As your grandmother used to say, "Good riddance to bad rubbish."
Bush Social Security Plan Laid to Rest
By DAVID ESPO, AP Special CorrespondentTue Nov 15, 8:19 PM ET
The Senate staged sparsely attended burial services Tuesday for President Bush's long-dead plan to remake Social Security through creation of personal accounts. Metaphors outnumbered mourners.
Sen. Rick Santorum (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., said every attempt to reach across party lines on Social Security had "met with a partisan obstructionism that is as rock-solid as the marble before me on the rostrum" in the Senate chamber.
Initially, he said the president and Republican supporters "tried to throw the long ball." Now, "we're just going to try to run off-tackle here ... to see if we can get the ball down the field."
He proposed legislation that would give everyone born before 1950 a legal guarantee to the Social Security benefit they are currently promised, future cost-of-living increases included.
Sen. Max Baucus (news, bio, voting record), D-Mont., dismissed the maneuvering as political theater.
"Everyone knows this is not really a serious effort," he said. "It's just an attempt frankly to make a statement to the press and the people back home."
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid blocked Santorum's effort to force a full floor debate on the measure. "This legislation is a sham. S-H-A-M," he said. "Social Security benefits are guaranteed today. ... It's the law of the land."
Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., joining forces with Santorum, wanted a debate on legislation requiring the government to place surplus payroll taxes into individual accounts set up in the name of all workers who pay into Social Security. He called the measure a "Stop the Raid Bill," referring to the Social Security trust funds, and noted that the government currently spends the surplus payroll tax money on other federal programs.
"My Democratic colleagues oppose ownership," he said. "They want the government to continue to spend the money on other things. ... They say it's going to increase the deficit. Again, not true. All this does is make us honest with our accounting."
Reid objected once again, calling it "simply another bill to privatize Social Security."
By its action, the Senate thus sealed a place in history for Bush's proposals — a defeat administered to a president at the dawn of a second term by a Democratic minority demoralized by the loss of seats in the same elections.
The president issued his call in last winter's State of the Union address, recommending personal savings accounts coupled with reductions in future benefits promised to younger workers. Without them, he said, the system would eventually go broke, requiring a cutback in benefits for all who receive them.
But confronted with near-unanimous Democratic opposition and polls showing voter unhappiness with Bush's proposals, Republicans flinched. Legislation failed to reach the floor of either the House or Senate.
Treasury Secretary John Snow issued a statement praising Santorum and DeMint for their efforts. "The longer we wait for legislative action to comprehensively fix Social Security, the more difficult our choices will be," he said.
Even so, there appears little prospect the GOP-controlled Congress will act soon.
Sen. Charles Grassley (news, bio, voting record), the Iowa Republican who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said recently he does not envision action before the congressional elections in 2006.
"It is hard to name a government official with less credibility on Iraq than Vice President Cheney. The Vice President continues to mislead America about how we got into Iraq and what must be done to complete the still unaccomplished mission.
"My commitment to our country has been steadfast from the day I signed up to serve in the Navy through my service as a United States Senator fighting for our troops and our national security. Too often when it's been time to tell the truth to the American people, Vice President Cheney has had other priorities.
"While the Vice President engages in the politics of fear and smear, Americans want their government to honor the memory of the more than 2,000 brave Americans lost in Iraq, and they have not forgotten that Osama bin Laden remains on the loose. If the Bush White House cared as much about our troops as they do about their plummeting political fortunes, they would at last offer a clear strategy for success in Iraq and work to bring home 20,000 troops after the successful Iraqi elections. Then, and only then, would they be even beginning to offer leadership equal to our soldiers' sacrifice."
This Sunday night you are going to see something that you have never seen before -- global warming front and center on a prime time comedy special. Earth to America! will feature the country’s top comedians including Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Wanda Sykes, Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Ray Romano, Larry David, Julia Louis Dreyfus, along with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Tim McGraw.
We are stopping virtually in Las Vegas (where hotels are turning “greener”) to bring you this comedy event of global proportions. You can be a part of this great night by hosting an Earth to America! watch party. And make it a condition of coming to your party that all your guests have to sign up as marchers to attend!
So tune in to TBS on Sunday, November 20th (Check your local listing for air time.) A little comedy never hurt anyone and in this case it might actually do some good!
Keep on Marching!
Laurie David, Founder Virtual March to Stop Global Warming
Probe Finds Broadcast Chief Broke Law, Played Politics
By Matea Gold Times Staff Writer
November 16, 2005
WASHINGTON — The former chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting broke federal law and repeatedly violated the organization's rules and code of ethics in his efforts to promote conservatives in the system, an endeavor that included consultation with White House officials, according to the findings of an internal investigation made public Tuesday.
The 67-page report — the culmination of a six-month investigation by Kenneth A. Konz, the corporation's inspector general — portrays former Chairman Kenneth Y. Tomlinson as a rogue appointee who often exceeded his authority in his determination to address what he viewed as a liberal tilt in public broadcasting.
Konz's report depicts the corporation as a deeply dysfunctional institution in which there has been little oversight over hiring and contracting and minimal communication between the professional staff and the board, made up of political appointees.
In his report, Konz agreed that Tomlinson — a Republican who was originally appointed by President Clinton — overstepped his boundaries and broke corporation rules. But he did not conclude that Tomlinson was seeking to remake the corporation as a conservative institution, as critics have charged, noting that the former chairman was following the CPB's mandate to ensure objectivity and balance in public broadcasting.
In a statement included in the inspector general's report, Tomlinson, who resigned his board position this month, denied any wrongdoing. He called the findings a triumph of "politics over good judgment" and disputed the charges as "malicious and irresponsible."
"Unfortunately, the inspector general's preconceived and unjustified findings will only help to maintain the status quo, and other reformers will be discouraged from seeking change," Tomlinson said.
According to the report, Tomlinson consulted with Bush administration officials — including Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove — about his efforts, even though the former chairman told The Times in May that he had had "absolutely no contact from anyone at the White House saying we need to do this or that with public broadcasting."
However, Konz discovered that in late 2003 and again this year, Tomlinson exchanged e-mails with White House officials about possible candidates to serve as the corporation's president. Some of the notes discussed Tomlinson's desire to hire Patricia Harrison, a former Republican Party co-chairwoman, whom the board appointed to the post in June.
"While cryptic in nature, their timing and subject matter give the appearance that the former chairman was strongly motivated by political considerations in filling the president/CEO position," Konz wrote.
The corporation, a private nonprofit organization that distributes federal funding to local TV and radio stations, is supposed to act as a buffer between Congress and broadcasters.
In an interview, the inspector general said Tomlinson exchanged e-mails with "two or three" White House officials, including Rove. He declined to name the other officials or provide copies of the e-mails, which were given to the full board in a separate report.
Konz concluded that Tomlinson's efforts to hire Harrison violated provisions of the Federal Broadcasting Act, which prohibits the use of "political tests" in employment.
He also determined that the former chairman broke federal law barring interference in programming when he promoted the development of "The Journal Editorial Report," a public affairs program on the Public Broadcasting Service featuring the conservative editorial page board of the Wall Street Journal. The report said Tomlinson urged PBS to air the program even as he offered editorial page editor Paul Gigot advice about the program's format.
The report said Tomlinson was so zealous in what he termed his pursuit of political balance that he instructed corporation staff to threaten to withhold federal funds from PBS to achieve it — an action that would have required congressional approval.
CPB officials declined to comment on Tomlinson's specific actions, but board Chairwoman Cheryl Halpern called Konz's findings "bracing" and pledged to swiftly initiate changes. During a morning meeting at the organization's Washington headquarters, the board approved the creation of new committees to improve checks and balances.
For her part, Harrison said she was determined to repair "a rip in trust" created by the furor over Tomlinson's actions.
"I'm not going to take this report and put it in a drawer," she said in an interview Tuesday.
The release of Konz's investigation comes during a turbulent period for public broadcasters, who were demoralized by allegations that Tomlinson used his position to advance conservatives on and off the air.
As details of Tomlinson's actions emerged, Democratic lawmakers and liberal interest groups accused him of misusing his position and injecting partisanship into the organization. In May, Rep. David R. Obey (D-Wis.) and Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.) asked Konz to investigate the then-chairman's tenure. On Tuesday, the congressmen said the report confirmed their suspicions that Tomlinson had a political agenda. They called for further institutional changes to guard against similar actions.
"The Corporation for Public Broadcasting needs significant reform and vigorous oversight to preserve the political neutrality that Mr. Tomlinson pretended he wanted but did so much to prevent," Obey said.
White House officials refused to be interviewed by the inspector general, saying he lacked jurisdiction to pose questions to officials outside federal agencies. The report does not draw conclusions about the administration's involvement with Tomlinson's efforts.
Critics called on Konz to release the details of Tomlinson's contact with the White House.
"Unfortunately, this fits exactly with a long pattern of unbridled, all-out partisanship and cronyism in so much of what this administration does," said Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.).
On Tuesday, Harrison, a former State Department official, said Tomlinson never expressed a desire to hire her because of her GOP credentials. "I do not have a political agenda," she said.
But the report suggests that politics may have influenced other hiring decisions. During his tenure, Tomlinson recommended several candidates, including an unnamed applicant for a senior position who was "referred with the strong support of the White House." Another job candidate was asked by an unidentified board member about her political contributions in the last election.
The inspector general documented numerous occasions in which Tomlinson circumvented CPB contracting procedures. According to the report, Tomlinson mishandled a contract with a consultant who monitored the political leanings of the guests on "Now With Bill Moyers" and three other programs by failing to get board approval and authorizing payments without written documentation of work. Konz also found that Tomlinson hired two ombudsmen this spring without considering other candidates. Tomlinson faces another probe related to his other post, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. The influential agency oversees the government's international broadcast services. The State Department's inspector general is investigating Tomlinson's actions there.
It's reassuring to know that, despite the best efforts of Big Oil whore Ted Stevens, these pigs could still go to jail.
Big Oil, Big Lies
In what should be the least surprising news of the day, recently obtained documents show that back in 2001 top oil executives indeed met with Vice President Dick Cheney’s energy task force -- something environmental groups and just about anyone with a brain long suspected.
Just last week the chief executives from oil companies testified before a Senate panel on whether or not the industry had been gouging customers -- an understandable concern considering that the five major oil companies saw a record $30 billion profit in the third quarter this year. During those hearings, executives from companies including Exxon Mobil, Chevron and BP America all denied having met with Cheney’s task force.
They lied.
So what happens to people when they lie to United States senators? Well seeing as how the chairman of the hearings, the Republican Sen. Ted Stevens, chose not to swear in the executives, they conveniently won’t be subject to charges of perjury. But it turns out that they could get fined or face up to five years in jail for their false statements. Unfortunately, the people who can least afford all of this corporate malfeasance are the U.S. citizens currently enduring high gas prices. Is Dick Cheney going to chair a task force to address that problem?
I've always known Woodward was a Republican, but never that he was this much of one. Thanks to John for the heads-up on this story.
Woodward Was Told of Plame More Than Two Years Ago
By Jim VandeHei and Carol D. Leonnig Washington Post Staff Writers Wednesday, November 16, 2005; A01
Washington Post Assistant Managing Editor Bob Woodward testified under oath Monday in the CIA leak case that a senior administration official told him about CIA operative Valerie Plame and her position at the agency nearly a month before her identity was disclosed.
In a more than two-hour deposition, Woodward told Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald that the official casually told him in mid-June 2003 that Plame worked as a CIA analyst on weapons of mass destruction, and that he did not believe the information to be classified or sensitive, according to a statement Woodward released yesterday.
Fitzgerald interviewed Woodward about the previously undisclosed conversation after the official alerted the prosecutor to it on Nov. 3 -- one week after Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was indicted in the investigation.
Citing a confidentiality agreement in which the source freed Woodward to testify but would not allow him to discuss their conversations publicly, Woodward and Post editors refused to disclose the official's name or provide crucial details about the testimony. Woodward did not share the information with Washington Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. until last month, and the only Post reporter whom Woodward said he remembers telling in the summer of 2003 does not recall the conversation taking place.
Woodward said he also testified that he met with Libby on June 27, 2003, and discussed Iraq policy as part of his research for a book on President Bush's march to war. He said he does not believe Libby said anything about Plame.
He also told Fitzgerald that it is possible he asked Libby about Plame or her husband, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV. He based that testimony on an 18-page list of questions he planned to ask Libby in an interview that included the phrases "yellowcake" and "Joe Wilson's wife." Woodward said in his statement, however, that "I had no recollection" of mentioning the pair to Libby. He also said that his original government source did not mention Plame by name, referring to her only as "Wilson's wife."
Woodward's testimony appears to change key elements in the chronology Fitzgerald laid out in his investigation and announced when indicting Libby three weeks ago. It would make the unnamed official -- not Libby -- the first government employee to disclose Plame's CIA employment to a reporter. It would also make Woodward, who has been publicly critical of the investigation, the first reporter known to have learned about Plame from a government source.
The testimony, however, does not appear to shed new light on whether Libby is guilty of lying and obstructing justice in the nearly two-year-old probe or provide new insight into the role of senior Bush adviser Karl Rove, who remains under investigation.
Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Rove, said that Rove is not the unnamed official who told Woodward about Plame and that he did not discuss Plame with Woodward.
William Jeffress Jr., one of Libby's lawyers, said yesterday that Woodward's testimony undermines Fitzgerald's public claims about his client and raises questions about what else the prosecutor may not know. Libby has said he learned Plame's identity from NBC's Tim Russert.
"If what Woodward says is so, will Mr. Fitzgerald now say he was wrong to say on TV that Scooter Libby was the first official to give this information to a reporter?" Jeffress said last night. "The second question I would have is: Why did Mr. Fitzgerald indict Mr. Libby before fully investigating what other reporters knew about Wilson's wife?"
Fitzgerald has spent nearly two years investigating whether senior Bush administration officials illegally leaked classified information -- Plame's identity as a CIA operative -- to reporters to discredit allegations made by Wilson. Plame's name was revealed in a July 14, 2003, column by Robert D. Novak, eight days after Wilson publicly accused the administration of twisting intelligence to justify the Iraq war. Fitzgerald's spokesman, Randall Samborn, declined to comment yesterday.
Woodward is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and author best known for exposing the Watergate scandal and keeping secret for 30 years the identity of his government source "Deep Throat."
"It was the first time in 35 years as a reporter that I have been asked to provide information to a grand jury," he said in the statement.
Downie said The Post waited until late yesterday to disclose Woodward's deposition in the case in hopes of persuading his sources to allow him to speak publicly. Woodward declined to elaborate on the statement he released to The Post late yesterday afternoon and publicly last night. He would not answer any questions, including those not governed by his confidentiality agreement with sources.
According to his statement, Woodward also testified about a third unnamed source. He told Fitzgerald that he does not recall discussing Plame with this person when they spoke on June 20, 2003.
It is unclear what prompted Woodward's original unnamed source to alert Fitzgerald to the mid-June 2003 mention of Plame to Woodward. Once he did, Fitzgerald sought Woodward's testimony, and three officials released him to testify about conversations he had with them. Downie, Woodward and a Post lawyer declined to discuss why the official may have stepped forward this month.
Downie defended the newspaper's decision not to release certain details about what triggered Woodward's deposition because "we can't do anything in any way to unravel the confidentiality agreements our reporters make."
Woodward never mentioned this contact -- which was at the center of a criminal investigation and a high-stakes First Amendment legal battle between the prosecutor and two news organizations -- to his supervisors until last month. Downie said in an interview yesterday that Woodward told him about the contact to alert him to a possible story. He declined to say whether he was upset that Woodward withheld the information from him.
Downie said he could not explain why Woodward said he provided a tip about Wilson's wife to Walter Pincus, a Post reporter writing about the subject, but did not pursue the matter when the CIA leak investigation began. He said Woodward has often worked under ground rules while doing research for his books that prevent him from naming sources or even using the information they provide until much later.
Woodward's statement said he testified: "I told Walter Pincus, a reporter at The Post, without naming my source, that I understood Wilson's wife worked at the CIA as a WMD analyst."
Pincus said he does not recall Woodward telling him that. In an interview, Pincus said he cannot imagine he would have forgotten such a conversation around the same time he was writing about Wilson.
"Are you kidding?" Pincus said. "I certainly would have remembered that."
Pincus said Woodward may be confused about the timing and the exact nature of the conversation. He said he remembers Woodward making a vague mention to him in October 2003. That month, Pincus had written a story explaining how an administration source had contacted him about Wilson. He recalled Woodward telling him that Pincus was not the only person who had been contacted.
Pincus and fellow Post reporter Glenn Kessler have been questioned in the investigation.
Woodward, who is preparing a third book on the Bush administration, has called Fitzgerald "a junkyard-dog prosecutor" who turns over every rock looking for evidence. The night before Fitzgerald announced Libby's indictment, Woodward said he did not see evidence of criminal intent or of a major crime behind the leak.
"When the story comes out, I'm quite confident we're going to find out that it started kind of as gossip, as chatter," he told CNN's Larry King.
Woodward also said in interviews this summer and fall that the damage done by Plame's name being revealed in the media was "quite minimal."
"When I think all of the facts come out in this case, it's going to be laughable because the consequences are not that great," he told National Public Radio this summer.
For Those of You Who Might Have Missed It. . .That's Right, Folks, Another All-Time Low!!!
Poll: Bush approval mark at all-time low
(CNN) -- Beset with an unpopular war and an American public increasingly less trusting, President Bush faces the lowest approval rating of his presidency, according to a national poll released Monday.
Bush also received his all-time worst marks in three other categories in the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll. The categories were terrorism, Bush's trustworthiness and whether the Iraq war was worthwhile.
Bush's 37 percent overall approval rating was two percentage points below his ranking in an October survey. Both polls had a sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. (Watch: The last Bush Democrat? -- 2:02)
Sixty percent of the 1,006 adult Americans interviewed by telephone Friday through Sunday said they disapprove of how Bush is handling his job as president.
The White House has said it doesn't pay attention to poll numbers and the figures do not affect policy.
"We have a proud record of accomplishment and a positive agenda for the future," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters Wednesday.
"We look forward to continuing to talk about it. I mean, you can get caught up in polls; we don't. Polls are snapshots in time."
Bush, who received high marks after the terrorist attacks of 2001, also rated poorly in the new poll for his policy on terrorism. For the first time, less than half -- 48 percent -- of those surveyed said they approved of how the president was handling the war on terror. Forty-nine percent said they disapprove.
In November 2001, Bush had an 87 percent overall approval mark and an 86 percent rating on terrorism.
Bush has been under fire from Democratic lawmakers for the way his administration made the case to invade Iraq in 2003 and how it has handled the conflict since then.
The president fired back in a speech Monday, accusing Democrats of "playing politics." (Full story)
In the new poll, 60 percent said it was not worth going to war in Iraq, while 38 percent said it was worthwhile. The question was asked of about half of those surveyed and had a margin of error of five percentage points. The results marked a decline in support of seven percentage points from two months earlier.
Bush's lowest approval ratings came on two issues that divide his own Republican Party.
On federal spending, 71 percent disapproved of his performance and 26 percent approved. The approval rating was the same on immigration issues, and the disapproval mark was 65 percent.
Sixty-one percent of respondents disapproved of Bush's handling of the economy, and 37 percent approved.
The country appears to be split on whether Bush is a strong president and whether or not Americans personally like him.
When asked about his abilities, 49 percent of those surveyed said he was a strong president and 49 percent said he was a weak leader.
About 50 percent of people polled said they disliked Bush, with 6 percent claiming to hate the president.
Bush's overall approval mark matched the 37 percent rating of newly elected President Clinton in June 1993. (Interactive: Second-term slump)
When asked if they trust Bush more than they had Clinton, 48 percent of respondents said they trusted Bush less, while 36 percent said they trusted him more and 15 percent said they trusted Bush the same as Clinton.
For the first time, more than half of the public thinks Bush is not honest and trustworthy -- 52 percent to 46 percent.
A week ago, President Bush campaigned for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore, who lost the election a day later to Democratic Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine. (Full story)
In the poll, 56 percent of registered voters said they would be likely to vote against a local candidate supported by Bush, while 34 percent said the opposite.
Only 9 percent said their first choice in next year's elections would be a Republican who supports Bush on almost every major issue.
Forty-six percent said the country would be better off if Congress were controlled by Democrats, while 34 percent backed a GOP majority.
A large majority of Republicans -- 80 percent -- approve of Bush's performance, compared with 28 percent of independents and 7 percent of Democrats. Those results had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
Vice President Dick Cheney's approval rating has dropped 14 points since the start of the year, down from 54 percent in January to 40 percent.
His chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, resigned last month after he was indicted on charges including obstruction of justice and perjury. Libby is accused of lying to investigators and a grand jury investigating the disclosure of the identity of a CIA officer whose husband criticized the White House case for war.
O’Reilly Resorts To McCarthyism, Plans To Publish Online Enemies List
Last Tuesday, Bill O’Reilly encouraged terrorists to target San Francisco because he was upset that the city voted to ban military recruiters from high-school and college campuses. O’Reilly said “if Al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we’re not going to do anything about it. We’re going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you, except San Francisco.”
At first, O’Reilly defended his comments as “not controversial.” That didn’t seem to work, so tonight he claimed the whole thing was a “satirical riff.”
In O’Reilly’s view the only real problem is the “internet smear sites” drawing attention to his comments:
Some far left internet smear sites have launched a campaign to get me fired over my point of view. I believe they do this on a daily basis. This time the theme is O’Reilly is encouraging terrorist attacks. Unbelievably stupid. Not unusual with these guttersnipes.
Fairly typical comments from O’Reilly. But he added an unusual twist. O’Reilly promised to publish the names of everyone who supported these “internet smear sites” on his website:
I’m glad the smear sites made a big deal out of it. Now we can all know who was with the anti-military internet crowd. We’ll post the names of all who support the smear merchants on billoreilly.com. So check with us.
It’s unclear where O’Reilly would find such a list. But since he has labeled everyone who supports websites like MediaMatters.org and ThinkProgress.org as “anti-military” it seems to be an effort to intimidate and shame our readers.
At the time this post was published, the promised list doesn’t appear on billoreilly.com. Stay tuned for updates.
Sore loser: praying for Dover's souls, or just taking a chili pepper dump?
"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected him from your city. And don't wonder why he hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for his help because he might not be there."
1. If you think getting your ass kicked by a bunch of nurses is embarrassing, Arnold, wait till next year when this guy. . .
Phil Angelides: The Terminator? PhPhSPhiltate Treasurer
. . .rips you a new one.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suffers major defeat at polls; ballot initiatives fail 06:53:05 EST Nov 9, 2005
Bend over, Girly Man, and receive thy penance
LOS ANGELES (AP) - In a stinging rebuke from voters who elected him two years ago, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's efforts to reshape state government were rejected during a special election that darkened his prospects for a second term.
The Republican governor and Hollywood actor, who likes to say he can sell anything, on Tuesday saw all four of his signature ballot proposals rejected.
The election pitted the once-dominant Republican governor against two of California's powerhouse political forces - public employee unions and Democrats who control the legislature.
The unions spent millions of dollars to beat Schwarzenegger's propositions to limit the use of their member dues for political purposes, cap state spending, redraw legislative districts and restrict public school teacher tenure.
2. Welcome to the 20th Century, Dover. . .
Pennsylvania Voters Oust School Board
By MARTHA RAFFAELE The Associated Press Wednesday, November 9, 2005; 2:39 AM
DOVER, Pa. -- Voters came down hard Tuesday on school board members who backed a statement on intelligent design being read in biology class, ousting eight Republicans and replacing them with Democrats who want the concept stripped from the science curriculum.
The election unfolded amid a landmark federal trial involving the Dover public schools and the question of whether intelligent design promotes the Bible's view of creation. Eight Dover families sued, saying it violates the constitutional separation of church and state.
Dover's school board adopted a policy in October 2004 that requires ninth-graders to hear a prepared statement about intelligent design before learning about evolution in biology class.
Eight of the nine school board members were up for election Tuesday. They were challenged by a slate of Democrats who argued that science class was not the appropriate forum for teaching intelligent design.
"My kids believe in God. I believe in God. But I don't think it belongs in the science curriculum the way the school district is presenting it," said Jill Reiter, 41, a bank teller who joined a group of high school students waving signs supporting the challengers Tuesday.
A spokesman for the winning slate of candidates has said they wouldn't act hastily and would consider the outcome of the court case. The judge expects to rule by January; the new school board members will be sworn in Dec. 5.
School board member David Napierskie, who lost Tuesday, said the vote wasn't just about ideology.
"Some people felt intelligent design shouldn't be taught and others were concerned about having tax money spent on the lawsuit," he said.
Intelligent design holds that the universe is so complex that it must have been created by some kind of higher force. The statement read to students says Charles Darwin's theory is "not a fact" and has inexplicable "gaps."
A similar controversy has erupted in Kansas, where the state Board of Education on Tuesday approved science standards for public schools that cast doubt on the theory of evolution. The 6-4 vote was a victory for intelligent design advocates who helped draft the standards.
3. Corzine Defeats Bush, er, Forrester. . .
Candidate Cites Bad News for Bush as Key to Loss
By DAVID W. CHEN and ANNE E. KORNBL, New York Times
2005-11-14 - The race for New Jersey governor between the multimillionaires was supposed to be a tight one, or so the final polls said before Tuesday's election. But Douglas R. Forrester, a Republican, lost by a wide margin to Senator Jon S. Corzine, a Democrat, and the chief reason, Mr. Forrester now says, is President Bush's unpopularity.
In an interview published yesterday in The Star-Ledger of Newark, the state's largest newspaper, Mr. Forrester said his campaign had done "all the right things we were supposed to do." Still, he said, he could not overcome a spate of bad news for Mr. Bush, like the administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina.
As a result, he said, "it was not a foolish thing" that Mr. Corzine had sought repeatedly to link him to the Bush administration. "If Bush's numbers were where they were a year ago, or even six months ago, I think we would have won on Tuesday," Mr. Forrester told the newspaper, in his first interview since losing to Mr. Corzine, by 53 percent to 44 percent. "Katrina was the tipping point."
Asked about the interview yesterday, Mr. Forrester's campaign director, Sherry Sylvester, said Mr. Forrester had been accurately quoted. She added that another disadvantage for Mr. Forrester, who was a major fund-raiser for Mr. Bush in 2004, was that Mr. Corzine had spent $15 million more on television advertising than Mr. Forrester.
"Governor-elect Corzine had low approval ratings from New Jerseyans throughout the campaign, but even stronger public disapproval of the president made a Republican victory a very difficult task," she said.
Whether Mr. Forrester's analysis is accurate, and applies as well to Virginia and other places where Republicans performed below expectations, may be impossible to determine. While Mr. Bush did not campaign in New Jersey, Mr. Forrester didn't shy away from welcoming other administration figures, like Vice President Dick Cheney and Karl Rove, the presidential adviser. And in 2002, when a far more popular Mr. Bush campaigned on behalf of Mr. Forrester during his Senate race, Mr. Forrester lost as well - and by 10 percentage points, not 9.
A Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers poll released on Saturday found that several factors may have conspired to doom Mr. Forrester. Mr. Bush was one. But some voters were put off by other factors, including a negative ad that Mr. Forrester aired in the week before the election, quoting an unkind remark about Mr. Corzine by his ex-wife, Joanne Corzine.
When asked about the New Jersey election, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, Danny Diaz, said, "Local races have always been about local issues."
4. Kaine Defeats Bush, er, Kilgore
Say what you will about Mark Warner's coattails, but Virginia was a flat dead heat until this guy showed up. . .
So who's laughing now?
Kaine victorious
November 8, 2005 12:00 am
By CHELYEN DAVIS The Free Lance-Star
RICHMOND—Virginians last night chose Democrat Tim Kaine as the 70th governor of Virginia, closing a bitter and hard-fought campaign.
Kaine, a former Richmond mayor and current lieutenant governor, took 51.6 percent of the vote to edge out Republican Jerry Kilgore, a former attorney general who got 46.1 percent of the vote, according to unofficial returns with 98 percent of the precincts reporting.
Cheers erupted in the Richmond Marriott Ballroom, where Democrats had gathered, when it was announced just after 9 p.m. that the Associated Press had called the race for Kaine. Kilgore publicly conceded the race about an hour later.
Independent candidate Russ Potts, a Republican state senator from Winchester, garnered just 2 percent of votes, and Kaine’s victory defies earlier speculation that Potts would take votes from Kaine.
Kaine, accompanied by his family, Gov. Mark Warner and former governor Doug Wilder, both of whom campaigned for him in recent weeks, took to the stage before a roaring crowd at 11 p.m., in time for television stations to carry his victory speech live.
“We’ve done it!,” Kaine said. “Tonight we’ve proved the naysayers wrong. We’ve proved that Virginians want governors who put partisanship aside and govern from a sensible middle…. There has not been a more humble and exciting night in my life.”
Kaine said voters want a governor to put partisanship aside and value fiscal responsibility over ideological bickering.
“Virginians want a government that has a positive vision about moving this Commonwealth forward,” he said.
In his concession speech, Kilgore congratulated Kaine, and thanked him for his public service.
“He and I disagree on policy, but we do agree on Virginia,” Kilgore said. “I wish him well. I wish him good luck as he serves as the next governor of Virginia. … we share the same love of Virginia.”
Kilgore comforted his supporters, telling them they’d given it their all.
“There is no reason tonight to hold your heads in defeat. There is every reason to look up in pride,” he said. “I fought the good fight, I finished the course, I’ve kept the faith. Thank you, Virginia.”
Potts, conceding the race early in calls to reporters, said he has no regrets.
“I stand tall and proud tonight. I know I did the right thing,” Potts said. “‘I’m at tremendous peace about this. I made so many wonderful friends and I feel in my heart I was a very passionate, sincere voice. We ran a campaign we can be proud of and we don’t have to apologize to anybody.”
Potts, who defied the Republican leadership by running against their candidate, said he would work “to try to move the Republican Party in the middle where it belongs, and get off this obsession with god, guns gays and abortion and the death penalty.”
Potts said his campaign brought issues like transportation to the forefront, and that in the coming General Assembly session he will continue to push for a legislative solution to the issue.
Angry over misleading campaign flyers from the Kilgore campaign, Potts also said he will push during the 2006 legislative session for reform to election laws.
As early vote totals were displayed on large-screen TVs in both the Marriott ballroom and the Richmond Convention Center ballroom where Republicans assembled, supporters alternately cheered or booed, depending on who was up in the constantly changing totals.
But Kaine garnered a lead early and kept it.
Voter turnout was low, as was expected in a bitter and tight race in which negative attacks from both sides seemed to turn off voters.
While Kilgore based his campaign on a return to the anti-tax, conservative approach of previous Republican governors, Kaine ran as a moderate who would continue the business and investment-oriented approach of Warner.
University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato said Kaine has Warner to thank for his victory; the governor has high approval numbers and campaigned hard for Kaine, going out on the road with him and appearing in several commercials.
“Tim Kaine may have won, but two other people were almost on the ballot with him — Mark Warner and George W. Bush,” Sabato said. “Mark Warner was as popular as Geroge W. Bush was unpopular, and that was a perfect combination for Kaine and a toxic combination for Kilgore…. It’s not like people were paying a lot of attention to this one. They got general impressions and the impressions were formed as much by Mark Warner and George W. Bush as anyone. Mark Warner has said privately that Tim Kaine would be 10 points behind without him, and he’s right.”
If the election is to be viewed as such a reflection on Warner, that bodes well for the governor, who is mulling a possible run for president in 2008.
Warner introduced Kaine last night, calling the vote a repudiation of negative campaigning and praising his protégé for running “a great race."
“Tonight is a great night because Virginians chose to keep our Commonwealth moving forward,” Warner said.
Warner also commented on the fact that Democrats picked up several House seats in those elections.
“This is three elections in a row,” he said. “For the first time in 30 years, we’re picking up seats, coming back.”
Kaine spent the evening watching election returns from a hotel suite in the Marriott, accompanied by his family, including father-in-law and former governor Linwood Holton.
While a television showed election results across the room, Kaine sat at a dining table in his shirt sleeves, being shown how to refresh the state Board of Elections results webpage by his young son.
Virginia Tech political analyst Robert Denton also credited Kaine’s victory to Warner’s popularity, but also said Kilgore went too negative, too early.
“They were not comparative, they were personal, in trying to define Tim Kaine,” Denton said. “Over such a long period of time, that negativity did have an influence, especially over conservatives.”
In the absence of defining issues, Denton said, the race came down to personality.
“Because no issue drove it, it did come down to absolutely the individual candidates — likeability, trust, competence,” he said. “In the ads we saw Kaine more than we ever saw Kilgore. People got comfortable with him. I do think Kilgore’s campaign portrayed him as more mean-spirited.”
Kaine will have a press conference this morning to announce his transition team and a “transportation town hall” tour he’ll be launching.
Staff writer Natasha Altamirano contributed to this story
5. And, finally, you know the Republicans had a bad night when all they've got to brag about is this guy:
.
Mike Bloomberg hangs out with the help.
Come on, Mikey, you know you're really a Democrat. Come home, man. All is forgiven. If John Lindsay did it, so can you.
That's funny. . .David and Susannah look just great.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented its 20th annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting last night (November 10, 2005). Pictured here are Nicholl committee member David Nicksay and 2005 Fellow Michael Zungolo.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 2005 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting finalists each received a certificate today (November 9) at a luncheon at the Academy hosted by the Nicholl Committee. Pictured here is Oscar-nominated screenwriter Susannah Grant, chair of the Nicholl Committee, presenting a finalist certificate to Fellow Michael D. Zungolo, writer of "No Country."
