Kerry Illinois Events this Weekend
ArchPundit
At Illinois for Kerry. I had tried to post this a few days ago and couldn’t get into the site, but if you can help–do.
October 2004
The Plan for the Next Few Days
There won’t be many changes, but expect to see some Missouri news mixed in to make updating easier. For Missouri readers, the category archive will be Missouri and I’ll leave a link here in a bit to access it and filter out the national and Illinois issues. That will start tomorrow.
The big news–I’ll be at DNC HQ with the DCCC guys for election day so I’ll be blogging from the “war room” there. It should be interesting and there should be an amazing cross section of info coming in from across the country. Or CNN as that is usually the case. I’ll be blogging every day through the election though Monday will be spotting since that’ll be a travel day. I’ll do my usual round-up on Tuesday morning of Illinois politics, and then later in the afternoon step up to consistent updating through election night. So Tuesday night, check in, I’ll have lots of info available.
A Story of Caution, Not Bombs
After a small detour of checking in Springfield the Keyes mail bomb scare led me to the Police Department of Stafford, Texas–a Houston Suburb where Keyes contribution processing is done. Detective Veratto was very helpful and filled in the details.
This was the first call to the police department, so the human waste story may have occured, but if it did, it was not reported to the police. The Stafford PD says the company reports that they receive lots of strange things there, but that this was the first package that necessitated a police call in 15 years. The company declined to comment. I have a call into the Keyes campaign.
The package that aroused suspicion was a heavy letter with a lot of mass at the bottom of a business return envelope. Alert to potential dangers, the local police were called. The police examined the item and called the local fire department. The local fire department responded and suggested calling the Houston Bomb Squad which then x-rayed the package to ensure it was safe. The FBI was also notified. It turned out to be a railroad spike.
All of this is a reasonable reaction given concerns over such packages, but what is interesting and certainly contrary to the impression of the e-mail sent by the Keyes campaign, is that letter contained no threats–in fact the envelope only contained the spike. No crime was committed in this case. It was an obnoxious prank, but just that–an obnoxious prank.
There is no threat and the mailing of a railroad spike is not illegal. It does however cost the Keyes campaign a fair amount of postage and it obviously is stupid for the very reason of the problems it created for a business.
There appears to be no indication of criminal intent, but my own guess is that someone was mailed a direct mail solicitation, didn’t like Alan and decided to cost him some extra cash on the return.
IOW, the Keyes campaign decided to stretch the story to try and wring some donations out of people. That’s class.
Now back to other election related trivia.
UPDATE: Fixed numerous errors in grammar.
Charming Keyes Supporters
I was outside the event for the pre-debate rally. One of the Keyes supporters claimed “There was a special place in Hell for people like me.” (Charming!) So I asked here to clarify. “God’s retribution is swift,” she replied. So I decided to push the process along: I held up my umbrella to the skies and shouted, “Strike me dead, God! Strike me dead!!” That got laughs from BOTH sides, but alas, no lightning.
I guess God supports Obama.
Keyes Sayeth Bush will Lose becuase of Civil Union Comments
Heh. According to rumors on the Leader Looper board. About as trustworthy as claims there was a fake bomb sent to the Keyes campaign.
Steve Stone’s Gone
This just sucks. This is a huge mistake. Stone is an excellent analyst, and while he’s a homer, he’s an honest homer.
Tracking Down the Pipe Bomb “Scare”
But OneMan has the definitive take on the Keyes campaign as a whole as well as the commercials
If You Want to be Upset about an Editorial, Be Upset about this one
Oh, isn’t that cute, a story broke about Bush incompetence–it must be nothing.
There’s a reason it’s breaking now–because the administration was hoping it wouldn’t break until after the election. Poo-pooing it is asinine.
But no, that’s not enough
And the Bushies find it curious that so few news shops are covering the Oil-for-Food scandal. That disgraced United Nations program helped Hussein plunder billions to prop up his murderous regime. Wouldn’t covering Oil-for-Food, the Bushies ask, help prove that a corrupt UN didn’t want war with Iraq to disrupt lucrative payoffs in France, Russia and many other countries?
Given Chalabi appears to be the one with the evidence, why doesn’t the press ask Chalabi’s allies in and around the US government for the evidence? Maybe there’s a reason it isn’t public either?
Coming Around on the Plame Case
Chapman addresses why most of the press is wrong
There are instances where it would be a terrible thing for journalists to be sent to jail for refusing to name their sources. But this isn’t one of them, and the press should stop pretending it is.
In this case, the press isn’t protecting a whistleblower, it’s protecting those who sought revenge against a whistleblower.
Zorn Covers Flanagan 10 Years Later
I remember mostly watching then DNC Head David Wilhelm and RNC Head Hailey Barbour on CNN with Larry King discussing the race and Wilhelm not being particularly happy about the entire evening. But when it came to rubbing it in, Barbour just said, look, the guy came to us with a poll in the last few days and so we sent money in. We had no idea it was going to be a race.
But a District like that doesn’t stay the opposite party. Bringing up the question that assuming you all work for Melissa Bean this weekend will she be able to hold it in two years? Zorn says no, but he’s forgetting one thing–the GOP will have a primary and I’m betting on the unamed as of yet wingnut to emerge to allow Bean to cement the District until next redistricting cycle when she’s given a safe seat.
Sound outlandish? Alan Keyes.