Lisa Murkowski (R-inheritance) will likely remain the Republican Senator from Alaska. She will now become the scold of the GOP, à la Joe Lieberman's self-appointed role in the Democratic Party. She'll appear on Olbermann and say, "Well, Keith, I have to agree with you on that." She'll vote for President Obama's next Supreme Court nominee. And the Republicans will leave her in her preferred committee assignments.
Are you kidding me?
Put yourself in Alaska's position. When would you vote in favor of a convicted felon?
No, never is not the answer I'm looking for. There are worse choices than a felon, though not often. Edwin Edwards, whatever the state of his rap sheet at the time of election, was better than the repellent racist David Duke.
Alaska has now made its choice not to re-elect a convicted felon. By a hair over one percent. A hundred and forty-seven thousand Alaskans thought that patronage hack and convicted felon Ted Stevens should be re-elected because at least he wasn't a Democrat, and you know they'll bring the end of ... what, exactly?
Of course, I wouldn't expect the felon to acknowledge defeat any more than he has acknowledged his convictions.
For all us boys and girls keeping score at home, that's 58-40. Is Joe Lieberman in Georgia yet?
So. Election day voters, who should have known that Ted Stevens had seven felony convictions under his belt, were more likely to vote for him than early and absentee voters. I guess his bullshit denial that he had been convicted of anything (pending appeal) worked.
Now I understand how Alaska could elect Sarah Palin. It probably is better for one's sanity to think of politics as entertainment. Not however better for one's government...
Jaw-dropping. Orwellian. Will pretend that words don't mean what we all know they mean.
Oh, and he's still wearing a pin of the flag he has besmirched.
I can't wait to see Begich's ad. I would mock Stevens as hopelessly self-deluded. But I'd also use the phrase "convicted felon."
Cropped AP photo from the linked story.
Update: A better title for this post: "Delusions of being Richard Kimball".
Petumenos: Hello, Governor, how are you today?
Palin: On advice of counsel--
Van Flein, Palin's leash-holding flack, uh, lawyer (sotto voce): That one's o.k.
Palin: Oh, I'm fine and mav'ricky today. Back atcha!
Petumenos: Good. Shall we get started?
Palin looks at lawyer, who nods.
Palin: I've been lookin' forward to clearin' my name.
Petumenos: Governor, did you at any time ever do anything wrong?
Palin: Uh.
Petumenos: ... in your official capacity as a government official.
Palin: No, of course not. It was all about reform. I'm a reformer. I reformed this investigation, din't I?
Van Flein: Objection!
Van Flein (sotto voce): Remember we prepped to stick to the question and not volunteer anything?
Palin: Oh, sure, you betcha.
Van Flein: Please ask again, Mr. Petumenos.
Petumenos: Governor, did you at any time ever do anything wrong in your official capacity as a government official?
Palin: No, not a thing.
Petumenos: Thank you for clearing that up, Governor, and thank you for your time. Let's see, that's all I have.
Don't tell me that McCNN can't tell the difference between the whitewash investigation and the real investigation. They know they're feeding us bullshit, but they got a press release from the McCain campaign, so they just have to do it.
One more time: The Alaska Personnel Board "investigation" is the one that Sarah Palin called on herself. This was not an honorable act. It was a blatant attempt to get a friendly forum for a whitewash. It's transparent public relations in the guise of legal process.
It's like boldly announcing, "Yes, my mother believes me."
Only naifs like McCNN think it's meaningful.
This I've got to admit: Sarah Palin has run Alaska as if she were CEO of a Fortune 500 business with a captive board, sucking up every possible perk for her family. This one is my favorite:
When Palin amended her children's expense reports, she listed a role for the two girls at the function -- "to draw two separate raffle tickets."Two separate tickets! You can't say those Palin girls are afraid of a little heavy lifting!
Yep, stop the presses.
The Europeans are right overall about Wasilla's own vapid beauty queen. But this is just a condescending bit of culture-bound silliness:
Anybody with the money to own an SUV, hunt moose and drive a snowmobile has the money to travel.In Alaska, there's a strong case that all these things are necessities, not luxuries. It's not as though Alaskans only have to slog through a little London fog in their SUVs. Maybe a few Europeans should visit the great white north. (Yes, maybe I should, too.)
Republicans are used to setting one set of rules for themselves and another for the rest of us. Prevail upon a subpoenaed witness not to appear? Fine for them. Obstruction of justice for us.
There are probably a few McCain staffers who ought to avoid returning to Alaska until they can put in a fix.
Run the government as your own private fief to fill with unqualified cronies. Check!
Refuse to cooperate with a lawful inquiry into your administration. Check!
Ignore subpoenas. Check!
Claim that the investigation is a partisan witch-hunt (despite support for it from Republicans in your own home town!). Check!
Try to run out the clock so that the voters don't have the information they need and deserve. Check!
Sarah Palin gets Bushism. If you've enjoyed the past eight years of unaccountability, McCain-Palin is your ticket.
Ted Stevens (R-AK) asserts in his defense the right to accept bribes. He says that Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution forbids his trial. Here's the text:
[Senators and Representatives] shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.That's the Republicans for you. Separation of powers means to them that Congress can't oversee the Executive, but the Executive can't stop Congress from corrupting itself. Hoo-boy, all pigs to the trough right now!
The heck with mere rules! Rep. Don Young (R, what else?) and his staff changed the text of a law after the conference report passed both houses.
"It was an error," said Meredith Kenny, Young's spokeswoman. "It was originally supposed to say Coconut Road, so they fixed it."Dunno, my copy of the Constitution doesn't say anything about the Chairman of the Transportation Committee having the power all by his lonesome to change the law.
All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.Nope, no power of law unto himself.
Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States...Young's bill never passed; the lawfully passed bill was never presented to the President, which is not optional.
Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.If arrogating this power is not disorderly, I have no idea what is. The only appropriate sanction for this abuse is expulsion, so a Senate investigation is useless, but there aren't enough honest Republicans left to get to two thirds, so any investigation at all is fine.
