Bush is conflicted

Sometimes people like me in Northeastern PA don't know what to make of Bush. We get stories like this one from Capitol Hill Blue:

GOP leaders told Bush that his hardcore push to renew the more onerous provisions of the act could further alienate conservatives still mad at the President from his botched attempt to nominate White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. "I don't give a goddamn," Bush retorted. "I'm the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way." Mr. President, one aide in the meeting said. "There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution."

"Stop throwing the Constitution in in my face," Bush screamed back. "It's just a goddamned piece of paper!"

Then the Newsweek article about the the boy in the bubble that Simply Left Behind broke down. Why won't he talk to Jack Murtha, a guy who wants to talk to him?

Jack Murtha still can't figure out why the father and son treated him so differently. Every week or so before the '91 gulf war, President George H.W. Bush would invite Congressman Murtha, along with other Hill leaders, to the White House. "He would listen to all the bitching from everybody, Republicans and Democrats, and then he would do what he thought was right." A decorated Vietnam veteran, ex-Marine Murtha was a critical supporter for the elder Bush on Capitol Hill. "I led the fight for the '91 war," he says. "I led the fight, for Christ's sake."

Then he finally talks about the human toll of this conflict:

"I would say 30,000 more or less have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis," the president said. " We"ve lost about 2,140 of our own troops in Iraq."

And tens of thousands maimed for life. There are many plans out there to get our people out. The US can't occupy a country forever.

The Pennsylvania Society meets in New York

The annual get together of the political class of PA and the money class of the USA happened over the weekend. The highlight was a black tie dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria sponsored by Mellon Bank. They attended this one after going to other events sponsored by Waste Management, Triad Strategies, PNC Financial Services, the Pa Manufacturer's Association (who's past President Jim Panyard wasn't invited), Greenlee Partners and Sunoco. You get the idea. This is bi-partisan gathering of pigs at the trough and there were plenty of fundraisers to go to. See PoliticsPA for the entire schedule. The only objection I have read is that it is not in PA as reported by the Inquirer:

In Philadelphia, City Council unanimously passed a resolution Thursday to bring the affair within the state's borders. The vote took place during the same week that Leonard N. Ross, a friend of Mayor Street's, became the 18th person charged in the ongoing City Hall corruption investigation. "Look, I'm not trying to mess up anyone's vacation here," said Councilman Frank DiCicco, who sponsored the resolution and has never gone to the affair. "It's just business."

Maybe I watch too many Godfather movies but I love it when someone says "It's just Business."
The whole things stinks to rest of us.

With all the recent talk about ethical lapses in the Capitol corridors and Philadelphia City Hall, the drive for cleaner government has not reached New York. During this three-day-weekend affair, Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum will be feted twice; the state auditor general, the state House majority leader, and the Allegheny County executive will throw their own soirees; and legions of other public officials will be courted by special-interest groups.

There was an alternative for the rest of us:

Harrisburg activist Gene Stilp - who helped lead the successful grassroots movement to repeal the pay raise lawmakers gave themselves in July - planned to counter the high-end partying in New York with a bare-bones bash yesterday in the Capitol.

"Please bring a potluck item," Stilp wrote on the invitation. In an interview, he said, "Working-class Pennsylvanians can't even relate to the Pennsylvania Society dinner. We want to start a new tradition for the average person: the Pennsylvania People's Dinner." Stilp, meanwhile, said he'd planned to bring his inflatable ''pay raise pig'' to Manhattan, but thought better of it. "If we want to make changes," he said, "'the place to be is the Capitol.'"

Then these guys wonder why they think they are out of touch:

Senate President Pro Tem Robert Jubelirer (R., Blair) defended the weekend: "This is not class warfare - just an opportunity to let your hair down a bit."

One weekend attendee, Ken Davis, chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party, was shopping around his candidate for lieutenant governor, Montgomery County Commissioner Jim Matthews. 'I don't know anyone who's been bought at Pennsylvania Society,' David Said. 'Rented maybe -- but not bought."

Chris Doherty for Lt. Governor?

If any of the rumors that are flying around are true we may be seeing more of these two together. LVDem ran this by me on Friday:

Doherty approached to run against CBK in primary for Lieutenant Governor

"Sources close to Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty say that aides to Governor Ed Rendell have approached him about running for Lieutenant Governor in 2006. Supposedly, Rendell wants Doherty but (obviously) needs to keep a distance."

Then I spotted this letter in the CV today:

I have heard some rumblings among my friends and associates in the progressive community about Mayor Chris Doherty from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Mayor Doherty is the 47-year-old mayor of Scranton, fresh off a big second-term election victory. Mayor Doherty seems to possess a genuine passion for public service. Over the past four years, he has done wonderful things for Scranton and Northeastern Pennsylvania, and I, for one, am confident that a young and energetic leader like Mayor Doherty would be a perfect addition to the Lieutenant Governor's race. Here's to a "draft Doherty" movement that will excite progressive voters across the state who are looking for a new generation of leadership in our Commonwealth.

Wishful thinking or an organized campaign? The Democratic field may become as crowded the Republican side if this is true. Valerie McDonald Roberts, Allegheny County's recorder of deeds, has announced her candidacy to replace to Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll, a fellow Democrat also from Allegheny County. And there is talk of Barbara Hafer or Joe Hoeffel may get into this. I think Hafer has denied any interest but Hoeffel told the Daily News:

"I'm thinking about it, which is about all I can say," said Hoeffel from his Philadelphia law office. "I'm talking to some friends and thinking about the possibilities."

Maybe all this speculation is a way to get Knoll to step aside because I can't imagine that any serious Democrat would enter this race without Rendell's blessing. Many view her as a possible liability for the ticket because of her well publicized problems with funerals, parrots and knowing the Governor's name.

Voting

There is a big dustup going on about voting machines and IDs in Pennsylvania. A bill passed the House of Representatives in Harrisburg that would require people to show photo identification before voting and would put tighter restrictions on where voting places can be located. It also would take away the right to vote from people convicted of a felony who are out of prison but on probation or parole. Sounds reasonable until you start to think about it. About half the people eligible vote in a presidential election and in off year elections the numbers are even smaller. Why put up more barriers to voting?I have heard the stories about drinks for votes, cash payments and multiple ballots being cast but I have never seen it. The people who bother to vote should not be hassled. The few criminals who have served their time and want to register to vote should be encouraged as it indicates a desire to be a part of society and keep their nose clean.

More worrying is the mandate to use computerized voting machines. These things make me nervous as anyone who uses a computer knows how vulnerable they are. Sometimes I think our society is technology drunk when we should look at making things simpler. Let's go back to paper ballots for elections. To make the switch our Commissioners will have to borrow yet more money. The problem is not with who votes but with the counting of votes.

Ad space in Luzerne County

Are you ready for the Viagra Courthouse Tower or the Depends Public Restroom. Instead of Moon Lake Park lets call it the Exxon Valdez Wildlife Sanctuary. Why stop with buildings why not rename the river the Pennsylvania American Waterway and I'm sure many roads and streets can be auctioned off to lawfirms that make their money by chasing ambulances after auto accidents. We have many culm banks that can use a better name than big ugly black things. How about tattooing Goldenpalace.com on Skrep's forehead. I think most politicians should be sponsored by e-bay because they go to the highest bidder.

From the TL:

Luzerne County commissioners want to cover some of the projected $9.4 million deficit for 2006 by selling ad space, billboards and naming rights on county property. Recreation is one area where naming rights and advertising can be fruitful and well-received by the public, said Mike Nadol of Philadelphia-based Public Financial Management, which helped the county come up with the idea. Companies might relish the chance to name stretches of the Wyoming Valley Levee Trail or place ads at the riverfront amphitheater and marina to be built along the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre. Billboards or signs on high-traffic county-owned property might bring in some bucks too, Vonderheid said. On a smaller scale, ads could be put on kiosks or benches in and around county buildings.

We live in a time when somebody is always trying to sell you something. I know the county, like many local governments, is strapped for cash but enough already. Do you really want more billboards? And ads in parks? I go to a park to get away from TV, radio and advertising. I provided a few ideas on naming rights, does anyone have more?

Snowblogging

After checking out the internets today I'm happy to report that all the bloggers who braved the elements are all safe and sound. After a quick trip around Wilkes-Barre to gather supplies (beer, steaks and lottery tickets) it appears that life will go on. After all the bars and Turkey Hill are open. My own snow experience was more frustration because my rebuilt snowblower didn't do as good a job as my unrebuilt snowblower because the new skids are set too high and I had to do a lot of shovel scraping. But now the fun part of the day as I have fired up the grill to cook a couple of Delmonicos as recommended by PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals).

A glance of what others are doing today.:

LVDem has declared a snow news day.

Another Monkey made it to work safe and sound.

dragonballyee had a mishap but lived to tell about it.

Above Average Jane is spending her day with her crab and other critters.

Fester is enjoying a muffin.

Ol' Froth has the same opinion of local news that I do.

And PSoTD has a great recipe for a snowball.

Someone stole a 400 pound spacecraft

From the TL:

"I looked and thought,'Wow, where's my space shuttle?"

For 20 years Bielecki has owned the North End scrap yard, and during that time he’s created a hidden museum of strange and historic rubbish, including three caskets, brass beds, funeral home candleholders, parking meters, runner sleds, spittoons and a moonshine still from an old house in Ashley.

When a large aluminum mock spaceship came through his scrap yard three years ago, Bielecki said he had found something special. He doesn’t know who it belonged to or why someone decided to get rid of it, but he knew he had to make it a part of his ever-growing collection of unwanted things. He and his staff cleaned the spaceship with mops and emblazoned the craft with big black decals that read "#1 USA." Bielecki wired the scrapped craft to several heavy pallets and placed it on the roof just above where an American flag still hangs. Now he's sad to see it gone.

About two months ago, in the early-morning hours, Bielecki was roused from his sleep by a call from Wilkes-Barre police. "They said, 'Bielecki, your space shuttle’s out on Penn Avenue," he said. Officers rolled the round seven-foot-tall piece of metal onto the sidewalk. Busy days continued to push back the relaunch to the roof. It sat out of public view behind the building for about two months, until Monday when Bielecki noticed it was gone.

This will rank right up there with the missing Big Boy that was eventually found in a college student's apartment. I'm sure the police have other things to keep them busy rather than looking for a tall piece of junk. Maybe Bill Fitz can ask around campus and solve this mystery.

Update: The Enterprise was located in Mineral Springs and has been returned to the top of the heap at Bielecki's junkyard. "I don’t know if he flew it there, or what, and crash landed," a jovial Bielecki said. The police say they have a suspect but if you read the comments we already have a confession.

Blogrolling

I'm still being frustrated by my attempts to get my blogroll back. I have done everything Blogger, Blogroll and others have advised but it still doesn't work. Until I get some geek to check-out my template and fix it I have decided to do a real time blogroll.

We bloggers are a mixed bunch, writing about everything from the news of the day to what is happening in our lives or our favorite bands and movies. Most blogs have a mix of topics like mine. I try to stick to local politics but wander off to national issues occasionally. I throw in my observations of the sports world and sometimes something personal. The traffic on this site has grown from my immediate circle of friends and family to several hundred hits a day. I want to thank everyone for stopping by. I want to give a special Thank You to the people who taken the time to leave a comment. Agree or disagree, the important thing is the debate and sometimes they have been very heated, which is great.

We have a small group of local bloggers who deal with issues of the day. I'm sure our numbers will grow.

Off to the roundup:

Wilkes-Barre Online is making predictions about the mid-term elections.

My Take is busy with the controversy over Willow Grove and bashing Planned Parenthood. It's good to see him post on his flagship as he has about 12 other websites.

hints, allegations and things left unsaid hasn't updated for a while but if we nudge him I hope he will get back in the game.

Another Monkey came up with an idea to have some fun with word verification.

It stinks that we even have to put another step in the comment process but the spammers are relentless. Do these stupid bastards really think that they are going to sell you something when they do something so rude and piss you off?

Beale's Bites covers the local news.

I'm sure the local news will try to convince us all that we will die because it might snow tonight. I can hear it now. Take cover, adjourn Congress, break out the food you were saving for the nuclear war!

The American Check-Up is busy defending Bush as usual. I'm sure he would blame the bubonic plague on liberals.

PA judges

With the defeat of state Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro fresh in their minds the legislature is considering changing the way statewide judges are selected. From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

The next chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, Alan M. Feldman, says a priority for his one-year term will be to change the way judges are selected in Pennsylvania.
Feldman, who will formally outline his agenda today at the bar's annual meeting, said the ouster by voters of state Supreme Court Justice Russell M. Nigro on last month's statewide election ballot should serve as a "wake-up call" to spur adoption of so-called merit selection for judges. Feldman is scheduled to take office in January.

One merit-selection alternative proposed by State Sens. Vincent Fumo and Anthony Williams, both Philadelphia Democrats, calls for judicial appointments by the governor, on the recommendation of a 19-member panel, with confirmation by two-thirds of the state Senate.

"It's absolutely essential that we do this" to take the choosing of judges out of the election system and its dependence on campaign money, ward politics and ballot positions, Feldman said.

As I pointed out before most people don't know who they are voting for since it comes down to whoever can raise enough money to buy TV time to get their name recognized. They are not allowed to state a position on any issue so we get a recitation of their resume. The sources of the of the money they needed to finance a statewide campaign casts doubts about their integrity. When you take money from people and groups like labor unions, business associations, political parties and even the lawyers that will appear in front of you there will always be a suspicion that the fix is in.

Howard Stern and Bill O'Reilly

Media Whore alert

I just saw a promo on Fox News that said Howard Stern will be on the O'Reilly Factor tonight. Well they both like big busted women, talking dirty and sex toys. I think this just might be the first of many joint appearances since they have many things in common.

Colin Powell

I went to the Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre last night to hear General Colin Powell talk about leadership. The former Secretary of State was one of the most impressive public speakers I have ever seen. He talked for over an hour without notes and connected with the audience with his humor and knowledge. I'm not going to recap everything he said but the thing that stuck with me is he said don't let the terrorist change who we are. We are the most open, free and generous people in history. And when mistakes are made, like the Patriot Act or using torture, we have the means to fix them. He also recommended using diplomacy to solve the nuclear threats of North Korea and Iran. And he said the Iraq deployment can't go on forever. Overall he was optimistic about our place in the world. I'm sure whoever wins the Republican nomination in 2008 will ask the General to be his/her running mate. Imagine a McCain/Powell ticket?

The CV and the TL have a recap.

West Wing live debate transcript

Thanks to the commenter who pointed me to this link to the debate transcript. The highlight was when Senator Vinick kept using the word liberal as a pejorative term and Santos shot back:

Liberals got women the right to vote. Liberals got African-Americans the right to vote. Liberals created Social Security and lifted millions of elderly people out of poverty. Liberals ended segregation. Liberals passed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act. Liberals created Medicare. Liberals passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act. What did Conservatives do? They opposed them on every one of those things – every one. So when you try to hurl that label at my feet, 'Liberal,' as if it were something to be ashamed of, something dirty, something to run away from, it won’t work, Senator, because I will pick up that label and I will wear it as a badge of honor.

Carl liked it so much he put it on the header of Simply Left Behind. The West Wing website poll has Santos winning the debate. It's a shame that no real politician has ever made that defense.

In related TV news WVIA is showing one of my favorite British political satires, Yes Minister on Wednesday at 5:30PM.

The Lions in Winter

Enough of politics and other minor matters the big news is Penn State is going to the Orange Bowl. After a few down seasons PSU came roaring back this year to go 10-1. They started shaky and had thrilling wins at Northwestern and against Ohio State at home. The only blemish was a last second (if there was a second left) loss in the big house. They blew away the rest of the schedule with the defense leading the way and the offense doing it's part unlike last year. Remember the Iowa game? How do you lose a football game 6-4? But all is forgotten and the focus is on the 2 coaches who have won more games than any others. As usual Joe Pa plays down the hype:

"I think we just ought to forget about the Bobby Bowden-Joe Paterno relationship," Paterno said. "I think we ought to be looking at two good football teams that are going to go down there and have a chance to knock each other's brains out."

Yeah right. In college football it's all about school loyalty, where you live and especially the coaches. The players come and go but until recently the Head Coaches were the one thing that stayed the same. In Happy Valley and Tallahassee you know who the coach is going to be next year. They both have over 300 wins and have faced each other seven times with Paterno winning six of the meetings. The class acts that they are you will hear each of them praise the other team over the next few weeks and discount the chances of their own squads. Expect a good one.

As far as that other game goes I think we are in for a good one but Texas just has too much for USC.

I have taking some heat because I think John Murtha is right. Get out of Iraq as soon as we can. The locals don't want us there and I can't blame them. How would you feel if foreign troops marched up and down of Main Street USA.

Declare victory! Saddam is gone, there is no WMD and if they want a democracy let them build it. But the usual nonsense has got in the way. Instead of answering the criticism the response has been to attack the messenger. Maybe Murtha doesn't have the solution, I doubt if anyone does.

When this man is called a traitor by some jerk who avoided Vietnam because he had a cyst on his fat ass it makes my blood boil.

Some say Murtha is misguided, but everything I have read about the man suggest he knows more about what is going on in the military than any other member of the legislature.

From T-Blog:

Congressman Murtha is so well-respected for his first-hand knowledge of military and defense issues that he has been a trusted adviser to presidents of both parties on military and defense issues and is one of the most effective advocates for the national defense in the country.

Known as a friend and champion of officers at the Pentagon and in the war zone, it is widely believed in Congress that Murtha often speaks for those in uniform and could be echoing what U.S. commanders in the field and in the Pentagon are saying privately about the conflict.

Several times a year, Murtha travels to Iraq to assess the war on the ground and he often visits wounded troops in hospitals at home. And he sometimes just calls up generals to get firsthand accounts.

There is much more about John Murtha I can tell you but if you are paying attention you already know. When a tough old bird like Murtha tells you are in a hopeless situation maybe you should pay attention.

The Blogfather

Oops wrong picture.

Mark of Wilkes-Barre Online and I have been having some fun lately. We watched football and drank beer and solved most of the world's problems. If people would just listen to us and General Zod this would be a happier planet. He listens to local talk radio but I don't because I have to work when it is on.

We agree on many things on the local scene but few on the national stage. But we are always civil, as Barry Goldwater said "To disagree, one doesn't have to be disagreeable."

Recently the morning hosts of WILK have starting badmouthing us bloggers. Well, probably just Mark as I'm sure they don't know who I am and I think we are the only one's who cover local events. They have a microphone, we have a keyboard, they have a big audience and ours is not so big. Why are they threatened by blogs? Maybe because someone was the only girl not asked to the prom? Or the young tennis star had too many zits to be taken seriously. Those last 2 statements illustrates what weak arguments they are using against us. If you want to debate issues I'm game. But don't use the unsubstantiated smears that are to common in the world of talk radio. Nancy, Kev, email me, I would be happy to discuss the issues of the day without name calling. But that would be no fun.

It snowed today

Yes it snowed today and people had to shovel the stuff. I'm sure it will be the lead story on what passes as the 6 o'clock news in Northeast PA. At least it's the weekend and the local TV stations didn't subject us to endless updates, school closings and predictions of endless doom. The supply of milk, bread and toilet paper must be secure as no bulletins interrupting the NFL games have told us otherwise. Why people get so bent out of shape every winter when the flakes hit the ground is beyond me. My biggest disappointment is that there was not enough to use my favorite (only)winter toy, my snowblower. Although the snowfall is light I will continue a tradition of the Gort household and fire up the BBQ grill in celebration of the first appearance of wintry precipitation. The ritual also includes throwing snowballs at the dog and trying to get the cat to go outside with the resulting wounds being inflicted. This will probably be the first of many snows to come if you can believe the experts that are predicting a severe winter. Of course these so called experts can't tell you what is going to happen Thursday let alone what the weather will be like a month or two from now.

The other Senate candidates

It is conventional wisdom that the 2006 Senate race will be a contest between State Treasurer Bob Casey (D) and incumbent Rick Santorum (R-VA). But first we will have a primary to select the party nominees. Almost no one has noticed but Ricky has an opponent on the Republican side. Philadelphia real estate broker and privacy advocate John Featherman (left) is running because "government should get out of our bedrooms and pocketbooks." He is a former Libertarian Party candidate who attracted the usual few thousand protest votes when he ran in 2000. He said that Santorum's book It Takes a Family was the final push to get him into the race. He said that Santorum has betrayed the principle of limited government. "He thinks he's invincible."

On the Democratic side Casey has to get past 2 challengers, history professor Chuck Pennacchio and lawyer Alan M. Sandals, both from Philadelphia. Mr. Pennacchio has a nice profile in the Times-Tribune today:

Chuck Pennacchio is openly against the war in Iraq and never would have authorized the president to invade.

He's for a woman’s right to choose an abortion and universal health care. He's also for allowing civil unions between gay couples, but against a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman and the federal law that restricts gay marriage. Which, he thinks, makes him a better choice than state Treasurer Robert P. Casey Jr. to be the Democratic Party nominee against Republican incumbent Sen. Rick Santorum in the 2006 Senate election. On each issue, he believes, a majority of Pennsylvanians feel as he does.

He makes a very good point about the state of the Democratic Party:

"My purpose in running is to have a debate about the future of the Democratic Party, the future of our country, the future of our constitution and the nation's place in global politics. Democrats have muddled the message nationwide. The Republican Party has been hijacked by right-wing religious follows, Fortune 500 business groups and neo-conservatives. The Democratic Party has been hijacked by inside-the-Beltway consultants. The consultants are paid win or lose, but they tell all the Democratic candidates, Don’t say anything, It’s a losing formula. Their formula for running away from issues, running away from messages is disastrous. One thing about Santorum, one thing I give him is he’s a person of conviction. The only way to beat him is to match him conviction for conviction and Bob Casey has no convictions as far as I can tell. The only way to win is to get convictions on the table and have a real debate."

Alan Sandals also makes the point that you can't win elections by being republican-lite:

I’m a real Democrat.....Even people who are relatively well off are concerned about the future that these bad policies in Washington are creating for our children and grandchildren. Already Americans are slipping behind other countries in education, leaving our children unprepared for a global economy that keeps growing more competitive. With reduced funding, will local schools be able to keep pace with the future workplace? Will there be enough jobs in our country? Will they pay enough for workers to buy homes and raise families?
Our aging population works hard all their lives, playing by the rules, only to find their financial security gone when another round of corporate mergers leaves them with empty promises and empty retirement accounts instead of the lifelong pensions and health care they earned.
Some politicians want you to believe that looking out for your security isn't the job of government. If a person falls into financial trouble even though he or she works hard, well, it’s tough luck, they say.

I don’t believe that, and neither do you.

At first glance any one of these three guys sound better than the choice we will probably have.

Skrep mulling replacing Lemmond

Give me a break. He has been a Luzerne County Commissioner for 2 years who billed himself as a fresh start but has continued business as usual. I'm not impressed with his performance so far and now he is thinking of running for state senator or is it another tease like when he was going to run for Congress. Dr. Rick at the American Check-up did some amateur psychoanalysis about that idea that still applies. A short list of criticisms of his tenure starts with his hiring of his gym buddy Sam Hyder then giving him a nice raise. And Hyder wasn't the only well connected person to get a job. He has never met a consultant he wouldn't pay to study every problem facing the county. Luzerne County can't meet it's payroll without borrowing money every year. He votes to lay off a bunch of people then gives a golden parachute to the one's that are left financed by another bond. I could go on and on. I would like to see a serious Democrat run for this seat, he is not it. Time for Bill Fitz to re-start his Stop Skrep site.

Iraq debate goes local

As I pointed out before John Murtha has changed the debate about the war from if the US should get out but to when and how. Recently the Secretary of State and Mr. Bush himself have addressed the subject. He said we will stay there until we achieve victory but has not been able to define what that means.

Now the local media is finally paying attention to the question that is sure to dominate the 2006 congressional elections. From the TL:

Sherwood, Carney clash on war Tenth District congressman urges caution; challenger calls for quicker action.

During his address at the United States Naval Academy in Maryland, Bush said that in addition to 80 Iraqi police and army battalions assisting American forces, there are 40 battalions operating with little coalition support. Following President Bush's speech, Chris Carney, a Democrat running for Don Sherwood’s 10th Congressional District seat, called for 40 American battalions to be brought home from Iraq. "I'm concerned that it's taken almost two and a half years for the president to tell the country how he plans to win in Iraq," Carney said.
The speech, he said, offered no new information and the strategic document didn't satisfy his questions about the president's plan to battle the insurgency in Iraq.

"Are we going to be there 10 years or are we going to be there two years?" Carney asked.

Don Sherwood, a Republican from Tunkhannock, echoed Bush's rejection of "artificial timetables" from politicians. "My congressional district has been hit hard, and I would love to get our people out of Iraq immediately, but we need to get the out there when the mission is accomplished," Sherwood said. "When we have a stable peaceful Iraq we can bring all our people home or some of our people home."

What does "bring some of our people home" mean? Is the US planning a permanent military presence? History has shown that you can't occupy a country forever when the locals don't want you there.

Also the attacks on John Murtha continue even after Jean Schmidt was roundly criticized for calling him a "coward." The right wing blogs are still going after him personally instead of dealing with the substance of his argument. But that is par for the course in this poisoned atmosphere that people like Rush Windbag helps perpetuate. It's not just the right wing radio blowhards that are to blame as there are plenty of people on the left that are over the top. Speaking of Rush, I was listening to him yesterday when he called Murtha a traitor. Sometimes I don't think he even believes some of what he says but it's good for ratings. Contrast all this rhetoric with what Chris Carney said to the Boston Globe:

"Both parties have pursued policies of division, and there is this gaping whole in the middle where I think most Americans reside," said Carney, who until recently served as an adviser to the deputy defense secretary's office, and who now is vying to unseat four-term Republican Don Sherwood.

"Those people need to be represented," he said. '"I don't know how we go from a country as united as it was on Sept. 12, 2001, to one as divided as we are today. That is what is propelling me in this race."

Go out swinging

Steve Flood has about a month left as the Controller of Luzerne County but he is not laying down on the job. He is one of the most impressive public officials I have ever met. The man wants good government and so do I. Enough of the bullshit, jobs filled by less than qualified applicants because they have a connection and big raises given out even as the county has to borrow money just to meet payroll!

After holding their feet to fire about the pension fund and invented jobs (remember Cliff Madrack and Moon Lake) he is looking at the 20 year deal between the Commissioners and some outfit that is running the juvie jail in Pittston. From the TL:

WILKES-BARRE . Luzerne County Controller Steve Flood continued to ratchet up his complaints about a $58-million deal brokered between the county and a privately owned juvenile detention center at a meeting Thursday. Flood also said he plans to send a bill to Pennsylvania Child Care for overcharging the county. If they don't pay, the controller said he'll attempt to sue. A solicitor for the controller also had some harsh words for county officials, calling them a "cancer" that affects the political system. In addition to the letter, Flood accused PA Child Care of overcharging the county nearly $280,000 for housing children in the Pittston Township facility. Flood said he expects to send a bill to the company today requesting a reimbursement to the county or else he'll sue in five days.
Flood's solicitor, Sam Stretton, said the suit would be mostly a symbolic gesture since Flood has less than a month left in his term. In January, former Butler Township manager Maryanne Petrilla takes over Flood's position. She defeated Flood in the May primary.

Skrep and Vondy can't wait until this guy is out of their hair and the chosen one takes over.