Category: News 2

news from around the globe

If you were educated in an American school, please allow us to explain the problem shown in this chart

This chart compares student achievement to money “invested” in education. The blue line clearly shows what’s wrong with America’s school systems.

Coulson Cato PS Cost Scores 2010

This chart compares student achievement to money “invested” in education. The blue line clearly shows what’s wrong with America’s school systems.

BigGovernment.com spells out the details:

Student achievement at the end of high school has been flat for as long as we’ve been keeping track—all the way back to 1970. But we did get something in return for all that hiring: a great, big, fat, BILL.

If you graduated from high school in 1980, your entire k-12 education cost your fellow taxpayers about $75,000, in 2009 dollars. But the graduating class of 2009 had roughly twice that amount lavished on their public school careers. The extra $75,000 we’re now spending has done wonders for public school employee union membership, dues revenue, and political clout. It’s done a whole lotta nothin’ for student learning.

In the immortal words of Pink Floyd, “We don’t need no education.”

In the immortal words of IHateTheMedia.com, “We don’t need no teachers’ unions.”

Source: BigGovernment.com

Arizona Democrats running from Obama faster than Mexicans from the border

That cloud of dust you see over the Sonoran Desert was caused by Arizona’s Democrat politicians distancing themselves from President Obama as quickly as possible.

arizona democrats flee obama
Similar signs will soon be erected outside the Arizona capitol to warn motorists to watch for Democrats fleeing from Obama

That cloud of dust you see over the Sonoran Desert was caused by Arizona’s Democrat politicians distancing themselves from President Obama as quickly as possible.

The Hill reports the details:

Arizona Democrats facing tough reelection races are distancing themselves from the Obama administration as it prepares to file a lawsuit against the state over its controversial immigration law.

Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.) on Monday sent a sharply worded letter to President Barack Obama urging him not to sue.

I believe your administration’s time, efforts and resources would be much better spent securing the border and fixing our broken immigration system,” the two-term congressman wrote in the letter. “Arizonans are tired of the grandstanding, and tired of waiting for help from Washington. … [A] lawsuit won’t solve the problem. It won’t secure the border, and it won’t fix our broken immigration system.”

Two words: Adios, amigos.

When (not if) Obama follows through with his threat to sue Arizona, Arizona’s Democrats will become as endangered as the blackfooted ferret. (Yes, we looked it up. The blackfooted ferret is on the list of endangered Arizona species.)

Salon.com gets some nookie, immediately apologizes

Salon was embarrassed for having used the word nookie. But we suspect the embarrassment wasn’t for using an inappropriate word, but for using one that’s been tragically unhip since about 1973.

fat-man-salon-correction
We can't complete this caption because we've gone blind.

We love a site called RegretTheError.com. It highlights corrections and retractions from newspapers, magazines and websites from around the world.

Like this one, for example, from the digital pages of Salon.com:

The June 16 Broadsheet post “Study: Fat Women Starved of Sex” originally stated that “obese men had just as much nookie as average guys.” It should have read, “obese men were just as likely to have had a sexual partner in the last 12 months as average guys.”

Salon was embarrassed for having used the word nookie. But we suspect the embarrassment wasn’t for using an inappropriate word, but for using one that’s been tragically unhip since about 1973.

NOTE: The phrase “tragically unhip” has been tragically unhip since about 1986. Please accept our apologies.

Source: RegretTheError.com

Idiot of the Day: Get this woman a map! County Supervisor supports boycott, but doesn’t know Arizona borders Mexico

In this video clip, Peggy West, a liberal Democrat County Supervisor in Milwaukee, Wisconson, stands before her constituents and demonstrates her remarkable ignorance in both economics and geography in one simple statement.

How do people like this get elected? No, really. How?

In this video clip, Peggy West, a liberal Democrat County Supervisor in Milwaukee, Wisconson, stands before her constituents and demonstrates her remarkable ignorance in both economics and geography in one simple statement.

We paraphrase: “That anti-illegal alien law might be ok for a state like Texas that sits right on the Mexican border, but not for Arizona, which is, like, nowhere near the border.”

We just wish the camera had shown West’s face when her fellow supervisor cut her off and guided her back to reality.

¡Ay, caramba!

H/T: Weasel Zippers

Clint Webb for Senate: An official IHateTheMedia.com endorsement

Clint Webb is the most honest politician since Honest Abe Lincoln. On second thought, Abe was a friggin’ honesty amateur compared to our man Clint.

Clint Webb is the most honest politician since Honest Abe Lincoln. On second thought, Abe was a friggin’ honesty amateur compared to our man Clint.

You have our votes, Clint. In fact, we’ll stuff the ballot box for you like a Chicago alderman.

H/T: IOwnTheWorld.com

“We’re giving relief to ‘average, good American people’ not ‘minorities’ or ‘defective’ people”

Rep. Paul Kanjorski, a Pennsylvania Democrat told a House-Senate committee that, “We’re giving relief to ‘average good American people’ not ‘minorities’ or ‘defective’ people.”

Our heartiest congratulations go out to Representative Paul Kanjorski, winner of the much-coveted IHTM Idiot of the Day Award.

Rep. Paul Kanjorski, a Pennsylvania Democrat told a House-Senate committee that, “We’re giving relief to ‘average good American people’ not ‘minorities’ or ‘defective’ people.”

If a Republican had made a comment like that, the shrieks of liberal indignation would be deafening.

But since Kanjorski’s a Democrat, only the silence is deafening.

H/T: Gateway Pundit

“He pushed her on the bed and lay next to her as he played the Pink song ‘Dear Mr President.’”

The opening line of An Inconvenient Truth is “Hi, I’m Al Gore and I used to be the next president of the United States.” He wasn’t joking, he was complaining.

The opening line of An Inconvenient Truth is “Hi, I’m Al Gore and I used to be the next president of the United States.”

When he said it, everyone laughed and assumed the poor fellow had recovered from the emotional devastation of losing the presidency in 2000 and had learned to deal with it by using self-deprecating humor.

Now it appears that we were wrong. He wasn’t joking, he was complaining. He’s still tortured by that loss. So tortured, in fact, that he uses the same line in a sad attempt to seduce women. To forcibly seduce women, if you know what we mean.

The Portland Oregonian has too much information:

Continue reading ““He pushed her on the bed and lay next to her as he played the Pink song ‘Dear Mr President.’””

The complete Al Gore sexual assault police report

Read the complete Al Gore sexual assault police report here.

Here’s the complete Portland Police Department report on the sexual assault complaint against Al Gore.

Maybe he should have stuck with some of the surefire pick-up lines that have worked so well for him in the past. Like, “Global warming ain’t nothin’ compared to the warming in my pants, baby” or “Have you ever wanted to see what a hanging chad really looks like?” or “You know, I’m from Tennessee and I’d sure like to go down south with you” or “If you’re real nice to me, I’ll let you polish my Oscar.”

Use the “Full” button at the bottom to read full screen

Use the “Full” button at the bottom to read full screen

Houston, we have a problem for the Democrats

At first glance, Kesha Rogers, who just won the Democrat nomination for Congress in Texas’ 22nd District, seems to be everything the Democrats could want in a candidate for congress.

kesha rogers democrat problem At first glance, Kesha Rogers, who just won the Democrat nomination for Congress in Texas’ 22nd District, seems to be everything the Democrats could want in a candidate for congress.

She’s female. She’s black. She’s attractive. She’s well-spoken.

So far, so good.

Unfortunately, she also thinks President Obama should be impeached. She’s against ObamaCare. She’s against the dismantling of NASA. Oh, and did we mention that she often campaigns with a sign that compares Obama to Hitler?

Finally, we have a Democrat we feel good about supporting.

Source: BigGovernment.com

Harry Reid’s son is running for governor. And from his last name.

You know things are going poorly for Harry Reid when his son Rory, who’s running for governor of Nevada, won’t use the family name in his campaign.

You know things are going poorly for Harry Reid when his son, who’s running for governor of Nevada, won’t use the family name in his campaign.

Reid has become a four-letter word in Nevada, so Harry’s son has scrubbed it from his commercials, his ads, and his website. He’s no longer Rory Reid. He’s become just plain Rory. One name. Rory.

This is, after all, Las Vegas. That one name affectation worked out pretty well for Cher, Liberace, Sigfried & Roy and Liza, but odds are Rory won’t be as lucky.

H/T: National Review

Aussies boot leftwing Obama-Wannabe as Prime Minister. Sign of things to come?

Wednesday, in what we can only hope is a preview of coming attractions here in the United States, Rudd was booted out of office by his own party.

kevin rudd barack obama parallel
Australia got rid of Rudd in 944 days. Unfortunately, it will take us at least 1461 days to boot Obama.

Tell us if this tale sounds familiar:

A charismatic leftist gets elected in an overwhelming rout that decimates his country’s conservative party. As soon as he takes office, he begins pounding money down a rat hole with one crazy spending scheme after another, proposes a complete overhaul of the country’s healthcare system, institutes immigration policies that allow unparalleled numbers of illegal aliens to flood the nation, and proposes a hugely unpopular “excess” profits tax. After a euphoric period of initial popularity, his poll numbers drop precipitously.

Despite what you may have thought, this is actually the sad story of Kevin Rudd, Australia’s leftist Obama-wannabe Prime Minister for the last 944 days.

Wednesday, in what we can only hope is a preview of coming attractions here in the United States, Rudd was booted out of office by his own party.

The Sydney Morning Herald has details that the Obama administration should pay attention to:

Julia Gillard has become Australia’s first woman prime minister after Kevin Rudd stood down from the position during a Labor Party leadership spill.

Ms Gillard has been elected unopposed to the position and Wayne Swan will become deputy prime minister.

The spill came after a newspaper report claiming Mr Rudd had instructed his chief of staff Alister Jordan to ring around the caucus to see whether MPs were still behind him.

944 days. Just about two-and-one-half years. It’s days like this we wish we had a parliamentary system in the United States.

NOTE TO OUR AUSTRALIAN READERS: We apologize for the misuse of the word “charismatic” in regard to Kevin Rudd. Consider it poetic license.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Global warming bullshit defeated by whale shit

IHateTheMedia.com is recognized around the world as your source for up-to-the-minute environmental news. And we’re happy to report that Andrew Bolt has uncovered yet another reason to save the whales

This video has absolutely nothing to do with this story, but if you’ve never seen the famous “exploding whale” video, you’re in for a treat. If you have seen it, you know you’ll enjoy seeing it again.

IHateTheMedia.com is recognized around the world as your source for up-to-the-minute environmental news. And we’re happy to report that Andrew Bolt has uncovered yet another reason to save the whales:

Australian and German researchers studying the defecation habits of the 12,000 sperm whales remaining in the Southern Ocean have found they act as an unusual way of removing carbon from the atmosphere.

In a paper published by the Royal Society, the researchers – headed by Trish Lavery of Flinders University – estimate the whales effectively remove about 240,000 tonnes more carbon than they produce, due to defecating about 50 tonnes of iron into the zone where photosynthesis occurs.

That stimulates phytoplankton to grow and trap carbon in the deep ocean.

As Rush Limbaugh has said, the best way to save endangered species is to eat them. That is, if you increase the demand for the animals, entrepreneurs will begin raising them in such great numbers that they will no longer be endangered.

Combine Lavery’s theory with Limbaugh’s theory and you’ll see that killing the whales will not only save the planet, it will save the whales. It will kill two birds with one stone. Or in this case, one harpoon.

H/T: Andrew Bolt

Obama halts sand berm dredging in the Gulf because it’s bad for the environment. Or something.

The Obama administration has demanded that Governor Bobby Jindal stop dredging sand and building off-shore berms intended to keep the oil from reaching shore. The way we understand the government’s logic, stopping that juggernaut of black death from reaching shore just might be bad for the environment. The other option, allowing it to reach shore, is apparently considered better for the environment

bobby-jindal-points-finger
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal points the finger of blame directly at the Obama administration

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water, the government is at it again.

The Obama administration has demanded that Governor Bobby Jindal stop dredging sand and building off-shore berms intended to keep the oil from reaching shore. The way we understand the government’s logic, stopping that juggernaut of black death from reaching shore just might be bad for the environment. The other option, allowing it to reach shore, is apparently considered better for the environment

According to New Orleans’ NBC affiliate WDSU:

The federal government is shutting down the dredging that was being done to create protective sand berms in the Gulf of Mexico.

The berms are meant to protect the Louisiana coastline from oil. But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department has concerns about where the dredging is being done.

At this point it becomes apparent that ineptitude can only account for part of the President’s lack of actions to save the Gulf Coast. When the administration actively seeks to prohibit measures that could save the coast, it’s clear that some other motivation is at work.

Obviously, Obama hates American people.

Now if we could only get Kanye West to spread the word.

Source: WDSU.com

Al Gore Sex Scandal: Four words we never thought we’d see in the same sentence

The news of an Al Gore sex scandal broke hot and heavy yesterday afternoon. Even hotter and heavier, apparently, than the action in Al Gore’s Portland hotel room.

al gore massage sex scandal
Saving the world from global warming is hard work. Your muscles get tense. You need relief. Special relief, if you know what we mean.

The news of an Al Gore sex scandal broke hot and heavy yesterday afternoon. Even hotter and heavier, apparently, than the action in Al Gore’s Portland hotel room.

First the National Enquirer broke this story:

ENQUIRER WORLD EXCLUSIVE: AL GORE has been accused of sexually attacking a masseuse in Portland, Oregon – and is named in the official police report about the alleged assault, The ENQUIRER has learned exclusively!

The bombshell story will appear in the new issue of The ENQUIRER and will include the secret police documents, a photo of the woman making the stunning charges and will reveal the shocking details about the pants she saved as evidence!

Our investigative team uncovered the amazing story just weeks after the former Vice President announced that he and wife TIPPER were ending their 40-year marriage – amidst reports she suspected her husband was involved with “a gorgeous massage therapist.”

We have verified the 62-year-old former VP was in Portland at the time of the alleged incident – Oct. 24, 2006 – and we saw the $540 massage bill.

If you’re not inclined to believe the Enquirer, despite its record of breaking sex scandal stories, maybe you’ll believe the Portland Police Department.

The Oregonian verified the Enquirer’s story with this item:

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office confirmed today that a woman who alleged unwanted sexual contact by Al Gore reported it to police in 2006, and the prosecutor’s office was briefed by the Portland Police Bureau in late 2006 and January 2007.

“We were told the woman was not willing to be interviewed by the Portland Police Bureau and did not want a criminal investigation to proceed,’’ Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schrunk said, in a prepared statement.

Can you imagine how perfect this story will be if the masseuse was wearing a blue dress and there’s DNA involved.

Source: National Enquirer, Oregonian

Obama won’t bring oil skimmers to Florida from other parts of the country because they might need them for oil spills that haven’t happened yet

Florida Senator George LeMieux told President Obama that he’s concerned because there are only 20 oil skimmers ready for action in Florida while 2,000 others site idle in other parts of the country.

“I’m concerned” is a multipurpose phrase politicians use as a substitute for everything from “I’m pissed” to “I don’t really know anything about that subject.” In the case of Florida Senator George LeMieux, it means the former.

He told President Obama that he’s concerned because there are only 20 oil skimmers ready for action in Florida while 2,000 others site idle in other parts of the country.

As LeMieux tells the story, “He said to me, some of these skimmers from other places in the country we can’t take because they may need them for an oil spill.”

The Smartest President In History.

It’s not Bush’s fault: No one overseeing Deepwater Horizon was appointed by Bush

Nancy Pelosi blamed the Gusher in the Gulf on George Bush. But, no one overseeing Deepwater Horizon was appointed by Bush.

nancy-pelosi-bushs-fault
Nancy Pelosi stretches the truth again

“It’s Bush’s fault. It’s Bush’s fault. It’s Bush’s fault.” Are you as tired of hearing those words as we are?

For example, TalkRadioNews.com reported that Nancy Pelosi blamed the Gusher in the Gulf on the former president a few weeks ago.

“Many of the people appointed in the Bush administration are still burrowed in the agencies that are supposed to oversee the [oil] industry,” Pelosi said when asked if Democrats could have prevented or mitigated the crisis by keeping a closer watch on the industry.

Facts are such annoying things. Luckily, one news organization did what the liberal media hasn’t done, which is to conduct a little research to find out if Pelosi’s accusation is true. Try not to be too shocked when we tell you that Pelosi was lying.

The Washington Examiner reveals the results of its research:

The Washington Examiner has obtained biographic information on the MMS officials responsible for overseeing BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig at the time it exploded, from the Gulf Region Director to the last inspector to set foot on the rig. Most of these federal employees started with the agency decades ago. Not one was a presidential appointment of George W. Bush, although one longtime MMS employee in question was promoted to his current position during the Bush Administration.

We live in a very strange world where oil companies aren’t permitted to drill and news organizations apparently aren’t allowed to dig.

Source: WashingtonExaminer.com, TalkRadioNews.com

Racist South Carolina Republicans somehow tricked into nominating black candidate

Just wait until those racist South Carolina Republicans find out they nominated a black man as their candidate in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. Why they must be as dumb as the South Carolina Democrats who nominated Alvin Greene.

Just wait until those racist South Carolina Republicans find out they nominated a black man as their candidate in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. Why they must be as dumb as the South Carolina Democrats who nominated Alvin Greene.

What’s that? They knew Tim Scott was black and they nominated him anyway? Hmmmm. This does not fit the liberal narrative. Not at all.

The Associated Press has details guaranteed to boggle the minds of liberals across the fruited plain:

Continue reading “Racist South Carolina Republicans somehow tricked into nominating black candidate”

Putting the “O” in ego: Obama wanted autographed copy of New Yorker that shows him walking on water

David Axelrod called the editor of New Yorker magazine to request a copy of the February 1 cover of the magazine, the one that showed Obama walking on water. And not just any copy of the February 1 cover, but one that had been autographed by artist Barry Blitt.

obama new yorker cover

Perhaps they can plug the hole in the Gulf with Obama’s ego. It’s certainly appears to be big enough to do the job.

We say that because it’s come out that White House advisor David Axelrod called the editor of New Yorker magazine to request a copy of the February 1 cover of the magazine, the one that showed Obama walking on water. And not just any copy of the February 1 cover, but one that had been autographed by artist Barry Blitt.

New Yorker editor David Remnick told the story to Howard Kurtz on CNN’s “Reliable Sources”:

Continue reading “Putting the “O” in ego: Obama wanted autographed copy of New Yorker that shows him walking on water”

Obama says “Let’s keep spending.” Merkel says, “Nein”

Barack Obama sent a letter to leaders of the G-20 nations urging them to keep the printing presses running overtime so they can continue their crazy Keynesian spending spree. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said “Ain’t gonna happen.” Of course, she said it in German, so that may be a rough translation.

angela merkel says no spending obama
German Chancellor Angela Merkel looks askance at Barack Obama's discredited Keynesian economics

Barack Obama sent a letter to leaders of the G-20 nations urging them to keep the printing presses running overtime so they can continue their crazy Keynesian spending spree. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said “Ain’t gonna happen.” Of course, she said it in German, so that may be a rough translation.

Germany’s English language newspaper
The Local reports:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel directly contradicted US President Barack Obama on Saturday, saying spending cutbacks were now needed following the spate of throwing money at the global economic crisis.

Referring to the G20 summit in Canada next weekend, Merkel said in a videotaped message that “we are going to discuss when to quit the phase of short-term measures and go on to lasting budget consolidation.”

Such a move was “urgently necessary, in the view of the Europeans and particularly of Germany,” she said.

Obama urged the world’s leading economies Friday to avoid scaling back government spending too quickly or risk derailing the global recovery.

“We worked exceptionally hard to restore growth; we cannot falter or lose strength now,” Obama said in a letter to G20 leaders ahead of a June 26-27 summit in Toronto.

“Our highest priority in Toronto must be to safeguard and strengthen the recovery,” Obama said in the letter dated June 16, but released Friday amid concerns about the pace of the global recovery.

“She said nine,” Joe Biden whispered to Obama. “I think she’s going to spend nine times as much next year just like we are.”

Source: The Local

How can a guy who plays so much golf have such a horrible swing?

Obama plays golf about every week. So, how could someone who plays that much have such a horrible swing? Here is a video analysis of President Obama’s golf swing.

Our friends at IOwnTheWorld.com (we’ve traded emails with them and in today’s digital world that’s what’s called a deep, meaningful relationship) put out this hilarious video analysis of President Obama’s golf swing.

To summarize: Keep your eye on the ball, maintain your balance, keep your legs slightly bent, keep your hands slightly in front of the ball upon impact, hold on to your cell phone.

Source: IOwnTheWorld.com

Barack Obama Parkway. Proof that the road to hell is paved with stimulus dollars.

Barack Obama Parkway. That’s what the city fathers of Orlando, Florida have decided to name the city’s newest road.

barack obama parkway
We assume that Orlando's Barack Obama Parkway leads directly to FantasyLand

Barack Obama Parkway. That’s what the city fathers of Orlando, Florida have decided to name the city’s newest road.

We assume it’s a toll road on which you drive for free, but your children and grandchildren will have to pay dearly. We also assume you can only get on the road by making a sharp left turn.

Central Florida News has the story:

On Friday, Orlando leaders made President Barack Obama Parkway the first road under construction in the nation named after our 44th president, and surely one of the few in history to be named after a sitting president in his first term.

“I think it’s great if people want to support their presidential candidate, but I think it’s a little soon,” said Orlando resident Karey Graham.

“You don’t have to be dead to be honored,” said Charles Sledge from Orlando. “We need to honor people while they are living.”

While some might find the name controversial, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said the benefits of the road are undeniable.

“Building these reliever roads is important for people being able to get to work or home and being able to save 10 minutes they can spend with their families. In this particular area John Young (Parkway), Kirkman (Road), I-4 always have congestion,” Dyer said.

Construction of the road will undoubtedly delayed when liberals accuse the city fathers of racism for painting white lines on the road.

Source: Central Florida News

Idiot of the Day: Democrat rep asks General Petraeus if Afghanistan bases use renewable energy

War is simple to Republicans. Kill the bad guys, help the good guys, win the war. But as Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) demonstrates, Democrats have other concerns, more nuanced concerns, more sophisticated concerns. Like whether we’re fighting a green war.

If this doesn’t define the difference between Republicans and Democrats, nothing does.

War is simple to Republicans. Kill the bad guys, help the good guys, win the war. But as Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) demonstrates, Democrats have other concerns, more nuanced concerns, more sophisticated concerns. Like whether we’re fighting a green war.

Giffords actually asked General Petraeus if, in light of the BP oil spill, the military is going to start using renewable energy at our Afghanistan bases to reduce the need for oil.

Even a cool, calm customer like Petraeus found himself at a loss for words.

Congresswoman Giffords, we salute you. You are the official IHateTheMedia.com Idiot of the Day.

H/T: Cubachi.com

Golf is good for the President, damn it. And what’s good for Barack Obama is good for America.

White House spokesman Bill Burton stood before the press on Monday and defended President Obama’s obsession with golf.

White House spokesman Bill Burton stood before the press on Monday and defended President Obama’s obsession with golf. We assume that Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, “Even I can’t go out there with a straight face and defend this one. Bill, time for you to step up to the big podium.”

The Hill reports the President’s efforts to plug the 18 damn holes:

White House spokesman Bill Burton on Monday said the president deserves some time to relax, and he doesn’t “think that there’s a person in this country that doesn’t think that their president ought to have a little time to clear his mind.”

During the weekend, Obama played the 39th round of golf of his presidency, according to reports.

White House reporters joke among themselves about who might get stuck with weekend pool duty, which seems more likely than not to include a few hours sitting at the food court near either Andrews Air Force Base or Fort Belvoir while Obama hits the links.

But Burton dismissed Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele’s criticism that Obama should stay away from the links.

Speaking at the daily White House briefing, Burton said Obama needs some time to himself after dealing with the business of his office.

Yes, the President needs time to himself. Well, himself and the other three guys in his foursome, that is. For the country’s sake, we hope he gets a lot of time to himself beginning in January, 2013.

Source: The Hill

Trading scandal erupts on Wall Street Michigan Avenue

Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff, traded favors with disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich like two kids trade baseball cards. “I’ll give you two A-Rods and a Derek Jeter for a $2,000,000 school grant.”

rahm emanuel rod blagojevich
Batman and Robin, Lone Ranger and Tonto, Rahm and Rod

Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff, traded favors with disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich like two kids trade baseball cards. “I’ll give you two A-Rods and a Derek Jeter for a $2,000,000 school grant.”

NBC Chicago has the decidedly dirty details:

President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, then a congressman in Illinois, apparently attempted to trade favors with embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich while he was in office, according to newly disclosed e-mails obtained by The Associated Press.

Emanuel agreed to sign a letter to the Chicago Tribune supporting Blagojevich in the face of a scathing editorial by the newspaper that ridiculed the governor for self-promotion. Within hours, Emanuel’s own staff asked for a favor of its own: The release of a delayed $2 million grant to a school in his district.

The 2006 discussion occured with Blagojevich’s top aide, Deputy Gov. Bradley Tusk, and doesn’t appear to cross legal lines; Emanuel couldn’t speed up the distribution of the funds. But it offers a peek at ties between two high-profile Illinois politicians — one now the president’s right-hand man, the other facing years in prison if convicted of political corruption.

Anybody wanna bet that Emanuel’s name comes up more than once in Blogojevich’s corruption trial?

Source: NBC Chicago

Obama names Ray Mabus as Gulf Spill Czar, clearing way for Joe Sestak to become Secretary of the Navy

Aha, Mr. President! You’re a pretty clever guy, graduating from Columbia and Harvard and all, but you have to get up pretty early in the a.m. to fool the boys at IHateTheMedia.com.

secretary-navy-ray-mabus
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus is tightlipped about is new, part time job.

Aha, Mr. President! You’re a pretty clever guy, graduating from Columbia and Harvard and all, but you have to get up pretty early in the a.m. to fool the boys at IHateTheMedia.com.

You gave Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus a new part time job as your Oil Spill Czar, but we see this clever ploy for what it really is – a way to move Mabus out of the way so Joe Sestak can finally be given that Secretary of the Navy job you promised him.

The Associated Press has the devious details:

President Barack Obama’s point man charting a new future for the oil-poisoned Gulf Coast will do the job part-time. Some environmentalists said the job demands someone’s full attention.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who oversees 900,000 Navy and Marine personnel, is inheriting an amorphous second job as the Obama administration’s leader of long-term environmental and economic planning. His task is no less than rebuilding a region still suffering afterHurricane Katrina and beset by decades of environmental problems.

Mabus won’t resign from his Navy job. When President George W. Bush picked Donald Powell to lead the recovery after Hurricane Katrina, Powell resigned as head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

“The president talked to the governor about this, and they both agreed that he had the ability to do both,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday after Mabus met with Obama at the White House.

Mabus, a proven multi-tasker, will also find time to wash Rahm Emanuel’s car and pick up Robert Gibb’s dry cleaning. Because, you know, running the world’s largest navy and cleaning up the nation’s worst environmental disaster are just part time jobs.

H/T: ABC News

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