Just POlitics

Memo’s author discovered

Stories abounded yesterday that the Senate memo telling Republicans about how the Schiavo case could help them politically might be another Rathergate. However, Sen. Mel Martinez has learned that Brian H. Darling, 39, who served as his legal counsel was the author of the memo.

The Washington Times reported yesterday that they could not find any Senator, save Iowa’s Tom Harkin, that attested to having seen the memo. A story in today’s Times indicates that Harkin helped Sen. Martinez to uncover the truth of the memo.

Sen. Martinez accepted Darling’s resignation. Martinez stated that Darling had previously denied writing the memo when questioned prior.

"It was not approved by me or any other member of my staff, nor were we aware of its existence until very recently. This is not a document that would have been approved in this office for circulation under any circumstances," Martinez said.

DeLay vs. Pelosi

House Democrat Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi continued her attacks on House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Liberals have made a point of calling into question DeLay’s ethics. Liberal newspapers brought forward new accusations against DeLay yesterday.

DeLay found the NY Times questioning of his wife and daughter particularly offensive.

"My wife and daughter have any right, just like any other American, to be employed and be compensated for their employment," Mr. DeLay said. "It's pretty disgusting, particularly when my wife and daughter are singled out and others are not, in similar situations in the Senate and as well as the House." DeLay said in a story carried in today’s Times.

The Campaign For America's Future said it would run an ad in The Washington Times, widely read by conservatives in Congress. It says DeLay does not measure up to the ethical standards of former Presidents Reagan and Eisenhower or the late Sen. Barry Goldwater, the GOP presidential candidate in 1964.

The Associated Press is also reporting that: "the American Project Action Fund unveiled a website, www.DropTheHammer.org, urging consumers to contact businesses that have donated to DeLay's Legal defense Fund. "Let these corporations know that unless they stop supporting Tom DeLay, you'll stop supporting them," it says."

Upon checking www.DropTheHammer.org doesn’t show up in Internet searches. A brief survey of the Internet doesn’t show up the American Project Action Fund. However, the American Progress Action Fund does show up and has a project to Drop The Hammer, as do most Democrat Liberal groups at this time.

Meanwhile, Republican House members seem to be standing with DeLay.

"Nancy has two years to get the majority, she knows this is her only shot," said Rep. Jerry, R-Calif., said in reference to Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi for her part makes it clear that the attacks on DeLay are intended to enable the Democrats to get back in power.

"When politicians, the Republican majority, decides it is above the law, the American people are now seeing that they have a price to pay — at the pump, for their pharmaceuticals, and in the absence of initiatives that would help grow our economy," Pelosi said.

The truce of not using ethics to practice gotcha politics is broken and we can expect full out warfare on that front.

Perfect practice makes perfect

Roger Simon’s column covers the impresario Michael Sheehan as he gave a lecture to Harvard students. Sheehan handles political candidates and teaches them how to appear on TV.

Sheehan, a Yale School of Drama graduate, now charges up to $15,000 per day (the Harvard students, who may run for public office some day, were getting Sheehan's advice for free) to teach politicians and corporate big shots how to use TV to their advantage, instead of letting TV alter their reality.

He is very, very good at what he does. But like all great teachers, great students bring out his best. The year was 1996 and incumbent President Bill Clinton was prepping for his first presidential debate with Republican candidate Bob Dole. This is from my book on that year's campaign, called "Show Time. " The setting is the Chautauqua Institution, a 750-acre retreat in the countryside about 60 miles southwest of Buffalo...

Iranian unrest

Violent clashes are being reported in several western Iranian cities. Reports are that clashes occurred in Mahabad, Baneh, Saghez, Marivan, Sanandaj and Piranshahr as crowds came into the streets calling for a democratic change in Iran. Several demonstrators were injured and dozens arrested in Piranshahr, Mahabad and Saghez.

Demonstrators shouted slogans against the Islamic regime and its leadership despite militiamen using rubber bullets and tear gas against them.

Protesters were reported to have damaged security patrol cars and public buildings. Armed masked protesters took over several security buildings and were able to disarm some of the security forces.

‘No’ to Gore & Kerry

The Pew Research Center polled Howard Dean’s online radicals and found that two-thirds of them do not want Al Gore or John Kerry to be the Democrat party’s 2008 candidate for President. Former Dean backers Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton got the most other support for a 2008 run.