lowkell

Thanks to Tom Whipple for the Friday "Clips."

1. UVA POSTS NIXON AUDIO ABOUT MALEK
2. REPUBLICANS ACCUSE OPPONENTS OF HYPOCRISY OVER MALEK, MORAN
3. NIXON AIDES DISCUSSED JOB OFFERS TO GET CANDIDATES OUT OF PRIMARY RACES
9. HEARING SET FOR JULY 1 IN VIRGINIA'S HEALTH-CARE LAWSUIT
11. ROVE JOINS CUCCINELLI AT A FUNDRAISER FOR VIRGINIA REPUBLICANS
12. WEBB CANCELS VISIT TO MYANMAR
13. A FINAL SHOWDOWN BEFORE GOP PRIMARY
15. GOP CANDIDATES FOCUS FIRE ON TOP SPENDER RIGELL
17. DEMOCRATS ATTACK HURT AHEAD OF PRIMARY
32. DUMB, SAY HELLO TO DUMBER
34. WITTMAN VS. CRABILL
45. ARLINGTON TO INSTALL FOUR RED-LIGHT CAMERAS AT INTERSECTIONS

Ah...the mind of George Allen, truly a wondrous thing!

I agree with Sean Holihan, "This. Is. Perfection." Go Crabill! Ha.

P.S. If you missed the "bullet box" speech and need some entertainment on a sweltering Thursday afternoon, click here.

If you don't have dinner plans next week, here are a couple of great ideas for you.

First, you can enjoy a lovely soiree with Bob McDonnell, John McCain and Fred Malek. Maybe they'll talk about this or this while they're dining on...this, perhaps?  And all for just $2,400 (or more, if you so desire).  Sounds like a fun time -- or, on second thought, not!

Second, if that's not enough right-wing fun for you, there's always this event, which looks like a barrel of laffs!

Karl Rove, the man once known as George W. Bush's brain, is coming to Virginia for a fundraiser for the state Republican party.

Party officials expect as many as 300 people to donate up to $60,000. The June 15 event will be in McLean, but the party isn't releasing the location of the house just yet. Could the party be worried about protesters?

Rove, who just released a new book Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight, will be joined by Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and party Chairman Pat Mullins.

In case you attend, here are a few talking points about Rove.

*"In the fall of 1970, Rove used a false identity to enter the campaign office of Democrat Alan J. Dixon, who was running for Treasurer of Illinois. He stole 1000 sheets of paper with campaign letterhead, printed fake campaign rally fliers promising 'free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing', and distributed them at rock concerts and homeless shelters, with the effect of disrupting Dixon's rally."

*Rove's campaign for national chairman of the College Republicans was run by none other than the infamous Lee Atwater, of the infamous "Southern strategy".  In 1981, Atwater explained this strategy, saying, "'We want to cut this,' is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than 'Nigger, nigger.'"

*"Rove was fired from the 1992 Bush presidential campaign after he planted a negative story with columnist Robert Novak about dissatisfaction with campaign fundraising chief Robert Mosbacher Jr. "

*"Rove has been accused of using the push poll technique to call voters to ask such things as whether people would be "more or less likely to vote for Governor Richards if [they] knew her staff is dominated by lesbians."

*And, of course, there's the Valerie Plame scandal. In 2005, "it was revealed that Rove was Novak's second Bush administration source" for outing a covert CIA officer.

In other words, there should be lots to talk about if you decide to attend this dinner. Bon appetit! :)

P.S. Don't miss today's Washington Post story on Fred Malek's background as a "Jew counter" for Richard Nixon.

UPDATE: Wow, check this audio out.

Thanks to Tom Whipple for the Thursday "Clips."

1. MCDONNELL TIPTOES AROUND CUCCINELLI'S STANCE ON LAWSUIT
3. MCDONNELL CONFERS WITH LIQUOR RETAILERS, DISTRIBUTORS
4. MCDONNELL SAYS HE FULFILLED HIS CAMPAIGN PLEDGE ON DEFUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD
5. BOLLING BEGINS TO RAISE MONEY FOR HIS GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN
6. FRIENDS, FOES HIT CUCCINELLI OVER MARINE FUNERAL CASE
7. U.VA. CLIMATE SKEPTICS ALSO TARGET OF INFORMATION REQUEST
8. ARMSTRONG CRITICIZES CUCCINELLI OVER HATE SPEECH CASE
11. NEW MEMOS DETAIL REPUBLICAN FREDERIC MALEK'S ROLE IN NIXON CAMPAIGN AGAINST JEWS
12. HOUSE DEMS HOLD MONEY WHILE GOP PRIMARIES APPROACH
20. NEW VPAP MAPS BRINGS POWERFUL POLITICAL DATA TO THE MASSES
23. PRIMARY CANDIDATES MORE LIKELY TO AGREE THAN NOT ON KEY ISSUES
38. DEVELOPER PROCEEDS WITH DAY-LABOR CENTER IN CENTREVILLE DESPITE WIDE OPPOSITION

From Senator Webb's office, the following press release was issued after Webb had concluded visits to Thailand and South Korea. Burma, of course, is one of the most corrupt, repressive regimes in the world. The thought of the Burmese military junta in possession of nuclear weapons is not a pleasant one.

News reports published today contain new allegations regarding the possibility that the Burmese government has been working in conjunction with North Korea in order to develop a nuclear program.  From the initial accounts, a defecting officer from the Burmese military claims direct knowledge of such plans, and reportedly has furnished documents to corroborate his claims.

It is unclear whether these allegations have substantive merit.  However, given the fact that Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell recently accused Burma of violating UN Security Council Resolution 1874 with respect to a suspected shipment of arms from North Korea, there are now two unresolved matters related to activities of serious concern between these two countries.  Until there is further clarification on these matters, I believe it would be unwise and potentially counterproductive for me to visit Burma.

I strongly believe that a continuation of dialogue between our two countries is important for the evolution of a more open governmental system and for the future strategic balance in Southeast Asia.  However, a productive dialogue will be achievable only when these two matters are further clarified.

In the interim period, I intend to strongly suggest to the President that he fulfill the requirements of Public Law 110-286 and immediately appoint a special envoy to address the entire range of issues regarding relations between the United States and Burma.

It's a foundation built upon five pillars that will grow our economy and make this new century another American century: Number one, new rules for Wall Street that will reward drive and innovation, not reckless risk-taking -- (applause); number two, new investments in education that will make our workforce more skilled and competitive -- (applause); number three, new investments in renewable energy and technology that will create new jobs and new industries -- (applause); number four, new investments in health care that will cut costs for families and businesses; and number five, new savings in our federal budget that will bring down the debt for future generations. (Applause.)

The full transcript is available here. I particularly like this:

...The time has come, once and for all, for this nation to fully embrace a clean energy future.  (Applause.)  Now, that means continuing our unprecedented effort to make everything from our homes and businesses to our cars and trucks more energy-efficient.  It means tapping into our natural gas reserves, and moving ahead with our plan to expand our nation's fleet of nuclear power plants.  It means rolling back billions of dollars of tax breaks to oil companies so we can prioritize investments in clean energy research and development.

Armstrong argues that interrupting a funeral of a U.S. Marine isn't the kind of "speech" we should be allowing, and that Ken Cuccinelli should have joined the lawsuit in support of the Marine's dad.  Armstrong also notes that Cooch didn't hesitate to go after free speech on the UVA climate science issue, declaring, "I think the Attorney General picks and chooses his fights based on his own personal, political agenda."  I couldn't agree more.

P.S. Check out Cooch's Facebook page for some scathing comments from his (otherwise) supporters. Wow.

UPDATE: Click here to read Bob McDonnell's "profile in courage" on this issue. As Rosalind Helderman points out, McDonnell "disagrees with Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's decision not to file an amicus brief in a Supreme Court case...Or maybe he agrees." Got that?

Gotta love this.

...the conservative favorite Laurence Verga has deflated, losing campaign staffers who say the more moderate Republican state Sen. Robert Hurt is all-but-certain to handily capture the party nomination for the central Virginia district on June 8. That would pit Hurt -- who drew ire for backing a 2004 state tax increase but is otherwise a pretty standard Republican -- against freshman Rep. Tom Perriello, a Democrat who won a GOP seat during the 2008 Obama tidal wave. He's vulnerable but has amassed a campaign war chest of more than $1.5 million.

But the GOP isn't free and clear yet of an intraparty battle, with yet another "true" conservative threatening to run as an independent in the general election if Hurt clears the seven-candidate field. Jeffrey Clark says he'll make a third party run if Hurt wins the GOP nomination...

Now, all we need is this imbecile to come in and endorse Clark, and Tom Perriello should be easily reelected for another term. Go Tea Party! :)

The following letter is from Virginia Interfaith Power & Light, "a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency, and conservation in response to global climate change." It is signed by over 100 Virginia religious leaders "from five religious traditions - Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Unitarian Universalism and seven denominations of Christianity -- and hail from all corners of the Commonwealth." It's great to see this call from spiritual and moral leaders to our elected officials. Now, we need action!

June 2, 2010

Dear Senator Webb/Warner,

As religious leaders from across the Commonwealth, we are writing to express our alarm at the state of environmental stewardship here in Virginia, and nationwide. For us as people of faith, this is an issue of basic fairness and justice; not only because we are called to care for Creation, but because of who will be harmed most by inaction: the poor and voiceless.

Specifically, we would like to see federal climate legislation that includes strong emission reductions, international adaptation assistance, and protections for low-income families.