It makes sense. They're only rumors... but it makes sense.

Shannon Moore, a radio talk show host from Alaska, provides some interesting information on rumors that have been circulating in Alaska for the last 6 weeks regarding a possible criminal investigation into Sarah Palin.

Update: On the heels of reports like the one above, Palin is attempting to control the media by threatening legal action.

The abruptness of her announcement and the mystery surrounding her plans have fed widespread speculation. But Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein on Saturday warned legal action may be taken against bloggers and publications that reprint what he calls fraudulent claims.

"To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as 'fact' that Governor Palin resigned because she is 'under federal investigation' for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation," Van Flein said in a statement. "This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post, that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law."

He also told the Anchorage Daily News that Palin wasn't in any criminal legal jeopardy.

"I can say definitively I am aware of no criminal investigation whatsoever involving Sarah Palin. Zero," he said.

Meanwhile the FBI has confirmed that they are not investigating Palin at this time. Whether some other law enforcement agency is investigating Palin remains to be seen.

The FBI reiterated that claim Saturday, telling the Los Angeles Times for a story Sunday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was not investigating Palin's activities as governor, a former mayor or in any other capacity.

"There is absolutely no truth to those rumors that we're investigating her or getting ready to indict her," Special Agent Eric Gonzalez, the bureau's Alaska spokesman, said.

It's apparent that Palin has a plan. She quit her job as Alaska's governor to "answer a higher calling." And she appears determined, this week at least, to re-enter the national limelight with some degree of spin control over her national presence.

It's also apparent that Palin hasn't learned much from her experience in the national limelight. Her continued bumbling through one crisis after another, and her failure to rise above dust-ups like her recent tussle with comic talk show host David Letterman, exemplifies Palin's failure to break out of the pattern she found herself in last fall leading into the 2008 election.

Sarah Palin played in the mud, portraying her opponent Barack Obama as someone who 'pals with terrorists." With that she reduced herself to the role of the mud-slinging attack dog on the GOP ticket.

Sling a little mud back in her direction, and she threatens to sue.

What we're seeing now isn't Sarah Palin elevated to a new level - it's the same Sarah Palin of the past all over again, just more determined -- and angrier. It's a tactic that is bound for failure. She's just not smart enough to figure that out yet.

Pit Bulls are not known for their IQ, lipstick notwithstanding...

Update II: Wizbang Publisher Kevn Aylward had informed me he's shutting down Wizbang Blue, citing incompatible missions. He's already severed html links from the conservative sister site "Wizbang."

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I think she needs medication.

She seems absolutely manic.

And here's my Question of the Day... Some point to Palin's recent effort to portray herself and her family as 'victims' during the phony uproar over a joke told by David Letterman as being a cause and precursor of this resignation... and my question is this.

If Sarah Palin eventually folds her tent and runs away over a line uttered by a 62 year-old talk show host who tells fart jokes, how on earth was she ever going to protect our country from our real enemies?

Continue reading "Palin Resignation Speech (Full Text and Video)" »

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She can't stand the heat, so she's getting out of the kitchen:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) announced this afternoon she will resign from office on July 26 and return to private life, a stunning decision by last year's Republican vice presidential candidate to leave office before the end of her first term.

Sounds to me like another skeleton is about to surface, and Palin is bailing before the crap hits the fan - but Palin attempts a positive spin:

"We know we can effect positive change outside government at this moment in time on another scale and actually make a difference for our priorities," Palin said in a news conference alongside a lake in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska.

Using a basketball analogy, Palin said, "I know when it's time to pass the ball for victory."

She knows when it's time to quit and walk off the court in defeat. Her nuttiness is not going unnoticed by some in the GOP:

"We've seen a lot of nutty behavior from governors and Republican leaders in the last three months, but this one is at the top of that," said John Weaver, a longtime friend and confidant of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the party's presidential nominee in 2008 whose of selection of Palin catapulted the first-term Alaska governor to national prominence.

She'll be back -- like a plague.. she'll be back.

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It's 1994. The GOP promised to dismantle social programs, cut taxes and balance the budget. Newt Gingrich massaged the message, and the "Me Generation" bought it hook, line and sinker. This was the new GOP, and they had made a "Contract with America."

It was a promise built upon "family values" lies...

Instead, the GOP Class of 1994 that were ushered into power with a promised 'family values' core that would be the driving principle behind their legislative actions turned out to be rife with family value hypocrites who sold America a bill of goods:

The sex scandals that have tarnished Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) and Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) don't appear to have much in common. Yet there is one thread that binds them together: Both Ensign and Sanford were members of the famed Republican House class of 1994, as well as its latest casualties.

As it turns out, the pressures and demands of political life have inflicted devastating damage not only on the Ensign and Sanford families, but on the families of many of the 71 other freshmen who formed the vanguard of the Republican Revolution.

In the 14 years since that star-crossed class arrived in Washington espousing an agenda that placed family values at its core, no less than a dozen of its members have been caught up in affairs, sex scandals or in messy separations and divorces from their spouses that, in more than a few instances, led to their political downfalls.

This isn't something that took years to develop -- the GOP hypocrites who were voted into office failed from the outset.

The problems started almost as soon as they took office, and by the end of their first year in Congress, the marriages of at least four Republican freshmen had collapsed.

One of the first to see his marriage unravel was Rep. Jim Bunn (R-Ore.) who, not long after taking office in 1995, divorced his wife, married one of his political aides, and later elevated her to chief of staff. Bunn lost his 1996 reelection bid.

Rep. Enid Greene, who became the first female member of Congress from Utah in 1994, spent most of her single term in the House dealing with a scandal of her husband's making. Joe Waldholtz, who married Greene in 1993, embezzled millions of dollars that he used to help finance her campaign. Once authorities finally caught up with Waldholtz, Greene filed for divorce and took custody of the couple's daughter. She did not run for reelection in 1996.

Former Rep. Jon Christensen (R-Neb.) was another high-profile casualty -- he divorced his wife during his first term after she admitted to marital infidelity.

All of this came despite an acknowledgment at the start of the 104th Congress that the grueling pace of work in Washington could tear families apart. Then-newly installed House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who later got divorced for a second time in 2000, even warned as much.

And Gingrich pledged to do something about it, setting up a bipartisan task force, the Family Quality of Life Advisory Committee, to rethink the congressional work-life balance.

"We have established the principle that we are going to set schedules we stick to so families can count on time to be together, built around school schedules so that families can get to know each other, and not just by seeing us on C-SPAN," Gingrich said in a speech at the opening of the 104th Congress on Jan. 4, 1995.

Gingrich, recognizing the hypocrisy that early, still failed to turn the tide. Today, most Republicans refuse to acknowledge or address the hypocrisy, using the time-honored techniques honed by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity to deny the existence of the 800 pound gorilla parked on the living room coffee table...

... and the hypocrisy of that -- of the GOP "family values' party that today refuses to even acknowledge the problems posed by their hypocrisy, is the bottom line left behind with the Republican "Contract with America."

It wasn't a contract "with America" -- it was a contract "on America" -- and America lost dearly.

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Just as I've been saying all along...

Alaska's lipstick-wearing pit-bull is a "Little Shop of Horrors."

That's how one longtime friend and campaign trail companion of John McCain, the vanquished 2008 GOP presidential nominee, described veep nominee Sarah Palin.

McCain campaign staffers admit that she was not ready for the job...

In an expansive story in the August edition of Vanity Fair, a slew of senior members of McCain's campaign team told reporter Todd S. Purdum that they suffer a kind of survivor's guilt following the 2008 presidential election.

"They can't quite believe that for two frantic months last fall, caught in a Bermuda Triangle of a campaign, they worked their tails off to try to elect as vice president of the United States someone who, by mid-October, they believed for certain was nowhere near ready for the job, and might never be," Vanity Fair reports.

Caribou Barbie was wholly unqualified for the job, and her ego got in the way of her decision-making:

During the campaign, there were reports of anonymous McCain aides describing Palin, the governor of Alaska, as a "diva" and a "whack job."

The Vanity Fair article recounts how strained Palin's relationship was with the McCain advisers. She maintained "only the barest level of civil discourse" with Tucker Eskew, the operative assigned to be her chief minder, the magazine reports.

She believed Steve Schmidt, McCain's top strategist, had lied to her about conducting polling in Alaska - that was a "belief she conveyed to anyone who would listen," the magazine reported.

If the hoax that was attempted with Sarah Palin's candidacy wasn't so damned funny, it would be downright sad:

As previously reported, Palin was so intent on delivering her own concession speech on Election Night that she wouldn't accept advisers telling her that McCain had decided he would be the only one to speak. She took the issue up with McCain himself, discussing it on the walk from his hotel suite to the farewell rally.

Palin did not speak on Election Night. Only McCain addressed the crowd and the nation.

One McCain aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he "always wanted to tell myself the best-case story about her."

"I think, as I've evaluated it, I think some of my worst fears...the after-election events have confirmed that her more negative aspects my have been there...."

As his voice trailed off, he said, "I saw her as a raw talent. Raw, but a talent. I hoped she could become better."

Palin refused to comment for Vanity Fair.

Sarah Palin was a train wreck, and the good news is - the more progressives label her as such the harder her supporters fight to make her ready for the 2012 ticket.

I can't ask for a more "perfect storm"....

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Comedian and impersonator Fred Travalena died Sunday afternoon after a seven-year battle with cancer. He was 66.

Travalena -- known as "The Man of a Thousand Faces" -- died at home in Encino, California, surrounded by family, according to his publicist.

He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2002 and prostate cancer in 2003. Following five years' remission, the lymphoma returned in 2008.

"Since that time, he has been in and out of treatment, consisting of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation," spokesman Roger Neal said.

During Travalena's 40-year career, he entertained audiences with impressions of celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bob Hope. He was a regular on the "Tonight Show," with Johnny Carson.

Travelena is survived by his wife of 39 years, Lois; sons Fred IV and Cory; daughter-in-law, Kelly; and a granddaughter.

Private services will be held this week, with a public memorial service to be announced later.

via CNN

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Mack, a Republican representing California's 45th Cngressional District, explains why she crossed party lines and voted in favor of the energy bill:

"It's beyond time for our nation to become energy independent and embrace future energy sources," said the seven-term congresswoman, who wrestled with the legislation and its potential economic effects before deciding to back it. "While not perfect, this bill takes bold steps forward that will help create new green jobs, build a stronger, more sustainable American energy supply and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

"There's much work to be done before this bill becomes law, and I will continue to seek bipartisan improvements that will move us forward in the most cost-efficient way and benefit all Americans."

Mack is a great American, one who chose to ignore party lines in order to help her nation become more secure through the goal of energy independence.

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June 27, 2009: The White House

The President praises historic energy legislation passed by the House of Representatives. The legislation will help America create green jobs, ensure clean air for our children, move towards energy independence and combat climate change.

Details:

The Green Building Guide to Waxman-Markey

Today, the Waxman-Markey bill, otherwise known as the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) is set to be voted on in the House of Representatives. The very fact that the vote is occurring means this bill will pass in the House. This monumental bill would establish a cap-and-trade program to cut global warming pollution. Of course, a cap-and-trade program faces an even more difficult path in the Senate.

So what is a cap-and-trade program exactly?

More beneath the fold:

Continue reading "President Obama's Weekly Address - June 27, 2009" »

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Read all about it:

The details of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's secretive trips to visit his lover in South America aren't just headline fodder or political kryptonite.

They're also being scrutinized by law enforcement officials at the request of some lawmakers and watchdog groups who fear taxpayer money could have been misused on his affair. So far, no criminal investigation has been opened.[...]

But the furor over Sanford's trip is mushrooming. Critics called on the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate state spending on the trip and whether Sanford broke laws by leaving on his latest visit to Argentina last Thursday without turning control over to the lieutenant governor. His staff told people who asked that he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail.

"We also have to worry about whether this is the tip of the iceberg. We don't know what else is out there. We don't know what's going to come out tomorrow. We don't know what's going to come out next," said state Sen. Jake Knotts R-West Columbia.[...]

Also calling for inquiries were the state chapter of government watchdog Common Cause and the Washington-based nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, which directed its request to the state ethics commission.[...]

"We all have things in our personal life that we don't want to shine under the spotlight," said Buck Limehouse, head of the state's transportation department. "There's nothing to be accomplished by rehashing this over and over. The needs of the people of South Carolina are more important than the personal issues."

Not everyone in the capital is being as kind. Knotts encouraged other legislators to call for Sanford's resignation and urged him to "do the right thing" and step down voluntarily.

Joining the calls for resignation was a one-time ally, the head of the group that's pushed Sanford's school choice effort. If Republicans are going to criticize Democrats for moral failings, Sanford has to go, said Randy Page, president of the conservative advocacy group South Carolinians for Responsible Government.

Adding to Sanford's 'family-values' hypocrisy we now have a possible criminal investigation into the governor's handling of taxpayer funds for personal use.

What Sanford hopes to gain by dragging all of this out isn't clear. He clearly isn't innocent of wrongdoing -- he's already admitted that he used taxpayer money to visit his sweetheart in Argentina.

Why doesn't he just resign now? It's inevitable that he will resigns -- this pattern is oft-repeated, sadly. I guess that he feels his political career is over anyway, so why not stay in power as long as possible.

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Apparently Gov Mark Sanford is being held back from resigning by advisers.

People close to the governor say Mr. Sanford was leaning toward resigning before the news conference but was persuaded by aides and friends who urged him not to act rashly. Mr. Sanford spent several hours Thursday at his Sullivan's Island beach house near Charleston, S.C., with his four sons and wife, with whom he has said he hopes to reconcile. He returned to Columbia, the state capital, Thursday evening.

The same article fleshes out a few more details on Sanford's use of taxpayer money on his first Argentina trip.

Earlier Thursday, a spokeswoman for the South Carolina Department of Commerce confirmed that Mr. Sanford instructed state officials to extend a taxpayer-funded mission to Brazil a year ago to include a trip to Buenos Aires at the time his relationship with a woman who lived there was becoming romantic. Mr. Sanford also met with a half-dozen officials and executives while there. The department estimated that more than $11,000 in state funds were spent to cover the cost of Mr. Sanford and another state employee to travel to Argentina.

There's no indication that taxpayer funds were used for last week's trip.

There is however an indication from some of Sanford's South Carolina colleagues that his use of taxpayer funds may be grounds for impeachment:

Some prominent legislators and local commentators said the use of state funds for a trip during which the affair began could be grounds for impeachment. Under South Carolina law, state officials are prohibited from using taxpayer dollars for personal gain.

Republican State Sen. Larry A. Martin, a frequent ally of Mr. Sanford's, said it is "troublesome" if the governor requested the trip, even if he repays the cost. "I think he's bought himself another set of problems," he said. Mr. Martin said he believes the governor will resign if he thinks his Argentina leg of the trip violates state ethics guidelines or law. "This is my gut reaction on this, if he believes he is being viewed in having engaged in that type of unethical behavior and being held to account for it, I think he would step down," Mr. Martin said.

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Raw airport surveillance footage from AP of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford off to see his beloved Maria in Argentina... at taxpayer expense... while he left his state unprepared for an emergency... and yet, he won't resign.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford admits he used taxpayer money to see his mistress in Argentina and plans to repay the cash.

But the Republican still faces questions about the way he dismissed state law officers assigned to protect him and whether he should have transferred power to his lieutenant while he was away and out of touch.

Sanford disappeared to Buenos Aires for almost a week, returning Wednesday to reveal the affair and publicly apologize to his wife and four sons, his supporters and constituents. He also resigned as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

Sanford has said he left his staff with the impression he was heading off for some solo hiking on the Appalachian Trail, a bogus story that they relayed to reporters who began asking where the governor had gone. Reggie Lloyd, chief of the State Law Enforcement Division, said his agency was dismissed from its security duties the day Sanford left for Argentina and then unsuccessfully tried to contact him.[...]

Sanford on Thursday did say he'd pay back an undisclosed amount for the nine-day trip to Brazil and Argentina for which taxpayers paid $12,000 last year. That includes $8,687 for Sanford's plane ticket, and $453 in lodging. Project manager Ford Graham's ticket was $1,910.

"I made a mistake while I was there in meeting with the woman who I was unfaithful with," the governor said in a statement.

Once caught, Sanford does the right thing - both by confessing his sins publicly, and by paying back the taxpayer funds he used to surreptitiously see his mistress.

And yet, he won't do the right thing and resign.

Update: Sanford's offer to pay back the taxpayer money he used to fly to Argentina to see his sweetie was apparently triggered by a Wall Street Journal inquiry:

After The Wall Street Journal sought comment from Mr. Sanford on records and interviews indicating the governor asked state officials to organize a trip to Buenos Aires in June 2008 during which he had a romantic encounter, the governor released a statement saying he would reimburse the state for the cost of that trip.

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A South Carolina newspaper called the "The State of Columbia" has had this info since last December, which is about the time Sanford's wife learned of the affair:

The State of Columbia redacted the full name of the woman, identifying her only as "Maria," but their contents clearly show they were more than friends.

The newspaper says it has had the messages since December, which would be about the time Sanford says his wife found out about the tryst. In a message to The Associated Press, managing editor Steve Brook declined to immediately elaborate on why it chose not to publish the e-mails earlier.

In an interview on CNN's "Larry King Live," State reporter John O'Connor said the newspaper was sent the messages from the governor's personal e-mail account by an anonymous person.

"We didn't know that they were true, basically, until this week, and events that happened this week, things the governor said today, finding him at an airport in Atlanta coming back from Buenos Aires, authenticated the e-mails," O'Connor said.

The State said that the governor's office did not dispute the authenticity of the e-mails. Contacted by the AP, Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer declined to discuss them.

Here are the emails:

Continue reading "Gov. Mark Sanford's Love Letters to his Mistress Maria" »

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More signs of hypocrisy from the integrity-challenged Republicans - this time it is confessed adulterer GOP Governor Mark Sanford. Sanford is refusing to resign, but look at what then Congressman Mark Sanford had to say about President Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal:

The Charleston Post and Courier reports that Mark Sanford, as a congressman, called on Clinton to resign when his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky was revealed. Sanford is now Gov. Sanford. And, as just about everyone knows by now, he confessed today that he had an affair with a "dear, dear friend" in Argentina.

But back in 1998, according to the Post and Courier, he said of Clinton, "Very damaging stuff. This one's pretty cut and dried." Calling the overall situation messy, he added: "I think it would be much better for the country and for him personally [to resign]."

And Nevada Republican Senator John Ensign, whose affair with a campaign staff member has apparently resulted in some fair of blackmail or extortion, echoed similar sentiments:

In 1998 [Ensign] served in Congress and had this to say to the Las Vegas Review-Journal: "The honorable thing for him to do is to resign and not put the country through this."

These family-values hypocrites speak of honor - but they aren't resigning. Just another example of the scum that permeates the Republican party.

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Republican Governor Mark Sanford lied to his staff about where he was going -- and now Fox News lies to their conservative audience (who isn't smart enough and well-read enough to know they're being lied to) about Sanford political affiliation:

For those of you on the right with room temperature IQs and 15 minute memories, your beloved "Fair and Balanced" Fox News did the same thing with Republican pedophile Congressman Mark Foley.

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Luckily Carrie Prejean and her fake boobs are still part of the Family Research Council's 'family-values' pact, but Governor Mark Sanford, GOP Family Values hypocrite, is not... (h/t Pam Spaulding):

Before Governor Mark Sanford revealed his rank hypocrisy that dates back 8 years - and while he was living a lie and a sin, he was a proud member of the Family Research Council's Values Voters Summit 2009:

And after Sanford confessed his sins - demonstrating that despite his past indiscretions he now realizes he was wrong...he's dropped like a hot rock:

Apparently confession is good for the soul but bad for your political career -- but as long as you can hide your lies and your sins and be a family values hypocrite you can use 'family values' as a vote-getting means. Sanford did it, and looking at the photos above it's fun to guess who the other hypocrites are...

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There's nothing to see here -- just another lying Republican 'family-values' hypocrite....

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who has been seen as a potential candidate for the 2012 U.S. presidential election, tearfully admitted on Wednesday he had been unfaithful to his wife and resigned as chairman of the Republican Governors' Association.

Sanford apologized at length for his actions at a news conference after he returned from a secret, private trip to Argentina and ended days of speculation about his whereabouts.

Sanford, shedding tears, said he had "developed a relationship" with a "dear friend" from Argentina. He apologized repeatedly to the people of South Carolina and to his wife, family and friends.

"I met this person a little over eight years ago, very innocently .... What I did was wrong. Period. End of story," Sanford said.

"I'm going to resign as chairman of the Republican Governors' Association," said Sanford, who is a prominent fiscal conservative and has been talked about as a potential presidential candidate for his party.

When media reported Sanford's whereabouts were unknown since last Thursday and that even his wife did not know where he was, his aides had said he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail in the eastern United States to get away for a break after a tough state legislative session.

During his absence, some South Carolina politicians accused him of abdicating responsibility to the state.

Sanford flew back from Argentina to Atlanta early on Wednesday. He told a reporter for The State, South Carolina's biggest newspaper, that he had changed his earlier plans for a trip and had decided at the last minute to go to Argentina and drive along its coastline.

Another Republican Presidential Hopeful demonstrates that he doesn't give a crap about the morality platform of the GOP when it comes to his own personal wife.

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The President responds to a question about recognizing the legitimacy of the Iranian Presidential election:

June 23: President Obama answers a question from an Iranian citizen, submitted via the Internet, saying Iran may be best served addressing the legitimacy of the recent election in the eyes of its own citizens.

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Because it's so, so wrong to put a MSM person inside the White House...

You can't make up crap that is this funny... Knee-jerk jerks like Michelle Malkin and Karl Rove don't give a passing thought to the words that come out of their mouths.

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UPDATE (link):

The husband of Sen. John Ensign's former mistress made "exorbitant demands for cash and other financial benefits" through an attorney, an aide to the Nevada Republican said Friday. In a statement to The Associated Press, Ensign spokesman Tory Mazzola said the demands from an attorney for Doug Hampton were made within the past month.

"The demands were referred to Senator Ensign's legal counsel, who is handling the matter going forward," the statement said. [...]

Unconfirmed reports that Doug Hampton was pressuring Ensign for money have circulated since the senator abruptly came forward Tuesday and confessed to a nine-month extramarital affair with Cindy Hampton, his former campaign treasurer and Hampton's wife.

Until Friday, the senator's office had not responded to questions about the allegations.

Ensign, 51, has said he intends to remain in the Senate.

The statement came hours after the Las Vegas Sun published a letter from Doug Hampton to a news organization asking it to expose the senator's "unethical behavior and immoral choice." The nearly 1,000-word letter to Fox News anchorwoman Megyn Kelly accuses Ensign of "heinous conduct and pursuit" of Cindy Hampton, even after both had left their jobs working for Ensign.

A source close to the Hamptons confirmed the letter was written by Doug Hampton. The individual was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.

There were reports that Dough Hampton has received favorable jobs and/or promotions from Ensign prior to the disclosure of the affair.

--------------
Original Post begins here:
published June 18, 2009 8:02pm

You're not along if you're wondering why Republican family-values hypocrite Senator John Ensign of Nevada suddenly confessed to an affair that ended 10 months ago.

Initially folks cited Ensign's recent appearance in Iowa as a possible motive for him to clean the skeletons out of his closet, and confess to an affair now, long before the 2012 presidential campaign gets underway.

But new evidence is coming to light which now casts new questions -- questions about payments and bribes being made -- questions about possible blackmail. By confessing, the blackmailers would not longer hold leverage over Ensign.

Sen. John Ensign helped his mistress's husband get two jobs during the time the rising Republican senator acknowledges carrying on an extramarital affair, an Ensign spokesman said Thursday.

"Just as he has done for many other staff members, Senator Ensign made recommendation calls for Mr. Hampton," Ensign spokesman Tory Mazzola said in a statement. Mazzola was responding to questions about the employment of Doug Hampton, a former aide to the Nevada senator.

Ensign on Tuesday admitted having a nine-month affair with Doug Hampton's wife, Cindy, who also worked for the senator. Ensign's office has said that both Cindy and Doug Hampton left their jobs in May 2008, and the affair ended in August 2008.

In the months after leaving his post, Doug Hampton quickly landed two positions with companies connected to Ensign.

One, a consulting firm that ran Ensign's 2006 campaign, acknowledges the senator encouraged the company to hire Doug Hampton.

A Las-Vegas based airline whose executives have contributed money to the senator declined to comment on whether Ensign was involved in Doug Hampton's employment.

Doug Hampton's easy transition from the political to corporate worlds isn't unusual. It does, however, raise questions about to what extent Ensign used his influence to assist two former employees who could have done damage to his career.

Was this Republican family-values hypocrite over a barrel? Did he confess -- not because he wanted to clear the air -- but to put an end to a blackmail scheme?

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Republicans are refusing to comment on GOP Senator John Ensign's (Nevada) family-values hypocrisy - but not to worry, many are praying for Ensign's sins.

Whew - it's still okay to legislate family-values while porking a campaign staffer's wife -that's a relief....

"It would be intellectually dishonest for me to comment on it," declared Chuck Grassley of Iowa, pausing on his way to lunch with GOP colleagues.

"I'm late," announced David Vitter of Louisiana, brushing past a knot of reporters.

"I'm not going to say anything," vowed Jon Kyl of Arizona, the No. 2 Senate Republican, pausing briefly beneath a portrait of John C. Calhoun. "Byyye!" he called, waving back at his questioners as he walked into lunch.

The party's 2008 presidential nominee, John McCain, pretended not even to hear the question about Ensign. "Whazzat?" he said sharply, sounding like the duck in the Aflac commercial.

"Senator --"

"Whazzat?" McCain repeated, still walking.

"Senator Ensign --"

"Whazzat?" McCain quacked for a third time before disappearing into the lunch room.

Way to go, Senator McCain - we can always count on your leadership abilities...

"I'm not going to comment on that," said Jim DeMint of South Carolina, developing a sudden interest in his BlackBerry. "I just have to try to absorb it myself -- heh, heh," he added with a mirthless chuckle.

"It's a personal matter," said Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, not breaking stride. John Barrasso of Wyoming hurried past with a cellphone to his ear, waving. Mike Crapo of Idaho jiggled the keys in his pocket and announced that "I'm going to reserve comment." Susan Collins of Maine flashed an uncomfortable grin. "Um, I don't have a comment right now, thank you," she said.

Yeah -- let's just ignore the hypocrisy, while committing more of the same...

Others, approached for comment, sought the help of a higher power. "I'm praying for the Ensign family," said Vitter, ignoring the other questions as he walked away.

"Thoughts and prayers are with his family," said Jeff Sessions of Alabama, doing the same.

"I haven't done anything except say a prayer for him," contributed Johnny Isakson of Georgia.
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"There's a lot of praying going on," observed Roll Call reporter Jessica Brady.

Quack!

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The many recent examples of racism demonstrates clearly that racists have been increasing their attacks since Obama's election.

So does this:

A report released on Tuesday said white supremacist groups have been increasingly active since the election of Barack Obama, the first African-American U.S. president last November.

The phenomenon could be also attributed to economic downturn and fear of immigrants, said the report, written by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, a leading civil rights advocacy organization.

The report came out just a week after a white supremacist killed an African-American security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Museum, not far from the White House.

The report also said hate crimes committed against Hispanics and gays are also on the rise.

Attorney General Eric Holder, the first African-American to hold the position, said Tuesday that recent violent attacks show the need for a tougher hate crimes law.

Most of the racism we're seeing in in the GOP strongholds in the south, and the Republican party is unwilling (or unable) to stem the rising tide of racism.

What does that say about the Republican Party?

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No question that politicians are only human -- John Edwards is proof of that -- but when a member of the preachy 'family-values' party admits he's had an affair it's worth a little extra salt in the wound:

Republican Sen. John Ensign of Nevada has stepped down from his leadership post one day after admitting he carried on a marital affair with a woman who was on his campaign staff.

Ensign conveyed his decision in a phone call with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who said he had accepted the resignation.

Ensign was chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, the fourth-ranking spot in the leadership.

He remained away from the Capitol during the day, and aides declined to answer additional questions about the affair.

Republican hypocrites preach family-values and try to legislate the same into our daily lives, while they slink around doing drugs, having sex with homosexual escorts, allowing their teen-aged daughters to get pregnant, and in this case breaking their marriage vows by having adulterous affairs.

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On the heels of a South Carolina GOP operative's racist remark a few days ago we now have an email sent out under the banner of being paid for by the Tennessee Republican Party which depicts President Barack Obama as two white eyes peering out of a black background:

Obama's image is in the last square of a collage containing portraits of the previous 43 U.S. presidents. The e-mail, which was sent to other GOP staff members, was posted on the Internet Monday.

Sherri Goforth, an administrative assistant to state Sen. Diane Black, R-Gallatin, has admitted she sent the e-mail May 28 with the title "Historical Keepsake Photo." She said, without elaborating, that she mistakenly sent it "to the wrong list of people."

According to the Tennessean, a Nashville newspaper, a note on the e-mail said it was paid for by the Tennessee Republican Party, but GOP officials denied they produced it. Black leads the Tennessee Senate Republican Caucus.

There was no comment from the White House as of Tuesday afternoon.

Black rebuked Goforth but didn't dismiss her.

"I want to be sure that everyone understands that the communication was sent without my knowledge," Black said Tuesday afternoon. "It absolutely does not represent the beliefs or opinions of my office. I want to be very clear about that."

And yet Goforth stays in her job?

"Is this indicative of what Senate Republicans think about our commander-in-chief?" asked state Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester in a statement posted on the party's Web site.

"I am calling on Sen. Black to reject this racist smear and fire this staffer who, on state government time, on state government computers, using a state government e-mail account, launched this bigoted attack on our president," Forrester said. "Keeping her on the staff would send the message that this type of behavior is condoned by the Senate Republican Caucus."

"This e-mail is reprehensible, insults the office of the president, and is embarrassing to all Tennesseans regardless of political party," Forrester said.

Goforth told Christian Grantham of the Web site Nashville Is Talking that she had received a letter of reprimand from her superiors but will remain on the job.

Grantham said Goforth told him she felt "very bad about accidentally sending it to the wrong list" of people. "I inadvertently hit the wrong button," Grantham quoted Goforth as saying. "I'm very sick about it, and it's one of those things I can't change or take back."

Forrester, in his Web posting, said, "Ms. Goforth does not seem to understand what she did wrong. She has apologized for 'sending [the e-mail] to the wrong list of people.' I believe that any list of people would have recognized this e-mail as offensive and hateful."

State Rep. Johnny Shaw, D-Bolivar, a member of the black and Democratic caucuses, said Goforth should be dismissed.

"I don't think a reprimand is enough. I think this lady needs to go. I don't think she should be a part of the people who represent the state of Tennessee," Shaw said.

The Republican Party is sending a very clear message -- that racism is acceptable as long as it's kept hidden from the press.

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South Carolina GOP operative Rusty DePass let's his guard down and his racism leak out. See the video:

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To wit:

But in an interview with POLITICO, Manuel Miranda - who orchestrated the letter - went much farther, saying that Mitch McConnell should "consider resigning" as Senate minority leader if he can't take a harder line on President Barack Obama's first Supreme Court nominee.

Miranda accused McConnell of being "limp-wristed" and "a little bit tone deaf" when it comes to judicial nominees.

Not only are the right wing hate-mobs, whose legitimacy has been elevated to 'newsworthy status' and whose voice is one that is listened to and followed by Republicans in Congress... not only are these hate mobs dead set against allowing this Hispanic woman onto the Supreme Court... they are using derogatory homophobic terms to do it -- and don't even realize it when they do!

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