Virginia Gov. Mark Warner held a fundraiser for his PAC on his 50th birthday, and raised $ 2 Million.  The question is, what will he use it for? Will he run for President in 2008? For Senate against George Allen in 2006? For Senate in 2008 (the seat of John Warner, no relation)?

Joe is a great guy (though a bit of a gasbag), but who does he think he's kidding?  Does he really think the lesson of 2004 is that next time, instead of a guy with 20 years in the senate, we need a guy with 36 years in the senate?

I guess Santorum is in trouble with the wingers:

"Sen. Rick Santorum's (R-Pa.) actions on behalf of his embattled senior GOP home-state colleague, Arlen Specter, have strained relations with some conservative groups that Santorum will need to win reelection in 2006.

"Santorum angered some conservatives by backing Specter in his tough primary battle with conservative Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) earlier this year, and by failing to stop Specter from becoming chairman of the Judiciary Committee after he publicly suggested that anti-abortion judges would have a hard time winning Senate confirmation."

http://online.wsj.com/wsjgate?subURI=%2Farticle%2F0%2C%2CSB110064794870576041%2Demail%2C00%2Ehtml&am p;nonsubURI=%2Farticle%5Femail%2F0%2C%2CSB110064794870576041%2DIBjfoNglaZ3oZyra3mHb6yIm4%2C00%2Ehtml

"Democrats ... may want to remember that there is a particular kind of leader who in the past has succeeded in shepherding them out of the political wilderness: a moderate Southern governor who knows how to win in those red states, who is able to win over Republicans and who can speak to the middle on social issues.

"In this hour of their gloom, the good news for Democrats is that they have precisely such a figure within their ranks. He is Mark Warner, the governor of Virginia. In the party's search for fresh faces to guide it now, his may well be the most appealing."

We could do worse.

http://www.hoosiergazette.com/News/Nov2004/news003.htm

"Hostettler mounting campaign to change the name of Interstate 69
"By August Wayne, THG News

"John Hostettler, the Congressman representing the 8th district of Indiana, has been convinced by local religious groups to introduce legislation in the House that would change the name of an Interstate 69 extension to a more moral sounding number.

"There are plans to extend the interstate from Indianapolis through southwestern Indiana all the way through Texas into Mexico in the coming years.  While most believe this highway will be good for the state's economy, religious conservatives believe "I-69" sounds too risqué and want to change the interstate's number.

"Hostettler, a proponent of the interstate extension, agrees.  "Every time I have been out in the public with an `I-69' button on my lapel, teenagers point and snicker at it.  I have had many ask me if they can have my button.  I believe it is time to change the name of the highway.  It is the moral thing to do.""

"In a sign of growing Democratic powerlessness and despair in Washington after Tuesday's elections, Senator Christopher J. Dodd is considering running for governor of Connecticut in 2006, fellow lawmakers and an adviser to the senator said yesterday.

"Mr. Dodd, who was just re-elected to a fifth term on Tuesday, recently declined to make a bid for the minority leader's post in the United States Senate, after it became clear that Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the No. 2 Democrat in the chamber, had rounded up enough support from his colleagues to be formally elected leader later this month.

"Instead, Mr. Dodd is turning his attention to the idea of helping Democrats reclaim the governorship of Connecticut after nearly a decade of Republican rule in Hartford, according to leading Democrats who have discussed the matter with him."

It would be a real shame to lose Dodd; maybe we could get Joe Lieberman to run instead.

This is a great omen for Kerry!                

Of course, there isn't a cause-and-effect relationship, but it's still fun!

This really sucks.                          
                                               

(And please, no wise-assed remarks comparing this to the stories about David Dreier pretending to pork Bo Derek.)              

What do you think?

Anyone have any inside info?

Awesome editorial in the Louisville Courier-Journal on the continuing meltdown of Sen. Jim Bunning:

In Washington last week, Sen. Jim Bunning reportedly was complaining about his slipping poll numbers. He blamed the President, blamed the Governor, grumbling that their political slip-ups were rubbing off on him.

The truth is, Sen. Bunning has no one to blame but himself. He has never been a warm and fuzzy guy, not even as a young baseball star.

But his attacks on his opponent, Daniel Mongiardo, and the outrageous statements he has made in his rare public appearances are giving voters pause.

They are raising questions about Sen. Bunning's suitability for office. Is he, as he ages, just becoming a more concentrated version of himself: more arrogant, more prickly? Certainly that would be a normal occurrence.

Or is his increasing belligerence an indication of something worse? Has Sen. Bunning drifted into territory that indicates a serious health concern?

His latest blast is the most outlandish so far. He accused Dr. Mongiardo or a member of his campaign staff of "trying to abuse my wife" at Fancy Farm last summer. "My wife was black and blue," he said. Of course, the Mongiardo campaign denied any connection to any injury Mary Bunning may have sustained, calling the charge "sad and untrue."

And as his wild statements mount and he increasingly isolates himself, small things take on great significance. For example, Sen. Bunning broke the rules and read from a teleprompter during his so-called "debate" with Dr. Mongiardo. Was that simply because he thought he could get away with it, since he was ensconced in a remote location in Washington? Or did he need to read his opening and closing statements to avoid stumbling into another gaffe?

There is, of course, an easy way for Sen. Bunning to end what has become national speculation about his fitness. He could call press conferences throughout the state, stand before the public and say, "Here I am. Ask me questions. You'll see how fit I am."

Successful, reasonable public interaction would be far more reassuring than statements from doctors that his blood pressure and cholesterol are OK.

That, of course, is important information. This time, however, the concern isn't about physical health.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/cartoons/bal-kal100204,1,4715259.cartoon?coll=bal-opinion-u tility

Awesome column!

The Kerry campaign needs to get this guy on TV in WI,IA, OH, PA, CO, etc., RIGHT NOW!

Come and listen to my story 'bout a boy named Bush.
His IQ was zero and his head was up his tush.
He drank like a fish while he drove all about.
But that didn't matter 'cuz his daddy bailed him out.

DUI, that is.
Criminal record.
Cover-up.

Well, the first thing you know little Georgie goes to Yale.
He can't spell his name but they never let him fail.
He spends all his time hangin' out with student folk.
And that's when he learns how to snort a line of coke.

Blow, that is.
White gold.
Nose candy.

The next thing you know there's a war in Vietnam.
Kinfolks say, "George, stay at home with Mom."
Let the common people get all maimed and scarred.
We'll buy you a spot in the Texas Air Guard.

Cushy, that is.
Country clubs.
Nose candy.

Twenty years later George gets a little bored.
He trades in the booze, says that Jesus is his Lord.
He said, "Now the White House is the place I wanna be."
So he called his daddy's friends and they called the GOP.

Gun owners, that is.
Falwell.
Jesse Helms.

Come November 7, the election ran late.
Kin folks said "Jeb, give the boy your state!"
"Don't let those colored folks get into the polls."
So they put up barricades so they couldn't punch their holes.

Chads, that is.
Duval County, Palm Beach County.
Miami-Dade.

Before the votes were counted five Supremes stepped in.
Told all the voters "Hey, we want George to win."
"Stop counting votes!" was their solemn invocation.
And that's how George finally got his coronation.

Rigged, that is.
Illegitimate.
No moral authority.

Y'all come vote now.
Ya hear?

RV:
Bush: 49%
Kerry: 45%

Not good!