South Dakota Politics

Jack, We Hardly Knew Ya

Jack Murtha is taking a beating in the right-wing press today.  See this tidbit from Robert Novak:

I had forgotten that federal prosecutors designated him an unindicted co-conspirator in the Abscam investigation 26 years ago. I was reminded of it after Murtha became a candidate for majority leader, not by a Republican hit man but a Democratic former colleague in the House. In a long political career, Murtha has made bitter enemies inside his party who are alarmed by his new stature.

There is more on Murtha's ethics from Powerline, and Powerline also reproduces a column by Jack Kelly.  Highlight:

Mr. Murtha's howlers about Okinawa obscured a more revealing comment he made earlier on CNN. He cited President Clinton's abrupt withdrawal from Somalia after 19 Rangers were killed there in 1993 as an example of the policy the U.S. should follow in Iraq.

Osama bin Laden gave the "change in direction" in Somalia Mr. Murtha applauds as the chief reason why he thought al Qaida could strike the United States with impunity.

"After a few blows... (the U.S.) rushed out of Somalia in shame and disgrace, dragging the bodies of its soldiers," Mr. bin Laden told ABC's John Miller in a 1998 interview.

Surely there are better anti-war arguments than Murtha's, and surely more credible spokesmen.  Read all of Novak's piece and you'll see many Democrats are worried about Murtha's rise to prominence. 

Things Are Looking Up

South Dakota ranks #1 in the nation in perrsonal income growth for the first quarter of 2006. 

Foggy Mountains

Here are couple photos from our Smokey Mountain treak:

A Tale of Two Blogs on California Prop. 82

I posted a note on the road about the defeat of Prop. 82 in California.  Chad at CCK took a swing at me over that, and my colleague Professor Schaff responded in my stead.  Looking back on it, I think it is a fair taste of what our two blogs have to offer.  So you can review it here:

1.  My Original Post of Prop. 82.
2.  My Post on the Defeat of Prop. 82.
3.  Chad's comment, and a CCK reader's endorsement of eugenics.
4.  Professor Schaff's Response.
5.  Some toilet stall rhetoric from CCK's readers.

Professor Schaff's defense is so strong that I have little to add, and I hesitate to add it for fear I will ruin the force of his argument.  But into the breech I go: Professor Schaff is correct that I took no position on pre-schooling, or whether or not a state should guarantee it to all children.  I will confess that I don't know enough about the issue to take a stand, though I am surely not opposed to preschool education.  I think that Proposition 82 was horrifically bad because it was clearly engineered to turn Rob Reiner Inc. into a shadow government in California.  I think this also shows what is wrong with the initiative process.

So far as I can tell, neither Chad nor his readers said anything concerning this question.  There was some serious discussion of the importance of pre-school education, but again I took no position on that.  But there was a lot more personal invective against me based on the idea that I had taken such a position.  Its the personal stuff that stirs these folks blood. 

A couple comments in particular stand out.  Dawnne says:

these particular professors at NSU should be sticken from the genetic pool. the types of people they would promote into adulthood are exactly the types of people that are wrong with our country.

So Dawnne is in favor of eugenics!  Eliminate from the gene pool people who say things she disagrees with.  Well, at least she is frank.  And then there is our old friend Silas:

SDP is to political discourse what outhouse walls are to constructive culture. If it was treated in the manner it deserves, it would receive little attention from those other than the neo-nazis and the retro-cretins.

I submit that a review of the posts listed above will show that SDP presents thoughtful arguments on serious issues.  Equally thoughtful and well-meaning folk may disagree.  We may be wrong, and if we are, anyone is invited to show us where and how.  But it is clear that Silas isn't interested in argument.  He is flamboyantly intolerant, and so full of spite it's a wonder his lungs have room for air.  It is clear from the above exchange that it is Silas that is sitting in the stall with his pants around his ankles, scribbling furiously with a sharpy on the wall. 

Campaign Finance Reform v. Free Speech

I have long been opposed to nearly all forms of campaign finance reform on the grounds that such regulations threaten freedom of speech and of the press.  Alert reader Donna alerts us to an article from the Radio Equalizer.  RE, draws on National Review, which in turn cites an article from the Seattle Times.  Here's the gist:

The state Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday on a case that has drawn national attention from groups that say the free-speech rights of talk-radio hosts and other commentators are being trampled.

At the center of the dispute are John Carlson and Kirby Wilbur, conservative talk-radio hosts for KVI who last spring ran an extensive on-air campaign for an initiative to overturn the biggest gas-tax increase in state history.

The initiative ultimately failed. But the legal fight over the anti-gas-tax crusade could set new boundaries for talk-radio hosts and determine at what point political speech becomes political advertising that can be regulated by the government.

Groups ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, oppose a lower court ruling that Carlson's and Wilbur's talk-radio campaign amounted to an in-kind political contribution to the gas-tax opponents.

In other words, two talk show hosts are in effect required to get a license from the government in order to conduct what amounted to an on-the-air campaign for an anti-tax initiative.  That is a clear threat to freedom of the press. 

Of course the other side believes it is carrying the flag of righteousness. 

The government lawyers who brought the case say reversing the ruling could open the door for powerful media corporations to become "king makers" by mounting unregulated political campaigns.

"In this case there was no limitation on anyone's right to speak," Mike Vaska, a Seattle attorney who represents four municipalities in the appeal, said in an interview this week. "The only requirement that came out of the case was that the people be informed about who was funding the campaign."

The case stems from a lawsuit filed by San Juan County and the cities of Seattle, Auburn and Kent last year against Nonewgastax.com, the group backing Initiative 912, which was aimed at repealing a new 9.5-cent gasoline-tax increase.

Carlson and Wilbur promoted the initiative vigorously on KVI, asking listeners to collect signatures and donate money to the effort. Many of their on-air remarks suggested they were launching the initiative.

Last year, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Chris Wickham ordered that the I-912 committee had to disclose the on-air pitches as in-kind contributions from Fisher Communications, which owns KVI.

The I-912 campaign filed a countersuit, accusing the municipalities of infringing on the radio hosts' First Amendment rights. But Wickham dismissed the counterclaim, saying that Wilbur's and Carlson's close ties to the initiative rendered their on-air solicitations political contributions.

Of course its true that the two talk show hosts can be viewed as agents of larger interests: the campaign organization as well as the firm that owns the radio channel.  But that is precisely the problem.  Political activists are very prone to believe that opposing voices must be in the pocket of some sinister conspiracy.  I have frequently been accused of being an agent of the Thune organization, despite the fact that no one ever tells me what to blog or what not to blog, or pays me a cent for doing the one or the other. 

Control of the means of speech can be a very effective way of controlling speech.  If you don't believe me, ask Google and the Chinese government.  I expect that the lower court ruling will be overturned.  I rather hope that this ruling goes all the way to the top.  It might compel the Supreme Court to do its job on campaign finance reform.  I expect the court to side with Carlson and Wilbur.

Abortion Vote

Glenn Reynolds:

South Dakota is trying something novel on abortion -- asking the voters what they think.

South Dakota's legislators voted an extensive ban on abortions, one sure to be unconstitutional under current Supreme Court caselaw. Their hope was to provoke a challenge in the United States Supreme Court, which they thought might overturn Roe v. Wade.

Pro-choice activists then tried something different.  Instead of going to court, they got the issue put to a referendum, and South Dakota's voters will get a chance to weigh in come November.

I think Roe v. Wade was properly decided -- though, like most law professors, it's a matter of professional pride with me to say that I could have done a better job writing the opinion, but I also think that it's too bad the Supreme Court visited the issue so soon.  States were overturning old anti-abortion laws already, and the Roe decision had the effect of shutting down the political process before it reached a solution.

That's too bad, and I'm kind of glad to see the issue go to a vote in South Dakota.  The outcome may just surprise those legislators.

Chemical Weapons in Iraq?

Austin Bay has a huge roundup of reports.  According to Senator Rick Santorum, coalition investigators in Iraq found chemical weapons: artillery shells filled with a chemical agent.  Santorum hasn't released the full documentation yet, so full details haven't been disclosed.  As of now, it doesn't appear that the press wire has picked up on the story (other than a segment run by Fox News earlier today) but CNS does have a write-up on it.

You can read the document here (pdf alert). 

UPDATE:  Rick Santorum is talking about the revelation right now on Hannity & Colmes.

UPDATE II:  Michelle Malkin has more.

UPDATE III:  Sioux Falls blogger Jay Reding has more observations.

UPDATE IV:  The first wire report comes from Fox News:

Hoekstra and Santorum lamented that Americans were given the impression after a 16-month search conducted by the Iraq Survey Group that the evidence of continuing research and development of weapons of mass destruction was insignificant. But the National Ground Intelligence Center took up where the ISG left off when it completed its report in November 2004, and in the process of collecting intelligence for the purpose of force protection for soldiers and sailors still on the ground in Iraq, has shown that the weapons inspections were incomplete, they and others have said.

"We know it was there, in place, it just wasn't operative when inspectors got there after the war, but we know what the inspectors found from talking with the scientists in Iraq that it could have been cranked up immediately, and that's what Saddam had planned to do if the sanctions against Iraq had halted and they were certainly headed in that direction," said Fred Barnes, editor of The Weekly Standard and a FOX News contributor.

DME

Here's an article which explains how the proposed DME railroad expansion, which Senator Daschle and Governor Janklow oppose, will help solve the energy crunch and create competition in transportation, not to mention give big boost to South Dakota's economy:

Poor service and high shipping rates charged by the nation's railroads are pushing up the cost of everything from electricity to paint, say critics who are waging an all-out blitz on Congress this year to rein in the railroads. 

...

The Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad is planning to rebuild its line from Wyoming's Powder River Basin coal region through South Dakota and Minnesota to haul coal to the Midwest and parts east.

"Certainly, the DM&E extension through South Dakota will facilitate the shipments of a variety of different goods," said Gary Hanson, commissioner with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission. Hanson said there currently isn't enough rail to carry coal shipments along with the increased demand to ship other goods.

"With the increased rail lines, it will relieve the pressure on rail limitations on carrying other goods," he said.

The estimated $2.5 billion project went through eight years of regulatory assessments and has reached agreements with nearly all of the towns the line will travel through.

In March, coal supplies at one of Basin Electric's three coal-fired power plants dwindled to a three-day supply, Robb said. Since then, the plant's supply has rebounded to 30 days' worth of coal after the company took the plant out of service for six weeks of maintenance, Robb said. The plant is served by only one railroad - the Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

District 3 News

Dave Newquist, a District 3 candidate himself, has an enlightening post on the aborted love affair between defeated Republican Senate incumbent Duane Sutton and the Democratic Party. 

Sahr

Note that the Rapid City Journal says they didn't want to "fire the rumor mill" on the Bob Sahr matter by running stories about "rumors," but that didn't stop the Argus Leader and Dave Kranz from firing away.

Bad News For Republicans

This chart lists the approval ratings of all 100 US Senators.  You'll see that at or near the bottom of the list are three Republicans up for re-election: Rick Santorum (PA), Conrad Burns (MT) and Mike Dewine (OH). 

The South Dakota numbers are not a surprise. John Thune is at a healthy 57% approval despite organized attempt to compare him to the devil, and Tim Johnson is at a very healthy 65%. 

Billion Chooses

It's...Eric Abrahamson? 

PIERRE, S.D. - Jack Billion, Democratic candidate for South Dakota governor, has selected Rapid City businessman and author Eric Abrahamson as his running mate.

Abrahamson, 49, is chairman of the state Library Board and is a member of the Rapid City School Board. He owns a consulting firm in Rapid City.

Billion planned to announce his running mate at stops in Rapid City and Sioux Falls on Wednesday.

Abrahamson has a wealth of business experience and great communications skills, Billion said.

The two Democrats will compete in the general election against Republican Gov. Mike Rounds and Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard.

Abrahamson "has also proven that he can attract Democrats, Republicans and Independents through his election last year to the Rapid City School Board. He has demonstrated tremendous public service through his work on state and local library boards," Billion said in a release.

Billion's Running Mate

Governor's race update:

BILLION TO ANNOUNCE RUNNING MATE WEDNESDAY

SIOUX FALLS—South Dakota Democratic candidate for governor Jack Billion will hold a press conference Wednesday at 9 a.m. MDT at the Hoyt Room of the Rapid City Public Library, 610 Quincy St., in Rapid City to announce the selection of his running mate for lieutenant governor. The lieutenant governor candidate will be in attendance.

Dr. Billion will hold another press conference with the lt. governor candidate later Wednesday at 5 p.m. CDT at the Oak View Branch of the Siouxland Library System, 3700 E. 3rd St., Sioux Falls (near Washington High School).

Traveling and the Joy of Podcasting

In reply to Professor Schaff's post below, I am recording Deadwood (I sincerely hope!); however, its on a DVR machine so he will have to come over to watch it.  That's okay so long as he brings beer and doesn't talk much.  I am still in the Twin Cities as I write, having spent the day with my family at Valley Fair.  Pictures will be available soon.

While traveling I have gotten more than my money's worth from podcasting, which wasn't hard since it doesn't cost anything.  For those of you who don't know, if you have itunes on your computer, or another podcast client, you can subscribe to various sites.  At regular intervals, audio files will be downloaded to your itunes program.  These can be easily loaded onto your ipod.  I am now a proud ipod owner, having won an ipod shuffle (the smallest of the species) in a Radisson Hotel giveaway.  I picked the ipod up on my way to Arkansas, but didn't have much music to put on it.  So I subscribed to several jazz podcasts, including Red Jazz, and In the Groove:

http://redjazz.com/;
http://www.lasternet.com/inthegroove/index.html;

It took me about twenty minutes in my Wi Fi hotel room to put ten hours of music on the ipod.  I also burned a few CD's for the road.  This is what I call progress.

Bob Sahr and the Argus Leader

SD War College is not happy with the Argus Leader and Dave Kranz for helping knock down another Republican office-holder based on rumors:

Who are these multitudes of nameless people? And why, apparently, do they only talk to the Argus Leader, since the mystery letter went to literally every political reporter in the state.

So far, we've got Dave reporting on it, and he's the only one reporting on it. And a select few offering comment in response to his inquries. This is all on a story that no one else will touch because of the anonymous allegations. So far, we don't have an accuser, nor has anyone been named as a subject of investigation. But, according to Dave, there's a story there.

On that whole subject, we're getting down to the wire on the convention, and this is going to be what people are discussing once they get there. There's going to be talk - let's just hope it stays within the realm of proven reality and doesn't wander off into the realm of fantasyland.

I'd like to hear what the candidate (or candidates if John Koskan pulls the trigger as Kranz is reporting) have to say on this, but more importantly, I think the delegates want to hear sincerity and leadership, and truth.

Not a version of reality or knee-jerk responses as driven by the Argus Leader.

McGovern: Daschle Should Run for President

From the Associated Press:

Former U.S. senator and presidential candidate George McGovern said he's encouraged Tom Daschle to run for president in 2008.

McGovern said he offered encouragement to Daschle over dinner "some months ago" in Washington, D.C.

McGovern, 83, lost the 1972 presidential election to Richard Nixon. Eight years later he lost his U.S. Senate re-election bid to Republican Jim Abdnor.

Daschle, defeated by Republican John Thune in his 2004 re-election bid to the U.S. Senate, says he is considering seeking the Democratic nomination for president in two years.

He recently visited early primary states New Hampshire and Iowa and said he will make a decision by the end of the year.

"I think he's a very credible candidate, he's a very good man," McGovern said of Daschle.

"I have a high regard for him and he's a talented political leader. I think that he can have a shot."

McGovern, who lives in Mitchell, said he expects 10 to 12 people to run for the Democratic nomination, and that Daschle has "as good a chance as anyone."

McGovern said he thinks the war in Iraq will be a crucial issue in the 2008 campaign, much as McGovern's opposition to the Vietnam War was an issue in his 1972 campaign.

"I don't see how anybody could now be elected president who supports the war in Iraq," McGovern said. "If you are to run on a platform that the war was a good idea and what we need is more troops, I think you'd be disastrously defeated, and deservedly so."

McGovern carried only Massachusetts in the 1972 election.

"That was the biggest surprise to me in '72, that I didn't carry my home state," McGovern said.

Goings On In the GOP and Democratic Parties

This Kranz column offers a lot of innuendo and no facts about Bob Sahr.  It also includes this tidbit:

When state Sen. Duane Sutton of Aberdeen lost his job in the June 6 primary, he entertained the thought of running for the job as a Democrat. But now he says he decided against it.

Someone losing a primary cannot switch to independent and run, but Secretary of State Chris Nelson says it is permissible to switch parties and be that party's replacement candidate, though. That's what Sutton would have done.

Instead, Brown County Democrats will have Ted Kneebone, their Senate nominee, replace a House candidate and have someone else run against Republican Isaac Latterell.

I happened to predict this turn of events to Mr. Latterell when we chatted a couple weeks ago.  My understanding is that Mr. Kneebone did not want to run for Senate in the first place and was not planning on campaigning hard at all.  So the Dems will replace him with someone who will.  Any guesses?  I predict current House candidate Tom Black (although I am not sure on the rules regarding all of this). 

By the way, after chatting with Mr. Latterell, I am convinced he is a serious and hard working man who will do the 3ed District proud. 

Sahr Is Out

Here is a statement:

STATEMENT OF BOB SAHR

Numerous rumors in the form of personal attacks against me have
circulated throughout the state in recent days.  This has been very
painful for my family and me.

The rumors are untrue.  I look forward to the legal opportunity to prove
that these rumors are untrue, but it would be very difficult to be a
candidate for public office while doing so.

In light of this reality, and to give the Republican Party an
opportunity to pick another candidate, I am announcing that I will not
seek the Public Utilities Commission nomination at the Republican Party
Convention this week.

I thank my supporters for all their help over the years.  I will finish
the remainder of my term as Public Utilities Commissioner for which I
was elected to serve by the people of this great state of South Dakota.

Connie Chung: American Idol

This is the worst thing I have seen on TV since every episode of Full House.  HT, NLT.

On The Ballot

The repeal of South Dakota's abortion bill has made the ballot.  Prediction: all sides lose sanity quickly. 

Reading this Chet Brokaw AP piece, one must chuckle at the Alan Guttmacher Institute being called a "reproductive rights organization."  Another accurate description could read "the research wing of Planned Parenthood, the nation's leading abortion provider."  The latter description might add useful perspective. 

Go West Young Man

Greetings from the American West.  Boise, Idaho to be specific.  Once again I find the American West awe inspiring.  The last time I made this drive we took the "northern route" through Montana.  This time we went through Wyoming.  That included a brief stop in the Black Hills and a homage to Deadwood (The worst thing about this trip is I am missing my favorite TV show.  Prof. Blanchard, do you think you could record it for me?).  While in Deadwood we found out that Rev. Smith was a real man who did not die the way he does on the show, although, interestingly, he did die the same month as Bill Hickok and shortly after the arrival of Seth Bullock and Sol Star to Deadwood.  The last time I was in Deadwood was three years ago.  It was fun to be back after watching the series and being able to piece some thngs together.  One thing is for sure, I have a lot more respect for Seth Bullock, who three years ago was "Seth who?" 

I also highly recommend Cody, WY.  We didn't get to spend much time there, but I am eager for a return visit.  It is in a beautiful area with lots to do and see.  When you go, stop off here for a good breakfast and see a bar donated by Queen Victoria. 

Faithful readers will recall that my digital camera met its maker in a Minnesota river a few weeks back. It has not been replaced yet.  But stay tuned because pictures of the American West are on the way.  They just need to be developed (how quaint). 

Next week Prof. Blanchard will join me in Boise. We will do a week long seminar on the role of judicial review in American history, although given the fact that we have never publicly backed guaranteed pre-school it is hard to see how our views on Cooper v. Aaron are valid. 

By the way, I see the Minnesota Twins are on fire. 

All Eyes on South Dakota

The current issue of the New Yorker has as a report by Cythia Gorney on South Dakota's abortion ban.  I just bought it off the shelf at Barnes and Noble, and haven't had time to read it yet.  You can find an online companion piece here.  It seems to be one of those: "both sides will rue the day" sort of things.  Anyway, SD has gotten more than its fifteen minutes of fame lately.

Fund

John Fund in the Wall Street Journal looks at the Democrats' problems with the war.  Excerpt:

During last week's congressional debate over the war in Iraq, critics of the Bush administration's policy made three arguments: that President Bush more or less lied when claiming Saddam Hussein was a threat to the U.S., there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and that no progress is being made in the war there.

All three assumptions rest on shaky ground, so it is remarkable how much critics have seized on them with such fervor and certainty--the very vices of which they accuse the war's supporters. Indeed, one wonders how Democrats would react if real evidence of weapons of mass destruction, say the discovery of chemical weapon shells, surfaced. Would they step back and re-evaluate their assumptions, or would they accuse the Bush administration of planting the evidence as part of a Karl Rove-inspired pre-election dirty trick? Far from politics ending at the water's edge, today's partisan battles seem to take on added ferocity when they concern foreign policy.

Let's examine the three assumptions critics of Mr. Bush's Iraq policy make.

Read the rest.

Abortion Ban

The abortion ban will be sent to a vote.  Argus Leader excerpt:

Opponents of South Dakota’s new law banning nearly all abortions will have their chance to vote on the issue.

Secretary of State Chris Nelson said today that a petition to refer the law to a public vote has sufficient signatures to put the measure on the November election ballot.

The ban, passed by the 2006 Legislature and signed by Gov. Mike Rounds on March 6, was slated to become law July 1.

The successful petition drive puts the law on hold until after November’s vote.

Voters who favor the ban will vote yes, while those who oppose it will vote no.

Third Party

Argus Leader:

South Dakota's two third-party candidates for governor want an active part in campaign forums, and the major-party candidates say they're welcome to enter the fray.

For the second time in as many elections, South Dakota voters will have four choices for governor.

Conventional political wisdom holds that the third-party candidates have little chance of winning, but Republican Gov. Mike Rounds and Democrat nominee Jack Billion say a third-party voice can add to public conversations.

"I think everyone should have a voice,'' Billion said. "I suppose sometimes they could muddy the waters a little when you might want a straight one-on-one with your main opponent. But they deserve a place in the process.''

Rounds was one of seven candidates to start the primary nomination process four years ago.

He says his experience with debates during that time, as well as in the general-election campaign, when he ran against Democrat Jim Abbott, Libertarian Nathan Barton and independent James Carlson, convinces him the lesser-known candidates bring unique views to policy forums.

"Based on 2002, I thought it added to the discussion,'' Rounds said. "They come at it with a unique perspective, different ideas, different ways of looking at policies and problems. It adds to the conversation.''

Billion said in some cases, it's probably up to the organizers or sponsors of a forum whether the third-party candidates will participate. "But they should have the opportunity to be included in most of them.''

Steven Willis of Sioux Falls is running as a Constitution Party candidate this year.

Tom Gerber of Sturgis seeks the governor's office as a Libertarian Party candidate.

Both candidates say they intend to engage voters between now and the November election.

Republican Recovery on Iraq?

Joe Klein has this analysis of why the Democrats can't capitalize on public doubts about Bush and Iraq.

How is it possible—with 2,500 U.S. solders dead, no discernible progress on the ground and a solid majority of the public now agreeing that the war in Iraq was a mistake—for the Democrats to seem so bollixed about the war and for the President to seem so confident? A good part of it is flawed strategy. Democrats keep hoping that the elections can be framed as a referendum on the Bush policy, and Republicans keep reminding the public that elections are a choice, not a referendum. Last week, in the opening salvo of the 2006 congressional elections, Bush and Rove were reminding voters that the choice would be between the Democratic strategy of "cut and run" and the Republican war against Islamic "fascists," as the President called them. It was clear, yet again, that Bush and Rove would surf the complexities of the conflict for their political advantage. "See, Iraq is part of the global war on terror," the President said. "And if we fail in Iraq, it's going to embolden al-Qaeda types."

Iran

Hossein Khomeini, the grandson of the Ayatollah Khomeini that overthrew the Shah of Iran and established the Islamic Republic, wants the United States to invade Iran and establish a representative democracy to replace the mullahcracy his grandfather established:

The grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, the inspiration of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, has broken a three-year silence to back the United States military to overthrow the country's clerical regime.

Hossein Khomeini's call is all the more startling as he made it from Qom, the spiritual home of Iran's Shia strand of Islam, during an interview to mark the 17th anniversary of the ayatollah's death.

"My grandfather's revolution has devoured its children and has strayed from its course," he told Al-Arabiya, an Arabic-language television station. "I lived through the revolution and it called for freedom and democracy - but it has persecuted its leaders."

He also made clear his opposition to Teheran's alleged development of a secret nuclear weapons programme. "Iran will gain real power if freedom and democracy develop there," he said. "Strength will not be obtained through weapons and the bomb."

...

"As for his call to President Bush to come and occupy Iran, Hossein Khomeini explained that 'freedom must come to Iran in any possible way, whether through internal or external developments.

If you were a prisoner, what would you do? I want someone to break the prison [doors open]'."

Dem Agenda

Be sure to read Ed Morrissey's examination of the Democrat's new plan, "A New Direction for America."  Oddly enough, the plan never mentions al Qaeda, terrorism, or any aspect of national security.

UPDATE:  More bad news for the Democrats:

When registered voters polled were asked if they were more or less likely to vote for a candidate Bush supported, 47 percent said they were less likely, while only 27 percent said they were more likely. Twenty percent said it made no difference. The sampling error for the question was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

However, the poll showed that Democrats have so far not been able to capitalize on Bush's political difficulties.

When voters were asked which party would be their choice for Congress in November, 45 percent said Democrat and 38 percent Republican. Twelve percent were unsure. However, in May, Democrats captured 52 percent in the same generic ballot question, showing their support had dropped 7 points in a month.

Saddam-Taliban Connection

I just got back from a wedding in Minnesota, which explains my lack of blog posts today.  For now, note this from Fox News, which claims that a Saddam-Taliban connection exists based on captured Iraqi documents. 

In related War on Terror news, Time reports this:

Al-Qaeda terrorists came within 45 days of attacking the New York subway system with a lethal gas similar to that used in Nazi death camps. They were stopped not by any intelligence breakthrough, but by an order from Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman Zawahiri. And the U.S. learned of the plot from a CIA mole inside al-Qaeda.

...

The news left administration officials gathered in the White House with more questions than answers. Why was Ali cooperating? Why had Zawahiri called off the strike? Were the operatives planning to carry out the attack still in New York? "The CIA analysts attempted answers. Many of the questions were simply unanswerable."

One man who could answer them was al-Ayeri — but he was killed in a gun battle between Saudi security forces and al Qaeda militants, who had launched a mini insurrection to coincide with the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Suskind quotes a CIA operative as questioning whether it was an accident that the Saudis had killed the kingpin who could expose a cell planning a chemical weapons attack inside the U.S. "The Saudis just shrugged," the source tells Suskind. "They said their people got a little overzealous."

Ron Bailey on Al Gore

My colleague, Dr. Schaff, notes below the topic of Al Gore and Global Warming.  Ron Bailey at Reason has this on Gore's New Movie. 

I have long been a critic of former Vice-President Al Gore, but as a recent convert to the view that humanity is contributing significantly to the current increase in average global temperatures, I was trying to keep a somewhat open mind about his new global warming movie, An Inconvenient Truth.  . . .

Gore claims to be presenting the "scientific consensus" on global warming. But is that so?

Well, at least not always. Take sea level rise for example. Gore spends a lot of time talking about how dramatic melting of the Antarctic and Greenland ice caps that could raise sea level by 20 feet by 2100. He shows computer animated maps in which most of southern Florida, southern Manhattan, Shanghai, and Bangladesh are inundated. "Think of the impact of a couple hundred thousand refugees, and then imagine 100 million," says Gore. Of course his reference to the couple of hundred thousand refugees aims to evoke thoughts about the horrific experience of New Orleanians last year.

Well, the "consensus" of climate scientists as represented in the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is that sea level is likely to rise between 4 inches to 35 inches with a central value of 19 inches. Nineteen inches is not nothing and is 3 times greater than the sea level rise the world experienced during the 20th century, but Manhattan and most of Florida will most likely still be above water in 2100. A new study in Science concluded if temperatures rose steeply that the Greenland ice sheet might melt away in 500 to 1000 years. So fortunately we don't have to worry about the impact of 100 million people fleeing relentlessly rising seas all at once, though it would be a good idea for builders and insurance companies to keep the projected rise in sea level in mind.

Read the whole thing, but that passage its pretty good indicator of how honest Honest Al is in this film.

Tinklenberg

SD War College is reporting that the Argus Leader has been serving as a booster for one of its own:

I always wondered why the Argus Leader had been promoting the odd notion that it was ok for an insurance agent to end up as the beneficiary on a life insurance policy that they had written. Now I know why they've been ramming that notion down their readership's throat

...

[H]ere's what got my attention:

Tinklenberg had worked for the Argus Leader circulation department for four months at the end of 2005 and beginning of 2006 as an independent contractor setting up kiosks at different locations for the purpose of selling newspapers.

That's rather telling. Read it all here and make up your own mind. But it certainly seems like some quid pro quo for his participating in their series of stories. Or do they hire everyone who contributes to big sensationalistic expose's?

Despite their best propaganda, I'd be hard pressed to ever believe that an insurance agent ever had an insurable interest in the life insurance policy of someone whom they weren't related to, nor had a business relationship.

The New Media and Competition

Mary Katharine Ham of The Examiner writes about competition and accountability in the media.  Excerpt:

I grew up in a cross-town newspaper battle — one of the few left in a news climate where chains had bought most major dailies and many markets had become monopolies. I learned early that two newspapers fighting for scoops and readers meant that readers got better news coverage than they would have gotten if they were served by one paper.

I know because I watched both papers grow. We got the competition’s newspaper delivered to our house for opposition research.

...

I decided to give up newspapers when I started thinking of blogs and conservative media as just another competitor to the Mainstream Media. I don’t have to be the mortal enemy of the papers I grew up with. Sure, they do stupid things, and I love to call them out for it just as they love to call out bloggers, but the truth is that blogs have the ability to push newspapers and other mainstream media to be better.

I need the foreign bureaus and the years of experience embodied by an MSM news organization in order to be a decent blogger. I see the virtues of the MSM despite its many gaffes. After spending half my career in the newsroom and the other in my pajamas, as is the blogger custom, I know that if more members of the MSM did the same, we’d all end up with better products.

There is a reason the competition newspaper landed on our doorstep every day growing up. It thumped against the stoop next to “our” newspaper, weighty with ideas that could be used and tweaked in competition against it.

There are hundreds of cities that publish only one major daily, and far fewer that publish two or more.  New York and Chicago may be the last few metropolitan areas in the United States that benefit from competition among newspapers.  Out here on the High Plains, the Gannett-owned Sioux Falls Argus Leader dominates the region and holds a great amount of influence.  Thousands of people in the southeast corner of the state read the paper and many small town dailies and weeklies run Argus stories.  The rippling effect is large and, as such, the Argus plays an important role in presenting information to the citizens in the state.  The Argus also holds monopoly power in terms of profitability.  In short, the Argus is critical to the proper functioning of the democratic process in South Dakota.  The core critique of the South Dakota bloggers during the 2004 campaign was the paper's biased reporting of the senate race, which favored Tom Daschle, and the Argus' political reporter, David Kranz, an old college buddy of Daschle's.  The two were active in politics together in the 1960s, when Kranz was Daschle's "publicity chairman" for a mock Democratic convention.  When Daschle and other staffers looked for friendly reporters in the 1970s, they immediately went to Kranz.  The "bombshell memos" (which you can find on the right-hand side of this blog) called him "very much a strong Demo" and documented his work to help Democrats and hurt Republicans.  Also note that the Argus buried at least 66 stories that reflected negatively on Daschle back in 2004.

The executive editor of the Argus, Randell Beck, responded to the blogospheric criticism of Kranz and the Argus, saying Kranz was "the best political reporter in the region" and "one of the finest, most honest, credible reporters in the region."  Beck also said that the criticism was "crap" and driven by a "violent" internet "cabal" of "yahoos" and "jokers," who are full of "hatred" and "vitriol" and lacked "guts" because they hid "behind their computer screens" and wouldn't face him "man to man." Beck then went on to highlight the importance of debating issues "without calling each other names."  That the Argus has a political slant is obvious, and that's fine.  This blog also has a political slant that's obvious.  But the Argus wasn't (and isn't) honest about it.  To feign objectivity is absurd--and a fraud.  Blogs never claim to be objective like the newspapers do.

There is no doubt that the South Dakota blogs affected the Argus' coverage of the Daschle-Thune Senate race that Ms. Ham talked about above.  A University of South Dakota political science professor said the blog impact was "huge."  Former KELO-Land anchor Steve Hemmingsen thought blogs had "a lot of clout" in the Senate race.  Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit wrote about the Dakota Blog Alliance in a post-election column.  The Argus Leader was put in a position where it had to respond to the blog criticism of its coverage, which made the coverage of the race (sometimes) better and, thus, made the citizens of this state more knowledgeable about the Senate race.  These are the benefits of competition: more efficiency, better results, and a better service for consumers.  Additionally for newspapers, there is better news coverage and a more informed electorate, an essential component in the practice of democracy.

Ethanol

Argus Leader:

Not long ago, investors who wanted to put money into ethanol had to do it at the gas pump.

But with a strong initial public offering this week from ethanol maker VeraSun Energy Corp., and more IPOs on the way, it looks like investors will soon have more choices.

VeraSun’s $419.8 million IPO, which raised significantly more than the company had expected on Wednesday, suggests that ethanol has morphed from a fringe energy source into the next hot investment opportunity on Wall Street. VeraSun, based in Brookings, S.D., is the country’s second-largest ethanol producer behind agricultural giant Archer Daniels Midland Co.

Barone

Michael Barone in the Wall Street Journal:

It has been a tough 10 days for those who see current events through the prisms of Vietnam and Watergate. First, the Democrats failed to win a breakthrough victory in the California 50th District special election--a breakthrough that would have summoned up memories of Democrats winning Gerald Ford's old congressional district in a special election in 1974. Instead the Democratic nominee got 45% of the vote, just 1% more than John Kerry did in the district in 2004.

Second, U.S. forces with a precision air strike killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, on the same day that Iraqis finished forming a government. Zarqawi will not be available to gloat over American setbacks or our allies' defeat, as the leaders of the Viet Cong and North Vietnam did.

Third, special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald announced that he would not seek an indictment of Karl Rove. The leftward blogosphere had Mr. Rove pegged for the role of Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlichman. Theories were spun about plea bargains that would implicate Vice President Dick Cheney. Talk of impeachment was in the air. But it turns out that history doesn't repeat itself. George W. Bush, whether you like it or not, is not a second Richard Nixon.

Iraq Pullout

The pullout crowd was handed another legislative defeat today.  Excerpt from Fox News:

The Senate rejected a call for the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq by year's end on Thursday as Congress erupted in impassioned, election-year debate over a conflict that now has claimed the lives of 2,500 American troops.

The vote was 93-6 to shelve the proposal, which would have allowed "only forces that are critical to completing the mission of standing up Iraqi security forces" to remain in 2007.

Bookmark It

Randy Barnett over at Volokh makes note of this new site that allows paragraph by paragraph permalinking of the Federalist Papers. 

The Incredible Shrinking Deficit

From Investor's Business Daily:

Aided by surging tax receipts, President Bush may make good on his pledge to cut the deficit in half in 2006 — three years early.

Take a look at this chart:
 

Look at that first line.  How is that possible?  You mean we cut taxes and revenue went up?  The next thing you know they'll say that government revenue is most effected by economic growth.

Hat tip to Instapundit.   

Linda Daschle

John McCaslin writes about Linda Daschle's "power grab":

A "political power grab" is said to be under way at historic Ford's Theatre, orchestrated by theater board member Linda Daschle, lobbyist-wife of former Democratic Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, and involving one of Washington's more mysterious, if not generous couples.

"For years, the board (leadership) has been carefully kept bipartisan," an outgoing trustee tells The Beltway Beat. "This is partisan politics, pure and simple."

Partly for political exposure, the board member insists that Linda Daschle has "orchestrated a behind-the-scenes secret slate" of friends, including congressional spouses, to replace the 42-member board's outgoing chairman, pair of vice chairmen, secretary and treasurer.

Figuring into the controversy are Washington power couple Wayne and Catherine Reynolds, who already have envious tongues wagging in Washington's social circles with their $100 million-plus in donations to the National Gallery of Art and Kennedy Center, among other recipients.

But not everybody wants the dough. Catherine Reynolds took back one $38 million contribution to the Smithsonian Institution after the couple was accused in gossip sheets of trying to buy their way to the top of Washington's A List, if not into personal control of the museums' exhibits.

Linda Daschle is proposing that Wayne Reynolds become the board's next chairman, the trustee reveals, adding that the Daschles in recent weeks flew aboard the Reynolds' private jet, which we could not confirm Monday. Also, says the trustee, the Reynolds' have already made a $1 million donation to Ford's Theatre - site of President Lincoln's assassination in 1865 - "with promises of more to come."

Board member Debbie Dingell, wife of Michigan Democratic Rep. John D. Dingell, was pushed by Linda Daschle to become secretary, the trustee continues, but for personal reasons withdrew her nomination.

Linda Daschle did not return a telephone call to her office early Monday seeking comment.

Among current board members are Karyn Frist, wife of Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist; Kathleen Gregg, wife of Sen. Judd Gregg, New Hampshire Republican; Patricia Lott, wife of Sen. Trent Lott, Mississippi Republican; Landra Reid, wife of Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada; and Kimberly Dorgan, wife of Sen. Byron L. Dorgan, North Dakota Democrat.

Meanwhile, talk about timing, tickets go on sale Aug. 14 for the Ford's Theatre production of "State of the Union," which is about a charismatic candidate being groomed for the presidency during "a politically cantankerous time, eerily similar to our own."

"Perfect for midterm elections, it's a wild ride of politics, power and personalities," touts the theater's box office.

Bush in Iraq

Washington Post:

PRESIDENT BUSH delivered an important demonstration of American support for Iraq’s new democratic government in his visit to Baghdad yesterday. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki represents the best and maybe last hope that a national government can stem sectarian bloodshed, defeat Islamic terrorist organizations and die-hard defenders of Saddam Hussein, and make economic recovery possible. He has formed a unity cabinet, appointed a well-qualified defense minister and spelled out the right agenda, including an imminent campaign to pacify Baghdad with tens of thousands of Iraq’s newly trained troops. But Mr. Maliki desperately needs international help to turn the tide of violence and chaos. Mr. Bush’s appearance, and his assurance that America “will keep its word,” should reassure Iraqis who have feared that the United States would precipitously withdraw rather than defend the country’s first truly democratic government.

...

If Democratic leaders such as Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) had their way, almost all U.S. troops would be out of Iraq by the end of 2006 — a blow that Mr. Maliki’s government almost certainly could not survive. Mr. Bush’s willingness — at least for now — to resist such politically expedient demands may not rescue Iraq’s fledgling political system; it may be that nothing can at this point. But he is — correctly and courageously — using what remains of his personal political capital to give Iraqi democracy a chance.

Roger Andal

We've just learned that Roger Andal, former state commander of the South Dakota Disabled American Veterans and former head of the Minnehaha County Democratic Party, has passed away after complications from surgery for Crohn's disease.  Our thoughts and prayers go to him and his family.

Marine in Iraq Elected in ND

Grand Forks Herald:

"We've got a raid going on right now, and I can't do anything for another 90 minutes. Can I call you then or is it too late?"

Thus went the e-mail from Maj. Mike McNamara from Fallujah, Iraq, replying to a request for an interview following his victory in the Grand Forks City Council Ward 2 race.

The race had been an intense one with four other candidates fighting for the same office and all of them having the advantage of being in town during the campaign.

Not that Mac, as he is often known, didn't have advantages of his own being both a local media celebrity - he's the host of "Mac Talk" on KNOX radio - and a Marine in a time when the military enjoys the most prestige it's had since World War II.

As things turned out, he had no problem wooing the voters. Mac got 49 percent of the 695 votes cast in Ward 2, the city ward with the biggest voter turnout. His closest rival was Jon Dorner, who had 19 percent of the vote.

Al Gore and the Global Warming Debate

It appears that many scientists don't agree with Al Gore's position on global warming.  Excerpt:

"Scientists have an independent obligation to respect and present the truth as they see it," Al Gore sensibly asserts in his film "An Inconvenient Truth", showing at Cumberland 4 Cinemas in Toronto since Jun 2. With that outlook in mind, what do world climate experts actually think about the science of his movie?

Professor Bob Carter of the Marine Geophysical Laboratory at James Cook University, in Australia gives what, for many Canadians, is a surprising assessment: "Gore's circumstantial arguments are so weak that they are pathetic. It is simply incredible that they, and his film, are commanding public attention."

But surely Carter is merely part of what most people regard as a tiny cadre of "climate change skeptics" who disagree with the "vast majority of scientists" Gore cites?

No; Carter is one of hundreds of highly qualified non-governmental, non-industry, non-lobby group climate experts who contest the hypothesis that human emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are causing significant global climate change.

Dr. Robert Balling Jr., professor of climatology at Arizona State University and a specialist in climate change and the greenhouse effect, also looks at some "inconvenient truths" regarding Gore's new movie.  This Wall Street Journal article also looks at global warming data.  I haven't read any nonfiction books regarding global warming, but I would recommend State of Fear by Michael Crichton, whose storyline revolves around the assertion that global warming is a hoax.  And then I would read this rebuke of Crichton's book by Gregory Benford and Martin Hoffert.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go In The Water

Remember this (and this) spitting match over leaking classified information to the press?  The WSJ publishes the congressional testimoney of John C. Eastman of Chapman University Law School.  Read the whole thing, but here is an important passage:

No one contests that in each instance, classified information was illegally provided to these media outlets and then subsequently published by them. And to my knowledge, no one seriously contends that the individuals who leaked the information are not subject to prosecution for violating the Espionage Act (or even subject to prosecution for treason if it could be proved that their intent in leaking the classified information was to undermine our war effort and thereby give aid and comfort to the enemy). Even those who would seek to bestow on the leaker the protected status of "whistle-blower" surely will acknowledge that the whistle-blower statute requires that the allegedly illegal activities be reported internally, through a certain specified administrative route, rather than shouted to the world from the front pages of our nation's major newspapers. Otherwise, the whistle-blower statute would permit every government employee to be a classified information law unto himself, determining what should or should not be secret. The devastating consequences to our national security, and also to individual privacy, of such a flawed interpretation should be manifest. 

Outrageous Claim

Jason claims Sunday Bloody Sunday as the best rock song ever.  I think we can all agree that the winner of that honor is Sugar, Sugar by The Archies.  That song reaches into your soul and helps you see God.   

Ward Churchill Update

Rocky Mountain News:

A majority of the University of Colorado committee looking into charges of research misconduct against Ward Churchill said Tuesday that the ethnic studies professor should be fired.

The panel - made up of nine CU faculty, a staff member and a graduate student - agreed unanimously with an investigative committee's earlier findings that Churchill "has committed serious, repeated and deliberate research misconduct," including plagiarism and fabrication of material.

Of the nine members who cast secret ballots, six recommended dismissal. Two said he should be suspended without pay for five years, while one suggested a two-year suspension without pay.

In a 20-page report forwarded to CU's interim provost and the dean of arts and sciences, committee members said the findings were only exacerbated by Church-ill's unwillingness to admit wrongdoing.

"We are drawn to the irresistible conclusion that Professor Churchill is unable, or at least unwilling, to acknowledge legitimate critique," the report states. "If he is unwilling to acknowledge critiques, we are pessimistic that he is likely to change his behavior."

Wild Rover Beats Indictment

David Corn, of the Nation, discovers the real cost of the special counsel: dashed hopes of indictment. 

Early this morning, Robert Luskin, Karl Rove's lawyer, told reporters that special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald had sent him a letter stating that Rove would not be indicted in the CIA leak case. In a statement, Luskin declared, "We believe that the Special Counsel's decision should put an end to the baseless speculation about Mr. Rove's conduct."

Once a special counsel is appointed, he has none of the limitations in time and resources that ordinary investigators have to live with.  As a consequence, he pursues lines of investigation that no responsible police force would bother with.  This results in enormous costs and hardships for the targets of the investigation, often without any charges.  It also builds unrealistic expectations in the enemies of those targets.  Of course, Corn thinks that Rove plenty guilty. 

Bush administration (and Rove) advocates will spin this news as vindication for the mastermind of George W. Bush's presidential campaigns. But there is no need for baseless speculation to conclude that Rove was involved in the leak and that the White House misled the public about his participation and broke a pledge to fire anyone who had leaked information about Valerie Wilson, the CIA officer married to former ambassador Joseph Wilson, a critic of the administration.

Okay.  But none of this has attracted much public interest yet, and if nothing illegal happened, what does it matter?  Corn and the KOSsacks were hoping for a big, juicy indictment just before the fall elections.  Now that we know that isn't going to happen, it counts as a net win for the administration.  Its been the first good week for the Bush folks in more than a year, but its been a very good week.

Greetings from the Smokey Mountains

My family and I spent the last several days hiking and throwing dollars at tourist traps.  We have been in Gatlinburg, TN.  The National Park is gorgeous, full of waterfalls, foggy vistas, and moss covered rocks.  The Highway north of the Park, from Gatlinburg to Sieverville, is like Disney World without the entrance fee, or maybe Vegas for Christians.  Maybe thirty miles of non-stop pancake houses, souvenir shops, and "attractions," including Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum.  Its a pretty good mix of wilderness and consumerism gone full hog nuts.  If you go, just one piece of advice.  These folks are good people, and they fix good BBQ.  Apart from that, they do not know what food is.

I do notice a couple of interesting notes in USAToday.  The picture nation wide for state house races looks much better for Republicans than it did a few months ago, and Bush got a boost from the recent Zarqawi story.  Not great, but better.  Maybe I should go on vacation more often.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Blogger Rx has created this video of George W. Bush singing "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" by U2 (perhaps the greatest song in rock-n-roll history).  Hat tip to tdaxp, who links to a few other musical renditions by Bush and other public figures.

Deadwood

Given my emphasis in school on the history of the American West, I wish I could attend this out in Deadwood.  Rapid City Journal excerpt:

Deadwood will have a big party June 16-18 as it celebrates old western lore and the legend of Wild Bill Hickok.

Wild Bill Hickok, whose given name was James Butler Hickok, was a western lawman during the expansion of the Great Plains and west after the Civil War. Hickok traveled to gold camps because of gold rushes in Colorado, Montana and South Dakota.

Hickok came to Deadwood in 1876 and worked a gold claim for six weeks. While he was sitting in a bar, Jack McCall shot him in the back, and Hickok's death left an indelible mark on the historical flavor of the city.

Wild Bill Hickok Days offers fancy pistol-handling, old west parades and free concerts.

The event begins Friday, June 16, with a fast-draw shootout to benefit Easter Seals, western re-enactors and a "Wild Bill Hickok Wild West Parade" on the streets of Deadwood. The shooting begins at noon, but participants are asked to arrive at 11 a.m. for instructions. The event includes a series of concerts, fast-draw shooting competitions and a Main Street parade at 7 p.m. Friday.

Bush In Iraq

President Bush has made a surprise visit to Iraq.