Newsweek outs McCain’s choice to manage national convention

Vetting the company we keep

This current Newsweek magazine article has created enough swirl around lobbyist and McCain insider, Doug Goodyear, that the man tapped by the GOP presumptive nominee to run the September Minneapolis/St. Paul convention, stepped down after the story broke. Goodyear’s tenure was short lived.

Obviously, Team McCain had good reasons for concern.

Just a small “let’s be energy independent” quiz

With $5 a gallon gas looming…

Which political party has consistently blocked drilling in ANWR and which politician reliably reaches “across the aisle” to give them support?

National Review Online provides the answer.

A testament to educational excellence with a liberal dose of hubris

Charles Ray Fuller, 21, a man long on nerve and short on smarts, has been arrested for attempting to pass a $360 BILLION check, which he claims was given to him by his girlfriend’s mother to start a record business, the Dallas Morning News reports.

Was there ever a serious question of eligibility?

There are many other issues raised by his candidacy, but citizenship certainly isn’t one of them. Of course the U.S. Senate agrees Panama-born McCain can run. He was born to American citizen parents while his naval admiral father was serving in the U.S. military.

Other prominent politicians born outside of the United States have run for the presidency.

Barry Goldwater, the Republican presidential standard-bearer in 1964, was born in the territory of Arizona in 1909, prior to its 1912 statehood. Mitt Romney’s father, George, a presidential candidate in 1968, was born to American citizen parents in Mexico.

McCain backer Brenda Sperduti co-chairs Dem Guv’s gala

Those McCain folks just can’t seem to figure out which party they belong to–or why

You might recall the name Brenda Sperduti. If your memory bank has more important matters taking up space, a quick refresher is available here.

Sperduti was on John McCain’s hand-picked slate in his home district, as an important state convention delegate. His slate tanked.

Brenda, an elected Republican precinct committeeman in Royal Palm precinct, gained notoriety as a Republican for Janet during the last gubernatorial election. At the time, there was a well-qualified GOP candidate in the race.

The Republicans for Janet site has been taken down, but the names remain available at AZ Conservative, where Dennis Durband thoughtfully copied and retained the list.

Today Sperduti has landed on what is left of the society page in the daily with a cheery photo and this gem announcing her as co-chair of the governor’s gala:

A record-breaking 900 Arizona art lovers descended on the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa on Wednesday for the 27th annual Governor’s Arts Awards. The event celebrated the rich diversity of Arizona’s arts and cultural treasures.

The rest of the tidbit is here.

Government language police: “Jihadist” is out

Muslims might be offended by ‘Islamo-fascism”

The Bush administration has launched a new front in the war on terrorism, this time targeting language. Among the guidelines included in the memo:

“Never use the terms ‘jihadist’ or ‘mujahedeen’ in conversation to describe the terrorists. … Calling our enemies ‘jihadis’ and their movement a global ‘jihad’ unintentionally legitimizes their actions.”

“Use the terms ‘violent extremist’ or ‘terrorist.’ Both are widely understood terms that define our enemies appropriately and simultaneously deny them any level of legitimacy.”

On the other hand, avoid ill-defined and offensive terminology: “We are communicating with, not confronting, our audiences. Don’t insult or confuse them with pejorative terms such as ‘Islamo-fascism,’ which are considered offensive by many Muslims.”

“Regarding ‘jihad,’ even if it is accurate to reference the term, it may not be strategic because it glamorizes terrorism, imbues terrorists with religious authority they do not have and damages relations with Muslims around the world,” the report says.

Jihad Watch covers the revised lexicon.

Julie Nixon Eisenhower did WHAT?

Can’t imagine this would have pleased Dad.

Bold talk from a mis-stepping challenger

Yearning for the bad old days?

Another Democrat has stepped up to challenge popular Maricopa County Attorney, Andrew Thomas.

Launching his campaign on an odd note, Gerald Richard began by accusing Thomas of “incredibly poor judgment,” citing the county attorney’s decision to authorize an emergency wiretap of the “Serial Shooter” suspects.

Citizens will remember that Thomas’s decisive actions brought to a conclusion the terror spree that swept the Valley while two shooters on a lark, randomly killed and maimed residents, as well as shooting dogs and horses.

Richard, a career police legal advisor, joins ACLU attorney and Janet Napolitano’s legal aide, Tim Nelson, as the second Democrat to enter the race.  Neither man has administrative experience.

Richard was flanked at his announcement speech by illegal alien advocate, Spanish radio talk show host and political consultant Alfredo Gutierrez and perennial sheriff candidate, Dan Saban. Those endorsements speak volumes as Richard alerts the illegal community to his illegal advocacy agenda.

Saban, running again to unseat “America’s toughest sheriff,” is supported by former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley, best remembered for his contentious dealings with Sheriff Joe Arpaio, resulting in ongoing havoc within the law enforcement establishment.

The current Maricopa County Attorney, Andrew Thomas, and county Sheriff Joe Arpaio have forged a congenial working relationship that benefits the people of Maricopa County.

It’s doubtful many voters yearn for a return to the bad old days.

 

Dramatic losses could have a connective thread

Bank of America Corp. the second-largest U.S. bank, has announced profits have dropped for a third straight quarter as the company set aside $6.01 billion for bad loans, Bloomberg News reports.

First-quarter net income declined 77 percent to $1.21 billion from $5.26 billion a year earlier.

Bank of America said it can’t collect payments on 4.9 percent of its $75.9 billion credit card portfolio as of March 31, up from 4.5 percent at the end of the previous quarter. The bank is the nation’s biggest issuer of credit cards.

Wonder if those dramatic losses night be connected to BofA’s offer of credit cards and home mortgages to illegal aliens, issued without requiring the Social Security numbers and credit history the rest of us have to provide?

Silencing Bardot

 

No First Amendment freedoms in France

French former film star Brigitte Bardot, now 73, has gone on trial for insulting Muslims. This marks the fifth time she has faced the charge of “inciting racial hatred” over her remarks about Islam and its followers.

Whatever happened to the freedoms the French once held so dear? Apparently, ils n’existent plus—they no longer exist.

What a shame that the French Revolution now appears to have been fought for naught.

“La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem once stood as a symbol of liberty, as evidenced in this memorable scene from the film “Casablanca,” as the Nazis attempted to drown out the then-patriotic French.