50 Miles Out of the Loop: 10/02/2005

Friday, October 07, 2005

Denny Hastert's Pattern of Squandered Leadership

If one thing marks the tenure of Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert as Speaker of the U.S. House, it is that over 11 years of so-called "leadership" by Republicans (six of those by "the coach"), real leadership in challenging times has been squandered.

Count on this being one of the topics you'll see plenty of here over the next several months. There's more material than in one of the USS Hastert's suits. Hastert's really just continuing the fine job of Gingrich and Livingston, his predecessors "on the other side," as they like to say.

Take a look at this gem, from the Speaker's own campaign website, which presumably brags about his involvement in the arm-twisting (and quite possibly bribery) that resulted in passage of the Medicare drug bill, now estimated to cost more than $1.2 Trillion (yep, that's a T). (When the campaign gets embarrassed and takes this article down, you can find its cached version here.)

Now, compare that to what happened on the House floor Friday afternoon, when Hastert and his cronies literally gang-raped consumers on behalf of Big Oil, and lifted environmental standards for the sake of Big Oil, and gave the rights to closed military bases to Big Oil on top. All for the sake of reducing the price of oil in the (relatively) short-term. The future consequences of today's legislation passage, if enacted, are devastating throughout the Gulf Coast region over the long-term.

And if the rules you have written don't suit your purpose, just change them along the way.

Alison at Philosophe Forum has done a great job of rounding up the major points of Friday's Republican victory on the House floor.

It's nothing more than shameless grandstanding (idiotic, really, if you consider all the facts known today). Squandered leadership, Hastert-style. Lies masquarading as leadership, pretending to be experienced and knowledgable. You twist arms, and threaten colleagues with ruin if they don't help you in your task to do someone else's bidding.

And then the money flows into the party from K Street, which is similarly threatened with a form of extermination if they don't start heaping the cash on Republicans, instead of "the other side." It flows like warm, pan gravy over chicken. And they choke it down like wild-eyed hogs.

Hastert is in league with the players who destroyed Jim Wright, the last powerful Democratic House Speaker, for extending votes, charging that Wright's wife was somehow being paid by his company in an alleged ghost payroll scheme. Wright was no saint. Hastert's mentor, Newt Gingrich, to this day calls Wright a crook. No doubt Hastert does, too.

Somehow, apparently, Jim Wright's sins were worse than the hundreds of billions of dollars of Your Money (as Junior likes to say) the team of Blunt Hastert and DeLay has given to corporate welfare queens, denying their oversight responsibility altogether.

But you know who the real crooks are.

And you know squandered leadership when you see it. It's not hard work to twist the arms of your colleagues until they yield to your zeal to put party over nation on every vote. It's hard work to live with someone else's convictions when they differ from yours.

And you know it's not hard work to turn over war powers to one man; hard work is study, deliberation and compromise. You know it's not hard work to hand over federal lands to the wealthiest, most profitable entities our country has ever known. It's not hard work to gut environmental protections for neighboring communities of the new refineries you'll be paying for at the pump.

Hard work is saying no to the mighty and powerful, and standing up for the least of our society who are being left behind; those left choking on the additional tons of toxins being pumped into the atmosphere, preparing to freeze this coming winter.

You know who the crooks are. They dress nicely and collect large salaries made up of your money, and they snicker amongst themselves as they call each other "gentleman" in front of the C-SPAN cameras, and speak of their lofty "values" and thank the "leadership" for its support.

The Rule of Law.

I hope Henry Hyde's kids dial in this post and pass it on to the shriveled up old fart.

The ever-important "Rule of Law" argument was in play with the "Hank" Hyde crowd during impeachment. Remember? Henry wanted to be sure the rule of law remained intact, because the president may have been fellated by someone other than his wife (and there may be bits of evidence that could be scattered about and discussed ad nauseum on cable news for months, thereby achieving the real goal of politically smearing Bill Clinton).

Now comes, presumably, a new defendant, Karl Rove.

Is the "Rule of Law" argument still important? What's more important here: exposing a man for lying about being blown by someone other than his wife, thereby embarrassing him and presumably spoiling any possible monumentally positive legacy he may leave behind? Or is it more important to see to it that those who would expose a career operative for the CIA -- for sheer political gain -- and lie about it to a federal grand jury, receive the penalty of the fullest extent of the law?

My links go to salon.com tonight for a good reason. For what you just spent for Friday night on the town, you could easily buy a year's subscription of Salon Premium content. Think about it.

(the nickel disclaimer: I'm not paid by salon and I don't represent anybody. It's really good stuff from a wide variety of great writers like Conason.)

Uh-Oh...

It's very bad news for the team of Blunt Hastert and Delay when a Conservative writer offers the following:

"The GOP began to sell out its principles shortly after seizing control of Congress in 1994, but the abuses continue to grow. Today, as a few courageous House fiscal conservatives press for offsets against the virtually unlimited spending proposed in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Speaker and his coterie have acted like a woman scorned. Preaching unity, they have trashed any Republican suggesting that free-spending bail-outs are not the conservative way."It's especially bad when it appears in a featured column spot in the American Spectator magazine, and is then picked up by the Libertarian Cato Institute. The very worst part is that the author, Doug Bandow, has some very Reagan credentials.

See? Independents responsible for Reagan's success are finally fleeing the sinking ship.

My advice: If Denny is home for the weekend, you'll want to stay out of all the Dunkin' Donuts and Krispy Kremes in the district. Somebody's gonna be bingin'.

Just Another Day at the Office.

Alleged money-laundering-former-Majority-leader Tom DeLay described the news last week as just another day at the office. Sure. When you're a criminal enterprise all on your own, an indictment by a grand jury on conspiracy and money-laundering charges is like a little deadline pressure before you can get out to lunch.

It was a pleasure to witness today's "day at the office," as Republicans (including DeLay), who thought they could ram a controversial energy bill down the throats of Congressional Democrats, faced a demonstration of power by Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Minority whip Steny Hoyer. Democrats lost the vote by 2 votes, but wouldn't go quietly. And a process Blunt, Hastert and DeLay thought would roll through in 5 minutes took a record 40 minutes of arm-twisting.

Heh. Tough day at the office, boys? Hey, it's Friday. You're not going look any better than you did today, so let it hang out.

Have a donut and a cocktail on the Wal-Mart jet on your way home, Denny.

Karl Rove: October Mook Pullout Section

This adbusters post gets the credit for the great image, btw.

I missed the Mook of the Week last Friday. But this week I'll more than make up for it.

We could even call it the Spooky Kook Traitor and Mook of the Month for October, since this is the month that Karl Rove will almost undoubtedly be indicted for anything from criminal conspiracy charges, to lying to a federal grand jury, or even committing treason by revealing the name of a CIA operative. And let's not forget that that would all have been for political gain. No matter who the traitor is, that was always the motive behind their ugly deeds.

My bet is that Rove's testimony today is the legalese equivalent of the wolf who chews his own leg off to get out of a trap. This is the fourth time around, and he has supposedly "volunteered to come in." Funny that would happen as Editor & Publisher was reporting that the indictments "could come at any time."

From my humble POV, this proves once again that there is a God. Or a Gog. Or Magog.

The Diesel Fuel Crisis.

Jesus. This is nothing short of, well, another wet blanket on all of us to make the coming freeze even more lovely.

Now, before anyone reads this and says, See?? Diesel's not going to do us any good, either!" remember that diesel is only one piece of the puzzle.

Rudolph Diesel envisioned two things with his invention: Higher efficiency and bio fuel. Diesel-powered automobiles can achieve both. Remember, you're not pulling 13-60 tons, the description of a semi-tractor trailer in Illinois. As for bio-diesel, from what I'm told, you can convert a diesel fuel-powered engine to run on peanut- or french fry oil with a kit.

Once there, consumers finally begin to get Big Oil by the nuts (pun intended), and when that happens, we start to break out of this oil-driven energy market and consumers will drive the prices again.

Why isn't Denny Hastert talking about these things from behind the mike every single day? It's Friday. The work week is almost over in D.C. Do you know where your Speaker of the House is today?

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Questions Remain on Deaths

The White Eagle Golf Club murders of Jimmy & Kate Tsao and her parents.

What a horrible story. I can remember what a nice city Aurora was 25 years ago.

Question Authority.

Reagan made "Trust, but verify" the phrase.

Let's just forget that and go back to Timothy Leary.

Trust Yourself. Question Authority.

John Aravosis gets it right.

Bush, Hastert-led Congress in the Toilet.

I think that's a generous assertion. And don't believe any tough-talking Texan who says he doesn't pay much attention to polls. They sweat these every single day. But how bad does it have to get before Junior and the USS Hastert get the picture?

This isn't fun anymore, this game you've been playing. It's tired. You're no good for us anymore -- We want our money back.

The latest CBS poll shows that only 37% of those polled give Bush a favorable opinion of the job he's doing. And that's the good part. 58% have an unfavorable opinion of the President (64% of Independents disapprove, and that's very bad for any Republican).

• 26% of the public says the country is on the right track;
• 69% say the country is on the wrong track;
• 32% approve of Bush's handling of the U.S. economy;
• 32% approve of Bush's handling of Iraq;
• 22% have "a lot" of confidence in the President's appointees;
• 10% believe the economy is getting better.

The news for Hastert and Congress, is less than dismal, although apparently none of these things matter to mule-blindered wonks like Hastert. Actually, that's not entirely fair, although Hastert is like a giant mule with blinders, and he is a wonk. Republicans don't care about polling on Congress because the opinion is usually piss-poor (since the Gingrich era began in the '80s), and Dems fare only a bit better.

31 percent of Americans now approve of the job Congress is doing, and 57 percent disapprove. Approval of Congress has never been high, but since March it has been especially low, at about a third. And while most Americans view neither the Democrats nor the Republicans positively, Democrats fare slightly better. But if you look at another poll (one with I tend to follow more regularly for a baseline number, rather than the CBS poll), the numbers are worse yet, at least as far as trend is concerned. Bush has been heading down into the swirl since the election. Congress, on the other hand, has been there scrubbing the throat of the bowl for some time.

Bush Drinking Again

In an effort to clarify something that I wrote yesterday, which prompted a record number of visitors to this blog, let me just say that if George W. Bush is drinking again, I just hope that Laura is again keeping a fresh pot of strong coffee on the stove-top at all times. And I hope he admits, once and for all, that the problem is not with beer, as he's said in the past. No pictures I've ever seen of his physique support that. And I've known guys with beer bellies in their twenties. No, no. It's strong stuff that can be sneaked.

With that said, I will also say that I'm alarmed at the huge number of visitors who found 50 Miles Out of the Loop yesterday as a result of the search phrase, "Bush drinking again." What's more: they came from government offices in Illinois and DC, from the military, and from religious organizations. Many of them also read other posts, so I'm grateful for the new readers. And, Hmmm... does that mean some of the Republican faithful are doubting their leader?

So, in an effort to recoup what must have been hundreds who couldn't reach blogspot sites for two hours last night (during Google's planned maintenance), I am attempting to blogwhore (via Google) another huge round of visitors with this post, as you can now see from the name in the heading.

I also believe he's doing something strong again. I've seen this behavior before. Big Thanks to Brother Kenya for the great photo.

Why does Denny Hastert hate the country so much that he would continue to hang on to this chemically dependent President?

Al Gore Delivers Another Thought-Provoking Speech

Former Next President of the United States Al Gore delivered yet another fine speech on a wide range of topics yesterday at The Media Center's We Media05 conference, hosted by the AP.

Every Liberal should either take a 20-minute "smoke break" and read the text here, or listen to the speech. It's a 20MB file for those of you of limited privacy at work or lower bandwidth.

I'm not jumping in and saying Al Gore should be our nominee in '08, but Liberals should give Gore more credit than he has been given these past five years. If you want talking points for 2006, you've got a whole bunch right there. Get to work, Democrats.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Off Topic. Video iPod?

Steve Jobs is a genius. The world's greatest genius.

Forbes Magazine and other news outlets are reporting that Apple will announce the first video iPod next Wednesday, October 12.

First thought: Damn. I'm on the road and will probably miss the webcast.

Second thought: Forget the Nano you were trying to justify. Wait until the announcement on 10/12.

Last thought: Put the existing iPods up one eBay tonight and buy the Nano. Then be the first in line next Wednesday. Somehow...

Hastert Mentor Cheney:
Prepare for Decades of War.

Refreshing candor, considering his statements in the recent past.

Seems like only a few months ago, (right around the time that photo was snapped) Cheney remarked that the insurgency was "in its final throes."

And gosh, it seems like some time last summer Cheney was using despicable scare tactics to try to convince voters they had a chance to keep us from getting "hit again."

And here's some of the garbage that Hastert spouts, as a result of the mentoring from Big-Time Dick:

“If there is any doubt why we are in Iraq, one must only remember the events of September 11th, when the terrorists attacked our nation. We took the war to the terrorists, rather than waiting for them to attack again. It was the right thing to do..."I'll try to remember that (and this) when the first kid from Yorkville comes home in a rubber bag with a floor-length zipper on the front.

An Open Letter To The Governor Of Illinois

Owing to the nature of blogs, I've decided to re-post this letter every now and then until I see an appropriate level of response from our guardians of the public trust.

Governor Blagojevich,

I noted your remarks during your visit here in August with regard to the growth of the area and the proposed limited access highway now part of the Federal Transportation Bill for 2006. Now I am asking for your direct and immediate action as the Chief Executive of the State of Illinois.

I am asking that you issue an executive order disallowing the $209 million in federal dollars earmarked for the Prairie Parkway project, known in Kendall and Kane counties as the "Hastert Highway."

The disastrous situation on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi has made it clear once and for all that Washington's priorities over the past five years have begun to jeopardize our nation's future solvency.

It is becoming increasingly clear that when the final toll is taken, Washington will likely pay more than a thousand fold what it could have spent in the past three years to repair the levee system around the city of New Orleans.

If find it more than ironic that as a big blue, capital "L," Liberal, I am the first one making this suggestion in public. I could be wrong about that, but I don't think so.

Mr. Governor, we don't need to waste another $209 million to "study" the parkway site for another three years. Seventy-percent of area motorists believe the answer to our highway problems in this high-growth area lie in existing roadways. We've already told IDOT that in their own survey, and in town hall meetings.

Someone has not been listening.

The Prairie Parkway is very unpopular in the fastest growing and most populated counties where it would become reality, Kane and Kendall, and no doubt such a plan would bring construction jobs to the area. In several years.

Those jobs could be created right now with that money, with Illinois labor and machinery. But it should happen in Louisiana and Mississippi. And now the Gulf Coast of Texas is at risk.

Putting aside all the questions about Mr. Hastert's land purchase near one of the rejected corridors -- while the study was still under way -- and a larger discussion of who benefits from the "Prairie Parkway's" curious, circuitous route, and whose property is divided, what town will be decimated, I am simply asking you to put a stop to this waste.

Additionally, I am requesting your intervention in a renewed effort to expand IL Rt. 47 from I-88 in the north to I-80 in the south, the most direct route between the two interstate highways, and the most logical place for any highway work to begin now.

Illinois Route 47 has been ignored by IDOT for years (of Republican leadership in the state). Mr. Hastert is known by many to have said that Route 47 expansion would mean the elimination of quaint towns like Elburn and Yorkville (his hometown). In fact, Elburn is not involved, and as far as Yorkville is concerned there are now plans underway to improve IL 47 through the city.

Already, truckers loathe the time spent on IL 47 in the afternoon hours, and many intersections on the route have become more dangerous for local motorists now commuting this booming corridor.

This is not a Conservative vs. Liberal notion. It's not about Democrats and Republicans. This is about the future solvency of the U.S. Treasury, and helping ensure that our children and grandchildren don't have to forever pay for our lack of governance and oversight. Illinois, as one of the largest, most diverse and populous states should be out front setting an example.

Mr. Governor, issue an executive order to scuttle the Prairie Parkway plan now under study by IDOT. We don't need rain forests in Iowa. We don't need a half billion dollars worth of bridges in Alaska that only serve a few thousand people. And we sure as hell don't need the Prairie Parkway carving up some of the richest farmland on the face of the earth, and increasing the federal deficit.

At the end of the day, Mr. Blagojevich, put IDOT's nose on the pavement in Sugar Grove, looking south to Morris. Because the focus should be on IL Rt. 47 expansion and improvement, instead.

Yours,
HRC

Market's Going Well. How About Social Security Reform?

I notice the market is going very well today (if you're a self-sodomy freak kind of investor). The Dow is tickling its knees and thighs around the 10,400 mark, on its way to grabbing its ankles (likely by the end of the year).

Gee. Now would be the time I'd want to have my Social Security poured into such a market! It's low! It's bound to go up!

Now's the time to call your congressman, Denny "J. Dennis" Hastert and order him to get Social Security on the floor of the House for debate. Right Now!

D.C. Office

Batavia District Office

Dixon Regional Office

Geneseo Regional Office

And don't forget the most important part: That you want it all invested in the Bank of God-Damned Japan and China. Because, thanks to "The Coach," they're going to own your ass if you don't get the jump on owning a piece of them.

Preparing For Our Worst Winter. Ever.

Really, I know I'm not alone in that I'll be practicing how to freeze to death these next few nights. The furnace is not coming on until it's absolutely necessary. And I don't need some $200,000-a-year mook to glibly spell out the need for energy conservation at this critical time. Nor do I need a moronic, multi-million-dollar cartoon character (that typifies Hastert's lack of budget oversight) to tell me what to do when I'm on the verge of either freezing or going broke.

I've just run the numbers, which I've been dreading since Katrina pummeled the natural gas terminals. It's every bit as ugly as Jim Kunstler spells out in his writing:

The serious public conversation of our energy predicament has not begun, and when it does it will be too late. In the background of all this, an economy based on suburban sprawl and easy motoring is going to absolutely fall on its ass, and that means a much quicker end to the housing bubble than we might have expected a month ago. It might also lead to both the demise of the airline industry and the nationalization of what remains of it. It will certainly quash any remaining faith that such an economy can produce wealth, which is what the financial markets are based on, so look out below on Wall Street.I'm estimating ours as $500-600/mo gas bills. Easy. And that's if I keep the thermostat low.

Read some more Kunstler and tell me the Hastert Highway is still a good idea. Tell me Hastert's worthless energy bill, with the grandstanding speeches in front of the gas station in DC will do anything for us this winter, or even next year.

Tell me ignoring the need for energy conservation and meaningful, transformational energy policy for the past 25 years because they could associate those things with Jimmy Carter and spin it into more power for the powerful wasn't the aim of the Republican Party all along.

If my Baptist upbringing serves me correctly, Lucifer is preparing a nice little corner for these greedy bastards.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

The Missed Opp in the Photo Opp

This little baby is the C7 Inline-6 Turbo truck engine. More about it in a minute.

Among the many missed opportunities of the past 5 years of the Bush administration, "Coach" Hastert is entirely responsible for this fumble. While Large Dennis had the great idea to host the Transportation Bill signing here at the Caterpillar Montgomery plant, absolutely nothing was said about one of that company's greatest success stories.

Most people know Caterpillar for its heavy equipment. Dozers of all shapes and locomotive ability are commonly referred to as "Cats" the world over. And truthfully, we know that very little heavy equipment sales would emerge from the massive pork-stuffed Bill that signed over $287 billion over to the most irresponsible Congress in history. For instance, how much of that $209 million for the Hastert Highway will go toward equipment? None. That's for "study" over the next three years.

Although it might have been a better piece for the Energy Bill (which was apparently written with only energy companies in mind), Caterpillar could very well be the country's biggest untapped resource for energy savings, and changing the course of our transportation needs.

Not everyone knows that Caterpillar is one of the world's largest manufacturers of high-speed diesel engines.

Now, before you get all hyped up, keep in mind that the C7, pictured above, is a turbo truck engine. Truck, as in heavy. Caterpillar doesn't currently make automobile engines per se. If you want to build an RV or a fire engine or ambulance, that's your baby. Cat has been designing and building diesel engines for over 75 years now. But they remain virtually untapped by Detroit for engine design and manufacturing. Sure, GM is pushing the compressed natural gas engine and a "bi-fuel" gasoline/ethanol model (intentionally sounds like "bio-diesel" but isn't). But there are exactly 7 "AFV" dealers in Illinois, for instance, and filling stations are few and far between. Diesel is being ignored by US automakers.

And we all know how well GM did when they converted gas-burning engines to diesel in the 80s (the blocks cracked at the higher temperatures). We'll watch them continue to lose market share, stockholders, etc. again.

Volkswagen, on the other hand, is kicking Detroit's ass again. This time with the TDI turbo diesel (estimated 42mpg HWY in the Jetta). My friend Ingemar has one of these and tools along very quickly and efficiently on the Autobahn every morning and night. He says he gets roughly 50mpg.

So why don't our leaders talk about diesel, and the easy conversion you could make to bio-diesel? If you look at who our president is and consider his background, and then read the history of diesel technology, it'll start to come in more clearly.

Why does Denny Hastert follow these slothful, backward thinkers who would rather rake in profits from your skin and mine? Is he in on the game?

Dick Cheney

As Scarface. Funniest thing I've seen in ages.

Get the kids out of the room. This is not clean.

Thanks to Crooks & Liars.

Is Bush Drinking Again, or Is It Coke?

How could anyone watching that smirking, condescending, defensive frat boy prick giving a news conference not come away wondering? My friends who used to do cocaine recreationally in the 80s say the jaw thing is a side-effect of the coke.

But the defensive attitude? The drawn, bone-tired appearance day after day... You know there are few electrolytes and brain cells emitting signals, hence the miserable vocabulary.

You know, when the Mission to Mars was proclaimed a couple years ago, I thought, "Jesus, this guy is on drugs again." Then we quickly saw it was another calculated move to hog the spotlight while something horrid was being hatched in the other wing of the White House.

I know it's hard work, being preznit an' all, an' his luck ain't been too good lately.

Just the same, I'm not sure I want to be on the planet when this guy goes off the deep end. Having known plenty of chemically dependent types in my life, I'm reading Bush as a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.

Monday, October 03, 2005

IS HASTERT'S RELIABLE BUDDY, JERRY WELLER, A HOMOSEXUAL?

Here's the story.

Sorry. But I still remember the little spinning eyeballs on Hastert's website when the Starr Report was released, that pointed to the link with the dancing graphic that said: "LOOK."

And I don't do what my webbish friends call "dancing baloney."

I really don't have a problem with someone's personal preferences. Hell, my neighors all shop at the Plano Super Wal-Mart.

So I think it's only fitting that I refer you to this verry interesting link about the second-worst public official in Illinois history, Jerry Weller.

Nice job of posting by my most-admired friends over at K3 Voices.

Boy Ingemunson

OK. That was easy. BOY.

WTF is this??:

YOU CAN'T FUCKING SPELL (first of all)???!

Let's revisit some of this:

Involvement

(because I have to be to practice law in IL)

(because I have to be to practice law in this county)

(which costs $20)

(which means I'm a Republican who at least tolerates Catholics)

(a position I'm probably too old to hold)

(a position my dad got me because he said it'd be good for me)

Kendall County Democrats: Got any ideas from this?

"Hand-Me-Down" State's Attorney

In an effort to avoid a long post, I deliberately avoided a missive about the argument of whether it's a good thing or not that Young Ingemunson is running for his Daddy's old public payroll job.

Of course, it makes sense for a Democrat to run. That way, the campaign lasts about a year. Otherwise, with the local media the way it is, it only lasts about two months.

If Young Ingemunson's qualified, and presumably more qualified than some other contender, what the heck.

But I doubt it.

I know a couple of attorneys who would wipe the floor with this young, fresh-faced kid, but who won't run because they're "Republicans." Reagan Republicans, at that.

And here is why Young Ingemunson is running:

Swear to God: That's all there is in the section on Young Ingemunson's website about his desire to hold public office.

Why in the world can't Democrats in Kendall County find an attorney to take this Hand-Me-Down job away from little Boyd?

Maybe now is the time to talk to a guy in Plano named Russell Baker and see if he still has the fire in his belly to run for public office. As a Democrat.

Young Ingemunson Entering Political Scene

Anyone who's anyone in the area knows all about Dallas. Not Texas. Ingemunson.

He's the guy who got behind a big lovable lug named Hastert way back in the Reagan years, and, presumably following the Reagan-made candidate mold (putting the affable lugs up as the front men for the schemers and dirty dealers) propelled "the Coach" from a position of not being able to win a primary race, to one of power and influence. Or the appearance of it, anyway.

Presumably, the antique auto collection grew considerably during that time (but, you know, every high school wrestling coach from Paw Paw to Coal City has 10 or 15 classic beauties in a rented building somewhere, right?).

I was aware of this, but since no Democrat has run for Kendall County State's Attorney since, I dunno, Prohibition, I wasn't paying much attention until I read a friend's email this afternoon. Here's a bit of it:

YELLOW ELEPHANT

First of all, how funny is the yellow elephant on his button? Talk about not being with it...

In the same message, my friend reminded me of a guy named Russell Baker who ran in the primary against Tim McCann a few years ago. When he brought up McCann's miserable conviction rate (something like less than 50% on felony cases) he was all but run out of town.

Without reprinting our email exchange verbatim, suffice to say we both wonder why in the world the local Democrats don't look up Russell Baker and get him to run as a Democrat. It only makes sense to have someone out there from now until next November. This one party county probably couldn't handle that, though.

Any Kendall County Dems might want to mention something at the next meeting.

Hastert a Heartbeat Away From Money-Laundering Scheme

Well, this was refreshing to see in the press today:

I was wondering when we were going to use the proper language and call the whole thing what it really is.

Honestly, now, if $190,000 is collected -- illegally or not -- and then filtered through another organization in the same amount in an effort to legitimize it, that's money-laundering.

If it happens to be part of the "election reform" these bastards ushered in in the past 11 years, then it's called institutional money-laundering.

50 Miles Out of the Loop