The Respectfully Republican Conversation

 I love the way this woman skirts around what she did and takes NO responsibility yet I am sure if it was her that this was done to she would be up in arms about it...she resigns because "she won't have her reputation disparaged and she fears for her family's safety" she obviously wasn't to worried about her family or her reputation when she went digging to destroy another person was she?

 Ohio official in 'Joe the Plumber' flap resigns

By LISA CORNWELL, Associated Press Writer Lisa Cornwell, Associated Press Writer - Wed Dec 17, 10:32 pm ET AP - This undated photo, supplied by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, shows Helen Jones-Kelley, ...

CINCINNATI - An Ohio agency director resigned Wednesday in the wake of a finding that she improperly used state computers to access personal information on the man who became known as "Joe the Plumber" during the presidential campaign.

Two other officials who were suspended from their positions for their role in the computer search will not be returning to their jobs, an agency spokeswoman said.

Department of Job and Family Services Director Helen Jones-Kelley said in a statement accompanying her resignation that she won't allow her reputation to be disparaged and that she is concerned for her family's safety.

"This decision comes after a time of pause, in which I realize that I continue to be used as a political postscript, providing a distraction from urgent state priorities," she said in her statement.

She could not be reached for additional comment Wednesday night.

Gov. Ted Strickland suspended Jones-Kelley for a month without pay after the Ohio Inspector General's office found in November that she improperly used state computers to find personal information on Samuel Wurzelbacher. The investigation also found that she conducted improper political fundraising activity for now President-elect Barack Obama.

"The governor values Helen Jones-Kelley's years of public service as a dedicated advocate for the most vulnerable among us," Strickland's spokesman Keith Dailey said Wednesday. "He understands her decision and accepts her resignation."

Investigators could not confirm that Jones-Kelley accessed the records of Wurzelbacher with political gain in mind. His report did indicate that she had used her personal Blackberry to send the Obama fundraising requests - though it was synched up to state equipment.

Wurzelbacher, a Toledo-area plumber who questioned Obama about his tax plan, was dubbed "Joe the Plumber" by Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Two top-level members of Jones-Kelley's staff also will be leaving the department, said agency spokeswoman Scarlett Bouder.

Fred Williams, the department's assistant director, will resign effective Jan. 31 and the agency is revoking Doug Thompson's position as deputy director of child support effective Dec. 22, she said.

Both had been suspended from their positions after being implicated in the computer records search.

Ohio lawmakers are expected to pass a bill Thursday that requires state agencies to determine proper circumstances for records to be checked and to authorize only specific individuals to perform those checks.

How many drunks does it take to screw in a light bulb?

21.  1 to hold the bulb, 20 to drink until the room spins.

Helen Jones-Kelley probably had to resign or get fired.  I find her excuses stunning!  Who does she think she is?

The investigation also found that she conducted improper political fundraising activity for now President-elect Barack Obama.

"The investigation also found....."  Well, I'll be darned! 

Department of Job and Family Services Director Helen Jones-Kelley said in a statement accompanying her resignation that she won't allow her reputation to be disparaged and that she is concerned for her family's safety.

AMAZING!  She gets caught and she "won't ALLOW her reputation to be disparaged...."  I believe SHE chose to act improper. 

Obama chooses someone like Duncan with such a dismal record and we're suppose to look the other way?  Did he really think no one would check his credentials?  I will be watching C-SPAN when they have his hearing.  That should be entertaining. 

The only logical explaination for Obama's choice of Duncan is that they are bball buddies. No only are the Chicago public schools bad, they have gotten worse under his lead. His predecessor, Paul Vallas, actually had the schools improving until he decided to run for office and ended up being ousted by the powers that be because he did not play nice with the big boys. There are some great schools in the city. The catholic schools are excellent and there are quite a few "magnet" schools that are supposed to be attended by a lottery system, but seem to accept all the rich kids without question. The Obama girls attended such a school, even when Daddy was still plotting along in Illinois politics.

I think they better go back to teaching the ABCs of education.  They need to clean up the schools...like I said..when I was going to school I HAD NO CIVIL RIGHTS!  I PLAYED by the rules or else!  Momy and Daddy didn't come and bail me out...although I was never in trouble..however, I love my name coined by PinkRibbonAmy AKA Obamaforpresident AKA Obamaispresident (forgive me if I've mispelled her AKAs or have forgotten any ), "Drama Queen."  LOL  It's time for our teachers to be held accountable PLUS it's time for our teachers, principles, superintendents to take BACK OUR SCHOOLS! 

The Necessity of 'Outing' Colin Powell

These are painful times for most conservatives. Since Election Day, hopes of a pro-constitution Supreme Court, at least for the foreseeable future, have vanished. The prospect of an energy program that puts American workers and American industry as its first priority no longer exists. And with it goes the nation's ability to maintain and determine its own future standard of living. Socialism and "political correctness" are making giant advances forward, while any ability to stop them is elusive at best.

To make matters worse, prominent "Republicans" are now regularly coming forward to castigate the party, or at least its conservative base, as the root cause of its problems and defeats in recent years. The latest and loudest contender is the once immensely popular General Colin Powell.

In a December 11 interview on CNN, he vented his antipathy towards Republican conservatives whom he derided for attempting to use "polarization for political advantage." According to Powell, these people are unable to grasp the political need to reach out to minorities, preferring instead to maintain an agenda which he portrays as exclusionary and which he clearly identifies with white, middle-class America.

Powell lashed out directly at Rush Limbaugh, whom he accuses of appealing to "our lesser instincts rather than our better instincts." He had similarly unkind words for Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, whom he likewise accused of polarizing the party with her talk of "small town" values. Powell followed by pointing out his own "roots" in the Bronx, asserting that such a background has not left him wanting in the area of "values."

In Powell's world, only by distancing itself from the moral and political philosophies of Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and their connection to the American heartland, can the GOP ever hope to broaden its appeal to moderate voters who ostensibly hold the keys to the party's future.

Admittedly, the overt absurdities of Powell's thinking need to be identified. Furthermore, a thorough examination of his real motivations should be conducted. He is wrong on every front, and certainly needs to be characterized as such in order to neutralize his attempted influence on the Republican Party.

For starters, consider Powell's convoluted and thus typically liberal approach to the issues of race and ethnicity in America. From the "multiculturalists" we have for so long heard the grand drivel that "Our diversity is our strength" that most people accept and believe it without question. Yet by his very words, Powell asserts that Republicans need to pander to differing minority factions, presuming no such common "strength" but an inherent system of weaknesses among them that require special attention.

To Powell and his political class, this "outreach" is of course comprised entirely of expanded government entitlement programs and increased social spending, as if all of the former massive expenditures ever yielded even a modicum of benefit to the nation's increasingly segregated and balkanized ethnic subcultures. Rampant urban squalor and despair are all the nation has to show for its past fiscal orgies, so why not up the ante?

Secondly, Powell makes the pitch for abandoning one of the Republican Party's brightest and most inspiring newcomers, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, disdaining her references to "small town values." Perhaps, if he is so enamored with the "values" of his old neighborhood in the Bronx, he might want to take a walk through the 43rd Precinct at three in the morning, or hop on the subway, unescorted, at about the same time. No doubt even he could see a bit of contrast between the "values" of that urban jungle, and the sappy quaintness of Middle America that Palin naively extols but he holds in such low regard.

Nevertheless, Colin Powell's actions of the past few weeks, along with his treacherous endorsement of Barack Obama at the most crucial point in the presidential campaign, are not entirely a bad thing for those who want to rejuvenate the GOP. Only by recognizing the deleterious effect of Powell and his kind, and the futility of ever having attempted to expand the "big tent" to the point that outright liberalism might have a home in the Republican Party, can true conservatives stem the tide of liberal ideology that increasingly infects and undermines their party as a viable alternative to the Democrats.

For too many years, the Republican Party has sought to further its political fortunes by attempting to simultaneously uphold both the high standards of its conservatives and the low standards of its liberals, who most often like to cast themselves as "moderates." And for just as long, the "moderates" have proven to be a bunch of "Trojan Horses," regularly undermining conservative agenda items to the delight of the Washington establishment. Ultimately, a party of numerous conflicting standards is a party with no standards at all.

As a result, the party could rarely muster the momentum to take on big battles, and make big changes in the corrupt manner that business is conducted in present-day Washington D.C. The trillion-dollar "bailout" scam is only the latest example. All too often, rather than being pro-active with a truly conservative agenda that would put the Democrats into a completely defensive mode, the only thing the Republicans can accomplish is to offer a watered down version of the latest liberal agenda item.

This is neither a winning strategy, nor does it inspire voters with the party's "leadership" abilities. Instead, it constitutes a "lose/lose" scenario, which ultimately allows liberal programs to prevail and expand, while dispiriting the conservative base that any real reason exists to support Republicans in major elections.

It was just such a dismal chain of events that portended the Republican loss of both houses of Congress in 2006, and set the stage for the 2008 elections. In both cases, lurking Republican "moderates" came out into the limelight in the wake of the elections to assert a "need" for the party to move still further left. Powell's indefensible rant is merely the latest iteration of this pattern.

Yet by so doing, Colin Powell has shown real Republicans who truly want future elections to result in Republican victories (and more importantly, conservative victories), just whose insipid thinking needs to be broomed from the GOP.

Interesting info.

From the Desk of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton:

Judicial Watch Testifies in Blagojevich Impeachment Hearing

On Wednesday, Judicial Watch Director of Litigation Paul Orfanedes was invited to testify in the Illinois House of Representatives impeachment hearing of Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was arrested last week for attempting to "sell" Barack Obama's now vacant Senate seat, among other corruption charges. It was a tight turn around, but Paul made the trip from DC to Springfield, Illinois and testified yesterday before the 21-member Special Investigative Committee that will eventually make a recommendation to the full Illinois House as to whether or not to move forward with impeachment proceedings against the embattled Illinois governor.

The invitation is a testament not only to Judicial Watch's reputation as the nation's most effective government watchdog organization, but also specifically to our work in holding Governor Blagojevich to account.

As I mentioned previously, we've been investigating Blagojevich for a while now for the very crimes that prompted his arrest last week. In fact, on January 16, 2007, we filed a lawsuit in the Cook County, Illinois Circuit Court seeking all documents, including any and all grand jury subpoenas received by the Governor's office, related to the ongoing Blagojevich corruption investigation. (The subpoenas reportedly were issued by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's office.)

Blagojevich's office tried to lie and stonewall their way out of releasing these documents. First, Blagojevich's legal counsel said the documents were exempted for release. When the state's top law enforcement officer, Illinois State Attorney General Lisa Madigan, called the Governor to the carpet, saying he could not legally withhold these documents, Blagojevich then tried to go around Madigan and hire a personal attorney to represent him instead.

Judicial Watch filed a motion for default in this lawsuit last week. It seems the impeachment committee considers Blagojevich's refusal to follow state FOIA law as part of a pattern of abuse of power.

With specific relevance to the Obama senate seat allegations, on December 15th, we filed yet another Illinois Freedom of Information Act request with the Office of the Governor. Here's what we're after:

• Any and all communications between Governor Rod Blagojevich and President-Elect Barack Obama;
• Any and all communications between the Office of the Governor, including but not limited to Governor Rod Blagojevich and/or Governor Blagojevich's Chief of Staff John Harris, and representatives of the Office of the President-Elect;
• Any and all communications between the office of the Governor, including but not limited to Governor Rod Blagojevich and/or Governor Blagojevich's Chief of Staff John Harris, and representatives of the Obama-Biden Transition Project; and
• Any and all communications between the office of the Governor, including but not limited to Governor Rod Blagojevich and/or Governor Blagojevich's Chief of Staff John Harris, and representatives of the Service Employees International Union regarding the appointment of a replacement for President-Elect Barack Obama's now-vacant Senate seat.

Obviously, we expect a fierce battle over these documents and we are prepared for it.

The Blagojevich scandal is not going to go away. The Chicago Tribune reported last Saturday that "communications between [incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm] Emanuel and the Blagojevich administration were captured on court-approved wiretaps." Moreover, it appears Emanuel, at Obama's urging, presented Blagojevich's representatives with a list of preferred Senate appointees.

Of course, neither Obama nor Emanuel are commenting on any of this, hiding behind the old "I'm not going to comment on an ongoing investigation" line. Obama even told one reporter who dared ask about the scandal earlier this week "don't waste your question." (You can watch the video here.) So much for openness, integrity and transparency. More information may be dumped over Christmas, so stay alert.

While Obama and Emanuel try to get their stories straight, we'll continue to dig for answers.

Stay tuned. Remember, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald led the Valerie Plame leak investigation that lingered on for many months and included testimony from many top Bush officials. This scandal is just getting started. And once again, Judicial Watch is right in the middle of it.

Obama Secretary of Commerce Richardson Under Investigation by Grand Jury

While Barack Obama and his chief of staff are in the middle of the Blagojevich mess, another top Obama appointee has his own influence peddling scandal to deal with. I'm referring to New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson who is tapped to be Obama's Secretary of Commerce.

According to The Washington Post:

A federal grand jury is investigating whether a financial firm improperly won more than $1.4 million in work for the state of New Mexico shortly after making contributions to political action committees of Gov. Bill Richardson (D).

The probe focuses on whether the governor's office urged a state agency to hire CDR Financial Products. The probe is in a highly active stage at a time when President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Richardson as his nominee for secretary of commerce, according to two sources familiar with the investigation...

...The inquiry is part of a long-running nationwide investigation into "pay-to-play" practices in local government bond markets. In other cities, federal investigators are questioning whether financial firms have lavished politicians with money and gifts in exchange for fee-paying work advising municipal and local governments on investments.

Between 2003-2004, CDR, a Beverly Hills based financial services company, donated $75,000 to an organization called Si Se Puede (or "Yes We Can), which paid for expenses at the Democratic National Convention. The company's founder, David Rubin, also chipped in an additional $25,000 in support of an organization that helped Richardson court Latino voters (Moving America Forward). When CDR applied for the financial services contract, according to the Post, they were not even in the top three bidders. However, after a little internal finagling, CDR was awarded the lucrative contract. Following the example of Obama, Richardson is refusing to answer questions about the scandal.

As I told you a few weeks back, Richardson is no stranger to corruption. After all, he was the man in charge at the Clinton Energy Department when nuclear secrets were stolen from Los Alamos Laboratory and transferred to the Communist Chinese. (He ruined the subsequent investigation through improper leaks.) He also attempted to buy Monica Lewinsky's silence by offering her a job when he served as Clinton's ambassador to the United Nations.

So is it really that far of a stretch to think he may have awarded government contracts to a campaign contributor? (As an aside, the Blagojevich wiretaps suggest that he thought the Energy Department - Richardson's old perch - was the place to make money. I'm interested in knowing who Blagojevich was referencing as having illicitly benefited from appointment as Energy chief.)

The latest grand jury investigation is yet another reason that either Obama should withdraw Richardson's name or the Senate should reject his nomination.

After 10 Years of Secrecy, Clintons Release Names of Clinton Foundation Donors

At long last, Bill and Hillary Clinton have released the names of donors to the Clinton Foundation. Not because it was the right thing to do, mind you, but rather because it was a pre-condition of Hillary Clinton taking the job as Obama's Secretary of State. For ten years, the Clintons fought tooth and nail to keep the names secret until, of course, it served their political interests.

Unfortunately (and predictably) the documents raise more questions than they answer.

For example, there are no dates listed for when donations were made to the foundation, which makes it virtually impossible to determine if any specific favors were traded for contributions. No exact giving amounts were listed either, only ranges of contributions.

Still, the names do present fodder for consideration. Of course, there are the usual suspects. Denise Richards, whose ex-husband received one of Bill Clinton's controversial last-minute pardons, gave between $250,000 to $500,000 to the foundation. Freddie Mac stroked a check somewhere in the $50,000 to $100,000 range, as did other large corporations such as General Motors and Goldman Sachs.

But of particular concern, given the position to which Hillary aspires, are all of the foreign contributions. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for example, gave between $10 million and $25 million. Kuwait, Qatar, Brunei, Oman, Italy and Jamaica all gave generously as well. Moreover, as The Associated Press notes, "Some of the [Clinton Foundation] donors have extensive ties to Indian interests that could prove troubling to Pakistan. Tensions between the two nuclear nations are high since last month's deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai."

The key question is this: Will the generosity of all of these international donors to the Clinton Foundation go unnoticed by a Secretary of State Clinton as she crafts U.S. diplomatic policy? Foreign nationals and governments do not see much distinction between the United States government and Clinton, Inc. Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State would be like hanging a "For Sale" sign on our foreign policy.

The Clintons have a terrible record of selling public office for their private and political gain. These foundation donations (along with the personal income Clinton raked in from dubious sources) show that the Clintons have no shame when it comes to leveraging their power for illicit money.

Look, I can give you more than a dozen reasons why Hillary Clinton should not be the Secretary of State, beginning with her long history of crooked and criminal behavior. But even if you're willing to ignore her entire corrupt record, the "cosmic ties," of Bill Clinton, as Senator Dick Lugar called them, are of serious concern.

The Senate should reject Hillary's nomination and Obama should appoint someone without all of the ethical baggage and suspicious ties that Hillary brings with her. And certainly, the Senate should spend more than the proverbial two minutes they plan to consider her nomination.

(By the way, we held a powerful panel at the National Press Club this week examining the constitutional ineligibility of Hillary Clinton to serve as Secretary of State. Joining us were Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute and John O'Connor of the law firm Steptoe & Johnson. Mr. Shapiro has been raising the clarion call on this issue for some time and Mr. O'Connor wrote what most consider to be the authoritative legal analysis on this issue. And for those of you wondering, Senator Ken Salazar is also ineligible to lead the Interior Department because of the U.S. Constitution's Emoluments Clause.)

    So how long has this site had the report button?  Just curious to know how long it will take.

Aw shucks sherri, you make me blush    I hope you get lots of quality time with your girl!  And you look wonderful too!

A little bit off subject, but kudos to Oprah

Oprah Winfrey named PETA's 'Person of the Year'

Updated Fri. Dec. 19 2008 8:43 PM ET

The Associated Press

CHICAGO -- The animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has named Oprah Winfrey its "Person of the Year."

PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said Friday that Winfrey has used her "powerful voice to defend those without one."

Norfolk, Va.-based PETA said the group will send Winfrey an award plaque and a letter of appreciation.

Winfrey's Chicago-based Harpo Productions said the talk show host is on hiatus and not available for comment.

Previous winners of the PETA award include U.S. Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia in 2007 and the founders of the San Francisco-based cleaning product company Method in 2006.

Hey ROCK!!! I've been lonely without you!  Im glad you are having fun, you definately deserve it so soak it all up!!!!!  Cant wait to see pics, looking forward to it!  Have a safe time and safe travel home. ((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))))

Summer, good article about California governor.  I haven't read the entire article about the auto bailout.  I did read from your article that the GM CEO apologized for their business failings. (?)  I was scanning through your post.  I wonder if I can apologize for my stupidity for buying something I could not afford...will I be forgiven by the "buyee?" 

I hate that any of this has happened to our economies!  My dd flew to Richmond the other day (she's one of the HR managers for Ingersoll Rand)  to "help" lay off two men.  By law they need an HR manager to be their.  Anyway, the two men were devastated.  I'm almost crying thinking about it.  Why couldn't they wait until after Christmas?  My other dd is an attorney.  Her practice is in Employment Law.  She just helped a client file for bankruptcy.  He had 250 employees that are without a job.  He told her he's so depressed..can't sleep...where is he going to get a job...will have a black mark on his record.  I asked my dd who flew to Richmond if she cried.  She said no that she had to be "professional."  She is so sensitive I don't know how she got through this.  She says she feels SO BLESSED seeing what's going on in this world.  My other dd who helped with the brankruptcy..she went into her partner's office after she was through with her client and cried.

I hear that there's not enough food for the "soup lines."  Or enough money charities like Salvation Army who help families. 

How did this happen!!??  

Beautiful picture Moody....

As most of you know I have been more than a little leery of PEBO's foreign policy advisers during the presidential race.  I'm hoping that with keeping Gates and appointing Hillary that he has moved to the middle, but a little apprehensive that Samantha "Monster" Powers is back in the transition team.

Anyway, with these concerns imagine my amazement when the most seemingly dunderheaded move in foreign policy may be about to occur in the waining days of the Bush presidency by President Bush himself........

What are they thinking giving Nuclear technology to a Gulf state with close associations with Iran?????  Why is there not more press about this?  Why isn't anyone picking this up.  I am furious......What is going on?  I don't understand this at all.  This is mind boggling!  

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/12/17/ldt.pilgrim.uae.nuclear.pact.cnn?iref=videosearch

Thought I'd post a video that takes our minds off all the negative things happening in the world around us.

http://worriersanonymous.org/Share///Christmas1.html