Free Republic

Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota is still recovering from a December brain hemorrhage, but his office appears to be beefing up his staff for a 2008 re-election campaign. Drey Samuelson, Johnson's chief of staff, said Wednesday that the office has hired Steve Jarding as deputy chief of staff. Jarding, who will work for the senator's congressional office in Rapid City, S.D., is a veteran political consultant who served as a top strategist for James Webb, the Virginia Democrat who upset Republican Sen. George Allen last November.

Just reported.

South Dakota state Rep. Joel Dykstra (R) has officially entered the race for the Republican nomination to face Sen. Tim Johnson (D) in 2008. Dykstra filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday and declared himself a “candidate for U.S. Senate.” “I am very appreciative of the encouragement that I have received in my exploration of a run for the U.S. Senate,” Dykstra said. “My family and I are humbled by the expressions of support we have received from many people from across the state.” Dykstra is the first major candidate to enter the race and...

BBC's Johnston 'released in Gaza' BBC correspondent Alan Johnston has reportedly been freed from kidnappers in Gaza after almost four months in captivity. Mr Johnston, 45, was handed over to officials of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas administration, reports say. During his time as a hostage, three videos were released featuring images of Mr Johnston or of his belongings. Calls were made for his release in rallies worldwide and in an online petition signed by some 200,000 people.

GILBERT, Ariz. -- Blood tests show former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson's blood alcohol level was below the legal limit when he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving June 22, police said Monday. Johnson's blood alcohol level was .072, under the presumptive limit in Arizona of .08 percent, Gilbert police Sgt. Andrew Duncan said. Under Arizona law, Johnson could still face a charge for "impairment to the slightest degree." The state has separate charges for blood alcohol levels of .08 or higher and .15 or higher. The "slightest degree" charge usually accompanies the other charges, but the state...

Rep. Sam Johnson, a veteran and former POW in Vietnam, speaks out on the congressional vote to begin bringing troops home from Iraq.

Judge Walton, at the end of yesterday's "festivities" culminating in the mental breakdown of the lead prosecutor, indicated that they would resume at 9:30 Eastern. In anticipation of that, I am setting up this thread even though I don't as yet see any FDLers gathered in the court room.

Video at link. He received a standing ovation before and after the speech.

It has all unraveled; his career, his marriage, his health, his reputation. Former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson was once a Super Bowl champion and a fan favorite, admired for his jarring hits and thoughtful approach to a violent game. But now he is a struggling ex-athlete who has become unreliable and unreachable, making promises and commitments he does not keep, the subject of steamy tabloid gossip, shunned for an alleged domestic abuse incident involving his wife. Johnson, 34, suffers from such severe depression that some mornings he literally cannot pull himself out of bed. When the crippling malaise overtakes him,...

...The news from the hospital has been good, so far. "In talking to his physicians, we really feel optimistic and confident that he is going to make a full recovery," says Brendan Johnson, 31, one of the senator's three children and a lawyer in Sioux Falls, S.D. "It is something that takes time. Unfortunately, we don't have any type of exact timetable." Johnson speaks only a few words at a time. "He's not conversational, in terms of long conversation," Brendan Johnson says. "He's clearly registering when we discuss topics." Johnson undergoes three hours of therapy every day, working with parallel...

This appeared in a local South Dakota paper today. Apparently, Jarding is doing what he can to prepare for the 2008 election. To be noted Jarding was just recently hired and had previously worked for Senator Webb (Virginia). If you want more you can go: Here

Parents of Boise State star running back don't have football BOISE, Idaho The parents of Boise State star running back Ian Johnson say they don't have the football their son threw into the stands moments after he scored the game-winning two points. Colleen Johnson says Ian Johnson meant to throw the ball to his dad after the two-point conversion gave the Broncos a 43-42 overtime win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day in Glendale, Arizona. But in the excitement of the moment, the left-hander threw the ball with his right hand. She also says he threw...

Johnson spent his 60th birthday last week in the intensive-care unit of George Washington University Hospital, where he has been in critical condition since emergency brain surgery Dec. 13. He has not spoken since the surgery, said a spokeswoman, and he remains on a ventilator at night. Johnson is up for re-election in two years, but until then no authority can remove him from office. Should Johnson die, however, all eyes would be on Gov. Michael Rounds of South Dakota. He is a Republican, and would be under pressure to name a Republican to the Senate seat - thus giving...

Sen. Tim Johnson's recovery from brain surgery is expected to take several months, the senator's office said Wednesday. A test performed on the South Dakota senator Wednesday showed that he no longer has a tangle of arteries and veins in his brain that caused cerebral bleeding last month. Johnson underwent an angiogram at George Washington University Hospital, where he has remained in critical condition since emergency brain surgery Dec. 13. His long-term prognosis is unclear. Dr. Vivek Deshmukh, head of Johnson's surgical team, said in a statement Wednesday that the tangle, called arteriovenous malformation, appears to be gone and the...

Senator Tim Johnson's recovery from a brain hemorrhage and emergency surgery is expected to take several months, the South Dakota Democrat's office said yesterday. A test showed that Johnson no longer has the tangle of arteries and veins in his brain that caused bleeding that sent him to the hospital last month. He underwent the angiogram yesterday at George Washington University Hospital, where he has been in critical condition since Dec. 13....

An al Qaeda operative at Fort Bragg By JOHN SULLIVAN and JOSEPH NEFF Raleigh News & Observer November 13, 2001 FORT BRAGG, N.C. - A former sergeant at Fort Bragg who became a close adviser to Osama bin Laden obtained sensitive documents describing how U.S. special operations units function. Ali A. Mohamed, a trusted trainer in bin Laden's al Qaeda network, walked the halls of the U.S. military's top warfare planning center at Fort Bragg for more than two years as an Army sergeant. From 1987 to 1989, he acquired sensitive documents describing how special operations units work and a...

U.S. Senator Tim Johnson is spending Thursday, his 60th birthday, sedated in a Washington, D.C. hospital. Family members plan to be at his bedside. Senator Johnson remains sedated after undergoing emergency surgery two weeks ago for bleeding in the brain. A Johnson spokesman says his family remains optimistic but could not say how long he'll remain under sedation. The senator has been in critical condition since the surgery. He is sedated to help minimize the swelling of his brain.

Senator Johnson's tragic illness happened two weeks ago. Since then little information other than he was under sedation. Has anyone read or heard anything?

SIOUX FALLS (AP) — The condition of Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., remains unchanged as he recovers from brain surgery in a Washington, D.C. hospital. He remained in critical but stable condition Friday, said his spokeswoman, Julianne Fisher. It’s likely he will spend Christmas and his 60th birthday on Thursday in the intensive care unit at George Washington University Hospital. One of his doctors said earlier in the week that Johnson was being sedated so he can rest and recover from bleeding in his brain and that it would continue through the holidays. He was diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation, a condition...

If Sen. Tim Johnson must leave office due to his health, and as a result the governor of tiny little South Dakota appoints some Republican state senator or county commissioner to the U.S. Senate to give Dick Cheney the tie-breaking vote, it would appear the Democratic Party is simply snakebit. First the 2000 election, and now this. The senator replacement process seems unfair. The country voted for a Democratic Congress. Why should South Dakota (whose entire population is barely bigger than that of Lake County and represents less than 1/300th of the total U.S. population) stand in the way? Perhaps...

Authorities interviewed Bears lineman Tank Johnson after the fatal shooting of his bodyguard at a North Side nightclub

Tim Johnson's health crisis is a reminder of the fragility of the Democratic majority. What the party should do now. Dec. 14, 2006 - The possibility that the Senate might yet remain in Republican hands is a godsend for President Bush. With his Iraq policy in shambles and the Joint Chiefs of Staff resisting a last call to arms, Bush must have been wondering whether the higher power he consulted before taking the country to war had abandoned him.

The illness of Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., highlights the fragile hold Democrats have on power in the Senate, raising the prospect that several of their most cherished goals could be out of reach barely a month after party leaders thought they were within grasp. Johnson was in critical condition at George Washington University Hospital in the capital Thursday after he underwent successful surgery to relieve bleeding on the brain caused by a congenital malformation, doctors said. Washington figures were careful to stress publicly that they were concerned only with Johnson’s well-being, but behind the scenes, intense discussions were under way...

The 17th Amendment to the Constitution (1913) established direct election of senators, as well as a means of filling vacant Senate seats. If a vacancy occurs due to a senator's death, resignation, or expulsion, the 17th Amendment allows state legislatures to empower the governor to appoint a replacement to complete the term or to hold office until a special election can take place. There are a few exceptions to this rule. The states of Oregon, Wisconsin and Massachusetts do not allow the governor to appoint, but rather require special elections to fill a vacancy. Oklahoma allows the governor to appoint...

Disgraceful Media Coverage of Sen. Tim Johnson’s Medical Condition Posted by Noel Sheppard on December 14, 2006 - 10:28. Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s drop the partisanship for a second and recognize that the media coverage of Sen. Tim Johnson’s (D-SD) sudden illness has been nothing but disgraceful. The first reports I heard on this issue came early yesterday on CNBC, and immediately the discussion was about how this could change the balance of power in the Senate. I was disgusted.As my daughter and I left the gym in the early evening, she questioned me about the Senator, and how this...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With Democrat's grasp of the Senate relying on the thinnest of margins, ultimate control of the chamber hung on the health of a South Dakota senator who underwent brain surgery Thursday morning. Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota was in critical condition, said David Boyd, a nursing supervisor at a George Washington University Hospital. Should Johnson not be able to complete his term, which ends in 2008, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, a Republican, would appoint his replacement, which could shift the balance of power in the Senate.

Sen. Tim Johnson was in critical condition early Thursday, recovering from emergency surgery overnight, a hospital official said........ There was no formal announcement of the South Dakota senator's condition. A person in the hospital's media relations office, who declined to be identified by name pending a formal statement, said George Washington University Hospital was preparing to announce that Johnson's condition was critical. He would not describe the nature of the surgery. There was no formal announcement of the operation, which lasted past midnight Wednesday, and was disclosed by another official who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitive nature...

CNN reports that Sen. Tim Johnson has been diagnosed with a congenital arteriovenous malformation. (AVM). The Johnson family is said to be "encouraged and optimistic." But CNN reports that recovery from deep brain surgery and from the bleeding could take weeks or months or even longer.

I am just curious about something....when Senate reconvines on Jan 4 they will be one vote short in adopting rules governing the senate's organization because Sen. Johnson will recovering and unable to cast a vote. Could republicans then control who heads to committees? I'd love to see Patrick Leahy get the boot.

Sen. Tim Johnson, a Democrat from South Dakota, was hospitalized Wednesday after what his office at first called a "possible stroke," leading to concern among Democrats that their new one-vote majority in the Senate could be in danger. By the end of the day, after what his office called "a comprehensive evaluation by the stroke team" at George Washington University Hospital here, a spokeswoman for Johnson said that he had not suffered a stroke or a heart attack. The spokeswoman, Julianne Fisher, gave no further details about Johnson's medical condition.His office said that Johnson, who will turn 60 on Dec....

POSTED: 11:13 p.m. EST, December 13, 2006 Editor's Note: The CNN Wire is a running log of the latest news from CNN World Headquarters, reported by CNN's correspondents and producers, and The CNN Wire editors. "Posted" times are Eastern Daylight. Sources: S.D. senator undergoing surgery at Washington hospital WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota was undergoing brain surgery Wednesday night at George Washington University Hospital after being hospitalized earlier in the day due to stroke-like symptoms, two Democratic sources familiar with his condition told CNN. Johnson, 59, was taken to the hospital Wednesday morning after he appeared...

Photos by Plea Deal and [Mrs] Trooprally Washington, November 17, 2006-- There is a faraway, yet penetrating look in the eyes of parents who have buried a child, no matter how well they have gotten on with their lives, no matter how much they are doing to honor their hero. It is a look that says, "Nothing is worth getting worked up about. Can you not see that small matters are insignificant? I am here, but part of me is here no longer; I live to honor that part." This 83rd week of the DC Chapter's Friday night troop-support rally...

As the Vietnam War worsened and Democrats suffered midterm election defeats, then-President Lyndon Johnson questioned advisers in 1966 about troop escalation and military supply shortages, according to taped telephone recordings released Friday. Johnson, in one conversation with former President Dwight Eisenhower, said he was doing his best to win the war. "I'm trying to win it just as fast as I can in every way that I know how," he told Eisenhower, who offered his support. Johnson added, "I need all the help I can get." Johnson railed against "commies" that he said ran the New York Times and against...

Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin yesterday tried to rally support among black Democrats in Prince George's County, while Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele campaigned with county Democratic leaders who broke ranks this week to endorse him. Mr. Cardin appeared with Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson and about 30 other lawmakers in Hyattsville, aiming to keep a diminishing lead in the polls. In his first public show of support for Mr. Cardin, Mr. Johnson ... But the rally turned sour later. State Sen. Nathaniel Exum, Prince George's Democrat, berated Mr. Cardin for excluding him and other local delegates from speaking...

It's a competitive race for Connecticut's 5th Congressional District. Or is it? U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson is facing her toughest re-election battle in a decade. Or is she? It depends on whose poll you read. A poll commissioned by the National Republican Congressional Committee shows Johnson leading Democrat Chris Murphy by 10 points. A separate poll commissioned by Murphy's campaign says the race is a dead heat. Both polls, however, show Murphy, a state senator from Cheshire, closing the gap. In lieu of independent surveys on the race, both candidates claim momentum and are raising their rhetoric going into Nov....

Fat Cats' Friend? By Jim McTague August 21, 2006 JAMES JOHNSON, A former chairman of Fannie Mae, just can't stay away from boardrooms. He sits on the boards of no fewer than six corporations, and is chairman of the compensation committees of five of them. That's a full plate for anyone in these times of increased scrutiny of boards' actions. Only 350 of the nation's 50,000 corporate directors sit on four boards, and most are content with one. But that's not all that makes Johnson's board work stand out. When Johnson joins a board, executive compensation controversies often follow. The...

I wrote last week that our InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion survey showed that controversial Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney would likely lose her primary runoff election against former county commissioner Hank Johnson in Georgia's 4th District. McKinney lost handily. Beyond that, her final hours before eventually conceding defeat made for the most underreported and bizarre story of a political exit I've ever seen in my years of participating in or analyzing political races around the country. I had agreed to join the anchor desk at Atlanta's NBC-TV affiliate to provide analysis for that day's elections. As the night wore on, it became clear...

The reason is to get rid of 2 bad candidates, but if McKinney and LaMont win today you will see Republicans get scared like they always do and surrender to the left wing. Plus the Moveon's and the other left wing blogs will use it as a fundraising tool and the media will be parading them around like the saviors of the country.

Atlanta, GA (AHN) - New polls show incumbent Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney still trails rival, two-term DeKalb County Commissioner Hank Johnson. An InsiderAdvantage survey shows Johnson leading the Congresswoman, 53 percent to 40. According to Atlanta television station, WXIA-TV, on Monday morning, both candidates squared off on the radio in attempt to reach more voters on the Frank and Wanda in the Morning Show on V-103. In the V-103 debate, McKinney charged that Johnson is the candidate backed by Republican voters and Republican money while Johnson pointed out that McKinney was not present for a recent House vote on a critical...

Republicans don’t have a dog in either fight, but two nationally significant races on Tuesday’s ballot will tell us a great deal about the mood of the country — and the future of two-party politics. The one, of course, is Georgia’s 4th Congressional District, where incumbent Rep. Cynthia McKinney is in the final stages of her political career. But for an out-of-district white guy who sapped 5,253 votes, most of which otherwise would have gone to challenger Hank Johnson, she would be walking around in stunned defeat now. Johnson may not beat her Tuesday, but the end is near. Her...

A new poll by Insider Advantage shows challenger Hank Johnson with a hefty lead over incumbent Cynthia McKinney in the Democratic run-off for the 4th District congressional race. The poll shows Johnson leading McKinney, 46 to 21 percent, with a third of voters undecided. The survey recorded the responses of 489 likely voters and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 5 percent. Run-offs are notorious for low turnout, which often makes telephone surveys unreliable. Matt Towery, CEO of InsiderAdvantage, said he was unwilling to say that McKinney was headed for certain defeat. "But is she in deep, deep, deep,...

ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues’ President John Davidson announced today that defenseman Erik Johnson will attend the University of Minnesota in the fall. “We feel this is a win-win situation for Erik to be going to an excellent hockey program to continue his development,” said Davidson. “This is beneficial for his career, short term and long term, to play for the Gophers. He will have an opportunity to compete for an NCAA National Championship (in St. Louis in April of 2007), play in the World Junior Championships and enjoy university life.” Johnson, 18, was the first overall selection by...

Since the Clintons left office, Democrats have been a little dull, resisting the urge to engage in high crimes and misdemeanors. But, lo and behold, now we’re recovering from a Democratic crime wave in Washington. And, what’s so fascinating about the situation is that the self-proclaimed party of “peace and love” has members who are engaging in downright dangerous, even violent acts. And they’re getting off scot-free. First, there’s the case of Patrick Kennedy--one of the few impaired drivers in the United States who apparently never has to worry about failing a field sobriety test, since Capitol Police refused to...

NEW YORK -- A man convicted of raping Top Gun actress Kelly McGillis in 1982 went on trial Wednesday for a similar crime against two women years later. Leroy Johnson Jr., 39, is accused of forcing his way into the women's home and attacking them at knifepoint on Nov. 18, 1996. Both were blindfolded and unable to identify their attacker. However, Johnson was arrested and charged after cold-case investigators said DNA tests tied him to the crime. Jurors in the trial in state Supreme Court in Manhattan will not be told of Johnson's conviction for raping McGillis, by law, because...

How long will Darwin continue to repose on his high but perilous pedestal? I am beginning to wonder. Few people doubt the principles of evolution. The question at issue is: are all evolutionary advances achieved exclusively by the process of natural selection? That is the position of the Darwinian fundamentalists, and they cling to their absolutist position with all the unyielding certitude with which Southern Baptists assert the literal truth of the Book of Genesis, or Wahabi Muslims proclaim the need for a universal jihad against ‘the Great Satan’. At a revivalist meeting of Darwinians two or three years ago,...

Rep. Cynthia McKinney, the Georgia congresswoman whose altercation with a Capitol Hill police officer last month made national headlines, qualified to run for re-election Monday -- and quickly drew a well-known challenger in July's Democratic primary. Hank Johnson, an attorney and two-term member of the DeKalb County Commission, qualified to challenge McKinney in Georgia's 4th District, a majority black and solidly Democratic district on the eastern side of metropolitan Atlanta. Meanwhile, James Myart, a prominent Texas civil rights attorney whom McKinney retained after her altercation with the police officer, issued a statement Monday saying he no longer represented her. He...

I know that Mr. Harold Brown was a SecAF for Johnson. Tell me why one of "McNamarra's "Whiz Kids" deserves a place of honor on the Air Force web site. His ugly mug is right up there with TRUE greats like Chuck Yeager, General Spaatz, Jackie Cochran, Gabby Gabreski? These others are heros, Brown was an intellectual idtiot! He helped McNamarra plant almost as many good soldiers and airmen as the communists!!! BTW, found his face there when I was looking info up on BG Robin Olds, another TRUE American hero. Input please, and keep it clean.

Have you ever been to Lincoln Center in New York? I had never been there until yesterday, when I was privileged enough to attend an opera at the Met. Although the opera was wonderful, I dare say I was even more impressed with the architecture of the entire center. It seems to me to be the epitome of modern architecture of the second phase of the International Style (that simplified skyscraper style with often-elegant materials, steel beams, and glass). In fact, the beauty and style of Lincoln Center could be said to rival the music created within. I had always...

An investigation into convicted killer Sarah Johnson's claim that she was raped in an Idaho jail while awaiting trial for her parents' murders concluded that the teenager is a "liar" and her allegations unsubstantiated. Following a three-month probe into the jailhouse rape allegations made by Johnson, who is serving life without parole for the 2003 shooting deaths of her parents, Alan and Diane Johnson, a team of sheriffs from outside jurisdictions determined that her story "lacked credibility." But Johnson's supporters say the investigation's findings are yet another example of the corruption and bias against Johnson from the Blaine County Sheriff's...

Jason Johnson was finishing his sophmore year at Cumberland College in Kentucky, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. He was stage manager for the school production of "As You Like It" which was supposed to have been put on last week. Then he was called in to see two Cumberland officials on Thursday. They'd seen his MySpace blog and profile. He was handed a letter that requested he be off school property by that evening.