You Have Got to Be Kidding!!!

Bristol Palin could earn $300,000 for baby pics

More Christmas Drama From Blago

I gotta hand it to Blago. He's definitely giving the news media and the blogosphere something to talk about during a traditional slow news period.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7805412.stm

Barack Obama says Democratic senators should reject the man proposed by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to replace Mr Obama in the US Senate.

Mr Blagojevich is the subject of a criminal inquiry and has been charged with attempting to "sell" Mr Obama's now-vacant seat to the highest bidder.

The governor defied pressure to pick Roland Burris, the state's former attorney general, to fill the position.

Democratic senators have vowed to veto anyone appointed by Mr Blagojevich.

The president-elect said he agreed the Senate "cannot accept" a new senator chosen by Mr Blagojevich, adding that Mr Blagojevich himself should resign.

Mr Blagojevich denies wrongdoing and has rejected previous calls for his resignation.

Mr Burris, 71, became the first African-American to be elected to statewide office in Illinois when he won the 1978 election to be state comptroller.

He was state attorney general from 1991 to 1995 and made unsuccessful bids for the US Senate in 1984 and Illinois governor in 1994.

"Roland Burris is a good man and a fine public servant," said Mr Obama.

"But the Senate Democrats made it clear weeks ago that they cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat. I agree with their decision."

Appearing with Mr Burris to announce his choice, Mr Blagojevich said: "Please don't allow the allegations against me to taint a good and honest man."

I'm afraid it's too late for that. Like I wrote in an earlier post, Rod Blagojevich is a gift that keeps on giving--just like a sexually transmitted disease. Right now he has a more hellish version of the famous Midas Touch--everyone he associates with becomes publicly tainted. Jesse Jackson, Jr. is experiencing this first-hand. Unfortunately, it's Roland Burris' turn to experience the Blago Touch From Hell.

Ironically, the TV news broadcasts have mentioned that Burris is NOT among the people that Blago bragged about approaching regarding selling the Senate seat on that infamous tape. But now Burris faces the prospect of either being perceived as being a tainted Senator with a constant cloud of suspicion over his head or experiencing first-hand the possibility that the Senate will refuse to seat him. He is definitely in an unenviable position.

The TV news broadcasts also mentioned that, with Obama's recent resignation, there are no African-Americans currently in the Senate. If the Senate Democrats refuse to seat Roland Burris, then they could possibly face charges of racial discrimination despite the fact that race has absolutely nothing to do with it.

I have to admit that Blago is pretty clever on that one. With his selection of Burris, he has forced the Senate in this position. In some ways it's almost like he's daring the Senate to refuse to seat Burris and risk being accused of racism. He even picked the perfect time to announce his selection of Burris--the day before New Year's Eve. Machiavelli would be proud of Blago.

Since this drama is going to spill over into the new year, I would advise everyone to go to the store and grab some popcorn and soda right now. This story is better than any political drama movie that Hollywood could cook up.

As for Burris, he's basically a pawn in all this and, based on his distinguished record, he doesn't really deserved to be in the middle of Blago's mess like that. Personally, I think he should have just said "No" to Blago's offer and avoided all this trouble.

Which leads me to the moral of this story. If you're an Illinois resident and Blago asks you to serve in Obama's old Seante seat--RUN IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION!!! Move to another state if necessary. Heck, be safer and move to another country. Don't even THINK about touching that Senate seat with a ten foot pole. The taint surrounding that seat definitely overpowers the usual prestiege that being a Senator carries. Stay the hell away from Blago and his Blago Touch From Hell or you'll be sorry.

Someone Needs to Give Sarah Palin Her Own Reality TV Show

Given the stuff that has surrounded Sarah Palin's personal life, someone should create a reality television series starring her and her extended family. Not only could it be the biggest hit reality show since The Osbournes but Palin's family makes Ozzy Osbourne and his family seem like the Cleavers by comparison. Check out what has been revealed about Palin's family since Sarah Palin made her ill-fated decision to become John McCain's running mate in his failed effort to become president.

Her husband and self-proclaimed "First Dude" Todd Palin has ties to the Alaska Independence Party, whose ultimate goal is to have Alaska seceed from the rest of the United States and become an independent country.

The National Enquirer has claimed that Sarah Palin slept with her husband's business partner.

The same publication also claims that her oldest son, Track, was hooked on OxyContin and that he only joined the Army in order to avoid getting arrested.

Her oldest daughter, Bristol, had a stoner reputation just like Track. She was initially rumored to be the biological mother of Sarah Palin's youngest child, Trig, until Sarah Palin announced that not only was that rumor untrue but that Bristol was actually pregnant with her first child at the tender age of 17.

The father of Bristol Palin's baby, 19-year-old Levi Johnston, originally posted the following on his MySpace page before he made that page private: "I'm a fuckin' redneck who likes to snowboard and ride dirt bikes. But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some shit and just fuckin' chillin' I guess. Ya fuck with me I'll kick ass." He also added that he didn't want children. Ooops! It's obvious that he didn't use a condom so he would remain childless.

Sarah Palin has said that when it comes to sex education in public schools, she favors abstinence only. Well, judging on what happened with Bristol, apparently Sarah practices what she preaches. Had Bristol been exposed to other birth control options besides abstinence, there's a chance that Sarah Palin would not become a grandmother for the first time at age 44.

Sarah Palin attended a church whose Kenyan-born pastor has talked about how he has hunted down and driven away witches.

You'd think that now that the elections have ended, the drama surrounding Sarah Palin's family would subside. Well, you'd think wrong since it has been revealed that the mother of Levi Johnston, the father of Bristol Palin's baby, was recently arrested on drug charges. And this arrest happened just days before Bristol Palin, now 18, gave birth to her baby, a boy named Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston.

Sarah Palin has three younger children who are still at home who could provide plenty of reality TV fodder. There's a possibility that one, two, or all three of them could do something totally outrageous. Yes, I know that her youngest child, Trig, was born with Down's Syndrome but that doesn't mean that he can't do something dramatic and crazy in the future. I still remember watching the TV series Life Goes On back in the late 1980's-early 1990's, which featured a character with Down's Syndrome named Corky Thatcher (who was portrayed by Chris Burke, who had Down's Syndrome in real life) and there were plenty of drama surrounding him (like his marriage to a woman who also had Down's Syndrome).

And then there's Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston. He's like Barack Obama in that he was born to a mother who was just 18 at the time. Barack Obama was lucky in that he had access to a pair of supportive grandparents and his mother seemed to be able to make something of herself rather than go down the dysfunctional route. Given little Tripp's family background, that poor kid doesn't seem to be quite as lucky.

Happy Holidays!

I'm going to try to take some time away from this blog and enjoy the holidays. I attempted to take time off before when I was undergoing surgery but then all this stuff with Blago and Rick Warren erupted and I couldn't resist the pull of this blog to lure me back in. Usually the news is slow around this time of the year but who could've thought that some controversies were going to erupt just like that?

Well, anyway, I'm going to try to take some time off once again since I'm still healing health-wise. Last month I had hip replacement surgery and I was doing okay until my body had a bad reaction to the blood thinning medication Arixstra. One day I had blood oozing from my surgical wound despite the fact that the wound had just closed. My blood had grown so thin that it could seep through a closed wound. I was taken off the drug but then a blood blister had developed as a result of that blood oozing incident. The blister burst, which unleashed another round of bleeding. The doctor tried to stop it in his office but the blister was too deep so I once again had to enter the hospital and undergo a second surgery to get rid of that blood blister.

I've been home over a week since the second surgery and I'm having a scaled-down Christmas this year because I've been too sick and injured to do much Christmas shopping or decorating. Since the economy sucks these days, a lot of people are having scaled-down Christmases so I don't feel like I'm deviating too much from the societal norm these days. Besides if this entry in one of The Daily Kos diaries is to be believed, then it looks like Santa won't be there for Christmas because he was lost over the Bering Sea.

Well, any way, before I end this entry, I'd like to give some exposure to the tackiest Christmas item that I came across this year. If you're the kind of person who've been wishing for a nativity set that floats in a bathtub and features ducks portraying Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, and company, well you're in luck this year.

Yes, that's right, nothing says "Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season" like these rubber ducks. You can purchase this different kind of nativity here, here, and here.

Well, anyway, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Winter Solstice, Have a Cool Yule, Happy New Years, Seasons Greetings, and Happy Holidays!

Stephen Harper's Latest Shenanigans

First Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper dissolves Parliament before it could give him a vote of no confidence. Now he's trying to re-make Parliament in his own image.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=d84bc837-ac71-4c70-bbf9-c56b1b0aab56

Just days after shutting down Parliament because he lost the confidence of the House of Commons, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is now turning his back on years of self-professed democratic principle by announcing he will stack the Senate with 18 Conservative patronage appointments.

Such a move is clearly undemocratic, shamefully hypocritical and according to a growing chorus of scholarly experts, constitutionally questionable.

Just a short while ago, Harper stated that "an appointed Senate is a relic of the 19th century." In 2004, he promised never to appoint any Senators until the upper chamber became an elected body. Far from the Senate becoming any more democratic, Harper now wants to go back on his word and stack this legislative body before he loses office, which may be as early as end of January.

Despite the fact that he's lost the confidence of Parliament, Harper should be focused on the 71,000 Canadians who lost their jobs last month, not on the 18 Conservatives who he wants to finds work for next month.

This hypocritical and undemocratic move is also pretty expensive. Remember when the Conservatives said it was important for public officials to tighten their belts, just as average Canadians were doing during the recession? This patronage spree will cost millions annually. The average Senator receives $130,400 in salary and spends about $89,539 a year on travel. The Senate of Canada sits three days a week.

That's good work if you can get it. No doubt there are many Conservatives willing to take one for the team should Harper ask them to serve.

It seems like Stephen Harper is a spiritual brother of George W. Bush in terms of ruthlessly subverting his own nation's democratic traditions in order to get his own way and to enrich his already rich and powerful buddies in the process. In the process, the financial woes of ordinary citizens get ignored.

Blago Won't Quit

Contrary to what other Democrats have said, Rod Blagojevich is tenaciously hanging on to his seat. In fact, Blago gave this press conference yesterday when he said that he won't give up. This press conference have been all over the news media and the Internet but I'm going to show the clip that was shown on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show mainly because Maddow made some funny snarky remarks before and after showing the press conference.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

In the meantime, artist Bruce Elliot, who became famous for his nude painting of Sarah Palin, has created this painting showing Blago in the nude. Click on this link if you don't mind risking your retinas burning. In the meantime, I have to do everything possible to forget that I ever saw this painting.

Barack Obama and Rick Warren

I was kind of disappointed when Barack Obama picked Rick Warren to give the invocation for his inauguration. I know that on some things Rick Warren is slightly more progressive than other evangelicals like Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell. Unlike those guys, Rick Warren has spoken out on why evangelicals should be concerned about global warming and he has also focused his ministry on dealing with the AIDS crisis in Africa.

Yet this was the same guy who was very vocal in his support for California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage and puts all the gay marriages that were legally performed before that proposition passed in a legal limbo. He has also likened legalizing gay marriage to legalizing pedophilia, as if sex between two consenting adults of the same gender is the same as sex between an adult and a minor who's not legally able to provide consent are one and the same.

I know that Barack Obama wants to reach out to people beyond the stereotypical secular liberal and, in some ways, he should be commended on this. That's because over the past eight years there have been way too much of divisive politics that has been the during the Bush Administration. I get that he wants to reach out to evangelical Christians in an effort to reassure them that they shouldn't feel threatened by his upcoming presidency. But Rick Warren?!? Just because someone writes a bestseller book doesn't mean that he should be qualified to give the invocation as a representative of evangelical Christians.

Besides, if Obama wanted to pick an evangelical Christian, there are plenty of progressive evangelical Christians he could've chosen--such as Jim Wallis--who doesn't have the same anti-gay taint that Rick Warren has.

Here is what John Aravosis has to say about this on his AmericaBlog:

Okay, I'm game. So we know being a gay-basher doesn't disqualify you from a seat at the Obama table - in fact, it seems to be an outright qualification for proving Obama's post-partisanship. If Obama prides himself on reaching out to all sides of every debate, then why is it that Obama has never sat down with, or promoted at his events, an avowed racist or anti-Semite?

The most surreal thing about this on a personal level is that last night I saw someone I knew who was interviewed on Countdown With Keith Olbermann on MSNBC on this very issue. His name is Rob Boston and he is with Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. His wife, Carol, and their two children are actively involved in my church. I see Rob at church every now and then but not quite as much as Carol. Well, here is a video of his appearance as he discusses Rick Warren.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Video Most Likely to Become a Video Game

I have to give President Bush this: He's very agile in ducking those shoes for a sixtysomething person. And the guy who threw the shoes was pretty good with him aim, even if he barely missed.

Of course this footage has not only been turned into a video game but also provided fodder for late night comics and YouTube mash-ups.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

EDIT: I was proven right in the title of this post. There are a few such games based on the show-throwing incident but the best one I found is one called Sock and Awe.

Is Blago Going to Quit?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/14/AR2008121400567.html

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scandal-plagued Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich could announce on Monday that he will leave office, the state's top legal officer said on Sunday.

Blagojevich was arrested last week on charges of swapping political favors for cash, including an attempt to sell the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Barack Obama following his November presidential election victory.

"We have heard that there is a possibility that tomorrow he will make an announcement where he will step aside," Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan told NBC's "Meet the Press."

"I don't know if that means he will resign or take another option that is provided under the Illinois constitution where he can voluntarily recognize that there is a serious impediment to his ability to carry out his duties, and therefore temporarily remove himself," she said.

The sooner Blago quits, the better it will be for everyone involved. I know there is a tradition that a person is innocent until proven guilty but let's look at the main issue here: His ability to run the state of Illinois while fighting some serious criminal charges. Even if he is innocent of everything, he will need to devote serious time to finding a lawyer (or lawyers) who are willing to try to save him from the fate of his three predecessors (who all ended up in the slammer) as well as devoting a lot of time in the courtroom--time that will be spent away from running state affairs and doing everything that is required of being state governor. I think the people of Illinois will be better served if they find a new person who can devote 100 percent of his/her time to running that state.

Besides, I don't think he'll be missed all that much.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g4Fdhtf22pl-vbyh4azYCqkQuC-QD952LGQ00

Throughout his two terms as governor, the Chicago Democrat has run roughshod over those who disagree with him — accusing lawmakers of spending like drunken sailors and calling the State Board of Education a Soviet-style bureaucracy.
State Sen. Mike Jacobs, a fellow Democrat from East Moline, once emerged in a rage from Blagojevich's office, telling reporters the two nearly came to blows when Blagojevich shouted obscenities at him, balled up his fist, threatened to punish a university in Jacobs' district and threatened to ruin his career for not supporting a health care plan.

Jacobs wasn't surprised to learn that federal wiretaps caught Blagojevich openly discussing potentially illegal behavior even though the governor knew he was under investigation.

"It just suggests to me that he was a very narcissistic individual," Jacobs said. "He doesn't have enough sense to walk away. I think he thinks that he's innocent and he's going to beat this thing."

The attitude of righteousness has kept Blagojevich going through political clashes, corruption scandals, family feuds and plummeting job-approval ratings. It also has contributed to those problems, with Blagojevich rushing forward without building support for his ideas or considering other views.

"I think he liked the fight. I think he enjoyed the battle, so it was good to have an enemy," said Illinois House Republican Leader Tom Cross.

Blagojevich, 52, entered the governor's office in 2003 promising to shake things up.

He was the first Democrat to win the office since 1972. A young showman replacing a gray and grumpy incumbent who wound up in prison, Blagojevich promised to clean up government and end backroom deals.

He made no secret of his interest in someday becoming president.

But once in office, Blagojevich quickly began alienating people.

He sent a "cease and desist" letter to his own father-in-law, a Chicago alderman who had included the governor's name on his stationery. After other clashes — including public allegations by his father-in-law that Blagojevich had traded state appointments for campaign donations — the two men stopped speaking entirely.

Blagojevich offended many Illinoisans by refusing to move to the Executive Mansion in Springfield, choosing to live in Chicago instead. He even canceled the tradition of letting children trick-or-treat at the mansion.

Visits to the Capitol itself have been rare and usually brief. During one busy session, he used the state plane to fly to Springfield every morning and home again every night, at a total cost to taxpayers of nearly $100,000.

He has often ordered legislators to meet in special session day after day without any clear purpose, disrupting their private lives while he stayed home.

Most famously, he enjoyed a Chicago Blackhawks hockey game while legislators voted on a transportation measure he wanted badly. The measure failed.

Eventually, legislators decided to ignore the governor and pass a version of the transportation bill over his objections. Blagojevich was forced to capitulate, but he declared victory after sticking in a provision giving free public-transit rides to senior citizens.

------------------

On health care, he was able to make government insurance available to every child in Illinois who needs it. But an effort to provide access to health care for everyone was soundly rejected, despite his attempt to claim the moral high ground.

"It will be Armageddon, but we are on the side of the Lord and we will prevail," he said.

Blagojevich then tried to launch part of the program without legislative approval, angering lawmakers and triggering a long court battle.

Even before Blagojevich was arrested, his public approval had melted away, hitting just 13 percent in one recent poll.

"Rod Blagojevich had a chance to be one of the great governors in America. He had a chance to be a hero," said state Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie. "This is truly a guy who has stuck it to himself."

Deck the Halls With Boughs of Blago

It's so perfect that the scandal surrounding Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has arrived just in time for Christmas. Hell, just reading the uncut, uncensored version of the charges surrounding Blago is a big enough enough present for those who love to wallow in sleaze. (Just the fact that the transcripts of the tapes had Blago calling Barack Obama a "motherfucker" should be enough to convince most people that President-Elect Obama had very little to do with the Blago scandal.)

This whole scandal has put Blago in perfect company with three Christmas icons. Here is how one person shares features of these three Christmas icons.

Santa Claus: Usually December tends to be a slow period in the news business. That's because most people are busy with holiday shopping, planning and attending holiday parties, and visiting each other. In addition, we have a lame duck president in the White House and a new president-elect who won't take office until January 20. Well, thanks to Blago's indictment, the news media and the bloggers have something to discuss and it'll result in rising television ratings/readers during a traditional slow time. Blago provided the perfect gift for those people just as Santa provides the perfect gift for children.

Ebenezer Scrooge: Selling Obama's vacated Senate seat to the highest bidder sounds like something that money-grubbing Scrooge would've approved of.

The Grinch: Remember when the Grinch tried to stop Christmas by stealing everything, including children's toys? Well, Blago even threatened to revoke millions in funding for a Chicago children's hospital if its CEO did not pay his campaign a $50,000 tribute. Unlike the Grinch, Blago didn't have a Cindy Lou Who to question him on why he did what he did.

The Let's Plan For Change House Party

While much of the mainstream media is continuing with their obsession over Illinois Criminal Governor Rod Blagojevich, those of us who supported Barack Obama were gathering together in a series of house parties this weekend. The whole idea is for people to provide suggestions to the upcoming Obama Administration on what should be done in this country. 

It's not unusual for a politician to ask supporters for ideas during a campaign. But the idea of an elected official asking for ideas after an election is totally novel and I'm surprised that no one else had considered something like this before. It all started with an e-mail from Obama's website where it said that Barack Obama really wants some ideas from people on what kind of course to consider. All you had to do is either agree to host a house party or sign up for one in your area, talk among some like-minded people for a few hours, have one person gather the ideas on a sheet of paper then e-mail the ideas back to Obama's website.

There were a lot of house parties in my area but the vast majority of them were held tomorrow, which we couldn't make due to a scheduling conflict on my husband's part. We ultimately picked a house party at a place about 10 miles from our home because it was held today.

My husband and I arrived around noon and ate lunch that was provided by the hosts. There were about a total of 10 people who attended, all of whom we had never met before. The discussion was slow going and it was kind of disjointed at times since the slate was opened as to what to suggest. (For example, one person present explained in length about her own personal cause--the effects of electronics emitting electromagnetic fields that can afflict some people who are sensitive to electromagnetic radiation of any kind. Until I met her, I never realized anyone could be allergic to whatever gets emitted from a cell phone or alarm clock.) It also veered off-topic when people began to talk about how valid or invalid the methods of research can be.

The vast majority of the people at our house party were either researchers (either for a university or the government) or worked for a non-profit group. There was one person who worked for a cemetery, which provided some diversity. There were two African-Americans present but the rest were whites. Most of the people there seemed to be over 55 as well.

But there were some common ground among us like health care and global warming. At the end we were pleased that we were able to get some issues out on the table.

It was a pleasant meeting and I hope something good comes out of all of these house parties. By the way, there will be more house parties tomorrow so if you haven't registered for one, you can do so at Barack Obama's website.

Back to Work for Blago

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=6442798&page=1

CHICAGO – With lawmakers nationwide calling for his immediate resignation, embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich cruised in to work Thursday morning like it was just any other normal day.

"He is at the office today working on state business - state budget issues, foreclosure issues," his spokesman Lucio Guerrero told ABC News.

Yesterday Blagojevich spent his 52nd birthday at work. Today it was more of the same.

In front of the dozens of reporters that have been staked out in front of his Chicago house for the past 48 hours, Blagojevich emerged from his residence this morning, kissed his wife, and got into his car to make the short trip to his downtown office…where, of course, more media members awaited him outside. Following Blagojevich's arrest Tuesday on charges that he had attempted to sell President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat, calls for the governor to step down have come from far and wide.

---

Also Wednesday, the state's lieutenant governor, Pat Quinn, reiterated his demand for Blagojevich to resign and questioned the governor's mental health. "Gov. Blagojevich, I think in his heart, knows that he has to resign. It's better to have that than to go through the ordeal of impeachment," Quinn told reporters outside the Hines VA Hospital in Chicago.

Quinn also called into question Blagojevich's mental state.

"Something happened as he became governor and as the governorship went on that he became more and more isolated," he recalled. "And I think that that wasn't healthy."

But through it all, the governor seems unfazed, simply heading to work at his downtown office for the second straight day since his arrest.

Rod Blagojevich is a gift that keeps on giving--just like a sexually transmitted disease. The fallout from the Blago scandal has roped in Jesse Jackson, Jr., who had been considered a front-runner to Barack Obama's now-vacated Senate seat but probably won't get the job now despite giving this brief press conference where he denies corruption link.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7776609.stm

Here is a video on what Barack Obama has to say about Blago.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7778214.stm

Rod Blagojevich: Following an Illinois Governor Tradition

http://www.politickernj.com/jamespindell/25981/most-corrupt-political-office-america-illinois-governor

But this is political story that goes beyond just Blagojevich. Along with the position of Newark, New Jersey mayor the seat of Illinois Governor may be the most corrupt office in America. Not all governorships are created equal. Some governors have virtually no power (Vermont) and some have a lot (Massachusetts and Alaska). On the sliding scale, Illinois Governors do have a lot of power. They also have a wrap sheet. If Blagojevich is convicted he will become the fourth Illinois Governor in 40 years to go to jail. Other than Ryan, former governor Dan Walker took fraudulent loans to repair his yacht. Gov. Otto Kerner (as in Kerner Commission) was convicted of taking bribes while in office.

What the hell is it about being Illinois governor that makes whoever holds that office get into trouble? Is it something they put in the water that runs through the governor's mansion in Springfield?

What Blago Has Wrought

With the way Blagojevich behaved during his taped phone conversations regarding filling Barack Obama's old Senate seat, he might as well had sold it for the highest bidder on eBay.

Personally I say that he'll be out of office by the end of the year.

A Scandal Before Obama Even Gets Sworn In

Unbelievable! There's already a scandal regarding Barack Obama's recently abandoned Senate seat before Obama has made the transition over to becoming president.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/us/politics/10Illinois.html?_r=2&hp

CHICAGO — Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois was arrested by federal authorities on Tuesday morning on corruption charges, including an allegation that he conspired to effectively sell President-elect Barack Obama’s seat in the United States Senate to the highest bidder.

Mr. Blagojevich, a Democrat, called his sole authority to name Mr. Obama’s successor “golden,” and he sought to parlay it into a job as an ambassador or secretary of health and human services, or a high-paying position at a nonprofit or an organization connected to labor unions, prosecutors said in a 76-page affidavit by the United States Attorney’s office in the Northern District of Illinois.

He also suggested, the affidavit said, that in exchange for the Senate appointment, his wife could be placed on corporate boards where she might earn as much as $150,000 a year, and he tried to gain promises of money for his campaign fund.

If Mr. Blagojevich could not secure a deal to his liking, prosecutors said, he was willing to appoint himself.

“If I don’t get what I want and I’m not satisfied with it, then I’ll just take the Senate seat myself,” the governor said in recorded conversation, prosecutors said.

Federal authorities recorded Mr. Blagojevich speaking with advisers, fundraisers, a spokesman and a deputy governor, using listening devices placed in his office, home telephone, and a conference room at the offices of a friend, the affidavit said. In its detail, it paints a vivid picture of influence peddling and bare-knuckle politics inside the Blagojevich administration, evoking the heyday of Chicago’s political machine.

At an appearance to address climate change, Mr. Obama said he had not had any contact with Mr. Blagojevich (pronounced bluh-GOY-uh-vich) or his office, and did not know about any machinations involving the Senate seat. He said it was a “sad day” for Illinois, but declined to comment further.

The charges against Mr. Blagojevich are part of a five-year investigation into public corruption and allegations of “pay to play” deals in the clubby world of Illinois politics. In addition to the charges related to Mr. Obama’s Senate seat, they include accusations that the governor worked to gain benefits for himself, his family and his campaign fund in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions.

God I only hope this doesn't result in a repeat of the Clinton Administration where certain right-wing Republicans did whatever they could to take down President Clinton--starting with the suicide of White House aide Vincent Foster, which the right-wingers kept on claiming that he was actually murdered and continued with investigations concerning Whitewater (a real estate venture that the Clintons lost money on). In the end they were only able to get him for receiving a blow job from Monica Lewinsky in the Oval Office but even they failed to remove him from office over it.

The Best Reason for Hillary Clinton as the Next Secretary of State

I know some people in the media have some reservations about Barack Obama's pick of Hillary Clinton as the next Secretary of State. But there is a silver lining to this. It'll inspire Saturday Night Live to continue on its latest hot streak on political humor long after the 2008 elections.

Oh, Canada!

With the U.S. bordering Canada to the north, you'd think there would be more coverage in the U.S. media of the current crisis stemming from the fact that just as Parliament is preparing to give a "no confidence" vote to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Harper has managed to dissolve Parliament with the help of the Governor-General (who is the Canadian representative of Queen Elizabeth II, technically the Canadian head of state).

One of the few American shows to tackle the current crisis happening in Canada is The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and, boy, did that show did a good job of explaining the situation for U.S. audiences while making it totally hilarious at the same time.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Provinces in Peril - Indecision Oh-Eh?

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Provinces in Peril

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Bye-Bye, O.J.

target="_new">http://news.bostonherald.com/track/celebrity/view/2008_12_06_O_J__Simpson_put_away_for_up_to_33_years/srvc=home&position=also

LAS VEGAS - A broken O.J. Simpson, headed for the slammer for 9 to 33 years for an armed hotel robbery and kidnapping, admitted to being “stupid” but insisted he meant no harm, while the relatives of his slain ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman took comfort in his sentence.

The 61-year-old football Hall of Famer stood shackled and stone-faced as Judge Jackie Glass rattled off the punishment. Moments before, Simpson made a rambling, five-minute plea for leniency.

“I didn’t want to hurt any of these guys. I know these guys. These guys have eaten in my home. I’ve done book reports with their kids. I’ve sung to their mothers when they were sick,” Simpson said. “You know I wasn’t there to hurt anyone. I just wanted my personal things and I realize that was stupid of me. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to steal anything from anybody and I didn’t know I was doing anything illegal.”

The notorious grid star had said he was simply trying to retrieve sports memorabilia and items such as his first wife’s wedding ring from two dealers when he stormed a Las Vegas hotel room on Sept. 13, 2007.

Glass said her sentence had nothing to do with Simpson’s 1995 acquittal in the slaying of his ex-wife and Goldman.

“I’m not here to try and cause any retribution or any payback for anything else,” Glass said. But she noted O.J.’s cockamamie scheme led to a violent confrontation in which at least one gun was drawn, and someone could have been shot. Simpson could serve up to 33 years but is eligible for parole in nine years, the judge’s clerk said.

Simpson was immediately led away as Glass refused to let him go free on bail while he appeals. Co-defendant and former golfing buddy Clarence “C.J.” Stewart was sentenced to at least 15 years.

Ron Goldman’s father, Fred Goldman, said, “We are thrilled, and it’s a bittersweet moment. It was satisfying seeing him in shackles like he belongs.”

The Goldmans took a measure of credit, saying their relentless pursuit of O.J.’s assets to satisfy a $33.5 million wrongful-death judgment “pushed him over the edge.”

I normally don't bother with sports starts turned celebrities but this story is pretty sad and tragic, no matter how you feel about O.J. Simpson. Here was someone who had it all (in terms of wealth, fame, public adoration, and power) and he casually chucked it all away because he couldn't control his destructive impulses. I was too young to fully remember his career as a football star but I do remember the years when he was a celebrity when he made ads touting a rental car company, made guest appearances on numerous TV shows, served as a sports commentator, and even acted in a few films--the best of which were the three Naked Gun movies where he was pretty hilarious as the detective who kept on getting injured on the job.

In public he projected himself as this easy-going guy capable of some self-deprecating humor, which made him into a lovable celebrity. This is why I was so shocked when the Los Angeles police found a bloody glove in his yard so soon after his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were found brutally murdered in her home.

In the years since his murder trial (which he was acquitted), the civil lawsuit filed by the Brown and Goldman families (which resulted in a $33 million judgement against O.J.), and now this armed robbery trial, I've gotten over the idea of O.J. being a nice goofy guy. There's nothing about this man that shocks me anymore.

I've long felt sorry for the two children O.J. had with his ex-wife. It's bad enough they had to spend the rest of their childhood without a mother while knowing the fact that she was brutally murdered. But it is definitely a heavier burden to know that their father has been accused of murdering their mother and he was held liable in her death in a civil court.

I'm glad that this new court case didn't produce the media hype like his murder trial did (when CNN broadcast his nine-month long trial on a daily basis). There were cameras in the Las Vegas courtroom but no cable news channel broadcasted it like a soap opera. I think it's because, unlike the 1990's murder trial, there are far more urgent issues that the U.S. is going through (like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the declining economy) than the trial of some celebrity being done in by his own arrogance.

The silver lining of this new jail sentence is that now that Simpson is in jail, there won't be any further attempts to offer him money based on his notoriety by shady sleazy people. (Remember book publisher Judith Reagan encouraging O.J. to write that If I Did It book where he "imagines" how he would have murdered Nicole Brown SImpson and Ron Goldman had he really done the murders that he has denied ever committing? She lost her job over that incident.)

I don't ever want to hear anything else from O.J. Simpson until the day he dies.