More news on indictments and such

Heads up, this is a very lengthy one. I've got a feeling that Saturday has truly been turned into a rerun night as Tom Dorsey wrote the other day. It would be nice if shows such as Hack and The District had not been cancelled. After the Bayh speech at the New Hampshire Jefferson-Jackson dinner, it looks like I will be watching DVD's or the Ted Kennedy speech that follows. I have yet to make a decision. I could watch the Star Wars saga but since that DVD comes out on Tuesday and it doesn't look like I'll be getting it until Chanukah, that's out of the picture.

The DLC writes about raising the bar on public service. The bar should be raised. There is no room in public service for criminals. I say this before the flame war begins: While I believe in what the DLC does and agree with most, if not all, of the platform, I appreciate what Jeremy Horton and Change for Kentucky are doing. He's a great guy and I hope to meet him some day. Don't know if he reads this that often but I hope to see a guy like him run for office in the future. There are great Young Democrats in the Commonwealth that have great futures. I'm not going into names right now but they probably know who they are. We need energetic Democrats at the grassroots level.

We care too much about the office of the Presidency to wish indictments upon anyone. For the same reason, we believe that for the sake of that office, President Bush should not wait for Patrick Fitzgerald to tell Karl Rove to go. Whether or not he was criminally involved in the Valerie Plame leak case, there's no doubt Rove is openly and notoriously involved in an ongoing effort to create a politics of maximum partisan polarization, infecting every institution of our democracy.

From that perspective, it's beside the point that Rove may well escape a long vacation in one of our fine federal correctional institutions. If he truly wants to clear the air, the president should direct Rove to take a permanent vacation from the White House. Let him practice his dark arts at the Republican National Committee or some other venue far from official policymaking circles, and let him be accompanied by the other permanent-campaign warriors who have infested the people's institutions.

Public service is a public trust, and until such time as we re-establish standards for choosing and holding public servants accountable for their qualifications, integrity and performance, public trust in government will continue to decline, to the peril of our country's strength.

In baseball news, it appears that what I feared the most has happened: St. Louis Cardinals' starting pitcher Matt Morris has filed for free agency. I hope that Walt Jocketty tries his best to keep Morris with the team.

Virginians have until November 8, 2005, to decide on who to vote for in the election between Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore. Tim Kaine is the only man that should be getting that job. I trust the Virginia voters to vote him in to the Governor's Mansion.

Mike Martz is most likely done with the St. Louis Rams. He is out for the season with a heart infection and it does not look like his contract will be extended. As to questions about who I root for? The Indianapolis Colts. Also, the article talks about Cardinal ownership on the next season.

Interviewed on KSLG (1380 AM) this week, Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt said ownership will probably keep the player payroll at 2005 levels, around $90 million, for 2006. That's despite home attendance of 3.5 million this season and the revenue generated by the selling of Busch Stadium seats and memorabilia...Giles has filed for free agency, and the San Diego Padres will try to keep the outfielder, but he is interested in playing for the Cardinals if it doesn't work out - that according to a source close to agent Joe Bick, who represents Giles.

Hillary Clinton was recently seen in Maine raising money for the 2006 elections. Governor John Baldacci is up for re-election this year. I wish him the best of luck.

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton came to New England on Friday to raise money for two governors and for herself at events in Maine and Massachusetts while avoiding setting foot in New Hampshire, the state with the first presidential primary.

During a fundraising luncheon for Gov. John Baldacci at a downtown hotel, Clinton attacked President Bush for adopting tax cuts while running up the deficit, for failing to create jobs and for cutting social programs. She also blamed the "right wing" for a lack of bipartisanship and for bringing down the Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers.

"We have to stand against this radical right-wing agenda in Washington," Clinton said to a roar of approval from more than 200 Democrats who paid $500 apiece to hear her speech.[...]

Before the luncheon, she attended a closed-door fundraising event at the Cumberland Club for the Maine Democratic Party where 100 people paid between $1,000 and $5,000 each. The hotel luncheon afterward pulled in $100,000 for Baldacci.

Baldacci is unopposed for the Democratic nomination; several Republicans are vying for the chance to try to unseat him next year.

Clinton, who also is up for re-election next year, had nearly $14 million in the bank for her 2006 re-election campaign as of Sept. 30, the last reporting period. She also has found time to raise money on behalf of Democratic governors and senate candidates.

After finishing up in Portland, Clinton flew to Boston for an event at the Harvard Club, where she was to raise money for New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch.

Friday evening, she was expected to attend another event at the Fairmont Hotel on behalf of herself and three other Senate candidates seeking re-election: Dianne Feinstein of California, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Maria Cantwell of Washington.

Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln, chairwoman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's Women's Senate Network, was speaking to the group.

Clinton, who leads national polls of the party's potential 2008 presidential candidates, has made speeches across the country but she has studiously avoided New Hampshire, home to the first-in-the-nation primary.

On Friday, she flew into airports in Portland and Boston. The two cities are 105 miles apart.

She will be coming to Kentucky but I don't have the specifics on that event just yet. While every potential 2008 presidential candidates has come to New Hampshire by now, Senator Clinton is the only one to have not given a speech there since the presidential elections. So is she out of the running for that? I don't know.

Is Maureen Mahoney in line to replace Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor?

Mahoney, like Miers, has no prior judicial experience. But Bradley said that should not hinder her chances, noting that several good Supreme Court justices -- including Rehnquist -- had not been judges before joining the court.

Bradley added that he expects the next nominee for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s spot to resemble Roberts, "which lends some credibility to the Mahoney rumor."

"In the broadest strokes, she resembles Roberts," Bradley said. "I’m sure that once more comes out, the differences will emerge, but I personally don’t know what they are."

Bradley, however, expressed skepticism about Mahoney’s ability to satisfy the hard-right of the Republican Party, which loudly disapproved of Miers’ nomination.

"I seriously doubt that she has published anti-Roe v. Wade views, for example," Bradley said.

Perhaps a bigger problem might be Mahoney’s role in a landmark affirmative action case she argued before the Supreme Court in 2004.

Mahoney was widely lauded for her representation of the University of Michigan, which won the case, upholding the constitutionality of considering race as a factor for admission.

"I would think that might make her unacceptable to a lot of conservatives," Bradley said. "But, like Roberts, the fact that she represented a client does not mean she holds those personal views."

Al Franken talks about religion and politics.

QUESTION: Do you think evangelical Christians are more comfortable with a religious, even non-Christian, Democrat like Joe Lieberman than with a secular Democrat?

ANSWER: I think Christian evangelicals probably liked Joe Lieberman more than they would like most Democrats because he did talk about his faith. He felt comfortable talking about it.

But what's a secular Democrat? In terms of the way the government works, we're all secular. We're a secular society, and I think Joe Lieberman would be the first to say so. Theocracy is when you look at Iran or someplace like that.[...]

QUESTION: Are you still considering a Senate campaign in Minnesota?

ANSWER: It's a possibility. We are moving to Minnesota [from New York City] in January. I'm an empty-nester now. I grew up in Minnesota, and always went back and forth because of my parents, so now I'll be back there.

QUESTION: Wouldn't you have to sacrifice your comic edge if you became a senator?

ANSWER: To some degree. There's a certain kind of language that I've used in my comedy that probably wouldn't be a good idea on the stump. It's just not appropriate.

But I don't think I have to change that much in terms of being frank and honest.

I disagree with state Senator David Williams. The hiring inquiry must go on because this corrupt Governor-for-now Ernie Fletcher has messed with the wrong people. He has messed with the wrong legacy.

But House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, said the grand jury needs and should have sufficient time to finish "its important work."

"The jury needs time to be sure justice is meted out," said Richards. "More time doesn't bother me, and I don't think it will bother the legislative session.

"We will perform our duties in a way the public expects, even though the governor's power will be diminished somewhat."[...]

Stumbo, through Deputy Attorney General Pierce Whites, said of Williams' comments: "The people deserve honest government."

Even with the investigation ongoing, the 2006 General Assembly "will not be a do-nothing session," said Richards, the House Speaker.

"The General Assembly has strengthened itself over the years," he said. "We stumped our toes when we couldn't agree on a budget but I think those days are over. We will act in a responsible way."

I applaud Attorney General Greg Stumbo for his leadership in this. That said, I believe State Auditor Ed Hatchett would have done the same if he were elected in 2003 to the post. Look at this, even Kentucky Progress is ashamed of David Williams. Are we on the bus to crazy town? I don't believe what I just read over there!

Ben Chandler spoke about the indictments.

"When an official of any administration is indicted for obstruction of justice and lying, it's a sad day for America."

It is a sad day. America will be America again. I have faith in the voters to do the right thing in the next few elections. I think most of us are thinking a like in that yesterday was a sad day in American history. Look what Senator Joe Lieberman said:

"When the Chief of Staff to the Vice President of the United States is indicted in a criminal case, it is a sad day in the history of our government," said Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn. "The public's confidence in government has been damaged by this matter and it must be restored. For this reason, Mr. Libby's resignation is appropriate and necessary."

Democrats will be traveling to Northern Kentucky on Tuesday and will be loud and proud. Okay, maybe not as loud, but definitely proud. The article leaves of WKU as one of the schools with members coming. By the way, thank you to my readers at Western. They recently declared me a hero.

Senior Jennifer Perry, who serves as president of the Student Government Association, also believes it beneficial for NKU.

"It's an awesome experience," she said. "It gets the students exposed to other aspects of life - business and politics.

"When we bring two gentlemen like this to campus, it brings NKU more respect and raises our esteem in the eyes of the community."

Evan Bayh is going to be campaigning tomorrow with Manchester Mayor Bob Baines.