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.

Jack Carter supports a significent change to our approach to Iraq, from Carter's campaign site:

Jack Carter supports a "stick and carrot" approach. The stick is a promise to withdraw our troops from the country unless the Iraqi government makes quick and steady progress toward an inclusive structure which has support from the Sunnis, the Kurds, and the Shi'a. I have no objection to any formulation of this structure so long as there is general support.

Jack Carter's Ad on Iraq:

From Jon Ensign according to an article from the Las Vegas Sun:

"Carter's opponent, Republican incumbent John Ensign, an ardent supporter of the war, declined to be interviewed for this story, instead issuing a statement that echoed language used by Bush and his surrogates in speeches last week.

"The situation in Iraq is difficult, but we need to remember that this battle is the frontline in our fight against radical Islamic extremists," Ensign's statement said.

"If we leave now without finishing the job, we will only embolden our enemy and invite another attack on our homeland. The security of our country should not be decided by political winds, but instead by keeping the safety of Americans as our top priority."

In recent months, Ensign has said he opposes a timetable for withdrawing troops and firmly stands behind his 2002 vote to authorize the use of military force in Iraq."

My opinion follows...