.

That, or he continues down this path of certain doom. If this story keeps moving through this weekend, he'll be forced from office in disgrace. It's one thing if there's plausible denial, but Weiner's current cover stories are just laughable. It's one thing to be a slick liar like Bill Clinton, but as John Podhoretz observes, Weiner sure isn't that. Even the liberal columnists in New York aren't swallowing his tripe.

The Small Weiner Theory Gains Traction: "Jon Stewart Might Have Had It Right Last Night"

How desperate is Anthony Weiner?

Desperate enough to play the Small Penis Card - on himself.

I'm practically a eunich! So that can't be me in that picture. Now can we please just talk about the debt ceiling?

Here's the background, in case you missed it.

Pass the popcorn.



Via Newsbusters.

Cross-posted.

Good News: Media Now Identifying Weiner as a Republican

Some crack headline writers at Reuters.

H/T.

Check it out on this Google search and any resulting hits there.

Obviously Democrats will now be demanding his resignation.

Meanwhile, he's on a media blitz after yesterday saying he wasn't going to talk about it.

"I made a decision that I was not going to talk about it anymore. I had had enough talking about it... it was getting far too much attention. I probably made a mistake then, not doing more interviews like this and letting some of the oxygen be released and let people hear what I had to say," said Weiner. "That was a mistake that I made, but now I am doing these interviews with anyone who wants and I'm going to desperately try to get back to work as a Congressman tomorrow, if not for my sake, for my wife's sake."

Really, with anyone who wants to talk to you?

The folks at Big Government have some questions.

It was so kind of him to open up to the press today. Those penis jokes to female reporters were a special touch. Always classy to the end.

Update: The reptilian Weiner with Bret Baier, who heroically keeps a straight face throughout.



Special added bonus: Ann Coulter finally checks in.

ABC to Palin: Hey, Who's Paying for Your Bus Trip?

ABC News is really unleashing the top talent as they chase Sarah Palin around New York. Their entertainment reporter digs deep for this one.

So, how's Sarah Palin paying for this grand tour anyway?

At the Statue of Liberty today, ABC News asked the former Alaska governor how much her tour has cost so far and how she's paying for it.

"How am I paying for it? SarahPAC," she said, adding that she's traveling in "our own personal motor home that we've had in Alaska."

Palin didn't answer when asked how long she's owned the bus that's adorned with the Constitution and a larger-than-life version of her signature. When asked, twice, how much her "One Nation Tour" has cost four days into the trip, she got visibly irritated.

"Check SarahPAC.com," she said. "I don't know why in the world you would ask a question like that. I'm just thinking about America and our foundations and our freedoms and our opportunities. Why would you ask something ..."

ABC News pointed out that she often talks about the economy and how much money we're spending.

"What does our economy have to do with how much we're -- I'm not asking you to pay for a penny of this trip," she said.

Schooled again. They never learn.

These idiots could care less we're being spent into oblivion yet demand answers to who's funding a private citizen's bus trip.

Priorities!

Horrors! 8th Graders Hit Hooters

Somehow this made news, which seems a bit odd since no parents have complained. I doubt any of the boys did either.

For one group of Berwick School District eighth-graders, a recent field trip to Baltimore included lunch at Hooters — a restaurant better known for its busty waitresses than its food.

The Berwick Middle School students were visiting the National Aquarium last week. Chaperones took them to various restaurants for lunch because the group of 100 was too large for a single place.

One group of 15 to 20 students reportedly ended up at Hooters.

Superintendent Wayne Brookhart says that while he wishes the group's coed chaperones had chosen another restaurant, he has not received any complaints from parents.

It's not as if Hooters is a strip club. It may not be your cup of tea but apparently plenty of people brings kids in there. I don't live anywhere near one and have been been in one, but I know folks who've brought teenage sports teams in there and nobody thinks twice.

Unexpected! Little Job Growth in May

Here we are about to enter another Bummer of Recovery. Where are the jobs, Mr. President?

Private businesses barely added jobs in May as large companies cut workers, according to a report released Wednesday. The news is sure to raise further fears about the second-quarter U.S. economy.

Private-sector jobs in the U.S. rose by just 38,000 last month, according to a national employment report published by payroll giant Automatic Data Processing Inc. and consultancy Macroeconomic Advisers.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had expected ADP to report a much larger job gain of 190,000 last month.

Have these so-called economists ever been right? They "expected" 190,000 jobs and we only saw 38,000? How much longer can they even boast the slightest bit of credibility when their forecasts are so abysmally wrong time after time? The media keeps pretending Obama is a shoo-in for re-election.

Not with numbers like this every month.

H/T Lachlan Markey.

It's not as if it's some random forecaster who hasn't got a clue.

The median estimate in the Bloomberg News survey called for a 175,000 advance. Estimates for the ADP data ranged from increases of 125,000 to 200,000, according to the Bloomberg survey of 37 economists.

You would think companies would be hiring graduates and other students in droves as colleges let out.

Guess again.

Companies created far fewer jobs than expected in May, adding to mounting evidence that the economy is decelerating.

According to ADP's May Employment Report, the private sector added 38,000 jobs in May on a seasonally adjusted basis. That was well below consensus estimates of 170,000.

Nobody can possibly spin this as good news, but Obama's bootlicking media will sure give it their best.

Deranged MSNBC Host: Flag on Palin's Bus a Violation of Federal Law or Something

Good grief, these people are insane.

Via The Blaze.

Weak: Weiner's Pal Jon Stewart Plays the 'Little Dick' Defense

The Daily Show

The two of them are old buddies, so don't expect for a minute he's going to throw Weiner under the bus. Upside: Weiner's now fair game for comedians out there who have some credibility.

Meanwhile, former news network MSNBC completely demolishes their credibility by going all-out after Andrew Breitbart. How do they expect to be taken serious when they're living in fantasy land?

Tough Guy Tony's Online Legion of Babes

Quite amazing how some Twitter users with so few followers who also protect their tweets manage to have soon-to-be former-Congressman Anthony Weiner as one of their online followers.

It takes a certain type of woman to set his heart a-Twitter.

Rep. Anthony Weiner follows only a select 198 of his nearly 49,000 Twitter fans -- and a surprising number of them are total babes.

Yesterday, outside his DC office, the model-loving, married congressman testily refused to talk about the pretty women he's following.

He flashed a tight, uncomfortable smile and avoided eye contract as he tried to deflect point-blank questions from reporters about whether or not he had sent a crotch shot of himself in underwear to a 21-year-old co-ed in Seattle.
...
Weiner's sultry stable of fans should come as no surprise. Every year, he begs the State Department to give red-hot international runway models more travel visas.

Weiner generally follows women who send him Twitter messages to cheer him on -- usually over one of his many appearances on TV to champion the left -- and he then replies with an offer:

"Thanks so much for following me. Would you like me to follow you? Use #WeinerYes," he writes.

He has even sent private Twitter messages to porn star Ginger Lee, who once tweeted, "You know it's a good day when you wake up to a [direct message] from @RepWeiner."

It appears that Weiner no longer follows her account. She declined comment.

Most people Weiner follows are connected to politics, the media or professional sports.

And some of the sweet young things he follows say they're surprised.

"He tweeted me back asking if I thought it was all right if he could follow me. I was flattered he wanted to follow me back. I'm not in politics," New Jersey nurse Nicole Aquino told The Post. "I followed him originally."

One young lady listed has all of nine followers. Amazing coincidence how Weiner is one of them, apparently. Another has 36, but amazingly Weiner is one of them.

The Post opinion page today calls Weiner a creep (there's an understatement) and calls for an investigation. He's not getting much support from New York Daily News readers, either.

New York Magazine isn't buying his evasions.

Evading questions, however, is a strategy most often utilized by people with something to hide, and will only further pique the media's interest. Weiner either has something to hide, or he has no idea how the media operates.

If Weiner thinks when he wakes up today this story will have faded, well, boy, is he in for a surprise.

Some lefties, meanwhile, bitterly cling to their delusions. How sad.

They've clearly forgotten about human nature and why Weiner's non-answers just aren't holding up.

The diehards on the left plan to torch what little credibility they have left defending this turd, but some New York pols are enjoying his demise.

Weiner’s flat refusal to engage may or may not serve him well in Washington’s totally partisan environment, in which Democrats will defend him, and Republicans attack him, as usual. Back in New York, meanwhile, allies of his rivals - former comptroller William Thompson, Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Democrats all - are licking their chops.

“This is New York - he’s in deep doo-doo when it comes to future aspirations,” said a pleased adviser to one of his rivals. “You’ve got every enemy of his, and interested political reporters, all digging, because there’s something too weird about this.”

It could be over in five minutes if he's innocent and just handed over his Blackberry. Twitter could also quickly verify where and what it was sent from.

He's clearly hiding something.

Now his story has gone international. Good luck "moving on" from this, Weenie.