Day: December 8, 2004

Noonan on Hillary.

So, how easy was it for Al Sharpton to stand next to John Kerry and smile during the campaign? As easy as $86,715 dollars.  (h/t LGF)

Jesse Jackson: “2004 Election ‘Ain’t Over”. Jesse threatens to enlist the service of Michael Moore if a formal congressional investigation is not launched. Kerry issues a statement.

Via CNSNews.com:

The 2004 presidential election was plagued by fraud and voter suppression, according to some Democratic members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, liberal special interest groups and big-name private citizens, who used the formal surroundings of a congressional office building Wednesday to present their evidence.

Many of those present declared the election of 2004 not yet over. “It ain’t over,” Rainbow PUSH Coalition founder Jesse Jackson declared. “This race is not over until it is certified — every vote is counted and honored.”

The event, called “Preserving Democracy: What Went Wrong in Ohio,” was chaired by U.S. Rep. John Conyers from Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. It was held at the Rayburn House Office Building, across the street from the U.S. Capitol, and focused on results in the Buckeye State. President Bush won Ohio by more than 135,000 votes over Democrat John Kerry.

Jackson threatened to recruit left wing filmmaker Michael Moore for the election fraud debate if a formal congressional investigation is not launched. “I urge Congress to act before Michael Moore comes and exposes the violation and the capitulation again,” Jackson said to applause. Moore directed “Fahrenheit 9/11,” the Bush-bashing film that electrified liberals and enraged conservative backers of the president during this year’s campaign.

For goodness sake, would someone just slip Jesse a few bucks so he’ll quiet down? That’s all it takes right?

Although Wednesday’s event was not an official Judiciary Committee hearing and included no contrasting viewpoints from committee members or witnesses, Conyers’ role allowed it to have the appearance of being official. Sponsors conceded that the event, billed as a “hearing,” was really a just “forum.”

John Kerry was not present at Wednesday’s forum, but did issue a statement Tuesday, stating that it was “critical” for an investigation to be conducted into the “voting irregularity.”

“I want every vote counted in this election, but I also want to make sure there are no questions or doubts in future elections,” Kerry said.

Complete incoherence. A loss of reality. Unhinged and shrill.

This is the Democratic Party.

Also see No Mas, Pt. 1

This time, for chairman of the DNC. Via Newsday:

Howard Dean, with an eye on leading the Democratic Party in the wake of widespread election losses, said Wednesday that Democrats must campaign on their convictions and not give into the temptation to behave like Republicans.

“We cannot win by being Republican light,” Dean said, repeating a line that helped make him a darling of the left in the early presidential race. “We’ve tried it, and it does not work.”

“If this election had been decided on moral values, the Democrats would have won,” Dean continued. “I think it’s time for us to start framing the debate. We have to learn to punch our ways off the ropes.”

“When some people say that we should change direction, in essence they are arguing that our basic or guiding principles can be altered or modified,” Dean said. “They cannot. On issue after issue, we are where majority of the American people are.”

Dean said the party must fight for victory in every state at every level of government and added, “we can’t be a party that wins the presidency by running an 18-state campaign.”

That’s right…because as we all know, Dr. Dean loves to shout out a roll-call of the states, and calling out 18 would be so anti-climactic.

YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHH!!!

Suffers a stroke. No further word as to his condition. (h/t OTB)

UPDATE: “No cause for alarm.”

John Lennon was shot and killed twenty-four years ago on this day in 1980. To re-live that moment, go here and view full size scanned images of stories in Newsweek, Time and other magazines. Additionally, the BEEB put this article out in 2000, which gives insight into the night Lennon died.

More: Feel free to visit Strawberry Fields, “virtually“. (h/t Xeni)

Doctors now say they believe Yushchenko was poisoned. This explains the physical transformation of his face over the last few months.

Via AP:

“A linguist from the University of Pittsburgh has published a scholarly paper
deconstructing and deciphering the word “dude,” contending it is much more than
a catchall for lazy, inarticulate surfers, skaters, slackers and teenagers.”

Dude!

Columnist Joe Conason, who thinks that the Oil-for-Food program was an important success, writes about the drumbeat in Congress calling for Kofi Annan to resign over the scandal. Conason thinks the whole thing is absurd and to backup his argument, he does what all good liberal reporters do. He runs to grab a quote from microphone/TV camera loving (ahem) Republican, John McCain, knowing that given the opportunity, John will throw any Republican under the bus.

“Asked whether he believes that Mr. Annan should step down, the Arizona Republican and outspoken hawk replied, “No. I think that we should have a full and complete investigation and then make decisions like that. Am I disturbed when I hear that his son was on payroll? Of course I’m disturbed about it, and apparently Kofi Annan was [disturbed] also.” He added, “I think Coleman is kind of a symptom of some dissatisfaction within Congress about the U.N.—but no, I think we need a full and complete investigation, and there’s plenty of time to decide whether people should keep their jobs or not.

The popular Arizonan also said he didn’t doubt that the Volcker investigation, conducted pursuant to a Security Council resolution passed last April, would examine the oil-for-food program with rigor and integrity. “I have confidence in Volcker because he’s done a great job in the past, he’s a smart guy, and he’s tough,” said Mr. McCain. “And so I have no reason to think Volcker won’t do a thorough job.”

Quick, someone check McCain’s bank deposit receipts.