The Huffington Post has an excellent map-app for following the money in the Presidential Campaign, check out the map for Las Vegas campaign contributions.

Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton clashed sharply in a high-stakes one-on-one debate on Tuesday, accusing each other of falsely portraying their stances on health care, trade and other issues. (Obama and Clinton clash in testy debate)

In a desperate move to salvage her campaign, Hillary--our very own Lady Macbeth--has unleashed what one campaign official called a "'kitchen sink" approach, hoping that something will stop the slide which now shows Obama ahead in Ohio and Texas in several polls.

As Dick Morris, former Bill Clinton campaign manager, puts it in discussing Hillary's pressure on Democrat Superdelegates and her wish to seat Florida delegates:

The Clintons' approach is driving voters into Obama's arms in droves. What better example of what he calls "old-style Washington politics" than the use of superdelegates to nullify the will of the voters?

National tracking polls show Obama gaining almost daily - and all now put him in the lead. That reflects popular anger at the Clintons' tactics. (Hillary on the Rocks)

Is Obama ready to lead a nation? I have doubts that any sane person could or would but his experience in surmounting the "Clinton Machine" gives him better credentials than Bill Clinton ever had or Hillary ever will.

In the last Democratic debate Clinton gave us the "sincere" moment in her closing reminiscent of her "tearful" moment in New Hampshire which raised her to a primary win in NH. For anyone who believes that any of those moments are real, those people haven't really known an attorney. Sincerity is where ever the money is coming from.

And yet, just when the pundits declared her closing statement as her valedictorian moment and applauded the high tone she took, Clinton has finally let her anger loose. Holy entitled place in history, Batman, Hillary just can't believe that people could like another Democrat better than her; for that matter neither can Bill who decided to tell Texans that if Hillary doesn't win Texas, it is their fault, not the Clintons. With another campaign policy shift hoping to revive her position, Hillary is "merely strutting her hour upon the stage, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" to paraphrase Shakespeare.

From the Los Angeles Times:

In a move to salvage her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Rodham Clinton adopted a newly bellicose tone toward rival Barack Obama on Saturday, saying he was making false and shameful attacks on her record.

The New York senator mocked Obama's speaking skills and his power to draw tens of thousands of supporters to rallies that have dwarfed her more modest events.

Yes, Clinton just can't believe that Obama would dare to have bigger rallies than her, but the sudden passionate anger is too little, too petty, and most likely too late.

Just a few excerpts on Cybercast News Service you might not see in mainstream media.

According to recent reports, the cost of Massachusetts' health insurance mandate will rise 85 percent, or $400 million, in 2009. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), meanwhile, has been on the presidential campaign trail praising the program he put into place.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) if he thought former President Clinton was telling the truth about some of Sen. Barack Obama's statements, Kerry said: "I think that there have been some unfortunate distortions of Barack Obama's positions that are not appropriate on any campaign in any campaign circumstances by anybody." When Bill Clinton lies, Dems obfuscate; Kerry certainly wasn't so polite over swiftboat ads.

A photograph of a smiling Bill and Hillary Clinton standing beside Tony Rezko surfaced on the Internet as well as on network and cable television Friday... In a Democratic debate last week, Sen. Clinton blasted Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for doing legal work for Rezko - "your contributor ... in his slum landlord business in inner-city Chicago."

A group that lobbies for needle exchanges, for allowing more immigrants with HIV/AIDS to legally enter the country, and for condom distribution in prisons received a $303,000 federal earmark pushed by Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.). That was one of the 261 earmarks Clinton personally helped usher through Congress. I guess Hillary didn't get the memo against earmarks that Pelosi was distributing in Congress when she vowed that the new Democratic Congress would end the practices enjoyed by Republicans. Then again, the other Dems didn't read it either.

The New York Times - admitting its has "strong disagreements with all the Republicans running for president," has nevertheless endorsed Sen. John McCain for the Republican presidential nominee, bypassing former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whom the newspaper endorsed for re-election in 1997.
...
the [Times] editorial called him "a narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man who saw no need to limit police power. Racial polarization was as much a legacy of his tenure as the rebirth of Times Square ... [his] arrogance and bad judgment are breathtaking." But they liked him when New York became safe enough to walk to work.

*Conservative, Dull, Reaganesque, Lazy, Slow to Go, etc.

Republican Fred Thompson, the actor-politician who attracted more attention as a potential presidential candidate than as a real one, quit the race for the White House on Tuesday after a string of poor finishes in early primary and caucus states. For more go to Fred Thompson Quits Presidential Race.

Thompson becomes the biggest loser on the Republican side and joins the likes of Democrats Biden, Dodd, and Richardson as big name politicians who weren't generating much excitement. Thompson, with uncanny savvy, timed his entrance into the race with the Hollywood writers strike and was never able to recover from his early lack of memorable lines.

Steve Miller reports in CFP that although the Nevada caucus is over, "several issues emerged that help define the woman selected to be the state Democratic Party's nominee.

First and foremost, it took dozens of translators stationed in the caucus locations to help the majority of Clinton supporters understand speeches and fill out their ballots. These "voters" who could neither speak nor write in our nation's language were asked (in Spanish) to sign a document attesting to the fact that they were in the United States legally. After obediently doing so, the majority voted for Hillary Clinton at caucus locations within the hotels where they're employed."

Just a quick note...Spanish is the official language of Mexico, while politicians work hard to make sure that English never becomes the official language of the United States. That way they can keep directing the Spanish speaking immigrants both legal and illegal on how to vote. Perhaps in twenty years Spanish will become the official language of the U.S. Other countries in our hemisphere that have made Spanish the official language: Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatamala, virtually all Latin American countries except Brazil (Portuguese)...well, I suppose you see the picture. We are practically the only country in this hemisphere without an official language.

After looking at Hillary's support group, I wonder if Steve has any information on whether Cook County (Illinois) politician and presidential hopeful, Barack Obama, has or had any ties to our infamous University Medical Center scandal perpetrator, Lacy Thomas, who came to us from Chicago.

After all the hype, all Harry Reid's strutting, and even a Democratic debate at UNLV, only 33 percent of Nevada's voters said they would definitely or probably attend their party's Jan. 19 presidential caucuses, according to a statewide poll conducted for the Reno Gazette-Journal and published Sunday.

Add in the long campaign season, lackluster candidates, caucus complexities, and just fighting traffic and seasonal affective disorder--it's dark too early--and the actual turnout should be quite a bit lower, about the 20 percent who come out to give Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman his "mandate."

Yes I know...Las Vegas hosted a Democratic debate hoping to bring some attention to the Nevada caucus which is suffering from a complete lack of interest.

Hillary used it to expand the vast right wing conspiracy to now include Democrats who question her moveable stance on the issues...John Edwards is promising that third place is where he strategically wants to be for his big finish...and UNLV student Maria Parra Sandoval ended the evening with the question: "Do you prefer diamonds or pearls?"

It's time to raise the voting age to 30 and designate UNLV as simply a large, four year day care center.

[Former MA Governor Mitt] Romney recently suggested that he believes the GOP primary is going to come down to Giuliani and a more conservative candidate. (MSN.com)

I didn't know Mitt had even noticed Mike Huckabee. This just might be a possible Republican ticket--Giuliani and Huckabee. And on the Democrat side Obama was a bit premature considering Gore as V.P, possibility when Senator Clinton has locked down the nomination. Do you suppose Al Gore would like to spend another eight years as a Clinton machine lapdog, I mean V.P.?

The L.A. Times reported last week that, "[D]ishwashers, waiters and others whose jobs and dilapidated home addresses seem to make them unpromising targets for political fundraisers are pouring $1,000 and $2,000 contributions into Clinton's campaign treasury. In April, a single fundraiser in an area long known for its gritty urban poverty yielded a whopping $380,000.

Along with the problems with Norman Hsu and the long recognized Chinese money connections associated with Bill Clinton's presidential runs, it seems that Hillary Clinton is seriously compromised by Chinese influence in the form of illegal contributions through phoney donations. When will people stop being mesmerized by the Clinton machine and ask why another Clinton presidency is so important to China? It's time to stop listening to what she says and simply look at what she does--collect money the old fashion way, i.e. as quid pro quo.

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that everytime Sen. Hillary Clinton is asked about an issue she begins with, "[Insert Name of Interviewer Here], I am deeply concerned over this issue." and usually followed with, "As you know, I have worked tirelessly on the issue of [Insert Name of Issue Here] as Senator and when my husband, [Insert Bill here], was in the White House." ???

Scriptwriter please...we need a rewrite. Oh, well, it's working fine and I'm sure that Hillary will be the Democratic nominee for president; I just am not as sure of the VP--although Obama is popular I can't see the Clinton machine welcoming him into the inner circle and Edwards already blew his chances by spending $400 on a haircut as a hopeful where, as president in 1993, Bill Clinton's haircuts only cost $200.

I was flipping channels the other night--since I never had the money to flip houses or stocks--and on PBS was a debate. I have to admit it sounded like a presidential debate but it sure didn't look like one. Each time I look, the candidates appear to be more and more obscure. This debate included the slightly known Brownback and Huckabee, with Reps. Duncan Hunter of California, Ron Paul of Texas and Tom Tancredo of Colorado, and conservative activist Alan L. Keyes, who are virtually invisible to the regular media.

Without a doubt the other Republicans were doing "real" campaigning at the time--collecting the big donations needed to buy a White House.

Obviously a slow week in the ponderous decade long run for the 2008 election as the mainstream media picks up on what appears to be a Dick Morris article on Hillary's "spontaneous" laughter and her belief that the Clintons are still the targets of a "vast right-wing conspiracy" and that they are alone and under attack despite their manifest virtue and singular desire to do good.
.

When I hear Hillary laugh, I can't help being reminded of another cackler:
"Well, my little pretty, I can cause accidents too!"
And,
"Give me the Presidency! I'm the only one that knows how to use it. It's of no use to you."
Opps, I mean...
"Give me back my slippers! I'm the only one that knows how to use them. They're of no use to you."
[Some quoted lines are from The Wizard of Oz from MGM.]

From Fined group tied to Hillary
Officials of a defunct pro-Democratic group that was hit with a near-record campaign-finance fine last month hold strong ties to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, documents show.

At least four persons who worked for the America Coming Together (ACT) fundraising group, which the Federal Election Commission recently fined $775,000, work directly for the Clinton campaign or hold top positions with consulting firms hired by it.

Fundraiser for Mrs. Clinton and other Democrats, Norman Hsu remains in jail without bond on charges he bilked investors in a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Senator Barbara
Cegavske, Commissioner Rory Reid and Mayor Oscar Goodman, joined Ed in '08
Campaign Chairman Roy Romer and other leaders at the Clark County
Government Center, during the campaign's state-wide kick-off in Las Vegas
today, to challenge the presidential candidates to lay out their plans to
fix America's public schools.

"The presidential candidates recognize that Nevada is a key primary
battle ground state," said Romer, as he was flanked by parents, teachers
and school reform advocates. "I urge all voters to send a message to the
candidates: Tell them they must stand up to the special interests that
oppose fundamental reforms because America's failing schools are a national
crisis that can only be solved with strong leadership."

Strong American Schools' Ed in '08 campaign, an up to $60 million
nonpartisan effort supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The
Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, urges the candidates to put forth a plan
of action to implement stronger American standards, ensure that there is an
effective teacher in every classroom and increase time and support for
student learning.

In our society today we will NEVER have an effective teacher in every classroom.

5. If Nevada wanted to raise education standards, it could simply raise taxes on the "corporation" that controls all of Nevada: Gaming! Nevada taxes casinos at the lowest rate of any state or country in the world. But we know that won't happen, because that would take "strong" leadership, something sorely lacking in Nevada.

6. There is just something basically wrong with expecting "fixes" to come from the federal level; it was the failing state of education which led to the "No Child Left Behind Act" which has caused school administrators to creatively find ways to skew numbers so they can remain in hiding, and done little to change education at its most fundamental levels--raise the damn bar back to where it was forty years ago when our county put men on the moon using slide rules.

And it is really time that we seek out talented people and pay them what they are worth to be teachers and truly forget about the obscenely overpaid celebrity monkeys making the news on ESPN or ET. The next news story on TV about O.J. Simpson, Brittney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, try turning off the TV; instead, read a book to or with a child; I guarantee you will survive.

Posted on the Glenn Beck website is this transcript of a show from a week ago where Glenn plays part of an interview that was held at WPLR in New Haven, Connecticut. They had James Brolin (Mr. Barbra Streisand) on for an interview on a movie that he was doing, and it's on September 11th.

VOICE: Yeah, and so, you know, this is based on a true story and I don't know if the kid was there at the time. And, of course, they never really caught the guy and brought him into town in reality, but they sure as heck found him in one day where the CIA couldn't find him in several years, supposedly. So, you know, it's kind of a parody on how much we can't catch war criminals with all of our sophisticated stuff, you know.

VOICE: That's something we've been talking about a lot today on the show for obvious reasons, the sixth anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

VOICE: Right. Oh, yeah. Oh, happy 9/11.

VOICE: Well, that's kind of a weird thing to say.

VOICE: Silence.

VOICE: Yeah. Well, we're right outside of New York. I mean, I know people who lost family members. So I don't know. We don't say "Happy 9/11" around here.

VOICE: You celebrate the day, right?

VOICE: Well, we kind of commemorate the day by remembering the people who were lost and the families that they left behind.

And Americans seem to hang on the words of celebrities as if they had a special "truth." For the most part, I view celebrities as empty people looking for a script writer to give them a personality, a voice, and a statement. Also, judging by the number of "bombs" many celebrities embrace--I mean movies--a large number of Hollywood celebrities don't even have the brains to recognize a bad script.

And now a large number of people are pinning their hopes on Fred Thompson, as if his character on TV somehow translates to who he really is. Who he is should be judged by what he has done, not what his TV character says. Thompson has lobbied for special interests, such as Equitas--a British insurance company which tried to avoid paying for asbestos/cancer claims--a Tennessee savings and loan, Toyota, Perrier, and he and his past law firm even advised the lawyer working for the terrorists who brought down the Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie. See "Fred Thompson: Going Nowhere Fast" by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann.

Of course we have been hearing for weeks about the escapades of valued Democratic fund raiser and friend, Norman Hsu, who managed to raise some 850,000 dollars for Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign only to have it come out that Norman has been running Ponzi schemes for years and has apparently bilked investors out of several millions of dollars.

Now comes Ray Hunt, friend of the Bush family, advisor to the President, contributor to the George W. Bush Library, and owner of Hunt Oil to poison relations within Iraq.

Hunt Oil announced this month that, after secret negotiations, it had struck a deal with leaders in the country's Kurdish-controlled north to explore for oil in the Dahuk region near the Turkish border. News of the deal angered Iraqi Arab leaders, who saw it as a Kurdish power play for the country's oil resources, one that appeared to disrupt already fragile talks over a critical benchmark for peace: an agreement among the Sunni, Shiites and Kurds to share profits.

Republican Mitt Romney, a former one-term governor with a thin foreign-policy resume, argued Wednesday that the Senate tenures of his top Democratic presidential rivals don't automatically make them qualified to address world affairs.

"Sitting on committees in Washington does not guarantee that someone has the skills to solve the problems on the international stage," Romney told The Associated Press

And apparently Romney's foreign policy experience consists of spending 30 months in France as an LDS missionary in the 1960's. Along with the apparent gaffes committed by his staff in South Carolina, Mitt just may end up as more joke than serious candidate, except for the fact that the Mormons really wants to see him in the White House and will surely pay into his campaign coffers.

A Web site ridiculing Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson - dubbed PhoneyFred.org - turned out to be real bad news yesterday for GOP rival Mitt Romney.

The salacious site, which labeled Thompson "Playboy Fred" and worse, was linked yesterday to Romney's campaign, forcing the former Massachusetts governor's red-faced aides to disavow the site.

The incident - sparking the first real mudslinging in the Republican primary - began when cybersleuths connected the anti-Thompson site to Romney's top consultant in South Carolina, Warren Tompkins.

For more on how each candidate will spin this go to "Anti-Fred Thompson Web site linked to Mitt Romney."

It's nice to see that the candidates are hiring intelligent, professional juveniles to run their campaigns. Don't they have enough sense to leave this sort of behavior to the the rabid bloggers on the net?

A New Hampshire teenager's yearbook photo has been rejected, because she's holding a flower. Merrimack High School student Melissa Morin's senior photograph featured her and a small red flower. School officials, however, said the picture is not going to make it in the yearbook because props aren't allowed.

Wow! And this state gets to have the first primary! If you want to know what's wrong with education it's actions like this where common sense has been put to death and the foolish are in charge. And remember that this state ranks a lot higher than Nevada for education, which comes in at 49th, just a nudge ahead of Arizona. Think of all the crazy decisions Clark County schools will perform in the next couple of years before this state dies of thirst--I mean runs out of water.

In case you didn't care, there was a Republican debate in New Hampshire on Wednesday night. You probably didn't care much, also, about what the candidates had to say as we know they have pollsters and consultants and media people to help them present themselves as caring, well-informed leaders and not meglomaniacs with strange private agendas.

But a few people not only care about their candidates but wrote in to Fox News touting which candidate they felt won the debate.

From their responses I learned two things:
1. Many of those who wrote in have bad grammar; the only writers who make more grammatical mistakes are the hard core liberal bloggers.

2. These people are about as likely to agree on what they saw and heard as a committee made of equal numbers of pro-lifers and pro-choicers.

For fun, here are a few of the responses on who won the debate:

"I believe Rudy G. won the debate. "
"The clear winners were Giuliani, Romney, and Huckabee, in that order. Ron Paul is a very poor excuse for a Republican and should run with the other idiots on the Democrat side."
"MITT ROMNEY."
"Hands down, Mike Huckabee won the debate."
"Rudy Giuliani was the clear winner. "
"While McCain performed better than expected, I thought overall Romney won it. Giulani was just plain disappointing."
"I liked Huckabee and McCain."
"I believe that it was a toss-up between Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney."
"Ron Paul has just lost what sanity he ever had. "
"Ron Paul won."
"Ron Paul was the clear winner tonight!"
"I think that Ron Paul was the best in the debate! He is someone that speaks truth and isn't a phony, but he doesn't fit the powerful peoples' agendas!"
"The poll after the debate shows the clear leader of the pack. Ron Paul is the only hope for America."
"Huckabee is the who should win out of everyone....",
"I think Huckabee would be ideal, but I think Rudy is the one that can beat Hilary! Happy voting. Vote GOP!"
"I feel that Giuliani and Romney were very strong tonight."
"JOHN MCCAIN.
"McCain won hands down."
"Clearly, Ron Paul won the debate."
"Giuliani is far from impressing."
"Ron Paul won this debate."
"I like Tom Tancredo's stance on illegal immigration...."
"Mike Huckabee won the debate in my opinion."
"Clearly Ron Paul won the debate."
"Mitt Romney won the debate."
"Giuliani and McCain were my favorite. "
"John McCain. Romery was blah to me...."

"Fred Thompson wins hands down."

Hillary Clinton's handlers like to promote her image as an embattled warrior -- a relentless foot soldier dedicated to the dual crusades of fighting for the exalted principles of goodness and light while simultaneously defeating the ever-present forces of darkness and evil. A modern-day Celtic warrior queen or Joan of Arc -- that's the spin on Hillary.

But in reality, Hillary's favorite wars are much less lofty and much more self-centered and mean-spirited. Hillary emphatically comes from the "us versus them" school of American politics. Like Richard Nixon, the politician she so closely resembles, she sees the world in extraordinarily simple terms: there are those who agree with her and support her and then there's the rest of the world. Those who don't agree with her are bunched together and known collectively as "the enemy" -- that vast right wing conspiracy that must be vilified, beaten, and destroyed ... whatever it takes.

To Hillary, this easily quantifiable adversary is unquestionably the source of all evil. Therefore, any means of obliterating them is acceptable. She thrives on identifying, assailing, and defeating them. Her hatred for this ubiquitous enemy is actually a source of enormous strength -- it motivates her, energizes her, keeps her going and reminds her of her superiority.

Ouch! And this glowing analysis of the Hillary psyche doesn't come from the vast right wing conspiracy but from the man who orchestrated her husband's successful presidential runs, Dick Morris.

But what I want to know is why the Clintons can't seem to avoid getting mixed up with gangsters, crooks, and agents with Asian names, like John Huang, Charlie Trie, the Riadys of Indonesia. The latest Clinton donation relationship has blown up as the L.A. Times reported that Norman Hsu has been involved in several schemes that have Ponzi scheme all over the margins, who pleaded no contest to grand theft and agreed to serve up to three years in prison, and some past involvement with Chinese gangsters.

According to an article from Rebel Yell, Brad Lord-Leutwyler a Philosophy professor from UNLV is running to be the next leader of the United States. His platform, "give the people what they want."

From the article:

Last week, Lord-Leutwyler officially launched his independent campaign after his website, www.voteforbrad.com, had received 250,000 hits and his MySpace friends reached nearly the same number as Hillary Clinton's when her page first launched - close to 10,000.

These are impressive numbers for anyone with a background in philosophy. Let's see if he makes it to Steven Colbert.

A Reno Gazette-Journal poll conducted Aug. 14-16 by Research 2000 shows the frontrunners in Nevada both have substantial unfavorable ratings among the general voting pool in the state. Hillary Clinton has a 44 percent unfavorable rating compared to her favorablr rating of 43 percent. Similary, Mitt Romney has an unfavorable rating is 45 percent against a 40 percent favorable.

Probably more disconcerting for Republicans as they look ahead to the general is that only two of the frontrunners have positive favorability margins-- and they're tiny. Fred Thompson has a two-point spread (35 percent favorable to 33 percent unfavorable) and Rudy Giuliani has a one-poit spread (41 percent to 40 percent.)

The only frontrunners in either party to have favorable ratings substantially higher than their unfavorables are Obama, +15 points; Richardson, +13 points; and Edwards, +9 points.

Just seems to show that this will most likely be another contest involving people either simply following the easy route of supporting the frontrunner for the reason they want to say they voted for the winner, or they will cast their vote against a candidate rather than finding one they actually feel they can trust.

Regardless of anything else a Candidate says:

"My investments have been held in a blind trust, which means I have not directed where they invest nor do I know where they invest," said the former Massachusetts governor during a swing through Atlanta on Wednesday. "The trustee of the blind trust has said publicly that he will endeavor to make my investments conform with my positions, and I am confident that he will." (ref.)

Candiate: Hello, I'm a highly religious, completely moral guy with strong values.

Candiate's Trust Manager: And I'm the guy that runs this guy's Quarter Billion dollar Empire. I don't always tell him what I'm doing, it's a blind trust. *wink* *wink*

Just because you have confidence in a blind trust does not mean your blind confidence is to be trusted.

To the cheers of 17,000 union members at Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears football team, Obama defended his recent comments that he would be willing to strike al Qaeda targets inside Pakistan without the approval of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, according to Reuters.

Clinton, a New York senator, and fellow Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut questioned Obama's judgment. Dodd called the comments "irresponsible" and Clinton warned of destabilizing Musharraf's government. She called Obama's approach "a very big mistake."

"You can think big, but remember you shouldn't always say everything you think if you're running for president because it has consequences across the world. And we don't need that right now," Clinton said.

OK, isn't this the same Clinton who first called Obama naive because he said that he wouldn't use nuclear weapons on an attack on Pakistan, claiming that a president never takes the nuclear option off the table--and now she thinks Obama's remarks could destabilize Musharraf's government? Are her remarks somehow silent, forgotten, forgiven?

And then...

Former Senator John Edwards, who trails Clinton and Obama in national polls, has pushed hard for union support and made it a key part of his strategy to win the nomination.

He attacked Clinton as a Washington insider, prolonging a fight started at a weekend debate where Clinton defended taking money from lobbyists who represent special interests before Congress.

Edwards and Obama are pressing fellow Democrats to agree to stop taking the funds.

Has anyone reminded Hillary that she and Bill orchestrated the donations of millions of dollars to the DNC from Chinese companies and businessmen with ties to Triads and to Chinese military intelligence and, as a quid pro quo, put John Huang in the Commerce Department and the DNC while he was an employee of the Lippo Group, known for intelligence gathering for the Chinese, and for giving away sensitive military technology and tools which allowed the Chinese to build their intercontinental missiles and then threaten Taiwan and the United States? Of course, the DNC claims to have returned all that money--after it was spent and Clinton and Gore won again, while the Senate hearings into the illegal Chinese money, led by Senator Thompson--you know, good ole likable Fred, soon to run as the Republican Reaganesque candidate--decided that the DNC was just an innocent victim of those unscrupulous, inscrutable Chinese. That's why all those Chinese agents had their pictures taken with Bill and Hillary--they were hiding!

For readers who don't think our politicians have our best interests in mind, I might suggest reading the Year of the Rat, by Edward Timperlake and William Triplett; for those who think they do have our best interests in mind, I strongly suggest reading the Year of the Rat, by Edward Timperlake and William Triplett

Thursday Obama ruled out the use of nuclear weapons to go after al Qaeda or Taliban targets in Afghanistan or Pakistan, prompting Clinton to say presidents never take the nuclear option off the table, again questioning whether Obama has enough experience to be elected president in November 2008.

If Clinton thinks her tough talk will get her the nomination, she may be right because--except for Obama--most of the Democrats are non-entities in this race. It's shaken down to Barak and Hillary, and I for one am not impressed with Clinton's new position. Hillary was well known to work with John Huang, Hong Kong banker, in the fund raising for her husband's campaigns and, through Huang and Charlie Trie, Bill Clinton took millions in contributions from the Riadys, including James Riady--of the Lippo Group, a major Indonesian conglomerate--and various Chinese organizations including Chinese intelligence. The quid pro quo then appeared to be Bill Clinton giving over technology, despite the protest by our state department, which allowed the Chinese to improve their rocket guidance systems and radar installations--including those used by Saddam in Iraq during the no fly zone days. Now this Clinton is suggesting nuclear weapons could be used against soft allies. If I was a conspiracy nut I would almost believe she is sending a message to the Chinese who wish for Asian domination and have profited greatly from a Clinton administration before. But then, if I believed that, Democrats would just say I'm crazy. So I'll say it first...that's just crazy...or is it?

Although Mayor Michael Bloomberg has denied having any plans to seek the presidency, he recently left the Republican Party to become an independent and has increased his out-of-state travel,

But new details reported by Yahoo News from a sexual harassment lawsuit he settled in 2000 and other comments over the years could prove to be a liability if he runs for president.

Before his election as mayor in 2001, Bloomberg was the target of a sexual harassment suit by a female executive who accused him of making repeated raunchy sexual comments while he was chief executive of his financial company, Bloomberg LP.

Maybe Bloomberg should go back to being a Democrat as he was before switching parties to run for Mayor since sexcapades, scandals, and crimes are more tolerated by Democrats--as long as they are committed by Democrats.

Ah, the sweet smell of hypocrisy.

The New York Times is reporting that Congressional Democrats reached tentative agreement Friday night on a major overhaul of lobbying rules that would for the first time require lawmakers to identify lobbyists who assemble multiple donations and turn them over to candidates.

The disclosure of what is known in political circles as bundling would be a central element of the first major changes made in lobbying rules in the aftermath of the Jack Abramoff scandal and other Congressional corruption cases tied to lobbying.

Under the tentative proposal, Congressional contenders and the respective campaign committees would be required to notify the Federal Election Commission once one individual had delivered more than $15,000 in contributions within six months or $30,000 in one year.

But disclosure doesn't mean they won't take the money; for the most part our politicians act with impunity and while Dems claim that this measure is to stop the Abramoffs of the world, did they forget that he gave money to Senator Harry Reid, who has created quite a resume of questionable land deals and associations with the underside of Las Vegas politics and organized crime. It also doesn't mean that Dems won't take lots of money from special interests as the following Times story shows:

June was a busy month for Senator Charles E. Schumer. On the phone, at large parties and small gatherings around the nation, he raised more than $1 million from the booming private equity and hedge fund industries for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, of which he is chairman.

But there is another way Mr. Schumer has been busy with hedge fund and private equity managers, an important part of his constituency in New York. He has been reassuring them that he will resist an effort led by members of his own party to single out the industry with a plan that would more than double the taxes on the enormous profits reaped by its executives.
Mr. Schumer has considerable say on the issue. In addition to being the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate leadership, he is the only Democrat serving on both of the major committees, Banking and Finance, that have jurisdiction in the matter.

He has long been a pro-business Democrat and a fund-raising machine for the party, as well as a vociferous supporter of Wall Street issues in Washington, much the way Michigan lawmakers defend the auto industry and Iowa politicians work on behalf of corn farmers.

But in the case of the tax proposals, the strategy behind Mr. Schumer's efforts is putting to the test another set of principles he is known for. He has regularly portrayed himself as a progressive politician who identifies with the struggles of the middle class and is sharply critical of the selfish "plutocrats" who he says control the Republican Party.

Sounds to me as if Dems don't need lobbyists when they go directly to businesses and solicit funds while apparently offering up a quid pro quo. And while Schumer claims to be for the middle class but working so hard to protect the exorbitant "earnings" of hedge fund managers, those same middle class constituents better be aware of changes in the tax legislation for next year decided this year by our Democratic Congress affecting the college savings plans of many parents as reported in the Nevada Appeal.

They are finding that their children with unearned income are suddenly being hit up for higher taxes. The Small Business and Work Opportunity Tax Act of 2007 ("2007 Small Business Tax Act") that was passed on May 25 has extended the kiddie tax to those who are 18 years old or who are full-time students under age 24. The expanded kiddie tax rules apply only to dependent children who have income on investments and whose earned income does not exceed one-half the amount of their support. This provision is effective for most families as of Jan. 1, 2008.

This tax change makes custodial accounts a less attractive way to save for college education and other long-term expenses. If you have custodial accounts set up for minors or are thinking of gifting appreciated securities to these accounts, be sure to talk with your tax advisors before year end to determine if you can take advantage of any potential tax benefits for 2007.

I guess "plutocrats" come in Republican and Democratic party flavors Mr. Schumer.

On MSNBC: Sen. Obama has escalated his criticism of Hillary Clinton....

Obama said in part:

"I think what is irresponsible and naive is to have authorized a war without asking how we were going to get out -- and you know I think Senator Clinton hasn't fully answered that issue.

And also:

"[But] the general principle is one that I think Senator Clinton is wrong on -- and that is if we are laying out preconditions that prevents us from speaking frankly to these folks, then we are continuing with Bush-Cheney policies, and I am not interested in continuing that."

But then:

Clinton supporters respond to Obama's new criticism by pointing out that Clinton has been very critical of the Bush's Administration policies on diplomacy. Also, her response at the debate -- and in yesterday's skirmish -- was that it doesn't make any sense to pursue vigorous diplomacy without getting the most of it. You just can't promise to meet with world leaders, they say, without conditions.

Won't it be fun to watch if Clinton and Obama both end the primary season at the top of the heap. Hillary will want the presidential nominee spot and no one in the Democratic party will work very hard against the Clinton machine for fear of cutting their political throats. So how will Obama make up to Hillary to have a chance as a running mate? Probably something on the line of "it was in the spirit of political debate but now is the time to work together for an America which screws the little people." Well...maybe not in exactly those words.

From "Massachusetts Bill Would Give New Option to Voters:"

Retired Cape Cod systems analyst William White wants to give Massachusetts voters a new ballot choice: none of the above.

White testified before state lawmakers Wednesday on behalf of legislation he drafted that would add "None of the above: for a new election" below the names of every candidate on Massachusetts ballots except those running in the constitutionally protected presidential race.

"My interest is really in enhancing the democratic nature of the political process," White, the director of voters for None of the Above, told ABC News. "I feel one of the most fundamental things we can do is give voters the choice to reject all candidates."

Under White's proposal, if none of the candidates for a particular office received a plurality and the "None of the above" option did, a new election would be held two months later that excluded the original field's losing candidates.

So many races go uncontested in Massachusetts, according to White, that a "None of the above" option would force parties to put up more viable candidates. White, a registered independent, said the bill is rooted squarely in reviving the democratic process and has nothing to do with partisan politics.

He admits that there's little appetite for such a significant change in voting among lawmakers.

If we had this option in Nevada, Oscar Goodman might have ended up the "angriest" ex-mayor of Las Vegas since only 20 percent of the voters actually came out to vote because of the foregone conclusion that Goodman would win, since there was no real competition.

In case you didn't know, since all the media is on Clinton's and Obama's money, McCain's implosion, and will actor/former Congressman Fred Thompson--not to be confused with former Gov. Tommy Thompson who is running--run, Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo is seeking the Republican presidential nomination and has been for months.

Just so you know.

Next entry...did you know Representative Ron Paul....

The Las Vegas Sun is reporting university system Chancellor Jim Rogers is again stepping into the political realm, endorsing Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in her run for the presidency.

In turn, the campaign has appointed Rogers co-chairman for Clinton's Nevada campaign, with Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid.

Rogers, a friend of the Clintons, said the senator best clicked with his educational views. Like Rogers, Hillary and Bill Clinton taught law, and the chancellor has donated $1 million to the Clinton library.

"I think they are very bright people who are very progressive," said Rogers, who has yet to donate to the campaign.

Bill taught law for one year and lost the completed finals for the last class he ever taught. Plus while the Clintons "ran" Arkansas, the state actually fell behind Mississippi in education. That makes the Clintons bright people who are very progressive? Perhaps, everyone should visit Arkansas and take a look at a beautiful state populated by some of the poorest people in this country, a state dotted whith towns where more than half the residents live in mobile homes and trailers. It is no wonder Hillary went to New York--it certainly better suits a rich girl from Chicago. And as for Rogers, this is the same Rogers who interfered with the Clark County School Board search for a superintendent to replace Garcia. If you ask me, he sees Sen.Clinton as wrapping up the nomination already--maybe with the help of his little media empire--and is placing himself in position for any benefits to be had.

John McCain's top communications aides and several staffers in Iowa and South Carolina quit today following the departures last week of campaign manager Terry Nelson and chief strategist John Weaver.

McCain poll numbers have plummetted--nearly as fast as he has run out of money--over the past six months, probably because of his support on Iraq and Sen.Kennedy's immigration plan.

Two other Republican presidential hpefuls also trailing in polls, Mike Huckabee and Tommy Thompson, each raised less than $1 million during the last three months.

At the same time Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton ended the first half of the year with more than $30 million each for the presidential primaries.

Without money--fuhget aboudit!

Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney spent almost $20.5mn in the second quarter on his campaign, outspending nearly double the party front-runner Rudy Giuliani, according to election filings made public on Friday.

Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts and a wealthy investment banker, has trailed in opinion polls but has been gaining some steam after spending heavily on advertising in New Hampshire and Iowa, which hold early contests for the party's nomination.

He ended the second quarter with more than $12.1mn on hand after raising $14mn and giving himself a $6.5mn loan. Giuliani, the former New York mayor, raised $17.6mn, spent over $11mn and had $18.3mn on hand.

All of Romney's money is allocated for the primary campaign and he reported almost $9mn in debt. Giuliani had $3.3mn set aside for the general election and no debt.

If we consider fiscal responsibility among Republicans, it appears that Giuliani has the upper hand since he isn't in the red already, has money to go beyond the primaries, hasn't lent himself money--that I know--and isn't an investment banker, a member of a profession which, if I recall correctly, has a tendency to back corporate raiders, inflated stock analysis, market-making, promotion of securities, pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, and finally "earn" outrageous multi-million dollar salaries and benefits for its money managers, CEO's, etc; and John McCain's run has slowed to a ragged crawl.

Democratic glamour boy, Sen. Barack Obama had better be more careful. Right now he enjoys near rock star celebrity status, but if he snubs the media like he did in Iowa last week, those reporters just might take a swing at him. During the two days he campaigned in Iowa he only met with the press who were following his campaign for a brief ten minutes. On the other hand, reporters following Sen. Hillary Clinton through Iowa were treated to malts by former president Bill. For sixty bucks the Clintons had reporters eating out of their hands.

The GOP hasn't spent any time advertising the fact that it has moved its caucus forward, now scheduled for Jan. 19, only five days after Iowa's caucuses, until a sudden avalanche of postings on how the GOP hasn't made any noise.

Democrats have been all over Nevada while Republicans have hardly stopped by. Some may take this as a snub by Republicans who probably see delegate-rich states that have moved to Feb. 5, such as California, New York and New Jersey as more important.

I for one am considering voting for the candidate who spends the least amount of time with tv ads, which probably means some poor sixth party schmoe with no money and no chance--but at least he or she won't be spending hundreds of millions lying about his or her virtue and slamming the other candidates. Thankfully, I have several dozen books in mind to read and a number of DVDs to watch so I won't have to watch 18 months of political balderdash, blather, bunkum, claptrap, drivel, idiocy, nonsense, piffle, poppycock, rigmarole, rubbish, tomfoolery, trash, twaddle, baloney, bilge, bull, bunk, crap, hooey, malarkey.

From "Clinton sees differences between Libby, husband's pardons."

Just hours after a federal appeals court rejected Libby's appeal, Bush announced his decision to commute the prison term portion of the sentence, which he labeled excessive.

Senator Hillary Clinton has joined other Democrats in ripping Bush's decision.

In an interview, she said it was "one more example" of the Bush administration thinking "it is above the rule of law."

She claims her husband's pardons were simply routine exercises in the use of the pardon power, and none were aimed at protecting the Clinton presidency or legacy, she said.

"This particular action by the president is one more piece of evidence in their ongoing disregard for the rule of law that they think they don't have to answer to," she said.

According to many who paid attention to Bill Clinton's pardons, his actions were worthy of being dubbed "Pardongate." Obviously, Hillary is either another politician able to speak in tongues or she was unconscious during Bill's presidency. After the embarassments she suffered by Bill's pecadillos, I suspect she wishes she had been knocked out. A few of Bill's "routine exercise in the use of the pardon power" follow:

On August 11, 1999, Clinton commuted the sentences of 16 members of FALN, a violent Puerto Rican nationalist group that set off 120 bombs in the United States mostly in New York City and Chicago, convicted for conspiracies to commit robbery, bomb-making, and sedition, as well as for firearms and explosives violations.

Carlos A. Vignali had his sentence for cocaine trafficking commuted, after serving 6 of 15 years in federal prison.

Almon Glenn Braswell was pardoned of his mail fraud and perjury convictions, even while a federal investigation was underway regarding additional money laundering and tax evasion charges.[12] Braswell and Carlos Vignali each paid approximately $200,000 to Hillary Clinton's brother, Hugh Rodham, to represent their respective cases for clemency. Hugh Rodham returned the payments after they were disclosed to the public. Braswell would later invoke the Fifth Amendment at a Senate Committee hearing in 2001, when questioned about allegations of his having systematically defrauded senior citizens of millions of dollars.

Marc Rich, a fugitive, was pardoned of tax evasion, after clemency pleas from Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, among many other international luminaries. Denise Rich, Marc's former wife, was a close friend of the Clintons and had made substantial donations to both Clinton's library and Hillary's Senate campaign. Clinton agreed to a pardon that required Marc Rich to pay a $100,000,000 fine before he could return to the United States. According to Paul Volcker's independent investigation of Iraqi Oil-for-Food kickback schemes, Marc Rich was a middleman for several suspect Iraqi oil deals involving over 4 million barrels of oil.
Susan McDougal, who had already completed her sentence, was pardoned for her role in the Whitewater scandal; McDougal had served 18 months on contempt charges for refusing to testify about Clinton's role.

Dan Rostenkowski, a former Democratic Congressman convicted in the Congressional Post Office Scandal. Rostenkowski had served his entire sentence.

Melvin J. Reynolds, a Democratic Congressman from Illinois, who was convicted of bank fraud, 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice, and solicitation of child pornography had his sentence commuted on the bank fraud charged and was allowed to serve the final months under the auspices of a half way house. He had served his entire sentence on child sex abuse charges before the commutation of the later convictions.

Roger Clinton, the president's half-brother, on drug charges after having served the entire sentence more than a decade before. Roger Clinton would be charged with drunk driving and disorderly conduct in an unrelated incident within a year of the pardon.

Notice that many of the pardons went to people who gave large amounts of money to the Clintons. I wonder if many of Hillary's campaign contributors are already looking forward to Presidential pardons for criminal activities if she should get into office.

Hedge funds are a trillion dollar a year player in today's commodity, real estate, and stock markets.

Democrats seek to collect more in campaign donations than the traditionally money rich Republicans.

Hedge funds are vast pools of capital that operate secretively and with little government supervision and can use techniques such as short-selling, or betting on falling stocks or markets to make a profit from downturns.

Hedge funds want to continue making money for their wealthy investors without further government restrictions; recognizing that Democrats have Congress and a good chance of gaining the White House in 2008, hedge funds are pouring money into Democrat's pockets.

Democrats like money as much as Republicans and want to win elections, so their pockets are open.

Hedge fund managers make obscene amounts of money--James Simons of Renaissance Technologies Corp., made $1.7 billion--and want to make sure it continues.

How will Democrats explain to the constituency they supposedly represent that taking vast sums on money from Republican-like, "robber baron" devils is a good thing? For more go to Hedge Funds Take On Emerging Political Role.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg left the Republican Party on Tuesday and switched to unaffiliated, a move in line with speculation he might consider an independent presidential bid for the 2008 race.

Formerly. he was a general partner at Salomon Brothers and is also the founder of Bloomberg L.P., a software company.

With an estimated worth of approximately $5.5 billion, he is seen as capable of financing an independent presidential run reminiscent of billionaireRoss Perot in 1992, who received 18.9% of the popular vote (but no electoral votes), making him the most successful Independent presidential candidate since Theodore Roosevelt in the 1912 election. Perot is apparently also considering another independent run for 2008.

The Beachwood Reporter is posting a three part series on Joey "the Clown" Lombardo as he and other alleged "mobsters" who go on trial this week in what may be the last housecleaning of the oldtime Chicago mob. Joey "the Clown" is the brother of Rocco Lombardo, former employee and associate of Rick Rizzolo whose ownership of the Crazy Horse Too and subsequent felony conviction are covered by Steve Miller at AmericanMafia.com. Steve is reported to writing a true crime book focusing on the events surrounding the ownership, running, and possible sale, sales? Check Steve's site soon for a possible new 'straw man" article update.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign announced Tuesday it had the support of state Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, a longtime Democrat who lost a bid for governor in November to "Boss" Gibbons.

"She's got a plan and it's a plan that's not just platitudes but real policy directives," said Titus
That must mean its a plan with more than just words but with "real" words that sound "really" good in a speech.

Titus joins a list of recent jump on the Clinton wagon state democrats which includes the recent endorsemt by Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, former state legislator who pulled the 50 percent green building tax break out of the air creating a windfall break for casinos and big developers and nothing for the homeowner.

With some 500 days until the elections, I am surprised at how many endorsements Hillary is picking up in the state. One would think that savvy state politicians would wait until closer to the election to curry the best return for an endorsement and to protect against endorsing so early that a candidate has plenty of time to stumble and make the endorsement politically foolish. So, are they getting a really good deal, are they pleasing the Reid crime family ( Harry Reid in another shady land deal) headed by Mr. Clean, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and now run by son Rory within the state, or are they afraid that if Hillary were to win, she would break a few legs for failing to support her?

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D), New York: The people of Nevada are ready for change. We want it to happen.
I believe that is a royal "We."

Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, spoke in part on recent developments in Venezuela, "The decision by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez not to renew the license of Radio Caracas Television," which is a large station he shut down on Sunday, which started all this, "in order to silence criticism, is exactly the kind of action that raises concern about his leadership. President Chavez should know that efforts to suppress the media will not only ultimately fail, but are also a detriment to one of the pillars of democracy, freedom of expression.
Somewhere along the line Nancy has usurped the position of the State Department. I imagine being one of the richest people in Congress has its privileges.

George W. Bush, President: If you want to kill the bill, if you don't want do what's right for America, you can pick one little aspect out of it. You can use it to frighten people.
George, who has angered liberals, moderates, majorities, minorities, men, women, children, and most of the world, has just "killed" his last remaining support in the conservative base with this comment on immigration reform. George had the perfect blueprint for how not to run a presidency--his Daddy's, though Bush Sr. was often unfairly portrayed by the media since he was so boring--and he still screwed it up. Bush Sr. didn't do anything exciting until he jumped out of an airplane at age 80, Jimmy Carter didn't accomplish anything until he began buildings houses one at a time, and it appears Bill Clinton has a new girlfriend who hopefully has a higher IQ than an Anna Nicole Smith or that woman, Monica Lewinsky, and remembers to dry clean her dresses. It seems like all these guys simply chose the wrong job.

See Also:
Bill Richardson for President

My dream ticket for 08' Bill Richarson v. ...

photo by flipchip/lasvegasvegas.com

Greg "Fossilman" Raymer is best known for wearing holographic sunglasses en route to his victory at the 2004 World Series of Poker where the mild-mannered patent attorney from Connecticut won $5 million.

These days, he's being considered the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Libertarian party. Third Party Watch, a blog dedicated to minor political parties, recently had a post titled Poker Player for Vice-President?

"I think a Libertarian candidate would do a better job of running the country than any of the Republicans or Democrats we've seen," the Fossilman said. "It's inherently better when a candidate believes in the philosophy of being able to do what you deem is right, as long as you don't hurt anyone else in the process."

That quote originally appeared in an article called Fossilman Eyes Libertarian VP Run in Casino City Times.

Raymer will not decide about his political future until the Libertarian National Convention take place in the spring of 2008.

photo by flipchip/lasvegasvegas.com

I have to admit that I missed the Democratic Presidential hopefuls debate last night; I was in the throes of reviewing Plato's "Apology of Socrates," where Socrates is on trial for upsetting the status quo with his questions--he says that he has been ttrying to find someone wiser than he and concludes he can't because he alone knows that he doesn't know things but the others even believe they are experts outside their professions. Along with "Apology" I was looking at Erasmus' "Praise of Folly." Here the goddess Folly argues how important she is to people by being the origin of all madness, which lessens human anxiety when we can laugh at fools. Folly also points out that all people suffer forms of madness or are foolish at times. I find these more enlightening than the "madness" of what profession politicians say after years of rehearsal at "knowing" the answers to our questions. From what I gather on the Internet, not much was really covered last night--the "real" news is how each candidate's team put the spin on the outcome. From MSNBC I have noted how each candidate "really" did.

Mike Gravel, former Sen. of Alaska, told reporters, "I've been blanked out by the media," but seemed to think that his debate performance had broken him into the big time. Gravel may be this season's Howard Dean.

"If he had more time I think he could have expanded more on some of his ideas," said Rep. Xavier Becerra, D- Calif. there to spin for Senator Chris Dodd.

Strategist "Mudcat" Saunders of the John Edwards campaign complained that, "There weren't enough questions about economic fairness."

Steve Murphy, a consultant with the New Mexico Governor Richardson campaign declred, "Bill Richardson alone among the major candidates running on the Democratic side is for withdrawing all of our troops from Iraq. There is a very clear distinction between him and all the other real contenders."

Representative Dennis Kucinich claimed victory, saying "I was able to demonstrate a clear difference between myself and my colleagues from the Senate who voted for the war."

From the camp of Senator Barak Obama came the line that Obama "looked strong and confident."

However, one former Republican congressional staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, "Obama bombed, he was flat. He seemed so unsure about his answers. Hillary was very disciplined; she seemed aiming at the general election audience."

And that is how it "really" was.

In a field of candidates that predominantly talk themselves up and attacking their opponents in various childish ways, this is the only one I've witnessed not taking part, choosing instead to speak like a real person rather than issue a constant stream of the latest empty, self-aggrandizing, and just plain stupid political rhetoric.

And the damndest thing is, his voting record over a long period bears out his words. He is not someone who promises things and then takes them "off the table". His words are clear, concise, and do not patronize. He's the only person who is actually looking out for American interests while the others simply tell you they are. You may not think he voted perfectly on everything, but the one thing you are guaranteed is a clear explanation of why he voted the way he did.

If nothing else, gambling folks (and especially the online poker community) need only take note of one thing. Ron Paul voted "NO" on the restriction of online gambling. He is aware that you are an adult, and as such, should be able to make your own decisions, good or bad.

This is the man who will actually begin removing the chains saddling us of late.

Sometimes I am absolutely thankful that I am a member of that tiny portion of the U.S population -forty percent- which lives under the poverty line, that I can't afford health insurance for me or my son, etc. I mean I could have problems like Hilary Clinton. Just this past week she had to suffer the comments of David Geffen, DreamWorks founder and former supporter of Bill Clinton, who said, "Everybody in politics lies, but they [the Clintons] do it with such ease, it's troubling," Now that Hillary has Senator Harry Reid's son Rory as her Nevada campaign manager the convoluted paths of Nevada business and politics will be even more interesting. It seems every time a scandal crops up, the Reid name is at least on the periphery; most recently, Rocco 'Rocky' Lombardo was sentenced to 60 months in prison for tax evasion while working at the Crazy Horse Too Gentleman's Club. Rocco was represented by attorney John Spilotro who I would bet is related to Tony 'the Ant' Spilotro, friend and client of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. Tony 'The Ant' was found buried in a Midwest cornfield and is the character Joe Peschi portrayed in the movie 'Casino'.

Reportedly, it may have been Rocco's brother, Joey 'the Clown' Lombardo who ordered the hit on the Ant and had him buried. Club owner Rick Rizzolo and 16 employees pleaded guilty to federal charges. Now attorney Jay Brown has stepped in to run things.

Jay Brown was the subject of a 1979 Justice Department probe. The allegations were that while working as an attorney for the Tropicana he gave bribes to a subsequently cleared Harry Reid. At the time Reid was a Nevada Gaming Commissioner. Jay Brown is a friend and business partner with Harry Reid in some of his questionable land deals brokered by Lionel, Sawyer and Collins... law firm where Rory Reid works.

But odd behaviors and scandals aren't limited to Reid's long-time associates either; as one of Harry Reid's shining proteges, Darius Herraro, was convicted of bribery charges and recently sentenced as a result of G-Sting, where strip club owner Mike Galardi funneled money, through former County Commissioner, Lance Malone, to several Clark County Commissioners for favorable votes.

But Harry Reid's questionable "associations" go way back. Kansas City Mafia representative Joe Agosto was caught by a FBI wiretap in the late 1970's boasting that he had in his pocket "Mr. Cleanface", which he later explained was his nickname for Nevada Gaming Commission chairman Harry Reid. (See The Money and the Power, by Sally Denton and Roger Morris, pg. 336.)

In 2002, Reid bought property from a business associate for the lofty sum of $166 an acre. Property which once sold for $8,400 an acre and was appraised at $2,144 an acre by the county assessor. See Harry Reid in another shady land deal.

Other Reid problems include Reid's Coyote Springs Valley Scandal: Over the last four years, Reid has used his influence in Washington to help the developer, Nevada super-lobbyist Whittemore, clear obstacles from Coyote Springs' path. Reid also collected about $68,000 in donations from Jack Abramoff's firm, lobbying partners and clients. Reid successfully pushed legislation in 2002 that opened tens of thousands of acres of federal land for private development by none other than his sons' employers.

Yet another business deal that Harry had with Jay Brown began in 1998 when Reid bought undeveloped residential property on Las Vegas' booming outskirts for about $400,000, one lot outright, and a second parcel jointly with Brown. One of the sellers was a developer who was benefiting from a government land swap that Reid supported. Then three years later, In 2001, Reid sold the land for the same price to a limited liability corporation created by Brown. The senator didn't disclose the sale on his annual public ethics report or tell Congress he had any stake in Brown's company; instead, he continued to report to Congress that he personally owned the land. After getting local officials to rezone the property for a shopping center Brown's company sold the land in 2004 to other developers and Reid took $1.1 million of the proceeds. From Harry Reid's Land Deal .

And it appears that son Rory is intimately entwined in several of his father's deal through his law firm and that he has acquired the same friends and associates as his father. During Rory Reid's term as Nevada Democratic Party Chairman, on October 16, 2000, the Nevada Democratic Party received a $25,000 contribution from the Oscar Goodman PAC, named for Oscar Goodman, the mob lawyer probed on suspicion of channeling Mafia funds to Harry Reid in 1979.

But even though the Reid family is intimately tied to mob activities in the seventies and eighties and land scandals since then, one has to admit that the Reid family is pretty successful at getting the money. From a Steve Miller article, Los Angeles Times reporters Chuck Neubauer and Richard Cooper cited over 20 instances involving Senator Reid, either Rory Reid or other members of the Reid family, and special interest groups representing gambling, real estate, mining, and other areas where over a four-year period from 1999 to 2003 the Reid family's various firms "collected more than $2 million in lobbying fees from special interests that were represented by the kids and helped by the senator in Washington."
See Steve Miller for a much more in depth article on this.

So, Hillary has that dilemma I will never face-although she may find her campaign sullied by strange blogging entities enjoying her campaign's connection to Nevada's "colorful" past and present. Clinton is the benefactor of some of Nevada's "finest" money generating machines. She has a few options to explain it all away. She can always paraphrase Barak Obama and say she is not responsible for the actions of others; she could say only the money is important not the source; or she can claim she never knew. And as Geffen says, the Clintons lie with troubling ease. Who knew?

Even if Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, is withholding his endorsement for the next Democratic White House contender until the candidates have all played ball with Harry, it seems likely that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is a lock for the endorsement as Harry's son Rory has already taken the plunge by signing on as Nevada chairman for Hillary's presidential march. Rory Reidis chairman of Nevada's Clark County Commission; a former chairman of the Nevada State Democratic Party; an attorney at the Las Vegas law firm of Lionel, Sawyer, and Collins, which has been involved in some of the Reid family land deals; and who is unlikely to have taken this step unless it works to Harry's advantage.

Republican Mitt Rommey threw his hat into the ring today as he declared himself a candidate for a run to the White House in 2008. The a former governor of Massachusetts made the announcement in his home state at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

"Innovation and transformation have been at the heart of America's success. If there ever was a time when innovation and transformation were needed in government, it is now," he said as he officially launched his campaign on Tuesday. "We have lost faith in government, not in just one party, not in just one house, but in government. We are weary of the bickering and bombast, fatigued by the posturing and self-promotion. For even as America faces a new generation of challenges, the halls of government are clogged with petty politics and stuffed with peddlers of influence. It is time for innovation and transformation in Washington. It is what our country needs. It is what our people deserve."

A message of hope and unity stirred massive crowds as Senator Barrak Obama announced his 2008 Presidential bid on the steps of the building where Abe Lincholn once sered in the Illinois State legislature. Like Lincoln Obama served in the Illinois State Senate for eight years and the U.S. Legislature for two. [Barack Obama]

Obama is skipping the silver State later this month for the Reno Forum. [Newsmax]

I sincerely hope Obama reconsiders this decision and stop by the Silver state even if Hillary Clinton's endorsement is foregone conclusion. On the other hand I'm pretty sure there will be a media feeding frenzy around these early front-runners. They will be built up and torn down long before the real competition beings, so, at this point I believe a 'why care' attitude is prudent.

With Democrats in a mad rush to tinker with the scheduling of the primaries and caucuses for the upcoming presidential election, I have been wondering who will benefit most-and as an aside, if there is a new group of candidates for 2012, I wonder how much tinkering will be done again to push a party favorite into the enviable position of early wins. Obviously, an early South Carolina primary gives John Edwards, a native of SC a strong boost where he is also strong in Iowa, I believe. Illinois is considering moving their primary up to give political neophyte, Barak Obama, a sporting chance at being less than a third or fourth place finisher. Of course, with the money Hillary Clinton has already amassed-a reported $14 million-she can blanket the early primaries with a media blitz.

What I wasn't sure of is who gains from adding Nevada to the mix, though with the strong gaming industry, unions, and Hispanic population, it surely changes the dynamics of the early races. My strongest guess is that Harry Reid will definitely play on the fact that now more money will be spent in Nevada as candidates strive for an advantage. Too bad that all this money will be spent for political inanities while lining the pockets of the already wealthy, and nothing will eventually reach state coffers to improve Nevada's failing school systems. But then again, when have the wealthy and powerful and the political really wanted a well educated population, able to see past the tired political rhetoric, angry enough to take back their country?

In an interesting article found on The Fix by Chris Cilliza, he also mentions as big winners for the Nevada caucus… drum roll but no surprise, Harry Reid; and drum roll and some surprise, Jon Ralston. He points out that now candidates have to woo Harry hoping for an endorsement and basically the same goes for Ralston.

One thing I do know is I don't like you, Harry Reid. While state politicians and money people feast on the notoriety and quid pro quo dealings, and corporate media grabs the advertising bucks, I will be subjected to several extra months (note that negative ads concerning Hillary are to start this week in Iowa) of campaign ads “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Oh, wait…I will do the same thing I did this past campaign cycle—TURN OFF THE TV AND RADIO!

I caught part of the 9th Annual American Democracy Conference
on C-Span, well worth watching.

Panelists were:

Fred Barnes: Weekly Standard Executive Editor
Interesting Comments/Notes:

• Expect Bush to make Recess Appointments for 8 Applet Court Judges.
• YouTube had 'seemly small incidents blown out of proportion'
• 'Every moment is live, and could make or break an election'

Michael Toner: Chairman of the FEC
Interesting Comments/Notes:

• No Internet Regulation for campaign/political and wants it to stay that way


• PAC's spent over 1 Billion US for the first time


• Corporate PACs are taking hard money... and the sky is the limit


• The State of election administration in the US remains embarrassing


• Has a two pronged solution
  • 1. More resources for procession of ballots
  • 2. Require Professional Staffing as opposed to '6.00 an hour 14 hour a day volunteers


• Didn't Comment on the need for a paper trail


• served as Chief Counsel of the Republican National Committee

John Lapp -- Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Executive Director
Interesting Comments/Notes:

• Macho Democrats are credible messengers


• Macho Democrats Sub-Types
  • Veteran
  • Quarter-Back
  • Ex-Spook


• Embrace Technology


• Link between corruption and democratic victory not as strong as it's been made out to be.

John Dickerson: Slate Magazine
Interesting Comments:

• Interactivity is an investment in people

Donna Brazile: Democrat Political Consultant
Interesting Comments / Notes:

• Focused on the 18,000 missing Congressional votes in the Florida 13th District
• Machines in the 13th district are paperless

Hosted by:

Larry Sabato: Virginia Professor of Politics
Interesting Comments / Notes:
Exactly Predicted the numbers of the seats the Democrats picked up in the House and Senate.