Day: December 20, 2005

Sympathy pointed in the wrong direction.

About 2,000 people turn out to view the body of Stanley “Tookie” Williams, the killer and writer executed last week despite a high-profile campaign to save his life.

Standing outside the mortuary, watching the spectacle in the street, Wanda Smith, 42, shook her head and said, “I feel sorry for Tookie. It could have been my own brother, or my son.

Just where were any of these people when Tookie was doping, robbing and killing? How many of these people tried to stop Stanley Williams and Raymond Washington from starting the gang known as the “Crips”? How many of these people are out trying to stop new gangs from forming?

How many of these people called or wrote to the families of Tookie’s victims?

I have no idea what the story is about, but I’ll agree with this headline any day of the week, no matter the context.

When you’re an FOB (Friend of Bill), you never know what communicable disease you might pick up. In the case of Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, it appears he caught a case of the “touchy feelies”.

Saturday’s Albuquerque Journal newspaper ran a story which included an allegation that the governor touched Lt. Gov. Diane Denish inappropriately.

The article, headlined “Hands-On Governor,” quotes Denish describing Richardson touching her at public events. It also notes how the governor has greeted people with bear hugs or head butts — or in the case of a DeVargas Middle School student in 2003, a headlock. For his part, Richardson said he’s just being playful. “I tease Diane. I touch guys. It’s my way of lessening tension,” Richardson said in the story.

Did he say he touches guys?

Denish told the Journal:

“He pokes me,” Denish said when confronted about photos taken of Richardson and her at an appearance in Bernalillo in late October. “He pinches my neck. He touches my hip, my thigh, sort of the side of my leg. I try not to put myself in that situation, trying not to stand or sit next to him.”

Sounds like sexual abuse to me. And it doesn’t appear that Denish has an axe to grind.

Dealing with Richardson’s touching and poking “is one of the challenges of this governor,” Denish told The Journal . “He has a lot of good qualities and this is one of the challenges.”

The article said, “When he’s doing it in these public environments, I have chosen not to embarrass him by not doing anything blatant about it publicly … I don’t think I should embarrass him.”

She used words like “joking” and “joshing” in the article. But, according to the article, she spoke about the problem with Billy Sparks, Richardson’s deputy chief of staff about the matter.

This deserves more attention, and probably a full-on investigation. If there’s one accuser, there’s often more.

Dean Esmay highlights Democratic party psychobabble (which, by the way, is too easy these days – there’s just so much material to choose from), then Dean silences the wind with this:   

Will someone at the Democratic National Committee put me in charge please? These people could absolutely neutralize the Republicans on national security issues quite easily, and then slug it out entirely on issues at home where they just might win. Instead it’s like Republicans just put a big “kick me, I’m soft on national security” sign on their backs and they’re too stupid to notice.

No, even that’s being too kind. It’s like they put the sign on their own backs.

He’s right, on both accounts. It might be too easy for Republicans to use the ol’ “they’re wimpy” case, and then think their job is done. Fact is, all it would take is a couple of bad PR stories and the power of the liberal MSM and the Democrats could win some seats back. Republicans need a wide-angle view of the playing field with an early warning detection system to thwart any covert move made by the Democrats. Since they believe having no Iraq policy is a good move for them, we know they don’t have any significant plan for the war or any subsequent plans for leading America. Therefore, the Democratic party message in 2006 will be no message. This means they’ll have to rely upon dirty tricks, whining and…well, that’s about it.

Republicans, quit sleeping; be ready.

Drudge steals a play from Tim Russert’s bag o’ tricks:

FLASHBACK: DEM LEADER HARRY REID ALL SMILES AT PATRIOT ACT SIGNING

THE DRUDGE REPORT has uncovered a photograph of President Bush signing the Patriot Act in the East Room of the White House on October 26, 2001.

And standing over the President’s shoulder with a smile on his face is Democratic Senate Minority Harry Reid (D-NV)!

Reid is currently leading efforts in the Senate to block the renewal of the Patriot Act.

After Reid successfully prevented the Patriot Act’s renewal late last week the Senator attended a Democrat political rally and proudly declared, “We killed the Patriot Act.”

One Republican strategist familiar with the photo said, “Democrats think they can regain the majority? Not a chance if they continue to put politics above what’s best for the country. Harry Reid is making a colossal miscalculation, but it’s not the first time and thankfully for us, probably not the last.”

Simple hypocrisy.