A jury found U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska guilty Monday of all seven counts in his federal corruption trial.
The jury found Stevens guilty of “knowingly and willfully” scheming to conceal on Senate disclosure forms more than $250,000 in home renovations and other gifts from an Alaska-based oil industry contractor.
Read on at CNN.
With 10 days to go until Election Day, long-brewing tensions between GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and key aides to Sen. John McCain have become so intense they are spilling out in public, sources say.
Several McCain advisers have suggested to CNN that they have become increasingly frustrated with what one aide described as Palin “going rogue.” A Palin associate, however, said the candidate is simply trying to “bust free” of what she believes was a damaging and mismanaged roll-out.
McCain sources say Palin has gone off message several times, and they privately wonder if the incidents were deliberate. They cited that she labeled robocalls — recorded messages often used to attack a candidate’s opponent — “irritating” even as the campaign defended their use. Also, they pointed to her telling reporters she disagreed with the campaign’s decision to pull out of Michigan.
A second McCain source tells CNN she appears to be looking out for herself more than the McCain campaign.
Read on at CNN.
Remember when the GOP got all catty about John Edwards spending $400 on a haircut?
The Republican National Committee has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August.
According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.
The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September.
The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.
…A review of similar records for the campaign of Democrat Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee turned up no similar spending.
Read on at Politico.
Thanks to Lexi for the link.
The latest newsletter by an Inland Republican women’s group depicts Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama surrounded by a watermelon, ribs and a bucket of fried chicken, prompting outrage in political circles.
The October newsletter by the Chaffey Community Republican Women, Federated says if Obama is elected his image will appear on food stamps — instead of dollar bills like other presidents. The statement is followed by an illustration of “Obama Bucks” — a phony $10 bill featuring Obama’s face on a donkey’s body, labeled “United States Food Stamps.”
Read on, if you can stomach it.
(Thanks to Aaron for the pointer.)
Wellington Grey presents “Opportunity Cost”, an exploration of what we could have done with all the money that George W. Bush squandered.
A few Nobel Laureates have endorsed Obama. Yeah, like they know anything. I bet they haven’t even shot a moose from a helicopter.
Much as I hate to knock my own blatant pimping for my new game* further down the page, this is totally worth it**.
As you may or may not know, California will be voting on a ballot initiative in November to eliminate the current, existing right to gay marriage in our state: Prop 8. Obviously, I’ve always known there are many people out there who want to eliminate said right, but I’ve been curious to see just how they’d attempt to justify their bigotry.
The answer, as it turns out, is badly. Very, very badly.
“Other then hurting churches and traditional family values what do gays get out of this?”
Nothing. Nothing at all. It’s all about you.
Find more preposterous statements, along with snarky commentary at Fundamentally Flawed.
Vote No on 8 (and play Truth Invaders)***
*www.truthinvaders.com, tell your friends
**though not as much fun as Truth Invaders
***tell your friends!
This Flickr set shows one person’s views of McCain’s views.
Tired of all the political lies being flung around this election season?
Want a chance to fight back against them?
Try playing Truth Invaders, at www.truthinvaders.com. Learn the facts and have a great catharsis, all at the same time.
Michael Ian Black asks a very good question:
After the presidential debate last Tuesday night, Obama spokesperson Robert Gibbs engaged in contretemps with the archconservative radio and television personality Sean Hannity over Hannity’s decision to include Andy Martin (nee Anthony Martin-Trigona) on Hannity’s show Obama & Friends: The History of Radicalism. At issue were Martin’s remarks, as quoted by Gibbs, that a Jewish judge was “a crooked, slimy Jew with a history of lying and thieving common to his race…” among others. Gibbs raised the legitimate question, “Why would Sean Hannity choose to associate with such a person?”
…Hannity talks a good game when it comes to “loving America,” but his actions reveal a far more sinister pattern of, at best, reckless behavior and poor judgment when it comes to choosing friends and associates. Shouldn’t our national security be of paramount importance to somebody who claims to love this country as much as Sean Hannity? Shouldn’t he be doing everything in his power to stop the threat of Iran instead of condoning the actions of those who sold weapons to that country? Why is he giving a platform to a known anti-Semite? Shouldn’t he uphold his own high principles by refusing to associate with adulterers and those who would allow prostitutes to eavesdrop on the president of the United States? I cannot look into Sean Hannity’s heart, but if his actions are any indication about his patriotism, I think we are left with the troubling question: does Sean Hannity hate America?
ABC News reports:
Despite pledges by President George W. Bush and American intelligence officials to the contrary, hundreds of US citizens overseas have been eavesdropped on as they called friends and family back home, according to two former military intercept operators who worked at the giant National Security Agency (NSA) center in Fort Gordon, Georgia.
…”These were just really everyday, average, ordinary Americans who happened to be in the Middle East, in our area of intercept and happened to be making these phone calls on satellite phones,” said Adrienne Kinne, a 31-year old US Army Reserves Arab linguist assigned to a special military program at the NSA’s Back Hall at Fort Gordon from November 2001 to 2003.
Kinne described the contents of the calls as “personal, private things with Americans who are not in any way, shape or form associated with anything to do with terrorism.”
The New Complacency: Democrats relearn how to take the presidency for granted.
[...]
During the past 25 years, there have been countless sentiments that respectable Democratic politicians were never, ever supposed to say out loud for fear of angering the all-powerful Republicans. It still isn’t wise for Obama to say them, but maybe the New Complacency will loosen other tongues within the political mainstream. Even if it doesn’t, it’s fun to think about what those utterances might be. What follows is a list, compiled with help from my fellow Slate staffers. The views expressed don’t necessarily reflect those of the contributors—one of whom is a conservative Republican—or even me. But they sure are a refreshing change from what we’ve been hearing since 1981. With a little luck, they may soon be orthodoxies.
I think Karl Marx had some valuable insights into capitalist economies!
I think abortion should be safe and legal. Rare is fine, too, but the way to achieve that is contraception, baby!
I think Mormons are kooks!
The Second Amendment does too allow government to ban handguns!
Let’s standardize the federal age of consent at 16!
Promiscuity between consenting adults is good exercise!
Wheeeee! Isn’t this fun?
Health care is a service, not a business!
Pot is no more dangerous than vodka. Legalize it!
I don’t support the troops. I support some troops, depending on whether or not they’ve committed war crimes!
No more wars without United Nations or at least NATO support!
[...]
adennak.com gives us this great flowchart:
(Thanks to Jim for the pointer.)
