Now that's scary!

Wonkette has a Kerry photo that'll send shivers down your spine. While you are there, check out the Google ads on the sidebar - refresh a couple of times to see them all. It looks like every Donk candidate that has cash is Googling. Of course, my favorite is the National Ad Council crap at the top enjoining "Art. Ask for More." in several variations. Sheesh, now it's considered public service advertising to tout art classes and demand funding for them.

And speaking of scary, remember the Rolling Stone cover photo of Big Weird Al which was created by his style consultants to further his "alpha male" image? Well now we have Lil Weird Weasley and his Advocate cover. Nice tee shirt little fella! And he's getting help with this demographic from Allah himself as well as others.

I was looking at "pitchers"

The sight of blissed out Mary Steenburgen (linked in the previous post) prompted me to cruise through the current selection of Yahoo! News Photos for amusement. It wasn't exactly a bumper crop, but I liked the one of the proprietor of a "Foodies for Dean" blog. Might be worth visiting so I would know what not to eat.

Also amusing was the caption to this one - "the state's next physical year".

Sheesh, I'm criticizing the spelling on photo captions. Time to head down to the lower forty and get some fresh air.

That's more like it!

Reuters reports a new poll that says Kerry Holds Lead But Race May Be Tightening. The Polipundit says the polls are bunk and I agree, but they provide endless amusement. They're also an opportunity for Reuters to include a snap of Mary Steenburgen looking like Jim Jones just handed her a big frosty mug of Kool-Aid, when its only Weasley Clark in a sweater. Hmm, they are kind of similar.

Look what the cat dragged in!

I stopped by Drudge and saw some of my favorite people. No, not Weasley and Howie, though they are there too. First, there's Anthony Pellicano - Hollywood Investigator Gets 30-Month Term in Weapons Case. Why would I care about some wacko Hollywood PI? Well the NY Times doesn't mention it, but Pellicano was Hill and Bill's muscle in trying to quash scandalous revelations about the sinkmaster. And here's an interesting coincidence:

Interestingly enough, some of Pellicano's targets, like former Los Angeles Times reporter Anita Busch and one-time "Hard Copy" correspondent Dina Dimond, report break-ins and property vandalism, the kind of problems encountered by Clinton accusers like Flowers, Sally Perdue, Kathleen Willey and Juanita Broaddrick.

30 months in the slam isn't long enough for this pond scum.

If that isn't distasteful enough, what else do I see but a Cherie Blair whine. Now I find Cherie, the "human rights lawyer," to be a source of great amusement (1, 2, 3) but Tony should have figured out by now that anyone who would hire an ex-topless "model" as a "lifestyle consultant" shouldn't be let out without a keeper.

Welcome the New Neighbors Alert!

The Raleigh News and Observer (who coined "welcoming the new neighbors") is shocked that Crowds crush DMV offices:

Immigrants trying to beat a Feb. 2 cutoff for some forms of ID swell lines for licenses across Triangle

An initiative meant to keep criminals and possibly terrorists from obtaining driver licenses is creating congestion, confusion and frayed nerves at the state's Division of Motor Vehicle offices.

As a crush of immigrants seek licenses before the state stops accepting Mexican identification cards and some other IDs on Feb. 2, a trip to the DMV is turning into an hours-long ordeal.

Some customers camped out overnight, and others arrived before dawn to be in line when the doors opened at 8 a.m. Friday at the DMV office on Miami Boulevard in Durham. People waited a half day or more for service at other offices in the Triangle, and the DMV warned that the problem will get worse.
...
When the initiative takes effect Feb. 2, Mexican immigrants will no longer be able to use several ID cards that they've relied on to get driver licenses. They include military and voting cards issued by Mexico and the popular matricula cards issued by Mexican consulates in the United States and commonly used by illegal immigrants.

Hey, I know how to thin out the lines! Park big vans with a huge signs saying "Border Patrol" next to the offices.

And speaking of the Border Patrol, how about Border Patrol: Did Bush send you here?

Border Patrol agents along the southern frontier are surveying illegals to find out if President Bush's controversial immigration reform plan announcement prompted them to come.

Agents have been instructed to ask one out of every five illegal aliens they catch if they were aware of Bush's proposed guest worker program and if it motivated them to come, the Tucson Citizen newspaper reported.

The daily said a citizen border watchdog group, Civil Homeland Defense, believes it already has seen an effect from the announcement.

The group caught 85 people entering the country illegally last weekend, said founder Chris Simcox.

"They were, like, 'What's the problem? President Bush said it was OK,'" he told the Tucson paper. "That's the attitude out there, and [Border Patrol] agents are totally demoralized."

And more:

But according to the Los Angeles Times, agents say there is anecdotal evidence a new wave of immigration has begun, as detainees have demanded "amnesty" upon their capture.

Well that's swell news although no surprise to anyone with even minor acquaintance with human nature. UPDATE: More in Bush Plan a Magnet.

And speaking of human nature, the usual suspects like to trot out the whine that "American was built by immigrants" and the illegals "are just looking for a better life for themselves." Aside from the fact that earlier immigrants were legal and not living off the largesse of the taxpayers, there's a wee problem that along with all the swell folks streaming across the border there are some who aren't so nice. Besides the occasional terrorist like Alleged Hizballah 'Fighter' Snuck Into U.S. from Mexico how about The Illegal-Alien Crime Wave?

Police commanders may not want to discuss, much less respond to, the illegal-alien crisis, but its magnitude for law enforcement is startling. Some examples:

• In Los Angeles, 95 percent of all outstanding warrants for homicide (which total 1,200 to 1,500) target illegal aliens. Up to two-thirds of all fugitive felony warrants (17,000) are for illegal aliens.

• A confidential California Department of Justice study reported in 1995 that 60 percent of the 20,000-strong 18th Street Gang in southern California is illegal; police officers say the proportion is actually much greater. The bloody gang collaborates with the Mexican Mafia, the dominant force in California prisons, on complex drug-distribution schemes, extortion, and drive-by assassinations, and commits an assault or robbery every day in L.A. County. The gang has grown dramatically over the last two decades by recruiting recently arrived youngsters, most of them illegal, from Central America and Mexico.

• The leadership of the Columbia Lil’ Cycos gang, which uses murder and racketeering to control the drug market around L.A.’s MacArthur Park, was about 60 percent illegal in 2002, says former assistant U.S. attorney Luis Li. Francisco Martinez, a Mexican Mafia member and an illegal alien, controlled the gang from prison, while serving time for felonious reentry following deportation.

Good luck finding any reference to such facts in official crime analysis.

And why's that?

Some of the most violent criminals at large today are illegal aliens. Yet in cities where the crime these aliens commit is highest, the police cannot use the most obvious tool to apprehend them: their immigration status. In Los Angeles, for example, dozens of members of a ruthless Salvadoran prison gang have sneaked back into town after having been deported for such crimes as murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and drug trafficking. Police officers know who they are and know that their mere presence in the country is a felony. Yet should a cop arrest an illegal gangbanger for felonious reentry, it is he who will be treated as a criminal, for violating the LAPD’s rule against enforcing immigration law.

The LAPD’s ban on immigration enforcement mirrors bans in immigrant-saturated cities around the country, from New York and Chicago to San Diego, Austin, and Houston. These “sanctuary policies” generally prohibit city employees, including the cops, from reporting immigration violations to federal authorities.

Such laws testify to the sheer political power of immigrant lobbies, a power so irresistible that police officials shrink from even mentioning the illegal-alien crime wave. “We can’t even talk about it,” says a frustrated LAPD captain. “People are afraid of a backlash from Hispanics.” Another LAPD commander in a predominantly Hispanic, gang-infested district sighs: “I would get a firestorm of criticism if I talked about [enforcing the immigration law against illegals].” Neither captain would speak for attribution.

Here's a test you can do at home - Google the web for your county or state's "Ten Most Wanted List" and see how many are Spanish-surnamed. For the case of the little rural county I live in, there are 3 people on the Most Wanted List but 2 are Spanish-surnamed. For the state, 3 of 7 are Spanish-surnamed. Since I live in one of the original 13 colonies over 1000 miles from Mexico, I don't think too many of these folks had roots here.

But Cracker, you say, "We just can't round up all of them and ship them back!" I say that economics brought them here and economics will send them back if we crack down on employers of illegal aliens. I'd also like to say crack down on a variety of taxpayer benefits like schools and hospitals too, but the usual suspects have gotten some judges to discover new rights in the Constitution for illegal aliens. We'll have to work fast before they find that the Constitution guarantees illegal aliens the right to a job too.

Naughty Johnny!

(Via Nikita Demosthenes) Mr. Edwards's Bundle of Secrets

A BIG PIECE of North Carolina Sen. John Edwards's campaign message is about how he would work to "clean up" Washington if elected president. He accuses President Bush of putting "the interests of lobbyists and campaign contributors above the interests of regular people." But Mr. Edwards -- alone among the serious candidates for president -- declines to provide a list of his major campaign financiers ...

Hmmm, what could he have to hide?

Based on the latest data available, Mr. Edwards has collected a bigger chunk of his donations in the form of $2,000 checks, the largest allowable, than any of the other Democratic candidates: 65 percent, compared with Mr. Kerry's 55 percent and Mr. Dean's 13 percent. Now, with his surprise second-place showing in Iowa, Mr. Edwards is scrambling to collect even more of those checks. It's no secret that the backbone of Mr. Edwards's financial support has been his fellow trial lawyers, nor does Mr. Edwards minimize that part of his biography; rather, he embraces it as a role in which he fought for ordinary citizens against powerful corporations. That's fine; voters can judge for themselves between his view of the profession and the Republicans' depiction of trial lawyers as sharks savaging the public interest. What's beyond dispute is that trial lawyers are a special interest. They pump millions of dollars into Democratic coffers because their livelihoods depend on such legislative issues as caps on damages in medical malpractice cases, limits on class action lawsuits and the settlement of asbestos litigation.

That reminds me of this story from May 2003 which bears a minor repeat - Donations to Sen. Edwards questioned:

Sen. John Edwards’ presidential campaign finance documents show a pattern of giving by low-level employees at law firms, a number of whom appear to have limited financial resources and no prior record of political donations.
...
Stacy and Robert Kern of Los Angeles, for example, are among those who contributed to Edwards’ candidacy. Stacy Kern is listed as an administrator at the law firm of Howarth & Smith. The firm participated in the class-action suits against the tobacco industry.

On March 6, Stacy Kern contributed $2,000 to the Edwards campaign. Two associate attorneys and five of the firm’s six partners also contributed the maximum amount. Los Angeles County records show that Stacy Kern is not a registered voter and has not previously voted or contributed to a federal campaign.

Her husband Robert, a self-employed travel agent, also gave $2,000 on the same day. Robert Kern was at one point registered to vote in Los Angeles, but after numerous unanswered letters since 1996 from the county registrar of voters, he was dropped from the voter rolls last year. As with his wife, Robert Kern has no record of having voted and made no previous federal campaign donations.

In 1998, Stacy Kern declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy in California, with assets of $7,925 and liabilities of $126,769. In 1994, California assessed her husband with a $33,254 state tax lien, active until 2004. The Kerns are not listed as property holders.

Stacy Kern said there was no coordination at the firm of donations to Edwards. But she added: “I mean, it’s not coincidence. I mean, we talked about him [around the firm].”

She said she does not remember the nature or specifics of those talks. Her husband Robert did not return several calls from The Hill.

A 2002 survey conducted by the Legal Assistant Management Association (LAMA) found that paralegals earn an average pre-tax salary of $44,416. Clerks make $30,345 on average, and managers receive $81,151. LAMA noted that salaries for legal assistants in San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles tend to be 11-29 percent higher than those nationwide.

It's nice to know that Johnny has the little people so solidly behind him that they'll donate a substantial fraction of their income despite perilous financial conditions! Why is he ashamed to let the rest of the world know?

You have to be kidding!

James Taranto at Best of the Web:

On CNN's "Crossfire" yesterday, Kerry's fellow Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Edward Markey attributed the senator's rise to the stunning new revelation that he served in Vietnam:

John Kerry has to get out this message honestly that he was a winner of the Silver Star and the Bronze Star in Vietnam. This is not--was not well known before the Iowa caucus.

Of course, it could hurt Kerry if word gets out that he's haughty and French-looking.

Vast Republican Conspiracy Alert!

Unlike Jeff Jacoby, Weasley Clark did not think that Brit Hume turned in the best performance at last night's debate - Clark: GOP agenda at play in New Hampshire debate:

Presidential candidate Wesley Clark on Friday complained that one of the moderators in Thursday night's debate was carrying out a Republican agenda by questioning his Democratic credentials.

Actually Peter Jennings got in a few embarrassing questions for Weasley too, which he fumbled in his usual manner.

More Donk Debate Reactions

John Derbyshire at The Corner - DON'T ASK ME

Watched the debate in repeat late last nite from the bottom of a deep happy well, having spent the previous 3 hrs scarfing down a Chinese New Year banquet with lots of that clear Chinese liquor you can use for cleaning out grease traps.

Let's see: Edwards knows squat about Islam, Clark is agnostic about whether my President is a "deserter," Sharpton doesn't know what the Federal Reserve Board is, Kucinich wants to pay my kids' college fees (you know, from out of that big brass-bound chest in the White House basement, the one labeled GOVERNMENT MONEY), Dean has a cold, Kerry served in Vietnam, Lieberman mnghhh.

Please don't make me write about the debate Kathryn.

John Ellis provides his take and an interesting discussion of the press view of Kerry - The Kerry Nightmare

Veteran reporters and commentators who watched last night's debate in New Hampshire agree that Kerry emerged unscathed and therefore the winner (in political terms). Clark was awful, Dean was qualudian, Edwards reinforced the idea that he's not quite ready for prime time and Sharpton was (and is) a fool.

So the take-away was Kerry is going to win the New Hampshire primary. If he does, then all the money will start flowing his way and it will be very hard to deny him the nomination.

This is a grim prospect for the veteran reporters/columnists. I would venture to guess that 85% of them would vote against Bush in virtually every hypothetical (save Sharpton). But I would also guess that 85% of them can't stand Kerry. So their mood is sour.

Why don't they like Kerry? Because they think he's a pompous phony. The new phrase making the rounds is "Gulfstream populist" (his wife, Theresa, owns a private plane). And they're tired of the whole Vietnam shtick. They heard it in his Congressional race back in the seventies, in the race against Ray Shamie in 1984, in the race against Weld in 1996 and they're hearing it again in Iowa and New Hampshire. And they're just sick to death of it and of him.

The French guy served in Vietnam? Who knew?

Just Damn

The latest ARG Tracking poll has Deano down to 3rd in New Hampshire, although it's too early to reflect last night's debate or the Diane Sawyer interview with Deano and his wife.

I'm not allowed to watch any more Donk debates since my cussing and yelling frightens the livestock and sets the dogs to barking. But most accounts I have read seem to echo John Podhoretz's view - Kerry and Deano did OK, Clark and Edwards didn't. Skipping the details and heading right for the snarky lines:

Edwards isn't ready for prime time. It's not even clear whether he's ready for the time of day when SpongeBob Squarepants is on.

I thought SpongeBob was always on, but I get the idea.

There's been a lot of talk that Wesley Clark would make a great vice-presidential candidate. Let me put this plainly: Anybody who picks this weirdo as vice president would need to have his head examined.

Well at least he didn't break out a roll of aluminum foil and start making a beanie - yet.

And while this was supposed to be the last debate before the primary election, I see that there is an effort to organize another one on Sunday focusing on "women's issues". Be still my heart!

As for the "couple interview" of Deano and Judy with Diane Sawyer, I didn't watch that either, but the general reaction seems to be benign or even positive in comparison to the notorious Hill and Bill show on 60 Minutes in 1992. Timothy Noah, however, says they shouldn't have taken as much crap as they did from Diane. I always say that about the unannointed priests of the press, Tim, but if you lay down with dogs, you have to expect to get up with fleas.

UPDATE: More debate goodness from Jeff Jacoby (via On the Third Hand) - A tedious night, with a bit of humor:

There can't be much doubt about who turned in the best performance in last night's New Hampshire debate. Only one man on that stage was consistently calm and thoughtful, well-spoken and well-prepared.

He didn't wilt under pressure, he was forceful without being discourteous -- if anyone appeared ready for the responsibilities of the White House, it was he. Too bad Brit Hume isn't running for president.

Bwahaha!

It was worth the price of admission just to see that blowhard Al Sharpton try to answer a question about the Federal Reserve. It was funny to discover that John Edwards doesn't appear to have the slightest idea what the Defense of Marriage Act is all about. And it was hilarious to watch Clark try to wriggle out of Brit Hume's devastating query about his political loyalties: After reciting a litany of examples of Clark's pro-Republican record, Hume asked, "Can you tell us when you first noticed you were a Democrat?"

Hume really was terrific last night. Maybe it's not too late to get him on the ballot.

I also hear that Peter Jennings did a surprisingly good job too, hard as it may be to believe. He was the one who asked Sharpton about the Federal Reserve. Transcript is here.