Call It A Comeback
Rich Miller continues reporting from Iraq, with two stories. The first concerns the shooting of Iraqi Police Officers by US troops and offers an interesting analysis of the different skills sets for war and peacekeeping. Remember–that which was mocked by the current administration. A second piece discusses his experiences in Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit. Both seem slightly more positive and address interesting angles to Iraq–Good reading.
Greg Easterbrook has a great post on why. If you don’t laugh, you must be a Senator.
The Leader has two eating your own items with the the Church Lady taking on Judy Baar Topinka amongst others and John Zahm going after Tom Roeser for daring to say nice things about Tom Cross.
Fighting corruption in a party is one thing, fighting for ideological purity….keep it up.
Okay, I didn’t do a comment period, but what the hell
1. Jack Ryan. Money, looks and backing from up high. Seems a little awkward talking about specifics, but it is still early. Lots of flash so far, but a good start. Needs more ground support.
2. Andrew McKenna. Lots of connections, cash from the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and has reduced social conservative concerns over his possible challenge to Fitzgerald and giving money to Democrats. Needs grassroots support, but has some decent buzz.
3. Steve Rauschenberger. Lots of support from fellow Lege members, Hastert and Jim Edgar. Social conservatives like him and he has good budget credentials.
4. Jim Oberweis. While his comparison of social conservatives to Taliban will continue to haunt him, he’s slimmed up and has a concurrent Oberweis Dairy campaign underway. He also is reported to have good ground support at state events and is amiable.
5. John Cox. Lots of social conserative support. Not going anywhere. As mentioned previously, primary benefit of campaign will go to political professionals who he keeps employed.
6. Chirinjeev Kathuria. Pretty good buzz going. Apparently a really nice guy and has cash. Maybe an outside surprise. Still has a ways to go.
7. John Borling. Or as I believe it was Jeff Trigg put it, John Boring. Not dynamic, can’t speak and pro-choice in a pro-life field. While the last attribute could help in a divided field, he seems to have little traction or buzz going. Resume better than personality.
8. Jonathan Wright. No cash, not much experience and kind of a strange candidacy. Doesn’t appear to add to the field.
9. Antonio Davis Fairman. Web site offers his poetry.
1. Dan Hynes. Announced, is doing okay, but not as well as he should be. Some troubling rumbles for him if he doesn’t get on the ball. Still in first though. To hold on, needs cash and some visibility.
2. Barack Obama. The media darling-Rich Miller, Kristen McQueary, Steve Neal and many others join the ranks slobbering over him. I do too, so that isn’t entirely perjorative. Strong candidate and making strong inroads with the liberal base while keeping independent labor support. Doing well on cash. Big help coming from high limit on individual contributions due to Hull being in the race.
3. Blair Hull. Cash is starting to have an effect and is making some inroads with black clergy in the city. Good rumbles around the campaign amongst Democrats. Still has to shake the rich guy only. Name recognition is going up.
4. Maria Pappas. Not technically in the race yet, but still has the name. No cash or organization yet, make it difficult.
5. Gery Chico. Has cash, not much else. Good guy, but isn’t getting much traction beside corporate dollars. The death knell will sound if he fails to keep the fundraising pace with Obama.
6. Nancy Skinner. Weird activist buzz. No cash. No real chance. Probably will have some good one liners during the campaign and certainly adds some color to the race.
7. Joyce Washington. Not much news or activity. Rush backed Hull over her in brouha over whether he was a machine tool. Joyce is nice, but she could be being used by forces larger than herself. Self-financing to a point.
8. Matt O’Shea. I’m sure he is a nice guy.
9. Frank Avila. Huh?
10. Estella Johnson-Hunt Huh? Squared.
11. Vic Roberts. Everyone’s favorite crackpot candidate. Can’t wait for the Eric Zorn interview.
Hynes is in real danger of losing his status as a frontrunner. Even his kick-off event garnered little attention. He isn’t in the news and his on-line presence for activists is nill. He needs a message as well.
For Senate links go to my Senate Page. Illinois Senate is linked as is Eric Zorn’s interviews. It will be updated with some regularity.
Via Political Wire
Oh, the irony of having steel tariffs backfire on the President
Bad policy meets bad politics.
The strategizing was "too clever by half," Bartlett, the economist, said. "It presupposed that nobody was watching what we were doing, and it presupposed that our credibility was of no importance
Roger "the Hog" Stanley gets 27 months in prison due partially to cooperation on the Operation Saferoads probe.
Not too much surprising, but as Eric Zorn points out….Nice Hair Stanley.
27 of the last minute appointments by George Ryan who were later fired by G-Rod have been reinstated by the Civil Service Commission
The money quote,
After Thursday’s ruling, one of the Ryan appointees, who asked not to be identified, called Blagojevich’s action part of the "terrorizing of the government workforce, which is sort of a hallmark of the Blagojevich administration."
G-Rod is appealing.
Lisa Madigan is challenging 32 of the death row commutations because the convicted did not request clemency.
At its heart, the case tests the breadth of the clemency provision of the state constitution, which gives the chief executive the power to grant reprieves, commutations and pardons "after conviction for all offenses on such terms as he thinks proper."
Madigan is asking the court to rule that Ryan overstepped the bounds of his authority in handing down some of the commutations and to declare them void.
But during arguments on her petition, justices on both sides of the ideological divide asked sharp questions suggesting they may have concerns about doing that.
Chief Justice Mary Ann McMorrow, a Democrat, said the constitution endows the governor with sweeping authority to grant pardons.
"Aren’t you elevating the process over the constitutional broad clemency powers given to the governor?" she asked an attorney for Madigan.
This is a pretty straight-forward fight over separation of powers. Madigan is probably right to challenge the commutations, though on the merits it would appear the Governor has broad latitude.
My series on urban school issues has been delayed and I hope to return to it soon. However, Education Week reports on Florida increasing the accountability of its voucher program
of Education Jim Horne has already tightened the rules for private schools that accept the vouchers by requiring them to file more information with the state. But the Republican appointee of Gov. Jeb Bush is facing heat from opponents, who claim his agency has been loose with its oversight of voucher money and the schools that receive it.
Allegations in two Florida cities have thrown fuel on the voucher debate.
First, two men were accused of funneling money for a terrorist group through one private school in the program. Then, the state realized $400,000 in scholarship money was missing from an organization in Ocala.
I’m somewhat agnostic on vouchers. I doubt that in most cases they’ll have the impact that the more strident supporters suggest. I do think that as long as we have failing schools serving the poorest of the poor we ought to give them an escape valve to those relatively few slots. That said, public money=public accountability.
ArchPundit