Year: 2008

Those Eastern European Countries Are Too Hard for Gramps McCain to Remember

Trish

John McCain’s senior moments are starting to outnumber his good ones.

For the second time in two days, John McCain has referred to current events in “Czechoslovakia” – a country that officially ceased to exist in January of 1993.

“And I regret some of the recent behavior Russia that has exhibited, and I’ll be glad to talk about that later on including reduction in oil supplies to Czechoslovakia after they agreed with us on a missile defense system, etcetera,” said the presumptive Republican nominee at a New Mexico town hall Tuesday…

On Monday, the Arizona senator made virtually the same statement about recent Russian moves that troubled him, citing that country’s attempt to reduce “the energy supplies to Czechoslovakia.”

The children who were born in Florida the year the nation split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia are learning to drive. Barack Obama was 31 at the time. But to McCain, it must seem like only yesterday. At least he hasn’t referred to Zimbabwe as Rhodesia. Yet.

Book: After 9/11 Cheney Lost It — Traveled with Gas Mask, Space Suit, and Doctor

Trish

A new book chronicles the early days after the 9/11 attacks, when Dick Cheney was always reported to be hiding in an underground bunker or a bomb shelter or an orbiting space capsule. Turns out extreme paranoia really did take hold of the vice president.

On Oct. 18, 2001, a White House alarm went off indicating that sensors had detected dangerous levels of radioactive, chemical or biological agents. According to Mayer, anyone who had entered the White House situation room, including Cheney, had been exposed. “They thought Cheney was already lethally infected,” said a former administration officer who had kept the White House secret until now, according to the book.

…It turned out that the detection system had a malfunction and there was no hazard.

But in the days after the incident, Cheney was taking no chances. Eleven days later, Cheney insisted on leaving the White House and retreating to one of his “secure, undisclosed locations,” the book claims.

Cheney and other Cabinet members took turns hunkering down in one of several cold war era bunkers built to survive a nuclear attack. The bunkers, deep underground, were crammed with communications gear and Cheney would stay in what was dubbed the “The Commander in Chief’s Suite,” Mayer writes.

Book: “A sense of constant danger followed Cheney everywhere.”

When vice president wasn’t in the bunker, Mayer claims that “a sense of constant danger followed Cheney everywhere.” The route was altered daily during the veep’s commute to his above-ground office. On the back seat next to him would be a duffel bag stuffed with a gas mask and biochemical survival suit. And a doctor nearly always traveled with him, “The Dark Side” claims.

In case, like me, these images make you whoop with amusement, the next part will wipe away the mirth.

Besides naming himself “Commander in Chief,” Cheney showed other signs he was losing it. The book says he forced Alberto Gonzales to go along with torture for suspected terrorists, allowing a variety of punishments never used previously by Americans.

The book also reveals that a Red Cross report submitted to the CIA concluded that the treatment of 9/11 suspects, admitted mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah, amounted to torture and war crimes.

The Red Cross made its report after being granted access to the detainees when they were transferred to the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Among the tactics the detainees said they were subjected to: kept naked in a frigid room and doused with water, kept in a small box called the “coffin” for hours at a time, arms shackled over their heads so they had to stand on tiptoes for up to eight hours straight.

Our government has been in the hands of greedy crazies, sadists, and at least one simpleton for nearly eight years. It’s a wonder we are all still here, and that there is any America left to call home.

Troy King, Allegedly Outed McCain State Chairman, Was Client of Gay GOP Consultant Killed in Double-Murder Suicide Last Year

Jon Ponder

The McCain campaign’s Alabama chairman, Attorney General Troy King, the virulent homophobe who is the subject of rumors that his wife discovered him having sex with another man, was a client of Strategum USA, the consulting firm of Ralph Gonzalez, a closeted gay GOP political operative who was killed last summer in a double murder-suicide in his home in Orlando.

Birmingham News August 27, 2007:

Consultant dead in murder-suicide did work in Alabama

The Republican political consultant who died in an apparent double murder-suicide in Florida late last week had several Alabama clients, including Attorney General Troy King.

Ralph Gonzalez, 39, president of The Strategum Group, was found dead Thursday along with his roommate, David Abrami, 36, and a friend, Robert Drake, 30, according to The Associated Press.

A motive has not been determined, and weapons and signs of a struggle were found in the house.

The Web site for Gonzalez’ firm lists among its Republican clients King, Jefferson County Commissioner Jim Carns, and four other legislative and judicial candidates from Alabama.

The Strategum Group produced a flier in a state legislative race in 2005 saying Democratic candidate Gloria Dolbare supported same-sex marriage. The flier said “Let Gloria Dolbare know God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!” and depicted two smiling men on a porch holding hands.

The Alabama Republican Legislative Committee reported paying Strategum $3,144 for the advertising on behalf of Dolbare’s opponent Nick Williams. Williams won race for House District 65.

In January, the Orlando police released their final report, which according to the Orlando Sentinel, ascribed no motive for Jason Drake’s murder of Gonzalez and Abrami or his own suicide.

On Friday, the McCain campaign quickly scrubbed all references to Troy King from its website.

One of Strategum’s highest profile clients was Rep. Tom Feeney, the scandal-plagued Florida Republican, who, as the Florida Speaker of the House played a minor but key role in helping George W. Bush steal the 2000 election, and who could probably tell the McCain campaign a thing or two about scrubbing websites.

H/t: Michelle L

Florida Democrats Can Stop Holding Their Breath; the Whole State is Turning Blue

Trish

It’s been a long time since Democrats in Florida were allowed to use the same restrooms or lunch counters as Republicans but that day appears to be returning. New voters in the state are registering donkey by a ratio of nearly 10 to 1.

Democrats have posted even greater gains statewide, up 106,508 voters from January through May, compared with 16,686 for the Republicans.

Political scientist: “New voters tend to identify with the hot party at the time”

Republicans aren’t going down quietly, however.

State Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R- Fort Lauderdale, was blunt: Republicans need to do a better job.

The registration numbers “got my attention; I’ll be calling our party chairman this afternoon,” she said.

Unfortunately, already-registered elephants aren’t changing teams.

Michael Martinez, an associate professor of political science at the University of Florida, said there aren’t many people shifting from the Republicans to the Democrats. But the allegiance of first-time voters is significant.

“New voters tend to identify with the hot party at the time. In the 1980s, a lot of new voters were identifying with Reagan, because he was sort of the hot commodity,” Martinez said.

Dear The New Yorker: WTF???

Trish

This shouldn’t even need explaining. But evidently, The New Yorker, which prides itself on its sophistication and wit, needs to have it broken down. Here goes: You idiots! What are you thinking?

Saying they are just illustrating ignorance doesn’t let them off. It’s actually the problem.

An illustration by Barry Blitt depicts Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and his wife Michelle in the Oval Office, revealing their “true” selves: Michelle is in full revolutionary garb, an enormous afro making her look like a millennial Angela Davis, holding an automatic weapon and wearing military pants.

In the cartoon Michelle is giving dap, or fist-bumping, with her husband who is wearing a turban and is dressed in garb perhaps more appropriate for a madrassa in Lahore than the Oval Office.

A painting of Osama bin Laden hangs above the fireplace, where the American flag is being burned.

Could John McCain have commissioned anything that would help him more? I don’t think so. And saying they are just illustrating ignorance doesn’t let them off. It’s actually the problem.

Intent factors into these matters, of course, but no Upper East Side liberal — no matter how superior they feel their intellect is — should assume that just because they’re mocking such ridiculousness, the illustration won’t feed into the same beast in emails and other media. It’s a recruitment poster for the right-wing…

But I would assume over at the Conde Nast building, they think it’s droll.

If this is what the so-called liberal media produces, God save us from the right-wing.

Update: Comment from my friend Cathy, who is a New Yorker subscriber: “Do they need to hype circulation that bad? It’s the worst possible taste…not satire. What about Michelle and Barack sitting by the side of the road in dew-rags eating watermelon….would that just be satire???”

McCain Campaign Quickly Scrubs Website of References to Its Allegedly Outed Alabama Campaign Chair

Jon Ponder

Click graphic to see full screen capture

Another One Under the Bus

The John McCain campaign scrubbed its website today to remove all references to its Alabama campaign chairman, Attorney General Troy King.
King, who has frequently made homophobic statements, including calling gays the “downfall of society,” is the subject of rumors that his wife recently discovered him having sex with another man.
King, who is known for extremist views on religion and who has frequently made homophobic statements, including calling gays the “downfall of society,” is the subject of rumors that his wife recently discovered him having sex with another man.

The story about King had been published at Wonkette and on numerous gay news websites, but none of them had reported King’s connection with the McCain campaign before we published the story, “McCain’s Alabama Chairman Reportedly Outed – Attorney General Troy King Has a Record of Homophobic Rhetoric,” earlier today.

We happened upon the scrubbing of the campaign website as we did fact-checking this afternoon. At about 2:30 p.m PDT, when we checked the McCain campaign website, we found a news release from January on this now-blank page announcing the Alabama politicians who had joined McCain’s “leadership team.” The list included King, who was indeed named state campaign chairman.

A few minutes after we published the article, a reader left a comment alerting us that the link to the McCain website led to the blank page that is there now.

A search on the campaign site for “Troy King” returned no results, however a Google search for “Troy King” and “John McCain” still produced a link to the now-blank McCain campaign webpage near the top of the results as of 4 p.m. today.

We happened to have the webpage open and so made the screen capture of it and grabbed the text:

[…]

McCain’s Alabama Chairman Reportedly Outed – Attorney General Troy King Has a Record of Homophobic Rhetoric

Jon Ponder

Troy King, Alabama’s Attorney General as well as the chairman of John McCain’s Alabama Leadership Team* was reportedly caught by his wife in their bed with — naturally — another man:

King, a conservative Republican Christian who has called homosexuality the “downfall of society,” has been caught with his pants down — literally — in a gay sex scandal. King was reportedly nabbed having sex with a male assistant by his wife, Paige King, in the couple’s own bed.

There are unconfirmed stories that King has been banished from his home and that he is on the brink of resigning.

King’s record on gay issues is standard fare for high-profile self-hating gays of his ilk:

King, considered a potential frontrunner for Alabama Governor in 2010, has been vocal in his condemnation of homosexuality and abortion. He has worked to outlaw sex toys and is a staunch supporter of the death penalty…

As a law student at the University of Alabama, King wrote frequent editorials for The Crimson White in condemnation of gays, affirmative action and abortion. In his editorials for the student newspaper, King called homosexuality the “downfall of society” and said AIDS could be cleansed from America if “this nation’s current purveyors of perversion would refrain from committing sodomy.”

King also slammed the idea that gays and lesbians could provide loving, normal families for children, saying: “I often hear the argument that homosexuals who live together create a loving, caring family environment, perhaps an environment which is even superior to that which can be provided by a heterosexual couple. In this day of rampant decadence, many homosexuals would misled society into believe that three men, an armadillo and a house plant create a functional family.”

Favorite rumor so far: King’s boyfriend is a former homecoming king at Troy University. If It’s true, expect to see the headline, “Troy King and the Troy Homecoming King” somewhere soon.

*Update: The McCain campaign quickly scrubbed King from its website today. We have a screen capture and the full text posted here.

Why We Whine: Florida Taxpayers Sending Gov. and Fiancee on European Tour

Trish

Life is just different if you’re a powerful Republican. Or his fiancee.

If it were any other governor traveling with his fiancee, I’d just nod and wink about the possibility of her staying in her own room

At a cost to taxpayers of $255,000, Gov. Charlie Crist embarks with staff and dozens of corporate executives Saturday on an 11-day European trade mission in the hope of striking business deals to spark Florida’s flagging economy.

The group will travel to London, Paris, Madrid and Russia’s St. Petersburg…Crist is also meeting with Britain’s Prince Charles and his brother, Prince Andrew.

The governor’s fiancée, Carole Rome, is going as one of the business “delegates,” who pay for their own hotel and airfare. The Fisher Island resident is a consultant to her family’s Halloween costume business.

Yeah, I’m sure Halloween costumes are big bucks all over Europe. But even if they were, it’s unlikely a single Floridian would get any work from it. The wholesaler, whose slogan is, “Where Fashion Meets Halloween,” is based in New York but I doubt its products are made there either. I’m thinking China.

So why are Charlie and Carole spending part of the summer in Europe?

Asked what he hopes to accomplish, Crist said: “Economic opportunities for Florida. You look at what’s happening in London. To the extent the British visit Florida, love and invest in Florida — as do Russians — that has been a help to our real-estate market obviously.”

So…the dollar is weak and foreigners are snapping up discount Florida real estate, and the governor wants to help them do it?

At least we taxpayers won’t be paying for Rome’s hotel rooms. If it were any other governor traveling with his fiancee, I’d just nod and wink about the possibility of her staying in her own room. But there is long-standing speculation Crist is gay and in the closet, and is rumored to be marrying Rome to further his chances of being selected as John McCain’s running mate. Yeah, Carole will probably be sleeping alone.