Lance Armstrong will win his 5th Tour regardless of security threats. Well, he didn’t exactly say that, but I did.

He is writing for TNR online with is first column on the Individual Indian Money trust fund. It is excellent.

Is over at my favorite parody site, the Illinois Leader.

While I enjoy making fun of them, they have had excellent coverage of the scandal.

The site has been slow for a couple days because of some upgrades, but let me recommend Blogstudio for those looking to start a blog or change who they use. Overall, I’m very happy with the service and quality of the site. I find it more intuitive to use than Blogger and certainly more reliable. In addition, comments and RSS Feed is available for $15/year and stats are coming. I’m sure there will eventually be a price increase, but I expect that will still be lower than Blogger Pro.

For those looking for more advanced features, the also offer web site hosting.

Most important is that they respond very quickly to me when I do have a problem.

Testimony over.

on the likely return of Straight Ticket Voting in Illinois. Link is to the general site because you should be reading it anyway.

Is there a bigger idiot in Congress than James Inhofe? And he is now chair of Senate Environment and Public Works. Can James Watt like allusions about the second coming be far behind.

I’m not sure there is anything new to this story for readers of this blog, but The Hill covers the potential primary challenge for Fitzgerald. The only new news is Jack Ryan is definitely out. The State GOP needs to figure out how to get that guy to run for something because he would be a very formidable candidate.

That is, if the Trekkies don’t get to upset about the whole Jeri thing…

Kevin McDermott out there?
Chris Mooney?
Drop me a note if so. I’m just curious.

Who knew? But Rich Miller at the Capitol Fax is reporting that he is making those taking appointed positions empty out their political funds.

This might seem like common sense to those outside Illinois, but this is entirely new ground for a state that shrugs off most corruption.

To Steven Den Beste who I snarkily made fun of the other day, but he demonstrates a good sense of humor about himself here. And he sent me the Reader’s Digest Version!

I remember an evening about 10 years ago when there were competing rallies concerning an issue affecting lesbians. I was in awe of the fact that there were enough politically active lesbians to pull off dueling protests. Madison is very unlike the rest of the Midwest and this story is only an example.

Normally, I’m most disturbed by the conflation of quotas and affirmative action, but lately I’ve been just as disturbed by college administrators who use the term diversity to justify affirmative action. Diversity is important and should be sought out, but more important to the underlying need for affirmative action is the need to promote opportunity. Nancy Cantor, current U of Illinois Champaign Chancellor argues for some race based factors in admissions, but fails to mention the importance of opportunity for underrepresented minorities.

This woman couldn’t be more screwed up.

Michael Sneed reports:

Sneed hears rumbles indictments of some McCormick Place honchos may be imminent. Hmmmm. Does it involve McPier Board contracts?
Gulp!

This will be ugly.

U.S. Senate hopeful Barack Obama, who was ecstatic when former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun pulled out of her bid to recapture her old seat, may still have to hit the bottle of Excedrin.

*The reason: Former lieutenant governor hopeful Joyce Washington is considering entering the Senate fray.

*The extra reason: Moseley-Braun’s exit meant Obama could wake up with at least a guaranteed 32 percent of the Dem primary vote. (Obama, a state senator, was just voted among the top 100 Dem leaders to watch by the national Democratic Leadership Council.

DLC doesn’t have this posted yet. Joyce Washington? One has to wonder if she is a real candidate.

Judy. Judy. Judy. Governor Judy?

Sneed hears the White House views state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, the only Republican to win statewide election, as a formidable candidate for Illinois governor in 2006.

*To wit: Isn’t that one reason Topinka is heading to Washington, D.C., this week, where she will be queried about spearheading the Bush re-election campaign in Illinois? You bet.

Oh, how the conservatives will howl…

Over at the Political State Report.

Firing of Ryan Appointees and the Favors List.

Speaking of the Favors list, Mark Brown does an excellent job of providing context and making one laugh.