Republicans Belittle Community Organizers

Republicans enjoyed a hate fest last night, spending a lot of time trashing grassroots community organizing. Yet they claim to understand America at the grassroots level. This was one of the best examples that i've seen that says plainly that they don't get it.

This nation was built on Community organizing.

After all of these months of the Republicans and their lap dogs in the media painting Barack Obama as an elitist... you couldn't get more elitist than the Republicans were at their Convention. Keep in mind... the theme for that particular day was "prosperity"... (Prosperity for them). Who were the speakers? Corporate elites. After the rich CEO's finished speaking...Mike Huckabee gave his speech. Huckabee, in a roundabout way, suggested that Americans who are struggling were whiners who were waiting for the Government to rescue them.
And they capped the night off with an attack on grassroots community organizing, with Giuliani and Palin.

Amazing!

Roland Martin struck back with a great response:



The Obama camp issued a response shortly after

Hopefully Obama will speak on this later in the week.

Unbelievable!

Of course, the speeches focused on attacking Obama rather than talking about their record over the past 8 years...or laying out a detailed plan for how they would deal with healthcare, jobs, and the issues that voters are most concerned about.

They stuck to their usual themes of war, 9/11, Terrorism, family values, scaring voters, and pushing the myth that they somehow have a monopoly on patriotism.

When will this sickness end?

Giuliani Lies About Obama's Foreign Experience

And The Mainstream Media Lets Him Get Away With It

Rudy Giuliani claimed (while at a Yankees game a week ago with McBush) that Obama was making his "first" World trip. I saw the report from ABC late news....and my jaw hit the floor.... No challenge or correction from the MSM whatsoever. He was allowed to get away clean with that bold-faced lie. See quote.

Of course Rudy was lying his *** off. This ignores Obama's work (and travels) as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senate Homeland Security Committee, as a co-sponsor of the WMD Proliferation and Threat Reduction Initiative which took him to Russia and to the Former Soviet Republics (see the Lugar-Obama Act), his trips to Kenya (both as a private citizen and as a Senator), and not to mention his time growing up overseas- in Indonesia... the Worlds largest Muslim nation by population. Obama also studied international politics in College.

The implication from 9/11 hero imposter Giuliani was that since Obama was not a prisoner of war like McCain, he is clueless about the World. But the fact is, Obama has a better understanding of the World than most American politicians.... something that he does not get enough credit for. This may be because such experience is not appreciated amongst most of the American electorate, who tend to have a more nationalist bent.

As a young man who spent several years growing up overseas, I can tell you that it gives you a different perspective on the World and makes you more aware of what is going on and more attentive to changing events.

Giuliani: Obama's Support Of Bilingualism Reinforces Anti-Americanism

Oh really?

Rudy's back.

GIULIANI: This is why he's a popular candidate in Europe, because there is such an anti-American feeling, he's sort of capturing that. The reality is that this is a country that should speak English. Of course immigrants should learn English. That's a problem for some, it is not a problem for others. There should be a lot of emphasis put on that. If we can learn an extra language or two, that's a great thing.

MITCHELL: The fact is that American kids are not competing on the world stage with the kind of jobs they need because they aren't learning other languages.

GIULIANI: But he is making an assumption that isn't true, That all immigrants are learning English. They're not. All you have to do is travel America and you'll find out a lot of people aren't learning English. Most immigrant families want their children to learn English. That has to be done. He's kind of sliding over that as if that's unimportant. That is very important. Then if we're going to learn another language, that's wonderful. If we can learn French or Spanish or Italian or German or Chinese or Russian, that's a terrific thing. But English should be the basic language of this country. He's kind of sliding over that.

First of all, Obama was speaking to a group of American students that ALREADY KNOW ENGLISH. He suggested that they learn Spanish to give him more skillsets. To make themselves more marketable.

I written about my great-niece. She's all of 3 months old. Her mother, my niece, is Black. Her Daddy is Mexican-American. I've bought only two types of children's books for her:

Black themed

and

Books in Spanish.

She's going to be bi-lingual. Period.

I do believe Obama made a misstep. He should have said MANDARIN, considering that the Chinese OWN US. Spanish was a dumb thing for him to say, considering that it was red meat for a certain segment of the population, who then totally misrepresented what Obama meant by his comments.

There is a joke that goes:

What do you call a Middle-Class person that only speaks one language?

An American.

I DO wish that I'd taken seriously the chances to learn a language; it's something that I regret. I learned enough to get by, but not be seriously fluent. You best believe Senator and Mrs. Obama are making sure that the Obama Daughters are learning another language at Lab School. But, I guess to bring that up, would feed into that whole 'elitst' thing, instead of feeding into the ' I'm preparing my children for a global economy' thing.

Out Of New Hampshire: The Race Is On

Wow. What a difference a few hours can make! Going into tonight, many were writing the Clinton campaign obituary and now she is perhaps the favorite again. The Obama campaign expected to win. Heck, even the Clinton campaign expected Obama to win. All the pundits, Political Realm included, were wrong and the race was turned on its head.

How did Clinton do it? In New Hampshire, Clinton dominated the female vote, easily out-pacing Obama, who had won the group in Iowa. Whether that's the result of Clinton's near tears yesterday or a more open campaign that shifted focus somewhat, we don't know. The polling we've seen over the past few days gave Obama a lead of nearly 10 points, but perhaps those numbers were simply soft. Perhaps there were a significant number of late deciders that broke for Clinton. Perhaps the questions raised about Obama's experience, record, and readiness to lead paid off for the Clinton campaign. Perhaps the voters of New Hampshire wanted this thing to turn into a race, rather than a coronation.

In the end, it seems like we simply misjudged the state of the race. Obama was over-hyped out of Iowa, while everyone underestimated Clinton's superior organization, establishment backing, and appeal with voters in New Hampshire. Most suspected the vast number of independents would provide fertile soil for Obama, especially compared to Iowa. However, the number of first time participants was down tonight from Iowa and it's likely that those independents fit right into Clinton's target profile--blue collar workers. We do know one thing--the Clinton campaign won't badmouth New Hampshire as it did Iowa a few days ago.

Of course, let's not get ahead of ourselves again. The narrative out of the first two contests is decidedly unclear. Barack Obama's Iowa victory was a huge shock to much of America. Will this Clinton win be as surprising? For political junkies, sure it is, but for the average voter who may not be as tuned in to this race I'm not so sure. The Obama campaign will be quick to point out that Clinton had a lead in New Hampshire just a week ago. To the contrary, the Clinton campaign is hoping that she will be portrayed as the "Comeback Kid" tomorrow, just as her husband was 16 years ago. Indeed, the shift in the Granite State over the past few hours has been simply stunning. For all the talk that Iowa and New Hampshire hold too much power, look at what they have given us--a real race on both sides.

So where do the Democrats go from here? It's on to Nevada and South Carolina, where Obama seemed to have all the momentum this morning. He is apparently going to pick up a major union endorsement in Nevada tomorrow--one earned more because of his victories (they were likely assuming a New Hampshire win just like everyone else) than because of his positions. Many believed that endorsement could have gone to either of Obama's key rivals and we have to wonder if the union is rethinking things tonight. In South Carolina, Obama's Iowa victory showed black voters, who will make up much of the electorate, that he can win in white America. Clinton, however, has strong ties in the black community, so will a New Hampshire win bring those voters back to her campaign?

The campaigns of John Edwards and especially Bill Richardson will likely reevaluate after tonight's results. Richardson clearly has no chance of winning this thing, while John Edwards is all but out of it as well. Both campaigns should be running out of funds soon, making it even more difficult to compete going forward.

On the Republican side, things played out in a much more expected manner. John McCain was the clear winner, though his margin was surprising to some. He overcame a campaign in shambles this summer, a media that left him for dead, an unpopular immigration plan, and support for a surge in Iraq that wasn't working. In the end, the campaign was tightened up, the media came back to him, his immigration position remained unpopular, but better explained, and the situation in Iraq started to improve. He is now well positioned for the contests to follow in Michigan and South Carolina and the win tonight will infuse some much needed cash.

For Romney, the collapse is shocking. His control of the first two contests looked insurmountable this summer and into the fall and now he finds himself in perilous position. He has family ties in Michigan, but faces McCain with momentum and Huckabee in a more friendly environment. If he can't somehow defy the odds there, Romney is certainly done. Fred Thompson has already moved on to South Carolina and Huckabee will join him there tomorrow. Huckabee's strong third tonight--New Hampshire was never expected to be his state--sets up the rest of the race as seemingly Huckabee vs. McCain. Giuliani, though happy that the early contests are producing mixed results, has seen his national lead deteriorate. In Florida, a state where he has devoted much of his recent attention, he now finds himself in fourth place in a new poll.

What do we take away from tonight? Both sides have major comeback stories--Clinton in the short term and McCain in the long term. There are no frontrunners anymore. Look for a fresh set of presidential rankings from us before the week is out as the campaign resets for the next phase. Without a doubt, the race is on.

Cross-posted at Political Realm.

Top 5 Misstatements of this election cycle

Misstatements? or Lies? I’m just askin’. This is Dan Abrams top 5 (he discusses them with Rachael Maddow from Air America and Craig Crawford from Congressional Quarterly) What are your top 5?

Click here for video.

The Republican Field of 2008

The Republican Field of 2008.

In watching the GOP Field of 2008, it's like watching Alice in Wonderland, because so many things that just go in opposite of everything we supposedly knew about the GOP has been turned on its head.

The GOP used to be about ' authenticity'. They cherished 'true believers' above all else.

That is why Flipping Mitt and Rudy having ANY sort of a chance makes absolutely no sense.

Mitt Romney

Flipping Mitt is the most phony, plastic politician that I've ever seen. He has no core. He has no set of values, except for that he believes he should be President. That's the ONLY value he has.

He was against abortion until he became for abortion to win Governor of Massachusetts before he became against it again because he was running for President.

Pick and issue, and you'll see the same flip-flop all over the place.

He lied on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He's a total fraud.

He is a phony. Not only is he a phony, but he's a phony who believes in the continuation of the Imperial Presidency, as his responses to the Boston Globe questionnaire about Presidential Power proves. If you believe in The Constitution, Flipping Mitt's not your man.

EVERY PAPER that has studied Flipping Mitt in New Hampshire and Massachusetts has taken a pass on endorsing him.

If you want to read what those who know Flipping Mitt best TRULY think about him, try the Manchester Union Leader, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Concord Monitor.

And, I guess, I'm suspicious of ANYONE who was part of a secret meeting last year with Conservative bigwigs including Dick Cheney. NO OTHER GOP candidate was invited to the meeting - only Romney? That's enough guilt by association to cast yet another shadow on Flipping Mitt.


Rudy Giuliani

Rudy...Rudy...Rudy.

If the GOP nominates a pro-choice, pro-gay, pro-gun, thrice married MAYOR as their nominee...a few things...

NOT ONE MUMBLING WORD ABOUT MORALITY.
NOT ONE MUMBLING WORD ABOUT FAMILY VALUES.

Don't even open the mouth to utter the words.

Rudy should be disqualified for many reasons,but if you only need one, here you go:

He's welcomed, with open arms, into the busom of his campaign...

THE INTELLECTUAL ARCHITECTS OF THE IRAQ WAR.

They are firmly ensconsed in Camp Rudy, and that kind of ' company he keeps' should make you think more than twice about him.

And, it's not just the ' Progressives' who have a problem with Rudy.

This is what the AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE MAGAZINE thought about him.



Now, these are his OWN PEOPLE...his OWN PARTY...telling you which way is up...

So, that really leaves us with Huckabee and McCain.

Mike Huckabee.

I understand the appeal. He is a personable man, with an air of being comfortable in his own skin and making others at ease at the same time. While it's clear that Huckabee is a Christian, and that his faith is the cornerstone to his approach to governmental policy, it is also quite clear that Huckabee DOES NOT define his Christianity narrowly to the issues of: Abortion and Homosexuals. While those issues are in there for him, they are NOT the central focus of his Christianity, and that is one of the problems that the GOP Establishment has with Huckabee. As long as they could throw red meat to the Evangelicals, by so narrowly defining Christianity on the lines of Abortion and Gays, knowing full well that they had no intention of really doing anything on either issue, it was ok.

But, Huckabee is NOT that kind of Evangelical. He is NOT that kind of religious conservative. In listening to Huckabee give a few speeches, I have realized why the man was able to garner over 40% of the Black vote. It's because the Black voters in Arkansas saw that Huckabee was NOT a ' let them eat cake' conservative. Listening to him talk about keeping in mind the poverty-striken young boy in one of the poorest parts of Arkansas when he made decisions, he was speaking to the Christianity that African-Americans were pretty much raised upon until this Prosperity Gospel came on the scene. It was a Jesus that helped those 'least among us'.

Huckabee speaks a Populist message. He talks about those on ' Main Street' who are experiencing the economic anxiety of the middle-class and working class. He doesn't believe in unfettered capitalism without regards to the working man and woman. And nothing scares the GOP Establishment more than someone talking a Populist Message. Someone who isn't following the ' let them eat cake' model, which is why they are determined to stomp out Huckabee at all costs.

John McCain.

A candidate left for dead this summer has climbed out of the doldrums and back into the hunt.

Why?

Because, he finally became the John McCain of 2000 again. He may not be from central casting (a la Romney), or be a smooth talker (the Huckster), but there is something unmistakeably authentic about John McCain. It's when he lost it that he walked away from who he was.

In their endorsement of McCain, the conservative Manchester Union Leader said the following:

On Jan. 8, New Hampshire Republicans will make one of the most important choices for their party and nation in the history of our presidential primary. Their choice ought to be John McCain.

We don't agree with him on every issue. We disagree with him strongly on campaign finance reform. What is most compelling about McCain, however, is that his record, his character, and his courage show him to be the most trustworthy, competent, and conservative of all those seeking the nomination. Simply put, McCain can be trusted to make informed decisions based on the best interests of his country, come hell or high water

I think that's the bottom line about McCain. You don't have to agree with him on every issue. But, you can be certain that behind his decisions, there is a certain CORE there. He took his lumps in those debates because of his stances on issues that made him out of the mainstream with the party, but he took them because he believed in them. In debate after debate, John McCain would often provide the most ' HUMAN ' of moments in those debates, and they stood out because of his humanity and authenticity. In his Boston Globe Questionnaire, McCain stands up for The Constitution and the belief that the President is NOT above the law.

McCain has garnered the endorsements of the Boston Globe, Boston Herald,Concord Monitor and Nashua Telegraph.

I don't root for John McCain because I think he'd be the easiest GOP candidate. In fact, I believe he's the hardest GOP candidate. But, when I think of the possibility of a Republican President, he's the only one that DOESN'T make me think the very foundation of this country would be in jeopardy with his win.

Sometimes, the picture IS the post

Sometimes, a picture is worth 1,000 words.



Never have I agreed with The American Conservative more than with this cover. Though the GOP Field brings with its fair share of folks that I wouldn't like, I hope the GOP voters have the sense NOT to nominate Rudy. NOBODY who has given refuge and comfort to the Architects of the Iraq War, welcoming them into the busom of his campaign, should be a credible candidate.

More trouble for Rudy

It would be different if the crazed left-wing bloggers were making up stuff on Rudy Giuliani but there is no need. Rudy has his own dirt and no matter how tightly he tries to shut the door on this closet of secrets thing just keep falling out. (I discuss Rudy's ties to terror here.) On Wednesday Politico.com, a right leaning web site, stated that Giuliani had some odd billing practices for his security detail when he was mayor of New York. One would figure that the Police Department would have been in charge of all of his security and therefore would be billed. Nope. He billed...someone billed obscure NY agencies which in turn billed the Police Department. Why? Who knows? Rudy clearly hasn't answered the question.

This best news is that Bernard (I'm indicted) Kerik has come to Rudy rescue. You can't make this stuff up!

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

From NYT:

Rudolph W. Giuliani last night called a Web site’s account of his spending a “political hit job” as his campaign struggled to explain why hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel expenses for his mayoral security detail were billed to obscure city offices instead of the Police Department.

Earlier yesterday, a senior aide to Mr. Giuliani defended the handling of the expenses, which were incurred from 1999 to 2001, calling them completely proper. The aide contended that the billing followed longstanding procedures in which legitimate travel expenses for the police detectives were spread among the budgets of various mayoral offices.

Each agency, said the aide, Joseph J. Lhota, a former deputy mayor whom Mr. Giuliani has asked to look into the matter, was later reimbursed by the Police Department. The practice, he said, was put in place to ensure timely payment. (more...)

Countdown with Keith Olbermann video.

Judith Regan Says News Corp. Official Wanted her to Lie to Protect Giuliani

Hat Tip: Countdown with Keith Olbermann

From NYTimes.com

Ex-Publisher Says News Corp. Official Wanted Her to Lie to Protect Giuliani
By RUSS BUETTNER
Published: November 13, 2007

Judith Regan, the book publisher who was fired by the News Corporation last year, asserts in a lawsuit filed today that a senior executive at the media conglomerate encouraged her to mislead federal investigators about her relationship with Bernard B. Kerik during his bid to become homeland security secretary in late 2004.

The lawsuit asserts that the News Corporation executive wanted to protect the presidential aspirations of former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Kerik’s mentor, who had appointed him New York City police commissioner and had recommended him for the federal post.

Ms. Regan makes the charge at the start of a 70-page filing that seeks $100 million in damages for what she says was a campaign to smear and discredit her by her bosses at HarperCollins and its parent company, the News Corporation, after her project to publish a book with O.J. Simpson was abandoned amid a storm of protest.

In the civil complaint filed in state court in Manhattan, Ms. Regan says the company has long sought to promote Mr. Giuliani’s ambitions. But the lawsuit does not elaborate on that charge, or identify the executive who she alleged pressured her to mislead investigators, nor does it offer details or evidence to back up her claim.

Ms. Regan had an affair with Mr. Kerik, who is married, beginning in the spring of 2001, when her imprint, Regan Books, began work on his memoir, “The Lost Son.” In December 2004, after the relationship had ended and shortly after Mr. Kerik’s homeland security nomination fell apart, newspapers reported that the two had carried on the affair at an apartment near Ground Zero that had been donated as a respite for rescue and recovery workers.

Mr. Kerik, who in 2004 said he withdrew his nomination because of problems with his hiring of a nanny, was indicted last week on federal tax fraud and other charges.

“Defendants were well aware that Regan had a personal relationship with Kerik,” the complaint says. “In fact, a senior executive in the News Corporation organization told Regan that he believed she had information about Kerik that, if disclosed, would harm Giuliani’s presidential campaign. This executive advised Regan to lie to, and to withhold information from, investigators concerning Kerik.”

Officials of the News Corporation were asked in a telephone call for comment on the lawsuit, but had yet to issue a statement.

One of Ms. Regan’s lawyers, Brian C. Kerr of the firm Dreier L.L.P., said she possesses evidence to support her claim that she was advised to lie to federal investigators who were vetting Mr. Kerik. But Mr. Kerr declined to discuss the nature of the evidence.

“We’re fully confident that the evidence will show that Judith Regan was the victim of a vicious smear campaign engineered by News Corp. and HarperCollins,” Mr. Kerr said.

The News Corporation controls a vast array of media outlets worldwide, including Twentieth Century Fox, the New York Post and the Fox News Channel, where Ms. Regan once hosted a talk show.

I don't watch Faux News, so I'll take the word of those that do that it's been carrying the water for Rudy for awhile now.

So, now, they're trying to get folks to lie for Rudy.

Um, ok.

I'll remind folks again...

This is the man who had his WHORE in the House with his WIFE AND CHILDREN.

His PUBLICLY FUNDED HOUSE.

This is the man who has ON HIS PAYROLL, A PRIEST accused of MOLESTING CHILDREN.

And, now this.

Doesn't surprise me in the least.

Watching Dan Abrams - he said that in July, in the ' Gossip' columns, said that Ms. Regan has TAPES. If she does.....GOOD! She knew the types of folk she was dealing with....SNAKES ALL.

UPDATE: Smoking Gun has a copy of the lawsuit HERE

Giuliani Partner Bernard Kerik Indicted

Now that Giuliani insider Bernard Kerik has been indicted by a Federal Grand Jury, I wonder if the National Corporate media will go after Rudy the way it has gone after John Kerry, Barack Obama, John Edwards and so many others. Kerik was the man that Giuliani recommended to become the Head of Homeland Security when the agency was in it infancy. An embarrassing revelation regarding an undocumented domestic worker who worked in the Kerik Household, and other questions regarding his honesty, led to the withdrawal of his nomination.

This whole episode calls into question (again) Giuliani's judgement. It also begs the question just how close Giuliani was and continues to be, to Bernard Kerik. The two men were the best of friends and were business partners during the time when much of Kerik's criminality was taking place. Was Giuliani involved in any of Keriks shady deals? The mainstream corporate media doesn't even want to go there, because they are wimps. Whatever happened to good investigative journalists who take the time to dig for the story behind the story? There are only a few left... Brian Ross, Bill Moyers, and a small handful of others come to mind. And even they only seem to act only after the bandwagon is full.

It will be interesting to find out who Kerik may implicate (if anyone) in his own defense.

Pat Robertson to Endorse Rudy Giuliani

Pat Robertson Endorses Rudy: Deems Him 'More Than Acceptable to People of Faith'

Pat Robertson, one of the most influential figures in the social conservative movement, announced his support for Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid this morning at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Robertson's endorsement of Giuliani is a significant blow to Mitt Romney, who has worked hard to court evangelical leaders. Robertson's support was coveted by several of the leading Republican candidates and provides Giuliani with a major boost as the former New York City mayor seeks to convince social conservatives that, despite his positions supporting abortion rights and gay rights, he is an acceptable choice as the GOP nominee.

Rest of article is here.

Ok, you want to roll like that, Rev. Robertson?

Then, here's how it's going to go.

Not ONE MUMBLING WORD about MORALITY or VALUES.

NOT ONE WORD.

Not when you are supporting a man who:

Brought his WHORE into the HOUSE with his WIFE AND CHILDREN.

Has on the payroll a PRIEST accused of MOLESTING CHILDREN.

Not one mumbling word from any of you Bible Thumpers about MORALITY or VALUES.

Giuliani Defends, Employs Priest Accused of Molesting Teens

Hat tip:WVON 1690 AM-Santita Jackson Show



From ABCNews.com

Giuliani Defends, Employs Priest Accused of Molesting Teens
October 23, 2007 7:00 AM
Brian Ross and Avni Patel Report:



Presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani hired a Catholic priest to work in his consulting firm months after the priest was accused of sexually molesting two former students and an altar boy and told by the church to stop performing his priestly duties.

The priest, Monsignor Alan Placa, a longtime friend of Giuliani and the priest who officiated at his second wedding to Donna Hanover, continues to work at Giuliani Partners in New York, to the outrage of some of his accusers and victims' groups, which have begun to protest at Giuliani campaign events.

"This man did unjust things, and he's being protected and employed and taken care of. It's not a good thing," said one of the accusers, Richard Tollner, who says Placa molested him repeatedly when he was a student at a Long Island, N.Y. Catholic boys high school in 1975.


At a campaign appearance in Milwaukee last week, Giuliani continued to defend Placa, who he described to reporters as a close friend for 39 years.

"I know the man; I know who he is, so I support him," Giuliani said. "We give some of the worst people in our society the presumption of innocence and benefit of the doubt," he said. "And, of course, I'm going to give that to one of my closest friends."

The accusations against Placa were made in testimony before a Suffolk County grand jury in 2002.


Tollner, now a mortgage broker in Albany, N.Y., says he was one of three people to testify about Placa.

"This man harmed children. He still could do it. He deserves to be shown for what he was, or is," says Tollner.

Appearing publicly for the first time today on ABC News' "Good Morning America," Tollner says the abuse started when he and Placa were in the high school making posters for a Right to Life march.

"As he started to explain how these posters should be done, I realized that something was rubbing my body," Tollner said. "After a minute or two, I realized that he's feeling me, feeling me in my genital area."

The grand jury report concluded that a Priest F, who Tollner says is Placa, abused the boys sexually "again and again and again."

"Priest F was cautious, but relentless in his pursuit of victims. He fondled boys over their clothes, usually in his office," the report said.

The report concluded that Priest F, and several other priests under investigation from the same Long Island, N.Y. diocese, could not be prosecuted because the statute of limitations had expired.

Several former students from the same high school say they were asked by the "Giuliani organization" to contact ABC News and vouch for Placa.

"There was absolutely not a hint of rumor of a speculation or a whisper, in four years, or in decades after of any sexual predatoriness on the part of Rev. Placa," wrote Matthew Hogan in an e-mail to ABCNews.com.

Hogan says he recalls that Placa did give "special attention" to his former schoolmate Richard Tollner and remembers seeing Tollner in Placa's office "laughing, on opposite sides of a desk with Mr. Tollner happily animated sitting up on the couch talking."

But Hogan says the school area where Tollner says he was molested "was CONSTANTLY trafficked even on off days and hours."

"I will gladly help take apart in public anything that seriously overlooks the above. I'll be watching The Blotter like a hawk," Hogan wrote.

In addition to the allegations that Priest F was personally involved in the sexual abuse, the grand jury also said that Priest F became instrumental in a church policy that used "deception and intimidation" to keep the church scandal quiet.

Placa served as a lawyer for the diocese in dealing with allegations of abuse against other priests and, according to the grand jury report, claimed he had saved the church hundreds of thousands of dollars in his handling of possible litigation.

Lawyers for alleged victims say Placa would often conduct interviews, in his priest garb, without making it clear he was the church lawyer.

"He was a wolf in sheep's clothing," said Melanie Little, a lawyer for several alleged victims of sexual abuse by other priests in the diocese.

"He was more concerned with protecting the priests, protecting the reputation of the diocese and protecting the church coffers than he was protecting the children," said Little.

Since going to work for Giuliani Partners, the former mayor and the priest have continued to be close.

Placa accompanied Giuliani and his wife Judith on a trip to Rome earlier this year.

Through a spokeswoman at Giuliani Partners, Sunny Mindel, Placa declined requests to comment on the allegations to ABCNews.com.

Mindel also declined to specify what Placa does for the firm or how much he is paid.

OK, GOP MOTHERS out there.

Please tell me how you can support a man who stands by someone accused of molesting children. I would like to know.

You already knew what kind of character he didn't have because he was a man who brought his whore to live in the house with his WIFE AND CHILDREN.

Now, you know that he's PAYING a man accused of MOLESTING CHILDREN and defending it.

Please explain it to me.

New Video On Mr. 911 Rudy Giuliani And His Failure of Leadership

Dozens of New York Firefighters died on September 11th, 2001 because they could not hear the evacuation order. I completed a report on disaster preparedness in the City a couple of years ago... and I found several problems with Giuliani's leadership (or lack thereof). This is why I am baffled by his claim to fame as being the hero Mayor.

Watch how he tried to spin the deaths of the firefighters during Congressional testimony... saying that they decided to stay in the buildings (which was a lie). The fact is... they could not hear the call.

The Mainstream media- to this day- refuses to challenge Giuliani's record as Mayor of New York.

Giuliani's Foreign Policy Approach

Click Image To Enlarge

Republicans Debate In Michigan

Republicans met in Michigan yesterday for a debate that was supposed to center on the economy. However, the Republican candidates offered little in the form of relief for working people of Michigan - one of the nations most economically challenged States.

Instead of offering any real solutions or new ideas, the candidates harped on cutting spending and government programs (shrinking government). There were no solutions for moving the country into the new economy, driven by new energy technology, etc. There were no real plans laid out to make sure that the U.S. can compete in the global economy, no bold plans for changing our sources of energy & finally ending the dependence on foreign oil, or for building better more advanced cars. They offered no initiatives for encouraging companies to keep jobs in the U.S. and no real plan for healthcare. Their idea of a healthcare plan is "pray you don't get sick".

It was clear that the Republicans remain out of touch with the needs and concerns of the average working American (and in many ways, the same could be said for the Democrats). They seemed to be too busy imitating Ronald Reagan.

The sad thing is... The Democrats are so pathetic, that one of these Republicans actually has a good chance of winning the General Election next year.
The Democrats are pushing ahead with their Trainwreck (Hillary Clinton). I am still hoping that John Edwards will make a good showing in Iowa and will take off from there. None of these Democrats are the best choice.... but as dreadful as most of them are, any one of them would be better than any of the top Republican candidates. The mere idea of a Giuliani administration scares the Hell out of me.

Read some great roundups of the Republican Debate in Michigan, here and here.

Rudy, SCHIP, and the Democratic Trainwreck

Giuliani Advisor Norman Podhoretz Too Scared To Debate

Hear a whacky discussion with pro-war neoconservative Norman Podhoretz. During the program, Podhoretz argues that we are in World War IV. He is under the false assumption that we can fight a war against an ideology using Conventional military power. But this will not work, cannot work and has already proven to be a failure.... yet he repeats the mantra over and over.

He is calling for war with Iran, thinking that Air Strikes will do just fine. He seems oblivious to the fact that the U.S. would need 500,000 troops on stand by just in case the aerial bombing doesn't quite work out as planned, or in case Iran launches a major Counter attack. Where would the U.S. get these 500,000 extra troops? We definitely would not have any significant help from an international coalition. No nation, besides Israel, is foaming at the mouth, eager to go into Iran.

I have said it a million times, you cannot defeat an ideology with tanks, bomber planes, and Aircraft Carriers. In fact, you may only make the problem worse. The U.S. has strengthened its enemies, via this John Wayne, Cowboy foreign policy. The war in Iraq and the U.S. over-reliance on military power to solve its problems, has been a gift to Al Qaeda and other Jihadi movements around the World. Yet, Podhoretz and his fellow pro-war neocons, either fail to see this fact, or choose to ignore it.
He seems to be oblivious to the fact that terrorism has skyrocketed since 9/11 and since the start of the war in Iraq in 2003.

During the program Podhoretz also runs from any serious debate with the other panelists. In fact, one of the pre-conditions for his appearance on the program was that he would not debate other panelists...and that he would not even appear with the other guests. He had to be brought on separately.

He makes a ton of whacky claims during the discussion.... I could not count all of them. But a few that stand out are- He tries to compare the current "War on Terror" with the Cold War. Of course there is no real comparison. He also goes on to predict that George W. Bush will one day be considered one of the nations greatest Presidents. He also claims that the War on Terror is going pretty good. WHAT?????? lol

Why should you be concerned about this man? Because this is a top foreign policy advisor to the Republican Presidential front-runner Rudy Giuliani.... who has a good chance of becoming the next President. A Giuliani Presidency would be worse than what we currently have. I never thought we would be on the brink of something worse than the Bush Administration. But here we are.

The other guests come on later and begin clearing up some of Podhoretz's nonsense.

The other guests were:

--Christopher Dickey, Middle East Regional Editor and Paris Bureau Chief for Newsweek Magazine

--Gen. William Odom, a retired Army Lt-General, Director of the National Security Agency from 1985 to 1988 and Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence for the US Army from 1981 to 1985. He is currently a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a professor (political science) at Yale University.

This is a must hear interview.

LISTEN

Giuliani Supporters Have Lost Their Minds

I knew that Giuliani would try to exploit 9/11 for his own personal & political benefit, but I didn't think that things would get this bad.

Yes, the Giuliani camp has stated that they are not part of this fundraising event, but at the same time, they have not denounced it either. And will they refuse to take the money? I doubt it. Therefore, that to me is an implicit wink and a nod acceptance of what is taking place regarding the event.

I have another interesting post related to Giuliani that I don't have time to get to at the moment. I will try to post that tomorrow.

In the meantime, take a look at this short video sponsored by firefighters.... which challenges the hero myth that Giuliani has been milking for the past 6 years.

Commentary on Giuliani's Bid for The White House

Whirled Views Cheryl Rofer recently commented on Rudy Giuliani and why he should not get into the White House. I don't think she went far enough. But I'm glad to know that I am not the only one who feels uneasy about the prospect of Giuliani becoming President. I am annoyed by his phony hero status as Mayor of New York during 9/11. But I have been most bothered by his approach to U.S. foreign policy....an approach that would be worse than what we have now.

Thompson Catches Giuliani in GOP Race

As per CNN.com:

September 11, 2007
Thompson catches Giuliani in GOP race
Thompson is in a statistical dead heat with Rudy Giuliani, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Five days after he officially jumped into the Republican race for the White House, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson finds himself in a statistical dead heat with frontrunner Rudy Giuliani, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll out Tuesday.

The former New York City mayor garners 28 percent nationally among registered Republicans while Thompson is only one point behind at 27 percent — well within the poll's 5 percentage point margin of error. In a similar poll taken in August, Giuliani registered 29 percent while Thompson, then not yet an official presidential candidate, was at 22 percent. (See full poll results [PDF])

CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider notes, "Thompson has the edge among evangelical Republicans and especially among his fellow southerners — that's where Thompson has made the biggest gains."

Specifically, Thompson now holds the advantage among men, southerners, older voters (age 50 and over) and ideological conservatives. Conversely, Giuliani leads among women, voters in the Northeast and Midwest, younger voters (under 50) and self-described GOP moderates.

While the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll shows a statistical dead heat, other recent national polls indicate Giuliani continues to hold a lead over Thompson. A CBS/New York Times poll released Monday showed Giuliani with a 5 point lead over Thompson, 27 percent to 22 percent. Meanwhile, a USAToday/Gallup poll out Monday has Giuliani with a 12 point lead, 34 percent to 22 percent.

Arizona Sen. John McCain comes in a distant third at 15 percent, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney close behind at 11 percent. McCain was at 16 percent in the August poll while Romney registered 12 percent. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee now stands at 5 percent, while no other Republican candidate pulls more than 2 percentage points. The poll surveyed 318 registered Republicans from September 7-9.

Rest of article is here.


Interesting. Fred's in the race for one week and he catches Rudy. And, this is before they really began to go at one another seriously. I think everything is in flux on the GOP side. And what does Fred's entry mean to Flipping Mitt?