More on Hurricane Rita

My cousins turned back after the first 50 miles out of Houston due to concerns about gas.

In other news, Greg at Greg's Opinion is going to weather out the storm.

MSNBC is my official source for all news on TV unless Jon Stewart breaks something...he's late night news.

Kentucky native George Clooney was on The Daily Show last night.

Have a good weekend

The bad news first, water has spilled over the levee in the 9th Ward down in New Orleans. The water is quickly rising over land that was pumped out a week ago. The 17th street canal is not flooded.

"Our worst fears came true," said Maj. Barry Guidry of the Georgia National Guard.

"We have three significant breeches in the levy and the water is rising rapidly," he said. "At daybreak I found substantial breaks and they've grown larger."

Dozens of blocks in the Ninth Ward were under water as a waterfall at least 30 feet wide poured over and through a dike that had been used to patch breaks in the Industrial Canal levee. On the street that runs parallel to the canal, the water ran waist-deep and was rising fast. Guidry said water was rising about three inches a minute.

The impoverished neighborhood was one of the areas of the city hit hardest by Katrina's floodwaters and finally had been pumped dry before Hurricane Rita struck.

Sally Forman, an aide to Mayor Ray Nagin, said officials knew the levees were compromised, but they believe that the Ninth Ward is cleared of residents.

"I wouldn't imagine there's one person down there," Forman said.

Mitch Frazier, a spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers, said contractors were being brought in Friday morning in an effort to repair the new damage. The corps had earlier installed 60-foot sections of metal across some of the city's canals to protect against flooding and storm surges.

Forecasters have called for between 3 and 5 inches of rain in New Orleans as Rita passes Friday and Saturday, dangerously close to the 6 inches of rain that Corps officials say the patched levees can withstand.

Another concern is the storm surge accompanying Rita, which could send water rising as much as 4 feet above high tide.

Already Friday morning, a steady 20 mph wind, with gusts to 35 mph, was blowing, along with steady rains.

Because of uncertain weather conditions from Hurricane Rita, the recovery of bodies was suspended but previous discoveries pushed the death toll from Hurricane Katrina to 841 in Louisiana, and at least 1,078 across the Gulf Coast.

As many as 500,000 people in southwestern Louisiana, many of them already displaced by Hurricane Katrina, were told to evacuate and many jammed roads north to escape.

President Bush relies on his corporate lobbyists to help push his agenda.

What has Paul McCartney taught us? Not to deal with Michael Jackson for one.

Protest rock continues and rightly so. I'm a big fan of CSNY and Buffalo Springfield.

And an arresting new PBS special reveals these fresh slabs of protest rock have had a lot of company over the past 100 years. Get Up, Stand Up: The Story of Pop and Protest debuts at 9 p.m. Wednesday on Orlando PBS affiliate WMFE.

With no apologies to my Bono-bashing friend, banishing politics and protest from pop music would be like making Dali paint using only straight lines.

In "Get Up, Stand Up," rapper Chuck D, who hosts the program, says, "Somebody asked me 'What are your favorite protest songs?' My life is a protest song."

Chuck, you convinced me of that in 1990, when you and your hip-hop group, Public Enemy, unleashed "Fear of a Black Planet." Listening as you and your joker-man sidekick, Flava Flav, tossed verbal napalm at white American hegemony -- "the power some got to get a nigger shot" -- was like dancing a tango with a cobra. Hearing "Fear of a Black Planet" for the first time was one of the most stunning hours I've ever spent listening to music.

The PBS special chronicles many such moments, from workers' rights troubadour Joe Hill in the early 1900s, to Billy Holiday's unsettling anti-lynching song "Strange Fruit," to provocative works by James Brown, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Odetta, Nina Simone, MC5, Sly and the Family Stone, Marvin Gaye, Bruce Springsteen, the Sex Pistols and many others, who championed causes ranging from anti-war movements to civil rights for blacks, women and gays,

Do any of pop's protest songs make a difference? Writer Harlan Ellison once ridiculed the very idea in a magazine interview, and he's joined by many others.

However, in the PBS show, Bobby Muller of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation credits Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." with restoring dignity to him and other Vietnam vets, claiming the song "transformed us from social lepers to contemporary folk heroes."

Also, Edwin Starr of "War" fame relates how his brother, a Marine serving in Vietnam, called from that country to say the song "has made such an impact on everybody." Hmmmm. I wonder how many people today would claim Starr's anti-war song would have a demoralizing effect on our troops in Iraq?

"People like us probably didn't have any real answers," says Graham Nash. "But at least we brought up the questions."

Whether the Rolling Stones or Green Day have any impact these days, it's refreshing to have pop's protest tradition continued.

Jack Abramoff has bragged about ties to the Bush Administration.

Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff bragged two years ago that he was in contact with White House political aide Karl Rove on behalf of a large, Bermuda-based corporation that wanted to avoid incurring some taxes and continue receiving federal contracts, according to a written statement by President Bush's nominee to be deputy attorney general.

That doesn't play well with me. We need a strong candidate to run against Tom Delay.

Bob Marley will have a new single later this year. The song is named "Slogans" and features Eric Clapton on guitar in the same way that "Free as a Bird" was released in 1995.

I wish I could say the same. Only a miracle would be the cause for a Kentucky victory this weekend.

The Red Sox play 10 more games this season. Currently, they are down to the Yankees by one game.

An update from cousins

I've been informed that my cousins left Houston this morning at 7 AM. They are heading to Dallas and have only gone 50 miles. The primary concern is getting to Dallas before Shabbas with it being 223 miles in between.

The Texas Lt. Governor has said there are 100 trucks that are handing out gas to stranded motorists.

G-d Bless America.

Bonus Quote of the Day

"I have just one thing to say to the Almighty: What part of G-d Bless America don't You get?...Not G-d flatten or drown...fill with water..."
--Jon Stewart, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, September 22, 2005

Bonus Quote of the Day

"I'm tired of the partisanship."
--Joe Scarborough, Scarborough Country, September 22, 2005

Scarborough County to Texas

Paraphrasing: Didn't they learn anything? Turn the southband lanes to northbound lanes!

Bad news for New Orleans

They are expecting three inches right now in New Orleans.

Twenty-thirty feet storm surge between Houston and Lake Charles. This could go twenty miles inland to Interstate 10.

In 24 hours, the hurricane has shifted 100 miles.

Non-hurricane news for the most part...

So Paul McCartney talks to his guitar? Apparently so.

Sir Paul McCartney has confessed he "talks" to his guitar when he's feeling down. The Beatles legend, who is married to model Heather Mills, admits he uses songwriting as a form of therapy.

He revealed: "There's this sort of therapy aspect in songwriting sometimes, and that's one of the reasons I love it. "If I'm feeling really low, I'll take my guitar into the darkest corner I can find in the house, sit with it, and talk to the guitar, explain it all to the guitar. And it works. You come out of there and it's magical."

Earlier this week, McCartney was left injured after falling down an open trapdoor during a concert. The legendary musician plunged down the hole, from which a grand piano was set to emerge, during a performance in Florida injuring his elbow and back. McCartney, 63, had to be helped up by concerned stage hands but bravely carried on. He told the 18,000-strong crowd: "There's a big hole in the stage and I just fell into it. A word to the stage crew, I want a big fence around here tomorrow. We ought to construct a picket fence, that would look nice!"

They must be "fixing a hole."

Bloggers are asking the FEC for speech freedoms.

Matt Morris takes the mound tonight against Brandon Claussen. Albert Pujols will not get a triple crown but ranks in the top three among the batting categories and might win another batting title.

The Red Sox are off tonight.

About 1.8 million ordered to evactuate. Some people are out of gas and have been driving for 15 hours, per Brian Williams. They need to open up the other side of the interstate or something. Gov. Perry has reversed the southbound lane but that is not doing much.

The Bridge School benefit has their lineup set.

Dave Matthews, Norah Jones and Bright Eyes lead the lineup for the 19th annual Bridge School Benefit concerts, to be held Oct. 29-30 at Shoreline Amphitheatre outside San Francisco. Event founder Neil Young will also perform with his CSNY bandmates David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.

Among the other acts set to appear are Jerry Lee Lewis, Emmylou Harris, Good Charlotte and Los Lobos, as well as guests to be announced.

Neil Young will release a box set of rarities.

After nearly fifteen years of promises, Neil Young is now confident that a slew of material from his vaults will begin to see the light of day in 2006. With his latest album, Prairie Wind, out next week, the rock legend is planning several eight-disc sets packed with outtakes, home recordings, album tracks, live cuts and DVDs.

"It starts with my earliest recordings in 1963," says Young. "Then several recordings with a group called the Squires, into the earliest Buffalo Springfield stuff. Then there's a live record culled from a week's worth of performances at the Riverboat in Toronto."

Fans can expect a 1970 show at Toronto's Massey Hall, featuring material from Harvest a year before its release, as well as Crazy Horse live at the Fillmore East. "It's got a sixteen-minute 'Cowgirl in the Sand,'" Young says of the Fillmore gig, "and a super-long 'Down by the River.'"

One live performance, the rock vet is convinced, trumps the original recording: the entirety of Tonight's the Night, recorded live at London's Rainbow Theatre. Says Young, "It's better than the record."

In the meantime, keep the gulf coast in your prayers.

The Magic Number

MSNBC is saying that only 6 inches of rain could flood New Orleans for the second time in a month.

Currently, Rita is a category 4 and is 411 miles southeast of Galveston, Texas.

The radar is showing that rain is already over the gulf.

The good news is that we have 25,000 troops in Louisiana that will be ready to respond after the hurricane hits.

Breaking News: Judiciary votes 13-5 for John Roberts

John Roberts has been voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with a vote of 13-5. MSNBC just broke in with the news.

Voting No:
Ted Kennedy
Diane Feinstein
Joe Biden
Chuck Schumer
Dick Durbin

Voting Yay:
Herb Kohl
Russ Feingold

Bonus Quote of the Day

"Imagine how much fun I'll have with BluegrassReport.org during the legislative session..."
--Mark Nickolas, The Bluegrass Report, September 21, 2005

On to other stuff

Three blogs in ten minutes. Is that a record?

DVD sales have been up since the Emmy's for ones featuring Jon Stewart and the late Johnny Carson.

Ed Helms and Horatio Sanz will perform at Yale on October 14th. That makes sense with the best comedy writers being Jewish and Yom Kippur takes place that week.

Jewish groups are pressing for Iran sanctions.

Meanwhile, pro-Israel lobbyists on Capitol Hill are cajoling members of Congress to support the Iran Freedom Support Act, which would expand the existing American sanctions on companies that invest more than $20 annually in Iran's oil and gas sectors. The bill would tighten sanctions on companies that invest in Iran's energy industry in the hopes of blocking money that could be used to produce nuclear arms.

The bill also provides for assistance to pro-democracy forces within Iran, and funding for independent media broadcasts to the country. The House of Representatives' Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican, and Howard Berman, a California Democrat, are sponsoring the proposed legislation. The sponsors of the Senate version are Rick Santorum, a Pennsylvania Republican, and Evan Bayh, an Indiana Democrat.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Washington's pro-Israel lobby, has made pushing for sanctions on Iran its number-one priority in recent months.

This is a good move and I commend Senator Bayh for supporting it.

Coldplay and Oasis have cancelled their gigs in Houston this weekend due to the approaching Hurricane Rita, who is not as lovely as the meter maid.

Coldplay is going country. This is not a good move on their part. Many rock fans, even though Country and Western was a forebearer to rock and roll, do not like country music. I don't know how well this will play with the fans but I personally do not like it.

Martin, 28, is set to team up with legendary producer Timbaland in producing a country album, making it the fourth release from the "Clocks" band.

"Fix You" star Martin has been considering the venture for some time, and thinks that combining different genres of music is the way forward.

Read some more below including today's quote of the day.

Because it's darn with it!

What do you think of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart? This one is too good to not be posted in full.

Jon who? The Daily what?
By Betsy Rothstein


Asking some lawmakers about comedian Jon Stewart can feel like visiting another planet.

•••

Reporter: Senator, what do you think of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart?

Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.): The what now?

Reporter: The Daily Show. It’s a show that makes fun of politicians.

Burns: Well, that’s OK. We’re pretty easy to make fun of.

Reporter: What kind of impact do you think Jon Stewart has?

Burns: None on me. We can make our own humor.

•••

Reporter: Excuse me, congressman, have you ever watched The Daily Show with Jon Stewart?

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas): No. I don’t even know who he is.

•••

Fortunately for DeLay, his press shop is up on Comedy Central and is familiar with Stewart’s show and its impact. DeLay has even been asked to appear as a guest — at least once in the past two months — but declined because of a scheduling conflict.

"Since the 2004 campaigns, The Daily Show seems to have gained ground, and many on Capitol Hill use it as a means to discuss numerous topics," said Ben Porritt, DeLay’s press secretary, who occasionally watches and thinks it’s funny. "So it’s proven to be successful."

While Porritt insists that DeLay hasn’t gone on the show simply because of a packed schedule and bad timing, he said, "At this time, Mr. DeLay is really focused on the hurricane and the Republican agenda. So just with the number of conflicts, we need to prioritize the venues."

And The Daily Show isn’t a high priority?

"Not at this time," Porritt said.

Sen. Ted Stevens (Alaska), the most senior Republican in the Senate, was in the thick of a policy-luncheon press throng last week when he was asked about Stewart.

"I don’t know who that is," Stevens replied as reporters broke out into a rush of questions about Supreme Court nominee John Roberts and Hurricane Katrina. "Wait a minute," the senator said, momentarily disregarding the issues of the day, "who is that?"

After the senator was informed, he deadpanned, "I wish I had time for TV." The throng fell into a fit of laughter. Stewart might have been impressed.

For many members of Congress, particularly older ones or those who do not crave a national presence, Stewart is not on the radar screen. In certain circles, however, his impact grows and grows and grows; his popularity appears more solid by the day.

Next month, Stewart, who took over hosting The Daily Show from Craig Kilborn six years ago, will perform two shows at George Washington University. The comedian’s first show sold out so quickly that a second show was added. That, too, has sold out.

Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) was recently on The Daily Show. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joseph Biden (D-Del.) have both appeared on numerous occasions; Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), at the height of his presidential race in July last year, went on it. Stewart later told Oprah Winfrey that the interview had not gone well, that Kerry had been too guarded and unrelaxed.

Even Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) turned up on the show last year to discuss homosexuality and religion. "I live in New York City," Stewart said, beginning his mockery of Santorum’s stance on traditional marriage. "I’m literally — we’re in a sea of homosexuality." (Santorum laughed.)

Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) announced his candidacy for president on the show, but Stewart wouldn’t allow it, telling him the information didn’t count on a fake-news show.

Many Republicans seem keen to appear on the show, despite Stewart’s left-leaning politics and routine ridicule of Republicans, which includes a devilish imitation of President Bush’s laugh. He recently played a clip of Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) flirting with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity and then suggested that Hannity’s adversary, Alan Colmes, should make himself scarce.

"I love the Jon Stewart show,”"said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), adding that he’d like to appear but has never been asked. "If you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re in the wrong business. He makes fun of everyone, not just Republicans."

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) sees the show as both funny and serious: "It’s very funny, and it’s also occasionally insightful — sometimes more so than the mainstream media." That, he said, is what the younger audience is looking for, a nontraditional context to get their news.

But is Stewart someone to take seriously?

According to Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who watches when she can, he is: "He has a very important point of view. He points out absurdities, inconsistencies. He is a great reflection of what people say and do and how they often aren’t the same."

John Ullyot, spokesman for Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), sees the show as therapeutic: "He’s hilarious, very talented, and helps us laugh at ourselves. The political world is funny on both sides. It has never offended me."

Ron Bonjean, spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), said Hastert has been asked to appear on the show but hasn’t accepted because he hasn’t visited Manhattan recently.

But Bonjean sees the benefits: "It does reach an audience that many elected officials can’t reach through regular contact with constituents," Bonjean said. "It’s a great show, and you can’t take it seriously. If you’re taking it seriously along partisan lines, you’re making a big mistake. It parodies both Republicans and Democrats."

Some lawmakers reciprocate Stewart’s needling. "I’ve never seen it," said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.). Never been invited on? "No, and I’m really ticked off, dammit. You think the son of a bitch has called me? No. If they’re not going to ask me on, I’m not going to watch the damn show."

Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) has watched but has never been a guest. "Whether it’s Jon Stewart, Conan O’Brien or Jay Leno, when they are poking fun at people and the audience laughs, it means that it has become such common parlance among people. Regardless of whether it is true, the perception is true."

Before going on the show in the spring, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) admitted, he was apprehensive. He had seen CNN’s emotional Anderson Cooper reduce himself to giggles on the show and didn’t want to behave like that. So he avoided excessive laughter and heeded his own advice.

"The key is not to think you’re the comedian," said Nelson, who, while pleasant and sound-bite worthy, isn’t a laugh a minute. "You’re apprehensive because he is so funny."

Nelson recalled that Stewart called him "Zell Miller without the crack," and then he teased the senator about Nebraska and cattle.

When Nelson says, "I get all my news from John Stewart," it’s a joke. But for some, particularly those age 18-34, it’s true. A famed statistic from the Pew Institute is that 21 percent of TV viewers 18-34 get the bulk of their news from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. It’s one of the main reasons why McCain goes on the show.

"I love the fact that the majority of young people say they get their news from the Jon Stewart show," said McCain, who has been on the show four or five times. "Every time I go on, a young person comes up and says, ‘I saw you on the Jon Stewart show!’"

So does Stewart have any serious impact? "On young people," McCain said, "clearly, he does."

Biden, who has been on the show three times, also sees the benefits: "He’s as smart as anyone I’ve gone up against. It’s the most dangerous show to go on — he’s smart and he’s funny."

Still, some lawmakers may never get around to watching it, much less appearing on it.

•••
Reporter: Senator, what do you think of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart?

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho): Who? I would not be a good critic. I don’t watch much television. I spend too much time reading.

•••
Reporter: Congressman, have you ever watched The Daily Show with Jon Stewart?

Rep. Robin Hayes (R-N.C.): The who show? The what show? Mark Russell — I don’t think there’s anyone funnier than that guy.

I should note that I watch MSNBC during the day (since Katrina hit) and Brian Williams for The Nightly News. I never miss The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I'm still trying to get my parents hooked on it. I know we have some politicians in the state that watch it as well.

Quote of the Day

"Jonathan Miller's going to wipe the floor with whomever the GOP puts up for KY Governor in 2007. And after that is when I start to support him for President in 2012 or beyond. Miller has so much potential, it's not funny."
--Jeremiah Brewer, former state house candidate in Wyoming, September 22, 2005

LINK

Quote of the Day

"Until Rita makes landfall, the big story will still be Katrina."
--Jon Stewart, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, September 21, 2005

Are we at crazy town yet?

Because when Jim Bunning seriously thinks that Governor-for-now Ernie Fletcher can be renominated with his crappy approval ratings, something is clearly wrong. If you remember, Bunning didn't know anything about the soldiers in Iraq a while back or what was going on in Frankfort. Remember, he only watches Fox News and doesn't even read the local papers.

A panel has proposed some proposals that include decriminalizing Merit System violations. I don't know about you but I am fed up with the Republican bullcrap that they are doing in Frankfort. It's gotten to the point to where if I was legally eligible to run for Governor, I would. Republicans, and they are making their reputation this, prefer to get away with crimes by making illegal crimes legal. You know what? It's bullcrap that they can get away with this. Our party should have $2 million in the bank by now with as much that has happened this summer. Do they? I doubt it. We won't know til the filing deadline in October after the Joe Biden event up here.

Panel members outlined 26 preliminary proposals to change the state Merit System, including a plan to make state employees undergo drug testing both before and during their state employment. The panel's final vote on the proposals was scheduled for next month.

Attorney General Greg Stumbo's ongoing personnel investigation, which has stymied the Fletcher administration since May, has been at the center of the task force's work.

Stumbo, who had been appointed to the task force, resigned from it last month after questioning its legitimacy. Deputy Attorney General Pierce Whites said the panel's preliminary recommendations would be a "step backward for Kentucky."

"It's a mistake to decriminalize someone's civil rights," Whites said Wednesday.

The state Merit System was created in 1960 and designed to insulate rank-and-file state employees from political influence.

A Franklin County special grand jury indicted nine current or former administration officials on misdemeanors stemming from the investigation; Fletcher subsequently pardoned them. Last week, Fletcher fired nine members of his administration - four of whom received pardons - for their role in his administration's hiring practices.

State Sen. Dan Kelly, R-Springfield, said removing the threat of criminal prosecution would make it more practical for enforcement.

Based on testimony from task force consultants and state employees, it would be difficult to remove politics from the personnel system, Kelly said. Instead, it's more important to hire qualified candidates and protect them from being arbitrarily fired, he said.

"What we're recommending is sound, and in fact would allow a greater deterrent because it could be more effectively implemented," Kelly said.

Violators would face a fine and the loss of their state employment for five years under the proposal. The state Personnel Board would review allegations and forward them to the attorney general under the plan.

Personnel Cabinet Secretary Erwin Roberts, who headed the task force, said based on the testimony, "patronage is kind of part and parcel" to government hiring.

"It would be almost impossible to have a 100 percent guarantee of no influence in the Merit System," Roberts said.

Bill Lear, a Lexington attorney and panelist, said he didn't see any recommendations that would remove political influence.

"I assumed one of the things that we were going to try to do is adopt some reforms that would make it more difficult," Lear said.

State Rep. Mike Cherry, D-Princeton, said he was "leery" of the idea and would study it further.

"I don't want to weaken the penalties for misuse of the Merit System, period," Cherry said.

Charles Wells, director of the Kentucky Association of State Employees, said the proposal would hurt government workers. Wells said he would oppose them in the General Assembly.

"It's a bad idea," Wells said.

Among other things, the recommendations would also:

_Allow for an affirmative action program.

_Give state employees optional 40-hour work weeks.

_Prohibit "burrowing" by requiring people who switch from non-merit to merit status to undergo a one-year probationary period.

_Offer employees mediation in job disputes.

_Reduce the number of job classifications.

_Encourage personnel disputes to be resolved before going to the Personnel Board.

When Fletcher opened the panel's first meeting, he said he wanted it to propose changes that would protect state workers and ensure governors could "advance his or her vision."

Fletcher spokeswoman Jodi Whitaker said Fletcher had not reviewed the proposals.

Bullcrap! All Fletcher wants are to have his political cronies innocent when they are indeed guilty!

Speaking of Senator Jim Bunning, what does he have to say about Governor-for-now Ernie Fletcher?

.S. Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky said yesterday that Gov. Ernie Fletcher, a fellow Republican, probably will be nominated for re-election in 2007, "and I think that would be best for the party."

But Mitch McConnell, the state's senior U.S. senator and a leading force behind Fletcher's 2003 campaign, continued to deflect questions about the hiring investigation that has dogged the administration.

Last weekend, the state Republican Party executive committee rebuffed Fletcher's request to oust party chairman Darrell Brock, prompting questions about support for the governor.

Bunning told reporters that he supports Brock.

"It's the executive committee and the budget committee's job to hire and to fire, not the U.S. senators from Kentucky, not the elected officials, no one except the executive committee," Bunning said. "I was on it for 15 years, so I know."

With regard to Fletcher, Bunning said: "I think an incumbent governor has all the tools at his disposal to win the nomination. Anything that the party might do would be useless, and I think Governor Fletcher would probably be renominated for governor..."

McConnell has yet to discuss the Brock matter or Fletcher's political troubles.

The following exchange with a reporter occurred yesterday in the U.S. Capitol outside the majority whip's office and Senate chamber:
Q. Can I ask you about the Darrell Brock situation and what do you think? What's your opinion -- should he have been asked to leave or not?
McConnell smiled and stopped but did not reply.

Q. I know Larry Cox (McConnell's Kentucky aide and a member of the state GOP executive committee) was there, right? Couldn't we hear your thoughts on...
McConnell waved, saluted, smiled and began walking.

Q. You actually can't talk about it at all?
McConnell, still smiling, walked into the Senate chamber, saying, "I'll catch you on the way out." About 45 minutes later, McConnell came out and walked back to the majority whip's office.


Q. Everybody wants to know what you have to say about this. Would you share a few bon mots with us?
McConnell smiled and kept walking.

Q. Did you recommend anything to the state committee, what they should do?
McConnell smiled.

Q. I'm getting the silent treatment, eh?
McConnell smiled and waved, opened the office door and entered.

I need a break from all this...

Down the stretch

We're heading into the final few weeks of the regular season.

St. Louis is taking on Cincy tonight, and through 8 innings, the Cardinals lead 5-1. The magic number against the Braves to guarantee home field advantage is 3. The Cardinals are 95-57 while the Braves are 85-65. The Cards lead the league with 187 double plays, a few short of 1974's club record of 192.

Hanley Ramirez became the 51st Red Sox to play this season and the 8th to make his major league debut with the Sox.

I'm hoping for a Cardinals-Red Sox series myself but I'll be rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals this time around as I rooted for the Sox last time ONLY because of the omens of a Kerry presidency.

Dr. Sabato's predictions

The Crystal Ball for 2006 is up. Here's the predictions from Dr. Larry Sabato at the University of Virginia.

Enter the Senate (33 Chambers)

With an effective lead of 55-45 in the Senate, Republicans continue to have the clear early edge to retain control--especially since they only have to defend 15 of the 33 seats up for election in next year. Yet Katrina, Iraq, gas prices, growing national debt, President Bush's unpopularity, and other factors might conspire to produce Democratic gains or even a takeover, as wild as that speculation appears today. Before we get into what it would take to do that, let's first take a look at the Crystal Ball's current race rankings, by outlook:

2005 Senate Make-up: 55 Republicans, 45 Democrats (Including 1 Ind.)

Senate Seats up for election in 2006: 15 Republican, 18 Democratic (Including 1. Ind.)

Current Outlook Number of Seats States
Solid Republican 9 IN, ME, MO, MS, MV, TX, UT, VA, WY
Leans Republican 3 AZ, MO, TN
Toss-up 4 MN, OH, PA, RI
Leans Democratic 7 FL, MD, ND, NE, NJ, WA, WV
Leans Ind./Dem. 1 VT
Solid Democratic 9 CA, CT, DE, HI, MA, MI, NM, NY, WI

Two Republican senators are in deep trouble, and may be ripe for the plucking. Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania is already losing to Democrat Bob Casey Jr. by double-digit margins in early tracking polls---an extraordinarily weak position for an incumbent this far out from an election. In Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee faces a tough GOP primary with a conservative challenger, and then if he survives, an equally difficult general election race against the winner of the Democratic primary. In this heavily Democratic state, Chafee's loss would not be terribly surprising. Yes, Santorum and Chafee are both survivors and incumbents, and they may be able to win despite daunting circumstances. But Democrats are right to eye them hungrily.

If the Democrats take both seats, the margin is 53R-47D. So where could Democrats find the remaining four seats? At the moment, there appear to be only five possibilities in the nation: the Tennessee open seat of retiring Senator Bill Frist (R), plus defeats of incumbent GOP senators Conrad Burns (MT), Mike DeWine (OH), Jon Kyl (AZ), and Jim Talent (MO). All of these are possible, none at the moment is likely.

The long and short of this analysis: Democrats have only a long-shot chance at Senate takeover, and they are short of opportunities to make it happen. Of course, if 2006 turns into a Democratic 1994, then even our mind-stretching list of upsets and perfect-D luck is a possibility. It's too early to tell, but we wouldn't bet on it, and we advise you not to bet on it either!

It's a long shot but we should be able to close the gap by a few more seats. I'm an optimist. I believe we can do it if it takes until 2008.

2005 Gubernatorial Make-up: 28 Republicans, 22 Democrats

Governorships up for election in 2006: 22 Republican, 14 Democratic

Current Outlook Number of Seats States
Solid Republican 5 ID, NE, SC, SD, TX
Leans Republican 9 CO, CT, GA, HI, MD, MN, NV, RI, VT
Toss-up 8 AK, AL, AR, CA, FL, IA, IL, MA
Leans Democratic 10 AZ, KS, ME, MI, NH, NY, OH, OR, PA, WI
Solid Democratic 4 NM, OK, TN, WY

Rita strengthens to Category 5

To our friends in the gulf area, may G-d look over you at this time of need. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Rita strengthens to Category 5 hurricane: Storm on a course to Texas with wind speeds now up to 165 mph

Chris Matthews just reported it. I fear for our friends in the gulf. This is a category 5. The levee in Galveston, Texas, is 18 feet. A Category 5 causes a storm surge around that level. This will be bad. The water is warmer in the gulf.

Hospital and nursing home patients were evacuated and as many as 1 million other people were ordered to clear out along the Gulf Coast on Wednesday as Hurricane Rita grew to a Category 5, 165-mph monster that could pummel Texas and bring more misery to New Orleans by week’s end.

Forecasters said Rita could be the most intense hurricane on record ever to hit Texas, and one of the most powerful ever to slam into the U.S. mainland.

All of Galveston, vulnerable sections of Houston and Corpus Christi, and a mostly emptied-out New Orleans were under mandatory evacuation orders, one day after Rita sideswiped the Florida Keys as a far weaker storm and caused minor damage.[...]

The federal government was eager to show it, too, had learned its lesson after being criticized for its sluggish response to Katrina. It rushed hundreds of truckloads of water, ice and ready-made meals to the Gulf Coast and put rescue and medical teams on standby.

"You can’t play around with this storm," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said on ABC’s Good Morning America. He added: "The lesson is that when the storm hits, the best place to be is to be out of the path of the storm."

At a news conference Wednesday, R. David Paulison, the new acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, laid out the government's preparedness plan. Meals, ice, water, and hospital beds have been set up for those affected by Rita, and helicopters are in place to move emergency teams into position, he said.

Paulison warned Texas residents to get themselves to safety.

"If you don't have a place to go, the state of Texas has shelters in place," he said. "Take care of your home — put your shutters up. Have a plan for your pets."

Paulison diverted questions about how his agency dealt with Katrina and expressed confidence in the country's ability to deal with this Rita.

"Texas has a great emergency management system," he said. "Texas is going to be ready for this storm."[...]

Galveston, situated on an island 8 feet above sea level, was the site of the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history: an unnamed hurricane in 1900 that killed between 6,000 and 12,000 people and practically wiped the city off the map.

The last major hurricane to hit Texas was Alicia in 1983. It flooded downtown Houston, spawned 22 tornadoes and left 21 people dead. The damage from the Category 3 storm was put at more than $2 billion. Tropical Storm Allison flooded Houston in 2001, doing major damage to hospitals and research centers and killing 23 people.

"Let’s hope that the hurricane does not hit at a Category 4 strength and let’s hope the lessons we’ve learned — the painful, tragic lessons that have been learned in the last few weeks — will best prepare us for what could happen with Rita," Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu said in New York.

Chris Matthews: "I can't remember the time that weather was such a big news issue."

Chris, come to Kentucky. They don't go to school in Trimble County, I hear.

On the contrary...

Even though the sources online are saying that Rep. Anne Northup will run for governor, I am now getting sources saying that her staff have confirmed that she likes where she is and given her present feelings, she will most likely not run for governor.