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“Also present was Jenna Bush Hager, the daughter of George W. Bush and Arianna Huffington.”

Ew. I never would have guessed that Pres. Bush had created a child with Arianna Huffington.

I’ve noticed it, and I’ve also noticed that it’s sometimes a signal that the upcoming answer is going to be irrelevant to the question.

It’s annoying, but not as annoying as “here’s the thing.”

"Ann Coulter WH Press Secretary"

Not as fun, but she certainly wouldn't take any crap from the assigned LibMedia!

I’m going to take the word “dream” literally, and make a pitch for Mark R. Levin, esquire, for Attorney General. He probably wouldn’t take it, but hey, I’m dreaming. He’d make a great Sec O’State too. While I’m at it, (and I know this isn’t ‘cabinet’ but it’s related) Glenn Beck would make a fun press secretary, wouldn’t he?

Didn’t Cher star in a movie called Moonbat? Or something like it?

but how many jobs will it save?

Came across this about the doctor. Seems he's been caught doing this kind of thing before.

Portland Press Herald (Maine)

02-26-2005

A doctor with heart ; The skilled surgeon who operated on an Iraqi girl is well known for both charity and church work.
Byline: JOSIE HUANG Staff Writer
Edition: Final
Section: Local & State
Before a little Iraqi girl arrived in Portland this month to get her heart repaired, few outside medical circles recognized the doctor who did the operation.

But as the only children's heart surgeon in Maine, Dr. Reed Quinn is perhaps the state's most in-demand specialist. Cardiologists from around the state refer their youngest patients to him. His skill in fixing the tiniest and most fragile of hearts means he gets the toughest adult cases, too.

And, more than any other surgeon in Maine, Quinn works on charity cases involving people who come to the United States because they lack access to life-saving services in their developing countries.

A history of humanitarian work abroad and his specialty make him a top choice of international relief workers.

"He's very famous in Mexico, I can tell you that," said Dr. John Love, a Portland cardiologist and a regular collaborator.

Quinn, a soft-spoken man who wears surgical caps with loud, colorful prints, deflects the spotlight.

After successfully operating on 5-year-old Noor Abd Al-Hady Hassan on Thursday, Quinn said, "It's always a team effort."

Friends and colleagues say Quinn's commitment to his patients is driven by his strong religious background.

His ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are visible throughout his Congress Street office: a painting of the Boston Temple hangs over his desk, his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and medical degree from the University of Utah are on the wall.

There are framed pictures of the children he's raised as strong Mormons, including a son who did mission work in Taiwan and a daughter who studies English at his alma mater.

Since moving to Maine 11 years ago, Quinn has been heavily involved in the Mormon church. As president of the Augusta stake, Quinn oversees 12 churches in southern Maine.

He also helped to guide construction of a new church for the Yarmouth branch, to which he belongs. His duties included working with officials at world headquarters in Salt Lake City on the church's design, going before Yarmouth's Planning Board and meeting with neighbors who were unhappy with the construction.

"Between his work and his church, I frankly don't know how he does it," said Richard Bibber, branch president.

It is through Quinn's connection with the church that he became acquainted with Noor. After Utah National Guardsmen stationed in Iraq decided they wanted to help the girl get treatment, the unit's chaplain contacted Quinn, whom he knew from once living in Maine.

Quinn agreed to do the operation for free and brought Maine Med and other doctors on board.

Quinn, who does about six pro bono cases a year, is by no means the only Maine physician donating his time and money. At Maine Med alone, $8.3 million in charity care was given last year, representing hundreds of cases.

But Vincent Conti, the hospital's president and chief executive officer, said Quinn stands out.

"I think he, personally and ethically and morally, is the most committed to this," Conti said.

Over the last nine years, Quinn has traveled to Shanghai three times to perform free surgery, bringing about a dozen people with him at a time - including a pediatric cardiologist, an anesthesiologist and nurses - and donated medical equipment and supplies.

While there, he trains pediatric cardiac surgeons at the Children's Hospital Medical Center of Fudan University.

"I think medical knowledge just doesn't have any borders," Quinn said. "Each time I go back, I see a real improvement in the type of surgery that is being done."

Two of those surgeons have come to Maine for continued education with help from the Maine Foundation for Cardiac Surgery, set up at Quinn's medical practice, Maine Heart Surgical Associates.

The visiting surgeons shadow Quinn, who has gained a reputation in Maine for practicing cutting-edge cardiac care.

In the mid-1990s, Quinn was one of the first heart surgeons in the state to install pumps in patients who were waiting for heart transplants.

Last year, he was one of the first to use a robotic device to operate on heart patients - a less invasive practice than traditional surgery, allowing patients to recover in half the time.

He is even a go-to surgeon for what's called "bloodless medicine." Jehovah's Witnesses, who believe that blood is sacred, seek out surgeons like Quinn, who are trained to operate without blood transfusions.

Love said Quinn is "just a very skilled surgeon and also very willing to do things that haven't been done very often."

"We don't feel we could send our patients to any surgeon in the country that would be better than Reed," he said.

Are they LDS?

Good question. I researched.

[sarc] Yup, it's those meddling Mormons again. [/sarc] Including the heart surgeon, Dr. Quinn.

Can I get a "hallelujah" for the Mormons?

Americans caught saving Iraqi lives.

...and people complain about vanity posts. This post makes my day, and it’s only 9 am here. :)

*ahem,* "...plays it straight"? I stopped reading at "his alleged remarks." 0bama's remarks are not "allegations," they are fact. There is audio and video confirmation. Put down the Kool Aid. Hannity's right; journalism's dead.

I’m in. email sent. Jeff rocks. (But he’s no Sarah Palin.)

In order to win a lawsuit, McCain’s camp would have to prove that untrue negative things were published. “Published” does pertain to broadcasting, but MSNBC lawyers can simply produce a ratings book to prove that there was no audience, therefore no publication. Lawsuit dismissed.

I just hope they fix the misspelling of “EVERBODY” (about :12 in) before this goes primetime.

When driving a car with a tendency to veer left, is it better to fix the car, or to redefine "road" in such a way that the road is always under the car? The GOP is asking us to redefine the road. Conservatives are trying to fix the defective car. Both solutions appear to keep the car on the road, but only the conservative solution gets the car to its desired destination. The GOP solution only creates the illusion of having solved the problem.

The GOP establishment wants conservatives to back McCain. The problem is that the GOP has forgotten that conservatism is rooted in principle. There is only so much conservatives can do to "reach out" without abandoning their principles. That said, it makes more sense to hold McCain to conservative standards than to redefine conservatism such that McCain fits the the new definition. And that's what I see happening -- Those who keep calling McCain a conservative are trying to redefine "conservative" to include someone who truly doesn't fit the definition.

Attention GOP: Instead of conservatives joining McCain, McCain needs to join conservatism. Yes, conservatives will ultimately choose McCain over the Democrat nominee -- but I'd rather elect McCain because he promotes conservative values, not because he's "better than the alternative."

The headline I want to see: Conservatives Refuse to Pander.