Day: July 28, 2006

Hillary Clinton Gets ‘Busted’

Buck Banks

Statuesque senator: From the “things best left unseen” file comes the story about New York’s Museum of Sex and its preparations to unveil the “presidential bust” of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton next month. Here’s an excerpt from the press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – New York, NY – July, 26 2006 A presidential bust of Hillary Clinton is set to be unveiled at the Museum of Sex on August 9, 2006 at 10 am. Accentuating her sexual power and bolstered by the presidential seal, The Presidential Bust of Hillary Rodham Clinton: The First Woman President of the United States of America will be officially open for public viewing on August 9 for a limited six week run.

Artist Daniel Edwards describes this new sculpture as capturing Clinton “with her head held high, a youthful spirit and a face matured by wisdom. Presented in a low cut gown, her cleavage is on display prominently portraying sexual power which some people still consider too threatening.”

Edwards’ inspiration for the piece was derived from actress Sharon Stone’s controversial quote earlier in the year about challenges that would most likely be encountered should the Junior Senator from New York run on the ’08 ticket. “I think Hillary Clinton is fantastic,” Stone said. “But I think it is too soon for her to run. This may sound odd but a woman should be past her sexuality when she runs. Hillary still has sexual power and I don’t think people will accept that. It’s too threatening.”

One has to wonder about “art” that is inspired by a quote from Sharon Stone ….

GOP Sen. Burns Redfaced after Chastising Firefighters

Jon Ponder
See how they do it? In a discussion about firefighting, Sen. Burns attempts to stifle debate by bringing up the so-called War on Terror. Somewhere Karl Rove is smiling.

Conrad Burns of Montana may be the most vulnerable U.S. senator in the upcoming elections. His problems stem primarily from his association with the GOP’s prison-bound former wunderkind lobbyist Jack Abramoff. But Burns’ latest escapade, in which he publicly berated a crew of hard-working firefighters, probably won’t help make his case with rank and file voters, including even Republicans:

Paula Rosenthal, a [Montana] Department of Natural Resources and Conservation employee, wrote that members of the hotshot crew said Burns confronted them in the Billings, Mont., airport Sunday while they were awaiting a flight and told them they had done a “poor job” fighting the 92,000-acre Bundy Railroad fire…

Rosenthal, who was serving as a fire information officer in the Billings area at the time, prepared the report at the direction of agency supervisors. She said she was sent to the airport to meet with Burns after reports of an “altercation” between the firefighters and the senator.

“The toughest part of the conversation was the point where the senator was critical of a firefighter sitting across from us in the gate area,” Rosenthal’s report reads. “I offered to the senator that our firefighters make around $8 to $12 an hour and time-and-a-half for overtime. He seemed a bit surprised that it wasn’t higher.”

She said Burns also was concerned and upset about the overall “command and control” system for firefighting efforts and made “several comments about us ‘not letting ranchers fight the fire on their own land.’ ”

She said she responded that landowners were an important part of firefighting, but that safety was always a priority.

“He replied, ‘We’re fighting a war on terror and we’re concerned about safety there too, but we’re out there doing it,’ ” Rosenthal wrote.

See how they do it? In a discussion about firefighting, Sen. Burns attempts to stifle debate by bringing up the so-called War on Terror. Somewhere Karl Rove is smiling.

Casey Judd, business manager for the Federal Wildland Fire Service Assn., which represents federal firefighters, said he was disappointed Burns chose to confront the hotshot team. An Internet bulletin board for firefighters quickly filled Thursday with postings critical of Burns.

“We have expressed our support for him in the past,” Judd said. “But to make a point of blistering a bunch of hotshots — it’s really disconcerting.”

Sen. Burns is undoubtedly aware of the damage inflicted on California’s Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last year when he faced a barrage of critical television ads featuring fire fighters.

Sensing incoming political damage, Burns quickly apologized: “In retrospect, I wish I had chosen my words more carefully … My criticism of the way the fire was handled should not have been directed at those who were working hard to put it out.”