Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.
William Feather
Convicted Former Governor Blagojevich (D-IL) Tries to Spin a Deadlocked Jury
I hate political spin. During FNC Special Report tonight there was coverage of the post-verdict news conference: Blago was at the top of his game, summarily dismissing his sole conviction on a count of lying to federal investigators in 2005 and playing the remaining more serious 23 deadlocked (not acquitted) counts as a vindication. Prosecutors vow to retry Blago on the residual counts after the judge declared a mistrial. Al Capone got convicted on income tax evasion, not the core criminal activities; Martha Stewart also got convicted on a less significant charge than insider trading, and Blago apparently has evaded the more sensational corruption charges involving the disposition of Obama's former Senate seat.
There is an interesting post-verdict Christian Science Monitor piece by Mark Guarino; he quotes David Morrison, a political reformer, whom says that the government put together a strong case of racketeering and conspiracy but suggests that the counts were possibly too abstract for the jury members to follow. It's a lot easier coming to a decision when a William Jefferson is putting cash in a freezer.
No, Blago, what you did was not politics as usual; in my opinion, you were selling the Senate seat for personal political advantage. This was not Upton Sinclair's expose on the ugly side of political deal making. There are, no doubt, political considerations often made; for example, Joe Biden wanted a caretaker Senate replacement for his seat, so his own son could run for the seat 2 years later. Blago went qualitatively beyond that, as the record clearly shows. I think in part the lack of success has a lot to do with how the prosecution performed. They'll need to do a better job next time.
Republicans Playing with Fire on the Mosque Kerfuffle
Listening to the populist windbag Bill O'Reilly pontificate about the alleged smear job that NBC, Media Matters and the Far Left are doing on the mosque issue just makes my blood pressure go up; he has the audacity to argue it has nothing to do with the religious liberties of domestic Muslims whom had nothing to do with 9/11. Methinks the populist doth protest too much; I almost expected to hear a Seinfeld-like "not that there's anything wrong with [being Muslim]." I am uncomfortable with how so many conservative politicians and columnists (like Charles Krauthammer) I normally respect using sham justifications to define away guilt by association. This behavior is EXACTLY the type that President Bush spoke out against in the aftermath of 9/11.
I often go to CATO and Reason to get a libertarian perspective; I thought perhaps I would find a more sympathetic response to my take, although there are others. There's a good post by Christopher Preble which is well-worth reading in its entirety, but I'll quote some key insights:
This strategy, exploiting still-raw emotion and implicitly demonizing Muslims, threatens to trade short-term political gain for medium-term political harm to the party. And it most certainly will translate into long-term harm for the country at large.
Opposing the construction of a mosque near the Ground Zero site plays into al Qaeda’s narrative that the United States is engaged in a war with Islam, that bin Laden and his tiny band of followers represent something more than a pitiful group of murderers and thugs, and that all American Muslims are an incipient Fifth Column that must be either converted to Christianity or driven out of the country, else they will undermine American society from within...
Indeed, George W. Bush himself set the tone in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 atrocities, counseling against retaliation against innocent Muslims who had nothing to do with the attacks, and noting that a number of Muslims were killed on 9/11. Other conservative organizations and institutions took notice of Bush’s leadership...
Political Humor
"According to U.S. and Iraqi commanders, if the U.S. pulls out of Iraq, their borders will be vulnerable and they won't be able to stop anyone from entering their country. Well, join the club." –Jay Leno
[No worries. We'll send them John Morton...]
"President Obama had a 24-hour vacation on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Some Republicans are attacking him for not staying longer. They have a point. President Bush used to vacation for weeks at a time." –Jimmy Kimmel
[Not only the GOP, Jimmy. The Dems, too: the longer he's in Florida he's not campaigning in their state or district...]
Musical Interlude: The American Songbook Series
Mel Tormé, "I Can't Give You Anything but Love"
