. If you can't get your stuff published, you at least need to collect it all in your own website, if you don't already have one.
As matter of fact, freeper "RJayneJ" has been kind enough to post my essays at her website -- check it out:
Posted on 01/12/2002 4:34:41 AM PST by JohnHuang2
TownHall.com: Conservative Columnists: Robert Novak
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Robert Novak (back to story)
January 12, 2002
Inside Report: Lieberman's stock rising
WASHINGTON -- Word has spread in Democratic circles that Sen. Joseph Lieberman no longer conditions a presidential candidacy in 2004 on plans by Al Gore, his 2000 running mate. Contrary to Lieberman's past statements, he would not automatically drop out if the former vice president runs again.
Lieberman is supplanting Gore as presidential favorite of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), the original source of Gore's political support. Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana, a former DLC chairman, has all but endorsed Lieberman. The Connecticut senator also is emerging as a favorite of the Blue Dog caucus, the moderate House Democrats (mostly from Southern and border states).
However, Lieberman could face problems at home if his fellow Connecticut Democrat, Sen. Christopher Dodd, decides to run for president.
COMPLAINING ABOUT O'NEILL
Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill got poor grades from the White House for his response to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle in the debate over economic policy.
When the administration's economic spokesmen were rolled out Jan. 6, President Bush's aides were bitterly disappointed by O'Neill's weak endorsement on NBC's "Meet the Press" of the Bush-approved economic plan. In contrast, economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey got high grades the same day when he appeared on CBS's "Face the Nation" and Fox News Sunday.
A footnote: O'Neill is not at the bottom of the White House hit parade. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman has become the least favorite Cabinet member among the president's aides.
WHAT INSURANCE CRISIS?
"Where's the pain?" asked top Bush adviser Karl Rove during a recent conference call on stalled legislation to protect the insurance industry from results of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Congressional friends of the industry had warned of an economic catastrophe unless the emergency legislation was passed. The bill fell short of passage before the late December adjournment of Congress when friends of trial lawyers blocked a cap on terrorist-related damages. As Rove pointed out, however, non-passage of the bill has caused no pain well into the new year.
A footnote: Republicans prevented Senate passage in December of a Democratic-sponsored farm bill with increased subsidies, but they may give up when Congress reconvenes in late January. Sen. Richard Lugar, the Agriculture Committee's top Republican, is reported to be tired of the delaying game and willing to take a chance on a reduced bill resulting from a Senate-House conference.
TEAMSTERS-GOP
Continuing the slow-moving, carefully orchestrated romance between Teamsters and Republicans, the giant union will honor Speaker Dennis Hastert and other GOP House members Jan. 23 to celebrate the reconvening of Congress.
Only Republican lawmakers have been invited to the event at the Teamsters' marble palace on Capitol Hill. No similar reception for Democrats is scheduled.
Teamsters President James P. Hoffa is a Democrat who disagrees with many of the Bush administration's conservative positions. But Hoffa is reported to be furious with Democrats for blocking a Senate vote on oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska, which would produce jobs for his union's members.
DOLLARS FOR JEB
The long-planned Washington fund-raiser at the Capital Hilton Wednesday for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush yielded an estimated $1 million to $2 million. But a severe hold on expenses produced grumbling among big-time Washington lobbyists who raised and contributed the money for the re-election campaign of the president's brother.
The crowded $500-a-ticket cocktail party featured only one bar and a buffet with peanuts and potato chips. The meal served at the more thinly attended $10,000-a-couple dinner, complained one lobbyist, "was certainly not first class." President Bush addressed both the cocktail party (publicly) and the dinner (privately).
*** CORRECTION: The Dec. 30 column erred in listing Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma among the most vulnerable Republican incumbent senators. All evidence shows a substantial Inhofe lead over his likely Democratic opponent, former Gov. David Walters. The two most vulnerable GOP incumbents are generally recognized as Bob Smith of New Hampshire and Tim Hutchinson of Arkansas.
©2001 Creators Syndicate, Inc.
townhall.com
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On "Saturday Night Live," Dana Carvey portrayed Lieberman as a guy whose frown derived from permanent intestinal discomfort. Verrry funny!
So did Enron's...(insert evil laughter here).
It's going to be fun to watch the Senate's Enron hearings. The Governmental Affairs Committee is where Lieberman will get to show his stuff, and where (I think), Republicans are their weakest.
Last night on Larry King Live, McCain said 8 separate congressional hearings were scheduled on ENRON. He suggested joint hearings. The only way Democrats would agree to this is because it would elevate ENRON to WATERGATE status.
My prediction on ENRON Hearings? As they get wound up, as the media piles on, the American people aren't going to like it one bit if they perceive political motive on the part of the Democrats. When Democrats see the numbers, they will get down to the real business at hand, going after criminal wrongdoing by ENRON and AA.
Fred Thompson, Ranking Member (R,TN)
Ted Stevens (R-AL)
Susan M. Collins (R-ME)
George V. Voinovich (R-OH)
Pete V. Dominici (R-NM)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
The Democrats aren't loaded with their big guns either, but they are all lock-step behind Lieberman, all down and dirty lock-step to revenge the election, and President Bush's popularity.
Lieberman, Chairman
Carl Levin, Michigan
Akaka, Hawaii
Durbin,Illinois
Robert G. Torricelli (D-NJ)
Max Cleland (D-GA)
Thomas Carper (D-DE)
Jean Carnahan (D-MO)
I believe these hearings start next week. I can't find a schedule, but on Friday Washington Journal, C-Span's Brian Lamb promised 24 hour coverage of all the ENRON hearings next week.
In case anybody missed it, there's a full-scale, no-holds-barred air war going on right now. A massive one. Daisy-cutters, 2,000-pound bunker-busters -- you name it. Bombs are dropping faster than you can blink. Squadrons of B-52s -- AKA 'big ugly fat fellows' -- are prowling the heavens, pounding enemy positions, unleashing their fiery wrath, carpet bombing around-the-clock....the works.
What's that you say? Haven't heard of this? Thought the war was over, eh? Well Fuggedaboudit! Flick on the idiot box, kick up your feet, sit back and enjoy (Drum roll, please?) -- OPERATION ENRON!!! Yep, folks, it's Enron at dawn, Enron at noon, Enron at dusk. Enron 24/7. The media high command has declared an air war against the Bush administration; The White House, like the mountains of Tora Bora, has become ground zero for media strike bombardiers.
Kidding aside, never -- ever -- in my life have I seen anything quite like what we're witnessing right now.
Media bias is one thing. We've all seen it. We've all tasted it. Heaven knows we've all groused about it, perennially. Bernard Goldberg's bombshell has soared to near the top of the New York Times best-seller list, and for good reason.
But, Ladies and Gentlemen, what we're witnessing goes beyond simple 'bias' -- well beyond. This isn't bias, this is fraud. Wholesale fraud.
The media is perpetrating one of the greatest frauds ever: To wit, the fabrication of a pseudo-political "scandal" -- out of whole cloth.
This isn't "news" "reporting", this is orgy-making -- a veritable orgy of innuendo. It would take years to tally all the libel and slander, all the malicious rumor-mongering, all the baseless smears -- the torrent of lies, insults and calumnies spewed straight from the bowels of our "major media" these past two days -- alone.
Question: Why is the media doing this? That's simple: Because they can.
Any proof of administration wrongdoing? No, not the vaguest hint, not the slightest intimation of official wroingdoing nor impropriety -- and even the media jackals know it.
Any proof of malfeasance or criminal activity by anyone in the Bush White House? Nope. None has been shown, none has been presented. Nothing even remotely resembling an allegation, even. But heck, who needs proof, anyway? Washington craves a 'scandal', and Enron fills the bill nicely, thank you very much.
No proof of 'cover-up'? Then fabricate some! Of course, we all know Bush had nothing to do with the shredding* of documents, the massive cover-up by Enron's auditor. But oh, yummy, yummy -- how exquisitely delicious to find ominous buzz phrases like 'document-shredding', 'cover-up' and the name George W. Bush jammed together in the same sentence, eh? Who cares if they don't belong together? Who cares if Bush did absolutely nothing wrong? This is not about truth or fairness or facts or evidence: This is purely -- first and foremost -- about vengence. Avenging whom or what, you ask? Why, the media's darling golden-boy, William Jefferson Clinton, who eles?
But the haters have a major problem on their hands, and it's this: Signs are this phony "scandal" is headed in the opposite direction -- away from implicating current administration officials.
Indeed, think of how ludicrous this sounds: Democrats want to know -- not why there were -- but why there weren't any quid-pro-quo shenanigans. Why didn't you do any special favors on behalf of your big campaign contributor, Mr. President? Why didn't you bail out your rich oil buddy when he came beckoning and calling?
In other words, what the heck is the matter with you, Mr. President? Why, O why, didn't you do something wrong? Lotting the treasury to bailout fat-cats; seedy backroom deals, bribery, extortion -- that's what we do here in Washington! How dare you be so ethical, so squeaky clean, Mr. President?!?!
Bottom line: Democrats want to know why Enron's generous contributions didn't buy it any favors from this administration. How utterly UN-Clinton-esque can this President get, eh?
This is the first "scandal" in history in which no wrongdoing IS the scandal du jour. No special favors, no shenanigans, no quid-pro-quo -- now that's an outrage!
The Attorney General recusing himself? What?! This earthshaking! Explosive! How scandalous!
Why the AG recusing himself to avoid tainting the probe should be seen as "scandalous"? You go figure.
But that's the nub of the problem with Enron as political "news": Its string of farcical flaws and fallacies.
It's why "Enron" will soon be running on fumes -- politically worthless, just like the company's stock. Absent some 'hook' -- proof of government cover-up, official malfeasance, etc. -- "Enron" inexorably reverts to its rightful place in the business page of the newspaper.
Already people are asking: Where's the beef?
*Ironies of ironies: The wholesale document destruction by Enron's auditor, Arthur Andersen LLP, raises an interesting dilemma, particularly in light of the close ties between Ken Lay and the previous administration. Clinton was known to personally intervene on Enron's behalf on a number of occasions. Generous campaign donations would follow. The documents destroyed may have revealed a nexus.
My intrepid prediction: Enron will backfire on Democrats. Americans will see them as grossly over-reaching -- the "hearings" as cheer vindicativeness, an unwelcomed extention of Campaign 2000. Their vicious and spiteful crusade will be seen as bloodsport -- a thinly veiled, all-out effort to cripple this President; the Democrats ultimate goal is to assassinate him, politically, with constant, deadly attacks and smears.
But it won't work, because it can't work. The public will not look to fondly at their "Wanted: Dead or Alive" modus operandi at politics (again, figuritively speaking).
A political party whose sole obession, whose only mission is to bring down the President -- come hell or high water -- is a party destined, rightfully, for the ash heap.
Fate will deal the Democrats, tone deaf and blinded by hate, a cruel blow, indeed. So let them nurse their hatred -- let them beat the dead horse of Enron: They will only bring down the wrath of a people, of a nation, still smoldering over September 11.
. If you can't get your stuff published, you at least need to collect it all in your own website, if you don't already have one.
As matter of fact, freeper "RJayneJ" has been kind enough to post my essays at her website -- check it out:
4. Which of the following potential candidates would you most like to see the Democrats nominate for president in 2004? (randomize)
| ALL | Dem | GOP | Ind | |
| 1. House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt | 7% | 8% | 7% | 5% |
| 2. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry | 5 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| 3. Former Vice President Al Gore | 16 | 26 | 10 | 12 |
| 4. Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle | 7 | 8 | 6 | 9 |
| 5. North Carolina Senator John Edwards | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 6. Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman | 9 | 10 | 8 | 11 |
| 7. New York Senator Hillary Clinton | 11 | 16 | 5 | 12 |
| 8. Reverend Al Sharpton | 3 | * | 5 | 3 |
| 9. (Someone else/Other) | 4 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| 10. (Not sure) | 36 | 24 | 44 | 39 |
Every extremeist group in the middle east would love nothing more than for the US to have a jewish president. No government in the middle east would be able to have friendly relations with the US. This would be like setting up WWIII.
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