South Dakota Politics

Is Anyone Surprised?

Slashdot:  "Results from energy companies are coming in, and the word is that moving Daylight Saving Time forward three weeks had no measurable impact on power consumption. The attempt by the US Congress to make it look like they were doing something about the energy crisis has been exposed as the waste it is."  This was under a Republican Congress, mind you.  HT to tdaxp.

Filibuster

Political Wire:

Looming over the pending nomination fight, however, is the filibuster, which "can cut both ways. To block the White House nominee could play well with the Democratic Party base but it also could expose vulnerable incumbents to the same kind of obstructionist charges that helped bring down former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota in 2004."

Tim Johnson would be wise to remember what happened to his compatriot in the Senate in 2004.

A good year for farmers?

Today's edition of the New York Times has an interesting article on the federal farm subsidy system that appeared on the front page under the headline "Big Farms Reap Two Harvests With Subsidies a Bumper Crop."  Excerpt:

Farm groups say the subsidies provide for a stable food supply, and ensure that major sectors of American agriculture will be competitive on the global market.

"When people ask me what the justification for this is, I point out that in nearly every country in the world you find government involved in the food supply," said Bob Young, an economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation, the powerful trade group for major agricultural producers.

But because nearly 70 percent of the subsidies go to the top 10 percent of agricultural producers, the recent prosperity is not seen or felt among many small to medium-size growers who keep the struggling counties of the Great Plains alive.

Professor Lauck has listed the fact that it was a good year for farmers as one of the 26 factors in the Thune victory (factor #11).

The Dems and abortion

Here's an interesting article published in the Boston Globe yesterday headlined "Democrats eye softer image on abortion."  It's interesting to note that during the South Dakota campaigns for federal office this year, Senator Daschle worked hard to cloak his position on abortion, while Rep. Herseth never denied her position on the issue.  Herseth won, and Daschle lost.  Perhaps the key to winning elections in this state is to spare us the acrobatics on the issue.

Now this is funny

One of the Democratic electors in Minnesota, our neighbor to the east, seems to have gotten confused about who their presidential candidate was, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Defeated Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry likely is going to get one less electoral vote nationally than he should have -- 251 instead of 252 -- because of an apparent mistake Monday by one of Minnesota's 10 DFL electors.

One of the 10 handwritten ballots cast for president carried the name of vice presidential candidate John Edwards (actually spelled "Ewards" on the ballot) rather than Kerry....

There was stunned silence after the announcement that Edwards had gotten a vote for president, but none of the 10 electors volunteered that they voted for Edwards as a protest, nor did anyone step forward to admit an error.

(Via Tim Blair.)

Committee resources

The Hill, a Capitol Hill publication, has an interesting article today headlined "Frist, Reid clash over 66-33 split."  Excerpt:

The Republicans want control over two-thirds of each committee’s resources, but Democrats have called that unacceptable. They want a 50-50 split in the 109th Congress or, at worst, a division reflecting the 55-44 GOP advantage.  Republicans scoffed at that suggestion, saying 50-50 is not even on the proverbial table.

The battle is the first of Frist’s and Reid’s new relationship as the leaders of their respective parties and could delay business in the Senate next year, as happened in 2003 after Republicans regained control in the 2002 election.

Frist said of his proposed two-thirds-to-one-third split, “That’s the way it’s always been. That’s the way it’s been with a 55-seat majority.”

Pearl Harbor

Jan Nelson at Redstate.org offers some musings on Pearl Harbor.

Maryland governor sued by local newspaper

The New York Times has an interesting story on accusations of local media bias headlined "Maryland Governor Is Sued Over Step Against Journalists."  Excerpt:

The Baltimore Sun filed suit against Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. of Maryland on Friday, asserting that he violated the paper's First Amendment rights by prohibiting state employees from talking to two Sun journalists.

The suit, filed in federal court in Baltimore, intensifies a feud between The Sun and Mr. Ehrlich, a Republican who contends that the 167-year-old newspaper has a liberal bias.

The AP has this report on the matter.  I hope both sides stick to their guns here.  It would be fascinating to observe how the constitutional issues play out in such a case. 

Ben Nelson for Ag Secretary?

The always-scheming Karl Rove has reportedly approached Democratic Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska (South Dakota's southern neighbor for those of you out-of-state readers) to offer him the Secretary of Agriculture position in the administration.  If Ben Nelson were to accept, Nebraska governor Mike Johanns would appoint a Republican to take his place, increasing the Senate Republican majority to a cool 56.  It has been widely anticipated that Johanns would mount a tough challenge to Nelson in 2006, so the prospect of becoming Ag Secretary has to be rather tempting to Nelson.

Brad Carson explains why he lost to Coburn

Brad Carson, the Democratic candidate for Oklahoma's open Senate seat, explains why he lost to Republican Tom Coburn in a piece for the New Republic headlined "Vote Righteously!"($)  Recall that Carson distanced himself from Senator Daschle during the campaign, saying he would not be an "enabler" for Daschle.  Excerpt from Carson's TNR piece:

For the vast majority of Oklahomans--and, I would suspect, voters in other red states--these transcendent cultural concerns are more important than universal health care or raising the minimum wage or preserving farm subsidies. Pace Thomas Frank, the voters aren't deluded or uneducated. They simply reject the notion that material concerns are more real than spiritual or cultural ones. The political left has always had a hard time understanding this, preferring to believe that the masses are enthralled by a "false consciousness" or Fox News or whatever today's excuse might be. But the truth is quite simple: Most voters in a state like Oklahoma--and I venture to say most other Southern and Midwestern states--reject the general direction of American culture and celebrate the political party that promises to reform or revise it.

Compliments, compliments

"..Judge Gonzales is no Attila the Hun; he's far from that, and he's a more uniting figure." - Sen. Patrick Leahy, as quoted in today's edition of the New York Times.

Janklow appeal

The AP is reporting: "High court urged to overturn Janklow's manslaughter conviction."

What is South Dakota?

A reader reports that a category on yesterday's Jeopardy television show was "At-large congressional districts."  One answer for $500 was the name "Herseth," as in newly elected Rep. Stephanie Herseth.  My source reports that all of the contestants were clueless.

UPDATE:  Another reader writes in: "This was a college semifinal episode, category, 'At Large States.' One fellow did get North Dakota."

Former Daschle staffer comments on defeat

Amy Sullivan, a former staffer for Senator Daschle, laments his defeat and says it's time for the Dems to have a blue state leader:

I think Democrats need to say out loud now what many have been whispering (or blogging) for a while. I adore my former boss Tom Daschle and--objectivity be damned--am heartbroken today about his loss. But it is clear that Senate Democrats simply cannot afford to have a leader who hails from a hardcore red state. It puts both the leader and the party in an untenable position.

Note that Sullivan says the Dems have been whispering about a change in leadership "for a while." When the Dakota Blog Alliance alerted its readers about this fact during the campaign, it was studiously ignored by the Argus Leader for the longest time, and when the Argus Leader finally did mention it, it was dismissed as a story the Thune camp was pushing. Is it any wonder that the blogs were so influential in this campaign? The blogs were only responding to the huge dereliction of coverage of a newspaper that was loathe to print anything that might negatively affect Senator Daschle's political career.

Veep pheasant hunting in S.D. today

The AP is reporting: "Cheney in state for annual pheasant hunting trip."

The Pollwatchers

The next step may be ostentatious note-taking.

(Via DVT.)

Talmage Ekanger signs books at B&N

Here's a picture of Talmage Ekanger, author of "The Other Side of Tom Daschle" signing books at the Sioux Falls Barnes and Noble last night:

CORRECTION: Talmage Ekanger at Barnes & Noble TODAY

Talmage Ekanger will be signing copies of his book "The Other Side of Tom Daschle" TODAY from 6-8PM at the Sioux Falls Barnes and Noble.

Sen. Johnson opposed to broadcast of "Stolen Honor"

Lately, the Dems have gotten excercised by the news that Sinclair Broadcast Group, the corporate owner of several television stations located in swing states, has ordered the stations to broadcast "Stolen Honor." "Stolen Honor" is a documentary of various POWs explaining that John Kerry's actions during the Vietnam War lengthened their imprisonment and increased their torture. One of the POWs shown in the documentary is Leo Thorsness, a Medal of Honor recipient who ran for Congress against Tom Daschle in 1978 and lost by 139 votes.

The AP reports in an article headlined "Dems Object to Airing of Anti-Kerry Film" that "18 Democratic senators sent a letter to the Federal Communication Commission asking that it investigate whether Sinclair's plan was an improper use of public airwaves."

I was curious to see if Senator Daschle was one of the eighteen senators who signed this letter, particularly in light of the fact that the letter is an attempt to squelch Leo Thorsness's speech. Daschle's name is not on the letter, but it's interesting to note who did sign the letter. Here's the list, according to Senator Feinstein's press release:

Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Bill Nelson (D-NE)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Bob Graham (D-FL)
Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
Ernest Hollings (D-SC)
Patty Murray (D-WA)

It's interesting to observe that some of Daschle's closest allies signed this letter, but the Democratic leader didn't sign it. This could be an indication that Daschle senses his vulnerability in a close race, and doesn't want to do ANYTHING that could lose him votes. It seems that Senator Feinstein has taken the lead on this development, and it can't sit well with the Democratic rank and file to see the person who should be taking the lead on this completely abdicating his leadership role. If Daschle manages to eke out a victory and Bush wins, these Democratic rank and file types will want Daschle out of his leadership role.

Good to be in DC

Jibjab has a hilarious new animation entitled "Good to be in DC." It's a side-splitter.

Prairie dog poisoning

The Rocky Mountain News has a report today headlined "Pact restricts prairie dog poisoning in South Dakota." Excerpt:

Eight environmental groups and the federal government reached a settlement Wednesday over the government's plan to poison prairie dogs in South Dakota near Badlands National Park.

The groups sued the government in U.S. District Court last month, opposing the poisoning because it would further endanger rare black-footed ferrets in the area.

Don Hewitt: "I never would have done the story"

The AP has a report headlined "'60 Minutes' Creator Slams Guard Story" about Don Hewitt's remarks on the Dan Rather flap made here in Vermillion, SD last night.

60 Minutes' Don Hewitt to take questions from SD public

Don Hewitt, the creator of "60 Minutes," will be at The University of South Dakota on Thursday to receive the Neuharth Award. Hewitt will be taking questions from the public after his speech, which is scheduled for 7:00p.m. at Slagle Hall. It's a perfect opportunity to grill him about Ra^thergate. Be there.

The unique power of SD's two Senate seats

Sibby has posted an interesting column from a free-lance writer. Excerpt from the column:

[T]hanks to the wisdom of our founding fathers, South Dakotans can affect change well beyond the geographical boundaries of their state. The framers of our Constitution designed Congress so that the interests of South Dakota (and other states whose populations are comparatively small) are protected through the establishment of equal representation in the Senate. This gives South Dakota a tremendous amount of clout in the United States Congress and the nation as a whole.

Based on 2000 census data, South Dakota is generously blessed with one vote in the Senate for every 377,422 of its citizens. That’s nearly 45 times greater representation than California with only one vote for every 16,935,824 people. Consider that other bastions of liberal thought like New York have only one vote for every 9,488,228 residents and Massachusetts has only one vote for every 3,174,548 of its citizens. South Dakotans would be well served to ensure that this tremendous influence is used for their advantage – not for the advantage of those who oppose their values -- or for the personal benefit of Tom Daschle’s political career.

Billboard on reservation

Mt. Blogmore, the Rapid City Journal's excellent blog, carries the interesting photo below, taken last week on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

UPDATE: To better understand the Sioux Nation's antipathy toward General Custer, read the U.S. Supreme Court's opinion in United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians, which gave the Sioux a just compensation award of $106 million for the taking of the Black Hills. The Sioux have refused to take the money, believing that doing so will relinquish their claim to the Black Hills, which was ceded to them in the Treaty of 1868. Edward Lazarus, author of the book Black Hills, White Justice, writes that this belief is probably erroneous, and advocates that the Sioux take the money. Today, the just compensation award is gathering dust in a federal trust account, and is now worth more than $500 million.

Flag desecration statute

A friend sent along a note pointing out that the South Dakota code still contains a flag desecration statute:

22-9-1. Desecration of flag.
Any person who knowingly mutilates, defaces, physically defiles, burns, maintains on the floor or ground, or tramples upon any flag of the United States or flag of the State of South Dakota is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
The term, flag of the United States, as used in this section includes any flag, standard, or colors, or any part thereof, made of any substance and of any size evidently purporting to be the flag, standard, or colors of the United States of America.
The term, flag of the State of South Dakota, as used in this section includes any flag, standard, or colors, or any part thereof, made of any substance and of any size evidently purporting to be the flag, standard, or colors of the flag of the State of South Dakota.

Residency

Wally of Irreconcilable Musings has more interesting insights on the "RV vote" particularly the aspect of how residency is defined in South Dakota for election purposes.

Interestingly, Joseph Bottum of the Weekly Standard also briefly touched the issue of residency as it relates to Senator Daschle and his wife in a piece published this week. Excerpt from the Weekly Standard:

Still, the message has gotten out: Daschle is one person back home, and another person on the East Coast. In South Dakota, he proudly announces his support for the president; in Washington, he's the minority leader of the Senate who does his best to thwart the president. In South Dakota, he campaigns as a man of the people; in Washington, he and his lobbyist wife recently bought a $1.9 million house, for which they promptly claimed a "homestead" tax credit that requires declaring the house one's primary and legal residence--leaving curiously unresolved the question of how the couple remain registered voters in South Dakota.

Vote Now!

Fellow South Dakota readers, I strongly urge you to bring yourself and a photo ID to your county courthouse and vote today! South Dakota early voting laws allow you to just walk in and vote at your local county auditor's office from now until election day. Let's get your votes in the bank as soon as possible, and then get all your friends to do the same. It's going to make a huge difference.

Word on the street

Sources say Tom Daschle sat on a big blue pillow during the Meet the Press debate today, in order to make himself appear taller. Daschle frequently has to inflate his stature when in front of television cameras, as seen by the picture to the right.

SDSU Collegian

Be sure to read Jon Lauck's piece in the SDSU Collegian headlined "Blogs challenge traditional media by going straight to the consumer." Excerpt:

There are number of bloggers in South Dakota, including myself, and they have focused their fire on the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. They have uncovered a litany of problems that should be addressed and encountered arrogant resistance to reform. Recently, when a man from Brookings wrote to the editor of the Argus and asked why a story had not run in the paper, he was harshly dismissed for being an idiot, for reading blogs, and for not having his facts straight. The Argus editor insisted the story had run at least twice. In reality, the story had never appeared in the Argus. With blogs, people are now aware of this and other Argus inadequacies.

Whoa dogies!

Yours truly has passed the bar exam! I spent the evening calling family and friends to let them know, and I figured I'd let my friends out there in the blogosphere know, too. Naturally, I'm in a very magnanimous mood, so I'd like to take the opportunity to let you loyal SDP readers know how much I appreciate you taking the time everyday to see what I have to say. You're the reason I keep at blogging, and why I even kept at it while I was studying for the excruciating mindgames they call the bar exam.

Well, I'm off for a celebratory drink. Cheers. Or as Dan Rather would say: Courage.

Local flavor added to Memogate

Bob Schieffer was in Sioux City, IA yesterday to address the annual Siouxland Chamber of Commerce dinner meeting, and had the following to say about Memogate, according to a report in the Sioux City Journal headlined "Schieffer: CBS needs to prove memos on Bush were authentic":

"I think we have to find some way to show our viewers they are not forgeries,'' Schieffer, CBS' chief Washington correspondent and host of the network's "Face the Nation,'' said at a news conference in Sioux City. "I don't know how we're going to do that without violating the confidentiality of sources.''

Word on the street

Bob Burns, a South Dakota State University professor who is frequently quoted in the Argus Leader by David Kranz as some sort of objective "expert," was spotted today in Brookings plastered with Daschle and Herseth stickers at a League of Women Voters meeting. It's perfectly fine for Burns to take sides, but holding himself out as a "neutral" analyst and being frequently quoted by the "neutral" Argus Leader's "neutral" David Kranz is a total sham.

For more on Bob Burns' "neutral" background, see this post. Interestingly, every quote of his in any Argus Leader article that discusses Daschle (as well as in other publications) is almost invariably pro-Daschle. It's a total sham that Burns is held out to be a neutral observer. Take the following delightful example from only 12 days ago, where Burns says John Thune is "confusing voters":

"It is a close race," says Bob Burns, political science professor at South Dakota State University.

But he thinks Daschle still holds the edge.

Thune is confusing voters with his television ads, Burns says.

"There are two contradicting messages. He says he is independent and not tied to the White House with every vote, and then the other message is that Senator Daschle is an obstructionist and he will be fully supportive of the president," Burns said.

Hug-gate

Ryne McClaren notes that the term "Hug-gate" as applied to Tom Daschle is becoming embedded in the media subconscious, thanks to the efforts of fellow Dakota Alliance blogger Quentin Riggins. Note that even John Thune has been caught using the term, as reported recently in the Rapid City Journal. To wit:

"In the middle of the Republican convention, when every other leading Democrat in the country is attacking the president, beating him up, Tom Daschle is hugging him. To me, that speaks volumes," Thune said.

He said the Daschle ad is on the lips of Republicans strategizing and socializing in New York and is seen as undermining to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

"Everybody's laughing," Thune said. "I'm calling it Hug-gate II."

Thune compared this hug dust-up to the controversy that ensued after filmmaker Michael Moore said he and Daschle shared a hug after the June premiere of his anti-Bush movie, "Fahrenheit 9/11." That first hug turned out to be a case of mistaken identity when a Daschle look-alike stepped forward to clear things up.

I think it's safe to say that the blogs are becoming more and more influential.

SD GOP executive director comments on the protesters

Jason Glodt, executive director of the South Dakota GOP, was recently quoted in the New York Times regarding the protesters at the Republican National Convention, in a story headlined "Upstaging Before the Show in True New York Fashion." Relevent grafs:

But Jason Glodt, executive director of the South Dakota Republican Party, said he thought the protesters did "reflect the base of the Democratic Party," and added: "I hope that all Americans are taking a close look at those protesters and what they represent. I don't think they represent American values.

"It's not their freedom of speech that we disagree with," Mr. Glodt said, "it's the content of what they're saying. It really only motivates us even more to go home and work harder at the grass-roots level and make sure people are going out and voting."

Thune and Diedrich to speak Monday at convention

The AP is reporting that John Thune and Larry Diedrich will be speaking the Republican National Convention on Monday.

Blogging to support the Swifties

My dad is a Vietnam veteran who, after observing John Kerry's attempts to win the presidency based on his record as a Vietnam veteran, is stirred mightily to voice his thoughts on the subject. Therefore, he's decided to blog about it. His blog is called Decorated Vets Against Kerry. Here's my dad's view of Purple Hearts, in the context of John Kerry's first Purple Heart for a scratch caused by shrapnel:

I remember not ducking quite quick enough one day in Con Thien and catching a piece of mortar shrapnel just under my right elbow. It left a two-inch cut and stung like crazy for several days, but if I had asked for a purple heart for such a little wound, my whole company would have laughed at me.

I don't know that much about my dad's experience in Vietnam, because he's always disliked talking about it. I know I'll be reading his blog with interest. I hope SDP readers will, too.

Another Rapid City Journal cartoon

This cartoon appeared in the July 30 Vermillion Plain Talk. The fact that Senator Daschle attended the premiere of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" has deeply penetrated into the consciousness of the average South Dakotan.

AP on anonymous campaign calls

The AP has a story today that has ramifications for the House and Senate campaigns in South Dakota headlined "Dirty Campaign Tricks Now Serious Crimes." Excerpt:

Election-year tactics like making anonymous phone calls or inventing make-believe groups to criticize the opponent now come with a higher price: the possibility of time in jail.

A law in effect for the first time this election cycle expands the list of campaign violations classified as felonies. Before the law took effect in late 2002, many campaign violations were treated as misdemeanors....

The law requires any statement published by campaigns, national party committees or political action committees to include a disclaimer saying who is behind the message. It also bans candidates, political parties and PACs from calling voters, sending mass mailings or airing ads anonymously or under phony names. All must have proper disclaimers.

Recall that the Daschle campaign engaged in precisely this type of "dirty trick" last spring, making anti-Thune calls to everyone in the state without using the proper disclaimer. The Daschle campaign subsequently admitted to breaking the law. According to the AP's interpretation of the law, Daschle's calls without the disclaimer were a "felony" that "could mean time behind bars for a candidate or campaign officials."

Ironically, the Daschle calls were phrased as an effort to get rid of negative campaigning. Note that the AP regards such calls as "dirty tricks" which belies the silly notion that Daschle's hands are clean when it comes to negative campaigning.

An anti-Diedrich call was also made without the required disclaimer, which the FEC is still investigating.

As Election Day approaches, we're likely to see these kinds of phone calls without the required disclaimer occur again. The reader should be aware that this is a felony, and be ready to take down the number of the incoming call on their caller ID, if possible.

Daschle and hugs

The USA Today had an article published last Thursday headlined "Squeezin' like it's Charmin" discussing political hugs. Senator Daschle's name surfaces twice in the story, relating to his hug of President Bush after September 11, 2001 and to the hug that never happened with Michael Moore.

Daschle bounced Dean at DNC convention

The New York Post reports that "former candidate Howard Dean was bounced when he tried to horn in on a chat between Tom Daschle and U2's Bono in a private meeting room under the stage at the Prudential Center."

Former Daschle staffer ridiculed Governor Rounds' "Day of Prayer"

Amy Sullivan is a former staffer to Senator Daschle, who worked extensively with him on the issue of partial birth abortion in the late 1990's. Since that time, religion has been her niche within the Democratic Party, and more recently she has urged John Kerry to stop ceding the religious mantle to Republicans.

With that in mind, it's interesting to note her ridicule directed toward Governor Rounds' announcement of a statewide day of prayer for rain two months ago, after being informed of it by some Herseth staffers who previously worked for Daschle. Even more interesting is her update to the post, hastily assuring us that Senator Daschle and Congresswoman Herseth don't feel the same way.

On a somewhat related note, it's reassuring to see that Ms. Sullivan's blog archives have been re-published.

I'm back

I'm back. Hopefully, I won't have to take the bar exam ever again.

As I anticipated, this week has been eventful. Argus Leader executive editor Randell Beck offered a clarification of his "If Hitler were alive today, he'd be a blogger" comment. That comment made it around the world, and even the Wall Street Journal took notice.

Also, Tom Daschle has lamely declined John Thune's offer of having 66 joint appearances around the state over the next five weeks. I think Daschle has missed an opportunity here.

Story now set to emerge next week

The story that I mentioned earlier this week was tentatively slated to emerge today has now been slated to emerge sometime next week. That's all to the better anyway, as I'll have more time to digest and analyze the story when it does surface. Stay tuned.

Bar exam looming

I sit for the bar exam next week, so posting will be sparse for the next ten days. I'll try to get at least one post published per day, though.

Meanwhile, watch for an interesting story tentatively set to emerge on Wednesday that will reverberate around South Dakota.

For something completely out of left field, note that one of South Dakota's federal judges is a blog reader, according to a story in today's Wall Street Journal headlined "Law Professor's Web Log Is Jurists' Must-Read."

The wonders of Photoshop

DVT has a humorous "picture" of Tom Daschle and Michael Moore shaking hands.

Brokaw in Yankton

I enjoyed reading a piece slated to appear in tommorrow's Minneapolis Star-Tribune headlined "You can go home again, and Tom Brokaw often does." Excerpt:

[Tom Brokaw] says he gets the grounding he needs to do his high-profile job from his Midwestern roots.

"It helps me do what I do when I sit in that big chair every night at 6:30 surrounded by all these monumental events that are going on around the world," he said.

"It really always helps keep the rest of my life in some perspective to know what's going on in these communities in the heartland and about the pace of life here and the kind of long view about what they want to do. They don't get hysterical about the day-to-day news as those of us who live in New York. ... They kind of reserve their judgment and take in lots of information before deciding or coming to a conclusion about something."

Moorewatch weighs in

Moorewatch says Michael Moore's seemingly false claim that he hugged Tom Daschle and that Daschle apologized to him for supporting the war is just more evidence that Moore is a pathological liar.

Meanwhile, The New Republic's Jason Zengerle has a piece in next week's edition alluding to Time magazine's report of Moore's claim. I e-mailed Zengerle about Daschle's denial, and he responded that his editors would look into it and maybe publish a correction. Good for them.

Daschle and Michael Moore

Jeff Gannon, resident DC expert on South Dakota politics, has a new piece published today headlined "Democrats, Media, Celebrities Hail Moore's Film at DC Opening."

A source reports that Daschle's attendance at the premiere of "Fahrenheit 9/11" was reported on KELO-TV last night at 10. You can view the broadcast HERE.

NYT: Daschle and Michael Moore "Like-Minded"

The New York Times has a report in today's edition delightfully headlined "The Like-Minded Line Up for a 9/11 Film." Excerpt:

With full Hollywood trappings - a red carpet, klieg lights and dozens of photographers - nearly 800 members of the capital's Democratic leadership turned out for the official premiere of the film, which opened on Wednesday here and in New York.

"This is where I wanted to have the main premiere because this is where the change has to take place,'' said Mr. Moore, dressed for the occasion in a black suit and gray sneakers. "I want this country back in the hands of the majority - the majority that did not vote for Mr. Bush."

Mr. Moore said he hoped the film might encourage people who had not voted in a presidential election before to do so this year.

"It's my personal aim that Bush is removed from the White House,'' he said. "But if the movie can inspire a few of the 50 percent of Americans who do not vote to get involved and be engaged then that is important."

The guest list, liberally sprinkled with members of Congress, political consultants and lobbyists, tipped decidedly to one side of the aisle. It included Richard Ben-Veniste, a member of the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks; Paul Begala, a political adviser in the Clinton White House; Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, a former Clinton aide; Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota, the minority leader; and Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic national chairman.

Senator Bob Graham of Florida said, "There might be half of the Democratic Senate here."

So, did Daschle attend the official premiere of "Fahrenheit 9/11"?