The Republican National Committee on its web-site note that 40 of the 45 democrats in the Senate accepted money from Jack Abramoff, his associates, and Indian tribal clients.

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Earlier posting

Bulldogpundit analyzes (at Ankle Biting Pundits) how the Associated Press-Ipsos Poll results showing that Americans favor giving Democrats control of Congress by a 49 percent to 36 percent margin were actually achieved.

Hat tip to terrye at YARGB.

The NY Times reports:

In letters sent Saturday to fellow House Republicans and to Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Mr. DeLay said he supported the call for an election for a new leader and was stepping aside to avoid becoming a political liability as Republicans battle to hold their majority.

“The job of majority leader and the mandate of the Republican majority are too important to be hamstrung, even for a few months, by personal distractions,” said Mr. DeLay.

Mr. DeLay intends to seek re-election to his seat representing the Houston suburbs and reclaim his position on the Appropriations Committee.

Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio said of Delay:

I can say without hesitation he is one of the most effective and gifted leaders the Republican Party has ever known.”

RightWing News names the 20 Most Annoying Liberals of 2005. Personally, I think the MSM’s Katrina Coverage ought to be more like No. 2.

John Kerry is boasting that he is in the best position of democrat contenders to run in 2008, because he has an email list of more than 3 million unsound souls. Some members of the Blogosphere left are not eager to repeat the experience of 2004, and are suggesting that left-wingers should do something about this, and let John Kerry know just how they feel about him. I love it.

Hat tip to Mickey Kaus.

Republicans had some better news today, when retired Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro Wide Receiver Lynn Swann announced his intention of seeking the GOP nomination for Governor of Pennsylvania.

A Hall of Famer who played for the Steelers 1974-1982, Swann still lives near Pittsburgh. He has worked as a football commentator for ABC Sports since his retirement from football in 1983.

If elected, the 53-year-old Swann would be Pennsylvania’s first black governor. He faces three other candidates in seeking the Republican nomination for governor – his first run for political office. The other contenders, still in the race, at the moment, are former Lieutenant-Governor William Scranton III, State Senator Jeffrey E. Piccola, and Jim Panyard, the former director of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association. The winner of the May 16 primary will probably face current Governor Ed Rendell, a liberal democrat,who is expected to seek a second four-year term.

Swann planned to kick off his campaign with a Wednesday night rally in Pittsburgh, followed by appearances in Altoona and Scranton on Thursday, and in Philadelphia, Allentown and Lancaster on Friday.

His announcement did not come as a surprise. A political committee has been raising money for his campaign for nearly a year, though he was the last of four known Republican hopefuls to make his candidacy official.

A very large portion of Pennsylvania is Steeler country, and a black Republican candidate is unlikely to fail to make inroads on the democrats’ PA urban bases. Ed Rendell is probably going to wind up looking just like the unfortunate defensive player in the photo above.

A Free Republic correspondent, knowing the MSM isn’t going to be reporting this, posts a list of Abramoff Lobbying & Political Contributions to Democrats (source: FEC Records):

* Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) Received At Least — $22,500
* Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) Received At Least — $6,500
* Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) Received At Least — $1,250
* Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) Received At Least — $2,000
* Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) Received At Least — $20,250
* Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) Received At Least — $21,765
* Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) Received At Least — $7,500
* Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) Received At Least — $12,950
* Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) Received At Least — $8,000
* Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ) Received At Least — $7,500
* Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) Received At Least — $14,792
* Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) Received At Least — $79,300
* Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) Received At Least — $14,000
* Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) Received At Least — $2,000
* Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) Received At Least — $1,250
* Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) Received At Least — $45,750
* Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) Received At Least — $9,000
* Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT) Received At Least — $2,000
* Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) Received At Least — $14,250
* Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) Received At Least — $3,300
* Senator John Kerry (D-MA) Received At Least — $98,550
* Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) Received At Least — $28,000
* Senator Pat Leahy (D-VT) Received At Least — $4,000
* Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) Received At Least — $6,000
* Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) Received At Least — $29,830
* Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) Received At Least — $14,891
* Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) Received At Least — $10,550
* Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) Received At Least — $78,991
* Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) Received At Least — $20,168
* Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) Received At Least — $5,200
* Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) Received At Least — $7,500
* Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) Received At Least — $2,300
* Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) Received At Least — $3,500
* Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) Received At Least — $68,941
* Senator John Rockefeller (D-WV) Received At Least — $4,000
* Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) Received At Least — $4,500
* Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) Received At Least — $4,300
* Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Received At Least — $29,550
* Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Received At Least — $6,250
* Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) Received At Least — $6,250

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Cmte $423,480
Democratic Congressional Campaign Cmte $354,700
Democratic National Cmte $65,720

Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) $42,500
Patty Murray (D-Wash) $40,980
Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) $36,000
Harry Reid (D-Nev) $30,500
Byron L. Dorgan (D-ND) $28,000
Tom Daschle (D-SD) $26,500
Democratic Party of Michigan $23,000
Brad R. Carson (D-Okla) $20,600
Dale E. Kildee (D-Mich) $19,000
Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md) $17,500
Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) $15,500
Democratic Party of Oklahoma $15,000
Chris John (D-La) $15,000
John Breaux (D-La) $13,750
Frank Pallone, Jr (D-NJ) $13,600
Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo) $12,000
Mary L. Landrieu (D-La) $11,500
Barney Frank (D-Mass) $11,100
Max Baucus (D-Mont) $11,000
Maria Cantwell (D-Wash) $10,000
Democratic Party of North Dakota $10,000
Nick Rahall (D-WVa) $10,000
Democratic Party of South Dakota $9,500
Democratic Party of Minnesota $9,000
Ron Kind (D-Wis) $9,000
Peter Deutsch (D-Fla) $8,500
Joe Baca (D-Calif) $8,000
Dick Durbin (D-Ill) $8,000
Xavier Becerra (D-Calif) $7,523
Tim Johnson (D-SD) $7,250
Democratic Party of New Mexico $6,250
Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) $6,000
David E. Bonior (D-Mich) $5,000
Jon S. Corzine (D-NJ) $5,000
Democratic Party of Montana $5,000
Fritz Hollings (D-SC) $5,000
Jay Inslee (D-Wash) $5,000
Thomas P. Keefe Jr. (D-Wash) $5,000
Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md) $5,000
Deborah Ann Stabenow (D-Mich) $5,000
Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) $4,500
Tom Carper (D-Del) $4,000
Kent Conrad (D-ND) $4,000
Jerry Kleczka (D-Wis) $4,000
Sander Levin (D-Mich) $4,000
Robert T. Matsui (D-Calif) $4,000
George Miller (D-Calif) $4,000
Kalyn Cherie Free (D-Okla) $3,500
James L. Oberstar (D-Minn) $3,500
Charles J. Melancon (D-La) $3,100
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) $3,000
Cal Dooley (D-Calif) $3,000
John B. Larson (D-Conn) $3,000
David R. Obey (D-Wis) $3,000
Ed Pastor (D-Ariz) $3,000
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) $3,000
Richard M. Romero (D-NM) $3,000
Brad Sherman (D-Calif) $3,000
Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss) $3,000
Max Cleland (D-Ga) $2,500
Grace Napolitano (D-Calif) $2,500
Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif) $2,500
Bill Luther (D-Minn) $2,250
Gene Taylor (D-Miss) $2,250
Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) $2,000
Ken Bentsen (D-Texas) $2,000
Dan Boren (D-Okla) $2,000
Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn) $2,000
John D. Dingell (D-Mich) $2,000
Doug Dodd (D-Okla) $2,000
Ned Doucet (D-La) $2,000
Lane Evans (D-Ill) $2,000
Sam Farr (D-Calif) $2,000
John Neely Kennedy (D-La) $2,000
Carl Levin (D-Mich) $2,000
Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark) $2,000
Nita M. Lowey (D-NY) $2,000
Robert Menendez (D-NJ) $2,000
Adam Schiff (D-Calif) $2,000
Ronnie Shows (D-Miss) $2,000
Adam Smith (D-Wash) $2,000
Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Calif) $2,000
Mike Thompson (D-Calif) $2,000
Maxine Waters (D-Calif) $2,000
Peter DeFazio (D-Ore) $1,500
Norm Dicks (D-Wash) $1,500
John Kerry (D-Mass) $1,400
Barbara Boxer (D-Calif) $1,000
Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif) $1,000
Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) $1,000
Jim Costa (D-Calif) $1,000
Susan A. Davis (D-Calif) $1,000
Eliot L. Engel (D-NY) $1,000
Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif) $1,000
Tim Holden (D-Pa) $1,000
Patrick Leahy (D-Vt) $1,000
Joe Lieberman (D-Conn) $1,000
Jim Maloney (D-Conn) $1,000
David Phelps (D-Ill) $1,000
Charles S. Robb (D-Va) $1,000
Brian David Schweitzer (D-Mont) $1,000
Pete Stark (D-Calif) $1,000
Gloria Tristani (D-NM) $1,000
Derrick B. Watchman (D-Ariz) $1,000
Rick Weiland (D-SD) $1,000
Paul Wellstone (D-Minn) $1,000
Ron Wyden (D-Ore) $1,000
Bob Borski (D-Pa) $720
Shelley Berkley (D-Nev) $500
Howard L. Berman (D-Calif) $500
Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) $500
Democratic Party of Washington $500
Barbara Lee (D-Calif) $500
Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif) $500

Grand Total $1,541,673

Patrick Godfrey thinks the administration’s months of passivity in the face of countless opposition leaks and attacks might really be Karl Rove’s most diabolical maneuver yet:

As a long time Boxing fan and as a student of the Sweet Science, it was thrilling to watch Muhammad Ali in his prime and in particular, his patented “Rope a Dope” strategy. In the later rounds, when his opponent was particularly aggressive, Ali would back against the ropes and cover up his head and mid-section as his opponent would unleash a barrage of punches. Many of those punches would be absorbed by his arms and gloves, but occasionally some would get through. He would take some punishment as his foe would be a blur of activity, the blows coming nearly non-stop as it appeared Ali might be in trouble, on the ropes and covering up, not fighting back. His opponent would be feeling good, seemingly scoring at will, his punches hitting a man on the ropes. Eventually however, even the best conditioned fighter would become arm weary, and take a step back to rest.

This would be the moment Ali was waiting for.

Ali would come off the ropes swinging, his rested arms pounding his worn out opponent. Sure, he was on the ropes and took a few shots, but it was all part of a strategy. Once his opponent had spent himself, Ali would go in for the knockout. Now Politics isn’t Boxing and care must be taken to avoid specious analogies. That being said let me point out some things.

Like you, I have been worrying and wondering what has been going on at the RNC.

For months, I have listened to a constant refrain of; Bush Lied, Quagmires, imagined scandals and that “He doesn’t have a plan”.

I would read, with a growing sense of anxiety, daily updates of doom and gloom. Rising Troop losses, one sided reporting. A defensive posture and Bunker-like mentality was the order of the day.

Seemingly prodded by Maverick House Members and its increasingly alarmed base, the White House is finally firing back. Along with this new offence have come rising poll numbers which, lets face it, were approaching Carter-Like numbers.

It has puzzled me for a long time, why hasn’t the White House fired back on this stuff? Some of it was so easy to refute it was almost a “gimme” for the other side. A quick trip back to the Front Pages of only 2 years ago would have been enough for some of the more egregious whining.

Then it struck me, could this all be on purpose?

A reply to yesterday’s ACLU advertisement in the New York Times from Clark Baker.

Hat tip to Curt.

The ACLU ran this advertisement in the December 29, 2005 edition of The New York Times.

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The Left is trying to impeach the president of the United States in time of war on the basis of pettyfogging and absolutist legal claims against highly pertinent war-time measures to protect American lives from terrorist attacks on urban population centers employing weapons of mass destruction.

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We have an alternative proposal: the Never Yet Melted Herpetological Studies Fellowship Program, providing duration-of-the-war opportunities for the study of Mojave Desert flora & fauna in a safe, barbed-wire-surrounded, environment.

The tactic of taking an ultra-liberal, soft on defense, and inclined toward anti-US positions overseas, but equipped with some sort of military record, draping him in the flag, and trying to run him for office did not work out so well for the democrats in 2004. But nagging insecurities on the Patriotism front (for some reason) seem inevitably to lead our democrat friends to rush to use the alleged war hero as their front man for appeasement and surrender.

Look at John Murtha, whose Marine Corps background was exploited by the democrats to provide patriotic cover for last month’s trial balloon call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

The MSM obligingly portrayed the faithful hack Murtha as “conservative,” “a hawk,” and a previously strong supporter of the War in Iraq, suddenly converted. But in reality, Murtha’s record on intervention in Iraq was strongly negative until a week before Congress voted overwhelmingly in its favor. Some sources believe Murtha’s willingness to take a leading anti-war position may have been motivated by considerations other than conviction.

And they are going back to the military hero well for the coming 2006 Congressional election. They probably had to turn over a lot of rocks, but they did it. They have found thirty odd veterans, able to walk and talk, and not currently in jail or under indictment, who are actually willing to be described as democrats.

More than 30 Iraq and Persian Gulf War veterans have entered congressional races across the country as Democrats, hoping to capitalize on their military experience to topple the incumbent Republican majority.

In Colorado, two former military men, Jay Fawcett and Bill Winter, are vying for the House seats of two strong, entrenched Republicans: Rep. Joel Hefley of the 5th Congressional District and Rep. Tom Tancredo of the 6th Congressional District, respectively.

“Do we understand military and foreign affairs? You bet,” Fawcett said. “Most of us have been to the point where you get a direct dose of military and foreign affairs, mostly in the category of small-caliber weapons. But we understand that that is just one aspect of national policy.”

On Dec. 20, Fawcett and Winter joined 35 Democratic veterans running for Congress at a strategy session in Washington, D.C.

The veterans voted on a name for their emerging caucuslike campaign coalition: Veterans for a Secure America. They also agreed that their military backgrounds should be promoted as credentials for leadership across the full spectrum of public policy…

Fawcett said the group is not anti-war but is concerned about what appears to be a lack of a solid plan for the war in Iraq. He said the group’s military experience could be crucial in providing better leadership.

The first to succumb to visions of inevitable victory, based upon this brilliant strategy, is none other than Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, Kos himself, hailing it as the Fighting Dems phenomenon:

This country craves leadership, and these guys are providing it unbidden. They are self-organizing, taking the initiative, and taking the fight to the enemy. These guys are rock stars.

Unbidden, eh, Kos? I can just imagine how “unbidden” these guys are.

DaveNYC identifies “the Fighting Dems” web-site, titled Band of Brothers. Like John Cole’s leftie pal Tim F, DaveNYC believes there is strength in numbers, which is to say, you get a whole bunch of ultra-lefties with discharge papers out there, and it’s impossible for fellow veterans to debunk (what the left calls: swiftboat) their military and political records. Time will tell.

Annika has had enough of the MSM’s anti-Bush scandal campaign:

i Give Up
Now there’s a problem with warrantless radiation monitoring? How could anybody possibly object to that?

i give up. i really give up.

Why don’t we just propose a new law next year to quiet all the critics? The Unconditional Surrender Act of 2006.