19%...We have known for seven years that Bush is the Worst. President. Ever. - and now we have the math to prove it! Nothing is helping him. Gallivanting across Africa didn't help him at home; even as his minions here fearmongered to beat the band, his job approval rating dropped to Nixon-in-August-1974 levels. And here is a really interesting tidbit from that poll: "A total of 42% of Americans, however, say they believe the national economy will be better a year from now, which is the highest level for this question in the past year." I can read what's writ large between those lines, can't you?
We need John McCain and one campaign staffer (presumably female)…For a special appearance before the Federal Elections Commission...Given John McCain’s alleged affair with a whiff of regulatory impropriety coming close on the heels of his “I was for public campaign financing before I was against it” attempt to apparently defraud the Federal Election Commission and the American taxpayer, via his campaign committee, and the currently quorum-less FEC now saying McCain’s fiscal sleight of hand needs another look, it’s clear we have the stage for a perfect train wreck...The Schmuck Talk Express™ needs to have casual sex with one of his campaign staffers, ideally someone in either fundraising or legal issues, so as to have direct connection with his loan agreement, so he can then go interfere with the FEC on her behalf!
While we're flogging McCain on campaign fundraising irregularities, why not take a moment to mention the fact that a number of his paid campaign staffers seem to also be high profile Washington lobbyists when they're not hitching a ride on The Schmuck Talk Express™?
One last shot at Straight Talk John McCain, enemy of all that is corrupt. Greg Sargent reports for TMP that "it turns out that one of McCain's top advisers, lobbyist Charlie Black, does lots of his lobbying from the Straight Talk Express. From aboard the bus itself..." Says Josh Marshall: "I have to confess that this new detail has vanquished my ability to snark." Mine too, Josh, mine too.
Oh what the hell? One more last shot at St. John the Hotheaded - So much for John McCain on his supposed "green" cred on global warming and such. The League of Conservation Voters has given him a zero rating.
The GOP in the Illinois 11th is looking for a new congressional candidate after Tim Baldermann, who won the primary to replace the retiring Rep. Jerry Weller withdrew suddenly and unexpectedly. Baldermann said he could not juggle a campaign and the responsibilities of his job as mayor of New Lenox and police chief of suburban Chicago Ridge - but behind the scenes, it appears that traffic on Dissillusionment Boulevard was snarled...
Baldermann won his party’s primary earlier this month but has endured some early problems. He expressed reservations about raising the amount of money needed for the race, recently parted ways with a campaign manager under federal investigation and was criticized for using a newspaper’s logo in a misleading way on his campaign literature.The chances for another Democratic pickup just got one better.One source said Baldermann was disappointed with the amount of fundraising support he was getting from the party, and party leaders were similarly disappointed with his output on that front.
State Sen. Debbie Halvorson, the Democratic nominee, has raised more than $400,000, while Baldermann raised jut $100,000 through mid-January.
This certainly doesn't happen every day...Former Air Force Colonel and Guantanamo chief prosecutor Morris Davis is going to testify for the defense in the case of Salim Hamdan, a Yemeni accused of delivering weapons to Al-Qaeda operatives, and whose trial by a special military commission is scheduled for May. Davis made headlines when he resigned his position to keep his Honor intact. He had been overruled on admissibility of evidence obrtained via torture, and a political appointee who had told him "we can't have acquittals" was placed above him in the chain of command. Davis is no champion of Hamdan. He is a champion of Justice. For that, he deserves our gratitude, and if appropriate, our most crisp salute. (Listen to the Day to Day interview with Madeline Brand and the Pentagon's response by General Hartmann here.)
The war in Iraq seems to be losing it's luster, one wingnut at a time...speaking at a town hall meeting in Muskogee, Oklahoma's junior Senator Tom Coburn admitted aloud the folly of Iraq. "I will tell you personally that I think it was probably a mistake going to Iraq," he said to a small audience. Of course, he isn't ready to talk about withdrawal, but then,Rome wasn't built in a day, either.
By now you know that Rick Renzi has been indicted for pretty much everything, but what you might not know is that it has been a long time coming. Remember all those cases they wanted to rush indictments on before the 2006 election when the target was a Democrat? Yeah, well, the opposite happened in the case of Renzi. The DoJ stalled his indictment. But timing sure can be a bitch! The fallout from the DoJ scandal happened just in time to give cover to Charlton's crack team, and they managed to keep their jobs, being too radioactive to fire, and they moved the indictment forward. So...Emptywheel has a question...What Got Added to the Renzi Indictment Since October 2006? I would like an answer to that question, too.
That's it for Friday. If we missed anything, let us know in comments, and we'll be back to do it again tomorrow.
Tonights End of the Day was put together with the help of Gadfly, bmaz and Strannix.
