Day: April 4, 2006

This is just plain outrageous. First, the “manipulated prayer” story, and now the theory that Jesus didn’t walk on water. Nope, he walked on a thin layer of hard-to-see ice.

The deal is done.

Via Drudge: Couric is set to announce her departure from TODAY on the program itself at 7:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday, multiple sources said Tuesday. Couric will tell viewers that she will be leaving the show by May 31, when her contract runs out on NBC, sources said. That will set the stage for Couric to sign a deal worth at least $13 million a year to anchor the CBS EVENING NEWS and take a spot on 60 MINUTES. The announcement from CBS could come as soon as Wednesday afternoon.

Who would have thought that Perky Katie would replace Dan Blather? Strange days indeed.

Personally, I think Katie will fail miserably reading the teleprompter. And seeing as how the future of the 22 minute network newscast is in serious flux, this really doesn’t look like a long term gig. We shall see…

Sen. John McCain got testy in an address to a department of the AFL-CIO today.

Sen. John McCain threatened on Tuesday to cut short a speech to union leaders who booed his immigration views and later challenged his statements on organized labor and the Iraq war.

“If you like, I will leave,” McCain told the AFL-CIO’s Building and Construction Trades Department, pivoting briefly from the lectern. He returned to the microphone after the crowd quieted.

“OK, then please give me the courtesy I would give you.”

It was a colorful and contentious session, producing as many laughs as boos, that tested McCain’s commitment to the straight-talking, wisecracking image he honed during his failed 2000 presidential bid. An underdog six years ago, the Arizona Republican is expected to seek the 2008 GOP nomination as a front-runner.

“I loved it. I love mixing it up like that,” McCain said after the speech to a Democratic-leaning crowd of several hundred.

Nevermind the booing. McCain can expect to receive more of that kind of thing should he enter the race for the White House in 2008. Moreover, it is expected that members of the liberal AFL-CIO would disagree more than agree with a Republican. What’s interesting to me is the subtext of the story. The so-called “testing of McCain’s commitment to the straight-talking, wisecracking image”. After goo goo’ing over McCain in 2000, the same MSM is now turning on the same John McCain. If John expects a free media ride in 2008, he should rethink that strategy. An editorial on DNRonline.com observes…

Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne attacked Sen. McCain for agreeing to give a commencement speech at Liberty University. That criticism was echoed by NBC Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert Sunday. The New York Times hyperventilating columnist Paul Krugman launched an attack in his Monday column. The basis of the attack is that Sen. McCain was once a straight-talker but now has sold out to the religious right.

Of course, roughly translated, the gang of Krugman/Dionne and others mean, “We considered Sen. McCain an honest, upright guy only when he agreed with us.” Have they forgotten that the essence of a “maverick” — a word often associated with Sen. McCain — is that he will anger both sides of the political spectrum.

As the senator noted on Meet the Press, why should a speech at Liberty University be considered controversial when he also has given speeches at Yale and Harvard, two universities that bar the ROTC program? It’s a good question and has not been answered by Sen. McCain’s critics.

Those critics want to claim the religious right is beyond the fringe of American politics, but it clearly is not. Pat Robertson may make some bizarre statements from time to time, but he doesn’t command much attention from the millions of Americans who hold positive views of Liberty University.

Sen. McCain will continue to disagree with the religious right on some matters, and he will continue to disagree with the secular left. Perhaps that leaves him only at the center of American politics but, after all, that is not a bad place to be.

It all comes down to this – how badly does John McCain want to be president? If it’s bad enough, he’ll pull a “Kerry” and convert his straight talk express into the turbo pandering machine. Has this already begun? Some say so.

And if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck…

NRO’s Kate O’Beirne and a few other journalists sat down this afternoon with Tom DeLay to hear him walk through the events that led to his resignation last night. Full details of the interview are forthcoming.

Janet Rail, publisher of the Independent Appeal newspaper in Selmer, Tennessee, writes about the murder of Matthew Winkler and the tragedy that has left this close knit community drowning in the national spotlight.

James over at Outside the Beltway reprints the DeLay letter and provides commentary.

Tomorrow, at exactly two minutes and three seconds after 1 AM, the time and date will be:

01:02:03 04/05/06

And it won’t ever happen again.

A fund has been setup for the kids of Matthew and Mary Winkler. See more “Winkler” related posts here.

Thank you for your desire to help the Winkler children as they deal with this heartbreaking time in their lives.  These are wonderful, precious girls and your gift to help heal their hearts is greatly appreciated.

The girls are now in the loving hands of their paternal grandparents, Dan and Diane Winkler.  This Godly couple is very well suited to help the girls during this time. Diane is a former schoolteacher.  She is a loving and gracious person with a charming sense of humor and will be a wonderful guide and example for the girls as they grow to adulthood.  Dan is a deeply thoughtful person.

He is a man of great character and compassion.  Together, Dan and Diane will assist the girls as they cope with the tragic death of their father.  Please, pray for Dan and Diane as you continue to pray for the girls.

One hundred percent of your gift will go to helping heal the hearts of the Winkler girls.  The funds will be used to assist with the girls’ immediate needs such as appropriate counseling and care.  Any funds remaining as the children graduate from high school will be available as a college fund.

Again, thank you for willingness to help the Winkler girls.

Sincerely,

Dr. Eddie Thompson, close friend of the Winkler Family and Trustee

Checks should be made out to The Winkler Family Fund and mailed to:

The Winkler Family Fund
c/o Dr. Eddie Thompson
229 Ward Circle
Suite A-23
Brentwood, TN  37027

The fund is a Minor’s Trust for the benefit of the Winkler children under the laws of Tennessee. The fund account is held by BancorpSouth.  The trustees of the fund are:

Dr. Eddie Thompson
P. Cayce Powell, Attorney
Jeremy Pharr, Attorney
Melinda Magyar

Please email your thoughts and prayers to: [email protected]

Help, if you can.