Speaking of International Affairs Committee People
ArchPundit
New advertiser—Christine Cegelis joins us to the left and she is challenging Henry Hyde and his exorbitant staff. Go take a look.
2004
Rios Montt
It’s Illinois day over at the Stakeholder with stupid Republican tricks (not all inclusive of Republicans) taking center stage. They cover the impending nuptuals of Jerry Weller to Genocidal Dictator’s daughter Zury Rios Sosa .
Rios Montt’s attempted comeback was aided by his daughter who runs his party in the Guatemalan Assembly. Worse, she was part of his campaign when he said the following:
Days later, after General R?os Montt’s warning that he could not contain the anger of his supporters, thousands of people travelled to the capital in vehicles reportedly belonging to or hired by the FRG to protest against the ruling. Paramilitaries and rioters armed with machetes and clubs brought the centre of Guatemala City to a standstill in what came to be known as “Black Thursday”. General R?os Montt and the FRG denied any responsibility for the riots.
In August of 2003, indigenous opponents of Rios Montt were harassed by armed men. This fits with the pattern during Rios Montt’s term as President when indigenous Mayans were slaughtered in the thousands others have just disappeared. Somewhere around 600 villages were destroyed.
Rios Montt is the worst kind of monster. He attacked campesinos for no other reason than they were inconveniently in the way. One of my guides when I was in Nicaragua was married to a Guatemalan who had been abducted and tortured and had several people close to him disappeared.
The Pantagraph reports that the Weller office is dismissing this being a problem
“This is like any other couple,” Lovelace said. “One may be from one political arena, another from another political arena. That’s all it is.”
“As Congressman Weller says, ‘Love knows no boundaries.’ So, it’s beyond politics,” Lovelace added.
Beyond politics except that Weller sits on International Affairs Western Hemisphere Subcommittee. So he can’t be unfamiliar with Rios Montt’s record of brutality nor his future wife’s complicity in those affairs. And how can he live with it? There is both a conflict of interest and a conflict of morality.
Even the Bush administration threatened sanctions if Rios Montt had won in 2003.
Phil Crane’s in Trouble
Weller’s problems will come later, but the DCCC has a post about how the Republicans are steering money to endangered incumbents. The question is how does Crane even become an endangered incumbent?
At this point he isn’t even pulling in PAC money and the national party has to coordinate it for him. How checked out is that?
What is It With Chicago Dems and Livestock Shows?
Livestock shows aren’t that interesting folks and certainly don’t need this kind of subsidy. If you want to subsidize some, do it for the 4-H.
What a sense of humor in relation to appointing his Mother-in-Law to the Illinois Arts Council
“It’s a new generation of ward bosses,” the governor quipped in a visit with The State Journal-Register’s editorial board before the new fiscal year began. “They’re a little bit more cultured. At least their spouses are.”
“You got that on the record,” he added. “Go ahead. There goes the budget.”
Hah, hah, hah. Do they make grants? Do you see the problem now?
But, doesn’t naming a family member to a prestigious state board sound like the old way of doing business, which Blagojevich likes to say he is changing?
“My feeling is, if you’re qualified, you’re interested and you’re willing to serve the public, it shouldn’t preclude you if you are in the political process or you know somebody in politics or in government,” Blagojevich said.
I’d hate to tell him this, but that’s very much like what former GOP Gov. JIM THOMPSON said when justifying the use of patronage to help his own party.
Yeah, except Thompson was hypocritical about it–he just did it and that was that. There was a certain honesty to it.
What’s a Stranded Lawmaker to do?
Asks the State Journal Register to Jack Franks? Well, avoid hard press questions about the Health Facilities Planning Board most likely!
Illinois Republican Senate Nomination Cattle Call 7-8
1. Rauschenberger. Probably the only guy that doesn’t have anyone who hates him (despite concerns over the vetting process). Hastert is friendly, only Kjellander has a problem and Steve didn’t even try that hard to take him down. But with his demand to have a minimum amount of party money, the party may end up begging him to run instead of him asking to run. I believe at this point he is the only guy who can save the down ballot disaster completely.
2. Bob Schillerstrom. Smart, probably liked by Chamber types because of his switch on O’Hare and has decent name recognition as DuPage County Board Chair. Will be a decent draw in the burbs and will not be too much of a handicap in the downballot. Probably will demand some party money too. If he can get it, good platform to start the Governor’s race.
3. Tom McCracken. RTA Chair (Former or current–have to check) Fluent on transportation issues and widely known amongst insiders. Berkowitz says conservatives like him generally. Probably not stupid enough to run without party money either.
4. Uberveis. Guy only has a shot because he finished second in the primary and wants the suicide mission. President doesn’t like him and the Party understands how toxic he could be. Drug reimportation doesn’t help.
5. Jack Ryan. As I said, can it really get any weirder?
6. Jonathan Wright. Actually made a decent name for himself in the primary and might be willing to take on a suicide mission to raise name recognition and issues. A building for the future pick.
7. General Borling. Decent guy and certainly a heoric past. But that isn’t going to work with his former campaign manager being at the center of the Ryan scandal. Being pro-choice was knock one–this is knock two. Too bad in the sense that I think he’d have run a good campaign.
8. Dr. Andrea Grubb Barthwell. If nothing else, throw a hail mary. Still not sure how they are going to talk to her, but those things tend to work out.
9. Norm Hill. NORM!
10. Ditka. No seriously, why not at this point? Rauschenberger applied to be Bears Coach and Ditka to the Senate. How about it Jerry? A trade? (Credit to OneMan to reminding me of the Rauschenberger application to the Bears)
11. Duerson. Ah, hell, so he is a Democrat. And do we really need to guess who sent in his resume?
12. Lauzen. Don’t think he’ll do it, but imagine how stale my CPA jokes will be.
13. Jerry Krause. Jordan wil really donate to Obama then.
14. Jerry Reinsdorf. New meaning to stadium seating in the Senate gallery
15. Jordan. Just to keep Krause out, but Democrats buy shoes too.
16. Kathuria. Resume promises not to finish dead last again.
17. Peter Fitzgerald. Over Hastert’s dead body. Rumors of extra cholesterol being shipped to Hastert by some Party members
in a brief bit of hearsay, I hear the Committeefolks aren’t being lobbied hard, but the press is ever present. My guess is that this benefits Rauschenberger assuming he wants it since he has three natural votes already.
Really, Which is More Weird
The Moonie Times reports on the Draft, errr..don’t replace, err…hell I don’t know what to call it effort to get Jack! to stay on the ballot.
Dead Derious on Ditka
Rick Santorum vs. Da Coach in the Senate. I like it. I like it a lot. The horrors of little Richie having to witness Da Coach grab his crotch.
UPDATE: Draft Ditka was on the Score and is going to make NBC and ABC local news tonight.
I feel a groundswell!
What Happened?
Cattle Call was up last night. Sigh–I’ll get it back up soon.
Leader Correction Watch Day 13
Still waiting on the Leader to correct Jill Stanek’s column claiming Jack Ryan’s custody files were always sealed. They were not for over a year.