Karl Rove must be tied up with other matters. Instead of using Karl’s strategic acumen, Bush is calling on other slimeballs to help get his homie, John Roberts, approved for the Supreme Court. But as usual, he came down to Jeb Country to do the dirty work.

Palm Beach Post:

A law firm headed by the former chairman of the Florida GOP is part of an $18 million campaign blitz supporting U.S. Supreme Court nominee John Roberts and backed by the conservative group that underwrote the anti-John Kerry “Swiftboat Veterans for Truth” ads last year.

The Tew Cardenas firm, with offices in Tallahassee, Miami and Washington, is promoting President Bush’s judicial nominee in Florida as part of a 20-state strategy in which the conservative nonprofit organization Progress for America already has begun airing television and radio ads…

Law firm partner Al Cardenas was chairman of the Republican Party of Florida during the protracted 2000 Florida presidential dispute and also served as the state chairman for Bush’s reelection campaign last year.

There are some really deep pockets here, as you might expect.

…Progress for America pledged in June to spend $700,000 defending Bush’s nominee.

It has spent more than $50 million “promoting President Bush’s agenda,” according to its Web site, and most recently spent more than $11 million defending the president’s Social Security reforms.

Well, that was $11 million down the drain.

And the usual suspects strike again.

One of Progress for America’s “sources” supporting Roberts’ confirmation is Ken Connor, the founder of the Christian-based Family Research Council who represented Gov. Bush in his fight to keep Terri Schiavo on life support.

Can’t these people just crawl off somewhere and expire?

Whoops. Look who I’m talking about.

Anyway, it sounds like they’re trying to use the fear factor on their donors to raise even more.

“I fear that, based on the early skirmishes we’ve seen and heard from leaders from the other side, it appears to me that this could turn out to be a free-for-all that could end up demeaning something that has as much sanctity to the United States as the Supreme Court,” Cardenas said. “It’s not going to be an easy time for Mr. Roberts and his family, for sure.”

Stop it, I’m getting all teary-eyed.

What we have here is the classic Karl Rove muddy-the-waters messaging technique. Black is white. Up is down.

Their Supreme Court nominee John Roberts has said he believes Roe v. Wade is an imperfect law. But when the rightwing takes too much lead – as Joe Scarborough did last night on his MSNBC screedfest, “Scarborough Country” – by claiming that Roberts favors overturning Roe, the White House reins them back in:

Well, last night, we reported that on the show. And our banner actually said “Roberts: Overturn Roe v. Wade.’ Well, the White House called us up during the show. They didn’t like the banner. They said, we owe—we should—we should offer a correction. That is what I am going to do tonight.

So, conservatives, Republicans, members of Focus on the Family, Dr. James Dobson, Pat Robertson, pro-life advocates across America, I offer you this correction. According to the White House, Judge Roberts does not oppose Roe vs. Wade. Whew. Glad I got that off my chest.

Source: MediaBistro

Ohio GOP insider and rare coin dealer Tom Noe may have stolen as much as $4 million out of a $50 million fund in an investment scheme he brokered. He used proceeds from the theft to “invest” in the political campaigns of prominent Republicans, including President George Bush, Sen. George Voinivich, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ohio Gov. Robert Taft – and the GOP official who is investigating him, Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro.

Petro is trying to get out in front of the scandal, according to the Toledo Blade:

“There was an absolute theft of funds going on,” Attorney General Jim Petro said.

Mr. Petro said there is evidence that Mr. Noe pocketed nearly $4 million in money invested with the coin fund through the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation since 1998…

The attorney general said the theft began on March 31, 1998, the day Mr. Noe received the first of two $25 million payments from the workers’ compensation bureau, and continued until late May — more than eight weeks after The Blade first reported on April 3 that there were problems with the state’s investment.

“On Day One, Tom Noe took $1.375 million and put it in his personal or his business account,” Mr. Petro said. Records show that Mr. Noe immediately began using the state’s money for his personal use, the attorney general said.

A week later, Mr. Noe and his wife, Bernadette, made $4,500 in contributions to then-Secretary of State Bob Taft’s campaign for governor.

In the three months after the $1.375 million transfer of state funds, Mr. Noe made thousands of dollars in political contributions, including an additional $2,500 to Mr. Taft, $2,000 to then-Gov. George Voinovich’s Senate campaign, and $500 to Mr. Petro’s campaign for re-election to the state auditor post he held before becoming attorney general.

When the scandal first broke, Gov. Taft defended Noe:

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