Jack Abramoff Controversy

Jack Abramoff Controversy

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Abramoff Heading To Prison, Prosecutors Want Him To Roll On More Politicians

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Dorgan Tangled in Abramoff Web

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Dorgan has the North Dakota press wrapped around his finger. In a small state like North Dakota, Dorgan, Conrad et cetera are really important people who can really cause problems if the locals do Kiss their Bu**s.

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No brainer. Will be interesting to see how this unfolds. If the Dem’s are even halfway serious about ethics reform all this will come out. If not, then it remains politics as usual. No surprise there.

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READ THE FULL STORY

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Questions Surround Speaker Pelosi's Choice For House Majority Leader

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a Democratic-leaning watchdog group, accused Pelosi of compromising her ethical standards by endorsing Murtha.

Murtha has fought charges for years of using his senior status on the Defense Appropriations subcommittee to award favors to campaign contributors. He voted against a Democratic package of ethics reforms earlier this year

CBS News reporter Allison Davis

Representative Hoyer's supporters are reviving accounts of Murtha's less-than-decisive rejection of a bribe in the 1980 Abscam FBI sting operation. More recently, Murtha has battled allegations that he may have accepted favors from defense contractors.

Most immediately, Murtha's opposition to ethics reform, including past brushes with ethics issues, open Pelosi to charges that she hasn't heard voters on the importance of cleaning up the culture of corruption in Washington.

"Future House Speaker Pelosi's endorsement of Representative Murtha, one of the most unethical members of Congress, shows that she may have prioritized ethics reform merely to win votes, with no real commitment to changing the culture of corruption," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a group that took a lead in criticizing former GOP majority leader Tom DeLay of Texas over corruption charges.

By Gail Russell Chaddock

Who Killed The Electric Car ?

Who Killed The Electric Car ?

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Make a difference right now. Take Action!

Bush Pledges Bipartisan Cooperation

Reaching out to newly ascendant Democrats for a second day, President Bush promised bipartisan cooperation to the Senate's top Democrats on Friday.

Bush called Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, Dick Durbin, to the Oval Office for about 45 minutes of discussions. Afterward, they pledged to put bitter campaign disputes aside and work together.

"The only way to move forward is through bipartisanship and openness," said Reid, D-Nev.

Looking for common ground, Bush noted that both he and Reid hail from the plainspoken West. "We tend to speak the same language," the president said.

READ FULL STORY: By JENNIFER LOVEN
Photo Pablo Martinez Monsivais_AP
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Bush Pledges Bipartisan Cooperation, [Reply, BULL]

"The only way to move forward is through bipartisanship and openness," said Reid, D-Nev. [Reply, BULL]

Looking for common ground, Bush noted that both he and Reid hail from the plainspoken West. "We tend to speak the same language," the president said. [Reply, BULL]

If you think Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Rice and the rest of the Republicans who are making billions of dollars off the war (occupation) are going to lie down just because the Democrats won the election,

“Think Again”.
I wonder what kind of deposits these Democrats made into their checking accounts after this so called “Bipartisan Lunching”.

Reid, Durbin, Pelosi and the rest of you Democrats, I will be keeping an eye on you!

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Nancy Pelosi, Said

Nancy Pelosi has previously said a Democratic-led Congress will not be a rubber stamp for the White House. Nancy Pelosi, said she hoped there would be cooperation with congressional investigations -- part of the checks-and-balances system built into the Constitution. Nancy Pelosi also has said that in the first 100 hours of her speakership she will push for action implementing all 9/11 Commission recommendations on national security, raising the minimum wage to $7.25, eliminating corporate subsidies for oil companies, allowing the government to negotiate Medicare drug prices, imposing new restrictions on lobbyists, cutting interest rates on college loans and supporting embryonic stem-cell research.

Read Full Story: CNN's John King, Dana Bash and Ed Henry.

Nancy Pelosi, photo from Wikipedia

Chevron 3Q Profit Soars to 5 Billion

A $5 billion third-quarter profit from Chevron Corp. lifts the cumulative results of the five major oil companies that reported July through September earnings this week to more than $31.5 billion.
The industry benefited from oil prices that averaged more than $70 a barrel, as well as its ability to earn more money from gasoline production and sales. Chevron's profits grew the fastest among its peer group, rising a whopping 40 percent from a year ago.

Washington Post AP Photo: Paul Sakuma

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE

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The Broken Branch

Even before the Mark Foley scandal broke, the 109th Congress was suffering from intense partisanship, legislative impasses and near-record-low public approval ratings. Incumbents are scrambling for reelection in the Nov. 7 general election, in which the Republican majorities in both houses are at risk. Regardless of the outcome, few lawmakers expect to rack up enough triumphs in the Nov. 13 lame-duck session to send the 109th Congress into the history books with high marks.
Two of the most knowledgeable congressional scholars are Thomas E. Mann of the Brookings Institution and Norman J. Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute. Their new book is "The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track." They recently answered questions about their findings and views.

Photo by PAUL J.RICHARDS

Read Full Store

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Thomas E. Mann (Wikipedia)

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Thomas E. Mann

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The Brookings Institution

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Norman J. Ornstein (Wikipedia)

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Norman J. Ornstein

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American Enterprise Institute

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The Broken Branch

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Federal Leadership Needed To Tackle Climate Change

Federal Leadership Needed To Tackle Climate Change

Most Countries Still Failing On Global Warming - Need For Federal Government To Lead

Make A Difference Right Now.

Take Action!

Individual actions may seem small, but together they can change the world. Become part of the solution.
Climate change is. considered by many scientists to be the most serious threat facing the world today. The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. Solutions include phasing out coal plants, expanding renewable energy sources and public transit, and creating new efficiency standards for vehicles and buildings. Find out what you can do to help make a difference!
Greenhouse gas emissions can be greatly reduced many different ways. Most of the solutions involve increasing the efficiency of our energy use to reduce fossil fuel demand, while maintaining - or improving - our lifestyles. Many of the potential solutions have benefits beyond greenhouse gas reduction, such as increased employment, stimulation of the high-tech manufacturing sector, and reduced urban air pollution.
A combination of public interest and government sponsored programs can make these solutions a reality.

~ David Suzuki

More information

Station 618

Earth Headed for Warmest Temps in a Million Years

Earth Headed for Warmest Temps in a Million Years

Scientists Also Rebuke Popular Author Michael Crichton



In about 45 years, temperatures on Earth will be hotter than at anytime during the past one million years, says the U.S. government's top climatologist in a new report released today.

According to the report, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the planet is just two degrees shy of an average temperature of 59 degrees Fahrenheit, which is what they believe the temperature was about a million years ago.

NASA's James Hansen, along with colleagues from the University of California and Columbia University, are for the first time, marking a calendar signaling the approach of temperatures that humans have never experienced.

"Humans are now in control of the Earth's climate, for better or worse," Hansen tells ABC News.

Based on a "business as usual" scenario in which greenhouse gasses continue to rise unabated, Hansen says we'll break the million-year-old record in about 45 years. But he stresses we can't wait that long to cut greenhouse gas pollution, because of the decades it takes for the climate system to respond to changes.

"We need to get started now," he says. "We can't wait another decade or two to take this seriously."

Those 2 degrees the scientists are talking about may not sound like much, but what that change means is that by mid-century, the world will experience even more record heat waves, wildfires, more intense storms and flooding.

In other parts of the world, the increase may worsen drought conditions as more mountain glaciers and snow packs vanish, no longer sending water to the valleys below.

And in a highly unusual move for a scientific paper, the authors devote eight paragraphs to systematically deconstructing the assertions of a prominent science fiction novelist. In the non-fiction sections of his 2004 book "State of Fear," best-selling author Michael Crichton wrote that Hansen's climate change calculations were "wrong by 300 percent."

Hansen says Crichton misrepresented his scientific work and, adds the scientist, has done so in testimony before Congress and in a meeting with President Bush — even though he is not a climate expert.

"He is propagating false information to the public," Hansen says.

Crichton, through a publicist, declined ABC News' request for an interview.

By CLAYTON SANDELL and BILL BLAKEMORE

Ohio Rep. Files Guilty Plea In Abramoff Scandal

U.S. Rep. Bob Ney will plead guilty to federal criminal charges he made false statements and conspired to commit fraud and violate federal lobbying laws in the congressional corruption probe spawned by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Ney, R-Ohio, had defiantly denied the charges for months. Now he faces up to 10 years in prison. The Justice Department said prosecutors will recommend that he serve 27 months based on federal sentencing guidelines. Ney became the first lawmaker to admit wrongdoing in the election-year investigation.

Ney agreed to plead guilty to making false statements and conspiracy to commit "wire and mail fraud," make false statements and violate post-employment restrictions for former congressional staff members.

Ney faces up to ten years in prison, but the Justice Department said prosecutors will recommend he serve 27 months based on federal sentencing guidelines.

Ney signed the plea agreement Wednesday, but it was not approved by the Justice Department or filed in court until Friday.

Don’t forget to take your golf clubs with you Anus Hole.

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Novak vs. Armitage

Novak vs. Armitage

Bull, I’ve got a bridge in Florida I want talk to you about.