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Sen. John Kerry: 'I Apologize to No One'

Sen. John Kerry has refused to apologize for his remarks suggesting that U.S. troops in Iraq are uneducated and not "smart,” instead charging that the White House has deliberately misconstrued his comments.

At a Tuesday afternoon press conference in Seattle, Kerry said "I apologize to no one” for what he categorized as criticism of the Bush administration’s Iraq war policy.

Kerry touched off a storm of protest when he told a college audience on Monday that "if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”

The comments drew demands for an apology from Sen. John McCain, the National Commander of The American Legion, and others. White House press secretary Tony Snow called Kerry’s statement "an absolute insult.”

But at his press conference, Kerry tried to give his remarks a tortuous spin, saying in effect that what he meant was if you’re like President Bush and you don’t do your homework – listen to advice from others – before committing American troops, "you end up in Iraq.”

He also claimed that the White House understood what he was trying to say yet sought to "distort” his comments.

As NewsMax reported earlier, 99.9 percent of the enlisted forces have at least a high school education, and 73.3 percent have been to college.

Among commanders:

Gen. Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, has an MBA from George Washington University and has taken courses at Harvard.

Gen. John Abizaid, Commander of U.S. Central Command, has a master’s degree from Harvard.

Gen. George Casey, Vice Chief of Staff in the U.S. Army, has a master’s degree from the University of Denver.

Brigadier Gen. Mark T. Kimmitt, U.S. Central Command’s deputy director for strategy and plans, has earned degrees from the United States Military Academy, Harvard, the National Defense University, and the United States Army Command and General Staff College.

It bears noting that our commander in chief, President George W. Bush, who has earned degrees from Yale University and Harvard University, is the only U.S. president to have earned an MBA. He's also proved himself "smart enough" to defeat John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election.

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

Tomorrow is Halloween. At Dick Cheney’s house instead of giving kids candy, he waterboards them until they give up their candy.

In the United States it’s called Halloween. In Mexico they have the Day of the Dead. This is when they honor the souls that have disappeared to L.A.

Have you seen these "fun size” packages of candy? Why does the candy get smaller and our kids keep getting fatter?

Kids are so fat these days. In fact one of the popular costumes this year is a Mini Cooper.

Tonight on TV you can find all kinds of scary movies. "Nightmare On Elm Street”, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. In Detroit they’re just showing reruns of the World Series.

Cardinals pitcher David Eckstein is on the show tonight. He was the World Series MVP. He’s not big, he’s a little guy. In fact after the final game Madonna ran onto the field and tried to adopt him.

Daylight Savings Time ended this weekend. Did you get your clock set back? I wonder how that works for Keifer Sutherland on "24”.

The Panama Canal is going to be widened. Well of course – with all the fat ass buffets on the cruise ships these days, they had to.

An elementary school in Santa Monica is banning tag from the playground. They’re afraid that the game could affect children’s self esteem. This also could prevent the spread of "kooties”.

Bush 'Still Hot Commodity'

President Bush still has star power -- even the New York Times thinks so.

In a story headlined, "Bush Still a Hot Commodity in Some Places," the paper wrote:

"For all the talk about the political baggage that President Bush carries this year, his stop in Indiana on Saturday showed that he could still turn on — and, White House strategists say, turn out — the most faithful party voters.

"Women screamed his name, men chanted "U.S.A.,” and no one doubted that the 4,000 people packed into a high school gymnasium for a rally in Sellersburg were primed to urge friends and neighbors to vote Nov. 7 for Representative Mike Sodrel, who won his seat by just 1,300 votes two years ago.

"The scene will repeat itself over and over before Nov. 7, as President Bush plunges into a blitz of rallies for embattled candidates. ...

"The appearances buck the conventional wisdom that Mr. Bush is such a pariah to Republicans that he cannot be of much use on the campaign trail."

Bush is scheduled to campaign for GOP candidates in Georgia, Montana, Nevada and Texas in the next few days.

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Fox: Limbaugh Remark Didn't Bother Me

Actor Michael J. Fox says he's not bothered by criticism from radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh.

Fox made the comment Sunday in an appearance on ABC's "This Week."

Limbaugh said on his program last week that Fox exaggerated the effects of his Parkinson's disease in a political campaign ad for Democrats backing stem-cell research. Limbaugh said Fox's moving and shaking were "purely an act." Limbaugh later apologized.

Fox says the comments did upset others who have the disease, but says he doesn't react personally to attacks. He says responding would be "like getting into a fight with a bully."

Fox says he's grateful to be in a position to "make a difference and do positive things." The actor has been an activist for stem-cell research, which could lead to a cure for Parkinson's.

Rush E-Mails Katie Couric

Prior to her interview with Michael J. Fox, CBS News anchor Katie Couric sent Rush Limbaugh an e-mail asking him for some things that stipulate his positions on the matter of the controversial TV ads that Fox appeared in, touting embryonic stem cell research.

"I sent her five or six paragraphs," Limbaugh said on his radio show. "She used one line from the five or six paragraphs."

"She did not tell me that she was going to use the video that everybody else was using in a distorted manner, a misrepresentative manner to make it look like I'm mocking or making fun of Michael J. Fox. As I explained, that's not the case. Katie did not, in her e-mail, tell me she was going to use that video from the Dittocam that you've seen all over the 'drive-by media.' The commentary that they attached to it distorts what I was doing here on the program."

Here is the e-mail Rush sent to Katie in response to her request:

"Thanks, Katie, I'll try to make it simple:

"I believe Democrats have a long history of using victims of various things as POLITICAL spokespeople because they believe they are untouchable, infallible. They are immune from criticism. But when anyone enters the POLITICAL arena of ideas they forfeit the right to be challenged on their participation and message.

"I have not met Mr. Fox, do not know him. I have admired his work in film and TV and his appearances on Letterman were howlers. I have nothing personal against him. But I believe his implication that only Democrats want to cure disease(s) is irresponsible (as I believed about John Edwards assuring voters Christopher Reeve would walk if only John Kerry were elected). I think this is ultimately cruel and gives people who suffer these terrible afflictions false hope.

"As of now there is NO EVIDENCE that embryonic stem cells even hold promise, while other approaches, such as adult stem cells, already have yielded results. Michael's TV spots mislead and misinform on this. (You might ask him about the gene therapy research at a Chicago hospital which has produced encouraging results on Parkinson's patients. A VIRUS is inserted in the gene, which is then inserted in the brain. The Michael J. Fox Foundations has committed $1.9 million to further research on this . . . story from earlier this month.)

"I did NOT mock or make fun of Mr. Fox. I have seen him many times on TV but never have I seen him as he appears in the ads. I read from his own book that he will not take his medications before certain appearances (Senate, 1999) in order to illustrate the ravages of Parkinson's, which I understand and applaud. So the concept of manipulating meds has been stated by Mr. Fox, which is what caused me to question his appearance in his ads.

"He is stumping for Democrats, in the political arena, and is therefore open to analysis and criticism as we all are. His suffering is NOT fair game and I am sorry if people drew that conclusion about my comments, but I believe this happens precisely because NO criticism of victims is ever allowed, at all, which as I say is the Democrat strategy in putting them forward."

As Limbaugh noted, Couric ignored all but one line.

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Late Nite Jokes

Letterman

It’s the 120th birthday of Statue of Liberty. She’s the tallest, oldest woman in the New York City – except for Sigourney Weaver.

Here’s some inside showbiz news. There’s lots of troubles at NBC. As many as700 employees will be fired at NBC. Things are so bad that the NBC peacock was found in a KFC bucket today.

The War in Iraq is now costing $4 billion a week. That’s slightly less than Paul McCartney’s divorce.

Halloween is coming up. Last year I ran out of candy by seven. I had to pass out old Sucrets I found in the bathroom. After that I gave out Lipiotor.

I remember Halloween. When I was a kid mom dressed me up six years in a row as a tramp. High heels, fishnets, it was bad.

I’m going to try something different this year. This year I’m handing out bags of spinach.

Hugo Chavez Link to Voting Machines Probed

The U.S. government is probing whether a takeover last year of a leading U.S. voting machine maker by a software company with links to Venezuela gave President Hugo Chavez's leftist government control over its operations, the New York Times reported Saturday.

The Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, a multi-agency panel that approves or rejects foreign takeovers, is conducting a formal inquiry into Smartmatic Corp. and its subsidiary Sequoia Voting Systems, which is based in Oakland, Calif, the Times reported in its online edition.

Smartmatic and the Venezuelan government officials have strongly denied that Chavez -- a longtime foe of the Bush administration -- has any role in Smartmatic, the Times said.

A U.S. Treasury Department spokeswoman declined to comment in the Times story on whether CFIUS was conducting a formal probe, but did confirm the panel had contacted the company.

Venezuela hired Smartmatic to replace its election machines ahead of the August 2004 referendum that tapped Chavez as president, the newspaper said.

In March 2005, Smartmatic used the $120 million profit from its Venezuela deals to buy Sequoia, which has installed voting equipment in 17 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, it said.

Before that, a Venezuelan government financing agency invested more than $200,000 in a technology company that had some of the same owners of Smartmatic, which joined Smartmatic as a minor partner in the bid.

In return, the Venezuelan agency took a 28 percent stake in the smaller company and a seat on its board of directors, the Times said. An unnamed, senior Venezuelan official who had previously advised Chavez on election technology occupied the board seat.

Late Nite Jokes

Letterman

I have some bad news for out-of-towners. Taxi cab rates have gone up $1.00. But this also includes aroma therapy.

Halloween is coming up. That’s one day every New Yorker looks forward to – going to your door in the dark and seeing people in masks.

Are you watching the World Series? The St. Louis Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers have a young team they say. In fact earlier today Madonna adopted a batboy.

I like to watch the World Series. Here’s what I do. I sit down and drink a few beers in my underwear and scream at the TV. That’s until they throw me out of Applebees.

Down in Washington, President Bush has approved a plan to build a 700 mile fence on a portion of the Mexican border. He said he also knows where he can find some cheap labor to build it.

A long fence on the border. Something like this I just hope Halliburton can get some money out of the deal. Be nice to see something go their way for a change.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are getting married next month in Italy. Their wedding is going to be at the Leaning Tower of Publicity.

Tom Cruise is a thrifty and shrewd guy. To save money on the wedding he’s going to stand on the cake.

Tax Cuts Fuel Vibrant U.S. Economy

President Bush defended his tax cuts Saturday, saying they had fueled a strong U.S. economy despite news this week of a slowdown.

In his weekly radio address, Bush reprised his campaign trail argument that if Democrats gain control of Congress, they will let tax cuts expire.

"Cutting your taxes worked," Bush said. "Unfortunately, the Democrats are still determined to raise your taxes, and if they gain control of the Congress, they can do so without lifting a finger."

Bush said taxes are a huge issue in the Nov. 7 election. He said the tax cuts orchestrated by his administration have left more money in the hands of workers, families and small businesses - money they have used to sustain a bustling economy.

A Commerce Department report Friday, however, stirred fresh debate about the country's financial health.

The government report showed that during the July-to-September period, economic growth clocked in at an annual rate of just 1.6 percent - the slowest in more than three years. The subpar performance mostly reflected the deepening housing slump; investment in homebuilding was cut by the largest amount in 15 years.

The new reading on economic growth fell short of the 2.1 percent pace analysts were forecasting. The report disappointed economists, rattled investors and gave Republicans and Democrats plenty to argue about. But the White House downplayed its significance.

"As we expected, this rate is slower than in previous quarters," Bush said. "Yet the evidence still points to a vibrant economy that is providing more jobs and better wages for our workers and helping reduce the federal deficit."

Democrats countered that the slowdown in economic growth is evidence that the administration and the Republican-controlled Congress are doing a poor job handling the economy. They said cooling economic growth undercuts the president's claim that his tax cuts are working.

"Just because the president looks through his rose-colored glasses and sees a strong economy doesn't make it so," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California said.

Democrats are fighting for tax cuts for the middle class for education, health care and retirement, she said, and Bush "refuses to see the millions of Americans who are working hard and are unable to get ahead."

As he had several times on the campaign trail, Bush singled out for special emphasis the gradual doubling of the child tax credit from $500 to $1,000, one of several tax cuts passed with expiration dates.

"If Democrats have their way, the child tax credit will be cut in half - from $1,000 per child to just $500 per child," Bush said. "And think of what that means for your family. Next time you're having dinner at home, look around the table and multiply the number of children you have by $500. That's how much more you will be sending to Washington in taxes if Democrats take control of the Congress."

Jim Webb's Deviant Writing

The old saying that "would that mine enemy would write a book," has come back to haunt Virginia Democratic Senate candidate James Webb - his opponent Republican Sen. George Allen has unearthed examples of passages from Webb's novels that include graphic underage sex scenes and passages demeaning to women.

Adding to Allen's charges that Webb, who once questioned the ability of women to serve in combat and had been quoted as saying that women in the naval academy were "horny," the Virginia senator cited newly found examples of Webb's attitude about women as expressed in his novels.

A press release issued by Allen's campaign charges that some of Webb’s writings are "very disturbing for a candidate hoping to represent the families of Virginians in the U.S. Senate and that they dehumanize women, men, and even children."

Says the release: "Webb’s novels disturbingly and consistently – indeed, almost uniformly – portray women as servile, subordinate, inept, incompetent, promiscuous, perverted, or some combination of these.

In novel after novel, Webb assigns his female characters base, negative characteristics. In thousands of pages of fiction penned by Webb, there are few if any strong, admirable women or positive female role models."

Why, Allen asked, does Webb refuse to portray women in a respectful, positive light, whether in his non-fiction concerning their role in the military, or in his provocative novels? How can women trust him to represent their views in the Senate when chauvinistic attitudes and sexually exploitive references run throughout his fiction and non-fiction writings?

The press release then went on to detail shocking examples from Webb's novels which the senator said "most Virginians and Americans would find such passages shocking, especially coming from the pen of someone who seeks the privilege of serving in the United States Senate, one of the highest offices in the land."

Here are some examples:

From "Lost Soldiers," Bantam Books. The quote is from Chap. 34: "A shirtless man walked toward them along a mud pathway. His muscles were young and hard, but his face was devastated with wrinkles. His eyes were so red that they appeared to be burned by fire. A naked boy ran happily toward him from a little plot of dirt. The man grabbed his young son in his arms, turned him upside down, and put the boy’s [genitalia] in his mouth.”

From "Something to Die For," William Morrow and Company. The quote is from Chap. 2: "Fogarty . . . watch[ed] a naked young stripper do the splits over a banana. She stood back up, her face smiling proudly and her round breasts glistening from a spotlight in the dim bar, and left the banana on the bar, cut in four equal sections by the muscles of her [genitalia]."

From "A Country Such as This," Doubleday & Co. The quote is from Chap. 24: "[He] could see Jawbone and Ashley Asthmatic [two guards at a Vietnamese prison camp] napping together in the grass. They faced inward, their arms entwined. It looked like they were masturbating each other. It didn't surprise him . . . It was common to see men holding hands, embracing, playing with each other. Some of them [the guards] had wanted him. He could tell in those evanescent moments between his bao cao bow, the obligatory deference when a guard entered his cell, and the first word or blow that followed it . . . Quick, grinding voices, turgid with repressed passion. An exploratory reaching of the hand near his groin . . .”

From "A Sense of Honor," Prentice-Hall. The quote is from Chap.4: "Nurse Goodbody, dark and voluptuous (Lenahan had forgotten her actual name, it was something long and Italian), was a bedtime friend to many of the doctors in Bethesda. She had hinted to Lenahan that she simply could not contain herself. Doctors tending to patients, she explained, aroused her. Morphine Mary (again Lenahan could not remember her exact name) was a thin, nervous drill sergeant type, a disciplinarian who did not allow her patients even to complain. Lenahan was convinced that Morphine Mary did not even sleep with her husband. She wasn’t bad looking, he mused again, staring at her thin frame. If she’d just get laid every now and then she’d mellow out and stop being such a damn witch.” (Later, Lenahan brings Goodbody home with him and has sex.)

From "Something to Die For," William Morrow and Company. The quote is from Chap. 2: "[Fogarty] has been thinking of the firm, springy skin and the sweet smells of a young Filipina woman named Maria in whose bed he had spent three nights almost twenty years ago . . . She was a deliciously bad young woman . . . On the second night, he had brought her a box of Godiva chocolates . . . he had awakened to find her in the bathroom, sitting on the toilet with her knees underneath her chin, eating chocolates and counting her rosary beads as she prayed."

From "Something to Die For," William Morrow and Company. The quote is from Chap. 13: "We're on our way to becoming the world's recreational center, a nation [USA] not to be taken seriously. Where are we still the undisputed leader? Music. Movies. Fast food. Drugs . . . the billboards 50 years from now as you come over the bridge and stop at the tollbooths outside Manhattan: A smiling beautiful naked woman, and the sign saying AMERICAN ASS IS OUR MOST IMPORTANT PRODUCT."

From "Fields of Fire - Prentice-Hall," Bantam Books. The quote is from Part 1 "The Best We Have”, Section 1 (NOTE: Part 1 is after the Prologue): Snake (the protagonist) sees his mother on the bed: "She looked as if she were carefully attempting to re-create a picture from some long-forgotten men's magazine . . . She was naked underneath the robe . . . and the robe fell loosely away, revealing her. Snake shrugged resignedly."

From "Fields of Fire," Prentice-Hall. The quote is from Chap. 24: "He saw the invitation with every bouncing breast and curved hip. . . . He was thirteen. . . . She was fifteen . . . . In a few moments she drew him to her and he murmured in his quiet voice, 'I am still small.' 'You are large enough,' she answered. And he found he was."

From "A Sense of Honor," Prentice-Hall. The quote is from Chap. 7: ". . . that is, if you knew who your sister was, Brustein, and if she’d been born with anything between her legs except an [expletive], I’d be happy to bring some class to your low-rent name by knocking the bitch up.”

From "A Sense of Honor," Prentice-Hall. The quote is from Chap. 8: "You wouldn’t have believed it, Swede. She just dropped her britches and lifted up her skirt and pissed like a man. Didn’t lose a drop, either. Not a drop.”

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Late Nite Jokes

Leno

There are now 300 million people in the United States. That either means we are a strong democracy or we have a poor border patrol.

Kim Jung Il is reportedly ecstatic about North Korea’s successful nuclear test. He’s feeling five feet tall!

He’s a strange guy. What’s up with the pompadour? He looks like Wayne Newton and William Hung had a kid.

Florida Congressman Mark Foley has completed one week of his rehab. He has gone seven days without a page.

The Army has changed their slogan from "Army of One” to "Army: Strong”. A number of other countries have done the same. India is now "We fix more computer by 9:00 AM than most do all day.” Switzerland is "See what a pocket knife, scissors, corkscrew and little nail file can do for you.” Morocco, "Less talk, more rocco!” And Cuba, "Invading America one raft at a time.”

Conan

President Bush is working hard on the Iraq situation. Today he told the Iraqi people to "get governing”. Then he went on to introduce his new speech writer, Larry the Cable Guy.

Major League Baseball has announced a formal investigation into Barry Bonds alleged steroid use. The investigation will involve looking at a photograph of Barry Bonds.

'Just Back Off'

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday that critics should "just back off" on demands for deadlines in Iraq and that it is difficult to predict when Iraqis will resume control of their country.

At a Pentagon news conference, Rumsfeld said benchmarks for security, political and economic progress that U.S. and Iraqi officials have been discussing are valuable because "you are in effect establishing priorities."

But he said the timelines have no specific deadlines, or consequences if goals are not met by specific dates.

"You're looking for some sort of a guillotine to come falling down if some date isn't met. That is not what this is about," Rumsfeld told reporters.

"They've been discussing the way forward through the rest of this year and next year," Rumsfeld said of discussions between U.S. and Iraqi officials. "As they do that, they then discuss, 'Well, when might something happen?' And it isn't a date. And it isn't a penalty if it doesn't" happen.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad announced in Baghdad on Tuesday that Iraqi leaders had agreed that by the end of the year, they will have a plan that roughly lays out the times by which they want certain things accomplished.

His announcement came two weeks before elections for control of Congress in which President Bush's stewardship of the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq has become a top issue.

On Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minster Nouri al-Maliki rejected Khalilzad's announcement and said his government had not agreed to anything.

Later Wednesday, Bush said al-Maliki was correct in saying mandates could not be imposed on Iraq. He added, "We'll push him, but we're not going to push him to the point where he can't achieve the objective."

Bush also said Iraq's government would have to understand the United States would not have unlimited patience.

"You ought to just back off, take a look at it, relax, understand that it's complicated, it's difficult," Rumsfeld said regarding deadlines. "Honorable people are working on these things together. There isn't any daylight between them."

Rumsfeld also said the U.S. is considering whether it should speed up money planned for recruiting, training and equipping Iraqi security forces. Officials have said training Iraqis to take over security is key to withdrawing U.S. and other coalition forces.

"We intend to increase their budgets" as well as their capabilities, Rumsfeld said, and officials will help make the improvements more quickly. He did not cite any figures, however. His press secretary, Eric Ruff, said a review of their needs is under way.

Late Nite Jokes

Letterman

Isn’t politics just horrible these days? People are now saying that Hillary Clinton has spent millions of dollars on plastic surgery. She’s so good looking now that her husband hit on her by accident last night.

O.J. Simpson is writing a novel. Things are going good so far. He’s agreed to meet at a Barnes and Noble for a book stabbing.

CNN Airing 'Enemy Propaganda'

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee asked the Pentagon to remove CNN reporters embedded with U.S. combat troops, saying the network's broadcast of a video showing insurgent snipers targeting U.S. soldiers was tantamount to airing an enemy propaganda film.

The tape, which came to the network through contact with an insurgent leader, was aired Wednesday night on "Anderson Cooper 360" and repeated Thursday.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., wrote: "CNN has now served as the publicist for an enemy propaganda film featuring the killing of an American soldier."

The letter was also signed by San Diego-area Republican congressmen Darrell Issa and Brian Bilbray.

"This is nothing short of a terrorist snuff film," Bilbray said at a press conference held in San Diego.

CNN producer David Doss wrote in a Web log Thursday the network televised the footage in an effort to present the "unvarnished truth" about the Iraq war.

In one instance, the tape shows a uniformed member of the U.S. military milling in a public area with Iraqis. A shot rings out. CNN fades the screen to black before the result - described as a victim falling forward - is visible.

Hunter said he hasn't received a response from Rumsfeld.

A Pentagon spokesman said Friday he didn't know whether Rumsfeld had seen the letter.

"The department takes this very seriously and will look into the matter and respond accordingly to the member in due course," said Lt. Cmdr. Chito Peppler.

CNN officials defended their decision to air the footage.

"Our responsibility is to report the news," said Laurie Goldberg, a CNN spokeswoman. "As an organization we stand by our decision and respect the rights of others to disagree with it."

Without 'Rodham,' Hillary Sinks

It sounds silly, but when "Hillary Clinton" is matched up against Sen. John McCain in a hypothetical presidential election, she loses by a single percentage point. But if pollsters refer to her as "Hillary Rodham Clinton," she trounces the Arizona Republican by 7 percentage points.

According to an Opinion Research Corp poll conducted for CNN, which asked 506 adult Americans whom they preferred among potential 2008 presidential candidates, they chose Hillary Rodham Clinton to McCain by a 51 percent to 44 percent. But when the "Rodham" name was dropped, McCain had a 1 percentage point advantage, 48 percent to 47 percent.

It doesn't quite work if her opponent is former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Even though Clinton has an advantage over Giuliani with or without her maiden name, using "Rodham" tightens the race. Asked if they prefer "Hillary Clinton" or Giuliani, Clinton had a 4 percentage point advantage, 50 percent to 46 percent. But add "Rodham" and Clinton's edge over the former NYC mayor drops to 1 percentage point, 48 percent to 47 percent.

Keating Holland, CNN's polling director, said that the results are meaningless because the election is still two years away and no poll can accurately predict a race that far in advance. Moreover Clinton has always appeared on the ballot using her middle name, and there is no sign that she intends to abandon it in future elections.

The results are consistent with earlier testing that indicated Clinton's favorability rose when her maiden name was included in the question, Holland added.

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Hillary, 'You're Not President Yet'

The Republican seeking to unseat Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton went on the attack against her in their first debate Friday, accusing her of putting presidential aspirations ahead of voters.

"I'm the only one standing on this platform who wants to be a United States senator for New York for the next six years," said John Spencer, a former Yonkers mayor, in his opening remarks.

Clinton acknowledged that she has thought about running for the presidency in 2008, but said she is committed to running for Senate re-election.

"As you might guess, I've been asked that a few times before," she said of her possible White House aspirations. "I am focused on this election. I am focused on my work in the Senate. Obviously, people are talking about whether I will or should be running for president, and I'm flattered by that."

The debate attracted attention because Clinton, whose re-election appears increasingly likely, is the front-runner among potential 2008 Democratic presidential candidates. Analysts say the debates could be an important dress rehearsal for Clinton as she prepares to step onto the national stage.

Spencer is an ultraconservative former mayor of the New York City suburb of Yonkers, battling anonymity and a national party that has forsaken his candidacy.

He bashed Clinton throughout during the debate, attacking her on issues including immigration, North Korea and Iraq.

In Spencer, Clinton faces an abortion-hating, anti-gun-control conservative who has been vocal in his support of President Bush and the war in Iraq. Though she voted for the war, Clinton, who supports abortion rights, has strongly criticized Bush's conduct of the conflict.

Spencer said he favored changing war strategies, while Clinton said she favored changing course. She said that Bush's stay-the-course stance was not a strategy and that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is not credible any longer.

"In the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln did not hesitate to change generals," she said.

Spencer scolded Clinton for taking such a position because Rumsfeld serves the president, and "you are not president yet," he said.

Clinton stressed the need for diplomacy on such issues as the nuclear situation in North Korea - something she said the Bush administration has failed to do.

"This administration doesn't like to talk to people they disagree with," Clinton said.

But she said she would not rule out using military force against North Korea.

Spencer showed flashes of humor, such as when he was asked about speculation that he was using the Senate race to set himself up for another run for mayor of Yonkers.

"I'm not going to leave a six-year term in the Senate to run for mayor of Yonkers again," he said.

A statewide poll released on the eve of the debate by Quinnipiac University's Polling Institute had Clinton leading Spencer 65 percent to 30 percent. She has also far outspent him.

The timing of the one-hour televised debates accepted by Clinton, Friday night in Rochester and Sunday morning in New York City, appeared designed to attract small television audiences. Spencer had sought a series of debates all across the state.

Spencer has been complaining loudly for months that the national GOP has left him hanging.

"Running for U.S. Senate against Hillary Clinton is a lot like walking point," said the decorated Vietnam War veteran. "You find out who your buddies are real fast."

Friday's debate was sponsored and moderated by Time Warner cable television news channels and was aired across the state.

GOP Turns Tables on Dems in Ads

The text is white against a black screen. The sound is the electronic warbling of a video game. But in this political ad, the message is in the faceless voices of cheerful children engaged in mayhem.

"Hit the hooker with the tire iron!" "Steal the old lady's car." "Shoot her first!"

The ad accuses a Democratic candidate of voting against banning the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to children. Another ad, in Connecticut, says a Democrat voted to permit convicted sex offenders in public housing. Yet another, in Arizona, linked a candidate's work as a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union to the ACLU's defense of a pedophile's group.

In the fallout from former Rep. Mark Foley's electronic sex scandal, Republicans are turning the tables on Democrats, airing ads and leveling public accusations claiming their opponents have failed to protect children against sexual imagery, sexual violence or sexual predators.

It's a case that Republicans have made against Democrats for some time. But the portrayal of Democrats as weak in the defense of children now also serves as a counterpoint to Democratic charges that GOP leaders did little to protect teenage congressional pages against Foley's sexually explicit electronic messages.

"I don't think it would be getting much national attention if it wasn't for the Foley case," said Tom McClusky, vice president of government affairs for the conservative Family Research Council.

To be sure, the attention to sex and allegations of sex in this election is not limited to Foley or the voting records or professional associations of certain candidates. In Pennsylvania, Republican Rep. Don Sherwood has been dogged by an extramarital affair he acknowledged last year. In Nevada, a cocktail waitress accused Republican Rep. Jim Gibbons, who is running for governor, of propositioning her and assaulting her in a parking garage. Gibbons on Thursday denied the accusation.

In a handful of other races, Republicans have raised the image of a fringe organization, the North American Man Boy Love Association, and tried to link Democrats to it through their votes or their association with the ACLU. The civil liberties organization defended NAMBLA in a 2000 First Amendment case.

In Arizona, Republican Rep. Rick Renzi aired an ad citing his challenger's work for the ACLU and the ACLU's defense of the man-boy love organization. In California, Republican Rep. John Doolittle accused his challenger, Charlie Brown, of supporting NAMBLA because he has an ACLU membership. And in Ohio, Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell accused his Democratic opponent, Rep. Ted Strickland, of siding with NAMBLA because he voted against a resolution condemning an article in a psychology journal about child sexual abuse.

"Republicans are running a hyper-negative campaign to close out this election season because they are so far behind," said Bill Burton, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "But voters are smarter than these ridiculous Republican charges give them credit for."

The ad featuring children playing a violent video game is aimed at Rep. Baron Hill, a Democrat and former House member who is trying to recapture his seat from Republican Rep. Mike Sodrel. It cites Hill's vote in 1999 against an amendment to a juvenile crime bill that would have prohibited the sale of violent and sexually explicit movies and video games to teenagers. The amendment failed after lawmakers argued against it on First Amendment grounds. Ninety-two Republicans also voted against the measure.

But Democrats are seeking to inoculate themselves against such charges. In New Mexico, state Attorney General Patricia Madrid, a Democrat who is challenging Republican Rep. Heather Wilson, has run an ad highlighting the work of her office's Internet sex crimes prosecution unit. In Colorado, Democratic House candidate Ed Perlmutter aired an ad emphasizing his commitment to children.

"In Congress," he says, "I'll fight to pass laws protecting kids from online predators and violent video games."

Late Nite Jokes

Letterman's Top Ten

Top Ten Signs Your Television Show Is Going To Be Cancelled

10. It's entitled, "Everybody Loves Osama".

9. Instead of laughing, studio audience shouts, "Let's burn down the studio!"

8.The frequent lulls while the lead character attempts to remember his lines.

7. It stars the remains of Desi Arnaz.

6."Variety" calls it "A thrill ride similar to eating tainted spinach."

5. To keep costs down, show is taped by elevator security cameras.

4. It nabbed the coveted 3 AM time slot.

3. One of 15 NBC shows based on backstage at "Saturday Night Live".

2. The opening credits include the word "Hasselhoff".

1. Their big idea is something called "Ventriloquist Week".

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UN-Sanctions

'Suicide' If Democrats Win Senate

NewsMax - Arizona Sen. John McCain, a likely Republican presidential contender in 2008, joked Wednesday he would "commit suicide" if Democrats win the Senate in November.

McCain, on a visit to Iowa to campaign for Republican congressional candidates, was asked his reaction to a potential Democratic takeover of the Senate in the Nov. 7 elections.

"I think I'd just commit suicide," McCain told reporters, to accompanying laughter from Republicans standing with him. "I don't want to face that eventuality because I don't think it's going to happen."

Democrats must pick up six seats in the Senate and 15 seats in the House of Representatives to win control of both chambers.

Polls show Democrats within striking distance of reclaiming the Senate, and in a strong position to claim a majority in the House.

"I think it's going to be tough, but I think we'll do OK," McCain said of Republican prospects.

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

Today Madonna was talking about her adoption process saying she went through the same thing as everyone else. The first step in the process is apparently getting a platinum record.

They named the kid "David”. David? He’s from Africa! What is that? (Kevin Eubanks responds) "He ain’t going back Jay.”

North Korea might be testing a second nuke soon. This one could be more powerful than the first one – meaning it could blow up two mailboxes instead of one.

Experts believe that for the Republicans to have a good election that something big must happen for President Bush, like capturing Osama bin Laden. Osama bin Laden? We can’t even find Wesley Snipes!

The population of the United States reached 300 million yesterday. In a related story the population of Mexico is now at 38 people.

A recent study has found that teenagers use text messaging on average of 110 times per week. 80 of them from Mark Foley.

Rep. Steny Hoyer Apologizes to Michael Steele for 'Slave' Remark

A ranking House Democrat has apologized for saying that African-American Senate candidate Michael Steele has "slavishly” supported the Republican Party.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland said he meant no offense when he made the remark on Sunday at a campaign event for Rep. Ben Cardin, the Democrat who is running against Lt. Gov. Steele for the Senate seat in Maryland.

"I shouldn’t have used those words,” Hoyer said Tuesday through a spokesman.

"If Mr. Steele did in fact take offense, let me assure him that none was intended.”

Steele’s spokesman Doug Heye called Hoyer’s comment "insensitive and pretty stupid.”

And the Washington Post reported that Steele himself referred to "the sheer craziness of some in the Democratic Party who think they can use racist terms and infer things about me just because I’m an African-American Republican.”

Spokesman Heye told CNN that in 2002, Hoyer referred to Steele as a "token” candidate, although Hoyer said at the time that he was quoted out of context.

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

A guy jumped the fence at the White House and got very close before the Secret Service got him. That’s the problem, once you get over the fence there’s nowhere to go. So there was two people at the White House without an exit strategy.

There are reports that the military is having troubles in some areas of Afghanistan where the marijuana forests are over ten feet tall. I’m thinking just set out some Doritos and Twinkies near the forest.

Senator Hillary Clinton says that she would be in favor of legalized torture on terrorists to get information that we need. That’s bad news for Bill!

Bill Clinton was recently asked about rumors he has once again been unfaithful in his marriage. Many Democrats are concerned with this and have warned him about it. When asked, Bill said that there was nothing to the rumors. One thing we know, when Bill Clinton denies something – we can take that statement to the bank!

Wal-Mart has just built the second largest store in China. It is called the Great Wal-Mart of China.

The Mayor of San Francisco is under fire for dating a 20-year-old. There was a picture of them together in the paper and she was holding a glass of wine. The problem being she’s only 20. I know what you’re thinking – the Mayor of San Francisco is straight?!

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Sanction Chain

Voters Wary of 'October Surprise'

NewsMax - A last-minute "October surprise" - a dramatic news event that shakes up the U.S. election - could be a wild card in the final three weeks of the fight for control of Congress.

With Democrats threatening to sweep Republicans out of power in Congress in the Nov. 7 elections, a late-breaking foreign crisis, terrorist attack or another Washington scandal could change the debate and shape the ultimate outcome.

The possibilities are numerous, as President Bush juggles multiple foreign threats like North Korea's nuclear tests, Iran's nuclear ambitions and civil war in Iraq, along with mushrooming Republican scandals at home.

"There is a huge potential for some sort of October surprise that changes the dynamic, something that reminds everyone just how unstable the world is," pollster John Zogby said.

The October surprise has a long history in U.S. political campaigns, from the collapse of hostage negotiations with Iran before President Jimmy Carter's 1980 loss to Ronald Reagan to the airing of an Osama bin Laden video before President Bush's re-election in 2004.

The phenomenon is not as prevalent in congressional elections, which involve a collection of individual races and are not as focused on a single event. This year, Democrats must pick up 15 seats in the House and six Senate seats to win control of Congress.

In the last midterm elections, in 2002, the plane crash death of Democratic Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota little more than a week before the vote threw his Senate race into chaos. Republican Norm Coleman beat replacement Democrat Walter Mondale, the former vice president.

But the potential for a campaign-shaping event in the final weeks remains a topic of intense speculation on the Internet and elsewhere. While most late-breaking events are beyond the control of politicians, plenty of conspiracy theorists expect the White House to make a late attempt to halt Democratic momentum.

"It should come as no surprise if the Bush administration undertakes a pre-emptive war against Iran sometime before the November election," Gary Hart, a former Democratic senator and presidential candidate, predicted last month on the Huffington Post, an Internet site.

In many scenarios, the man imagined to be pulling the strings on an October surprise is White House political adviser Karl Rove, the architect of Bush's 2004 re-election.

"Karl Rove wouldn't be earning his pay if he didn't try something that would benefit the White House," said Larry Sabato, a political analyst at the University of Virginia.

Early speculation about a late surprise to benefit Republicans focused on troop pullouts in Iraq, but that has been off the table for months. Another favorite, a plunge in gasoline prices, already happened to little apparent effect.

One Web site ran a contest to pick the most likely October surprise, with the winner being "Iran totally had it coming." The capture or death of bin Laden is another favorite.

Democrats already benefited from a sex scandal involving ex-Rep. Mark Foley, a Florida Republican. News of a federal investigation into Republican Rep. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania will make his re-election more difficult.

The October surprise phenomenon surfaced in 1968, when President Lyndon Johnson halted bombing of North Vietnam a week before the 1968 election. It was not enough to help his vice president, Hubert Humphrey, beat Richard Nixon.

In 2000, Bush's 1976 drunken driving arrest became public days before the election. Bush narrowly lost the popular vote to Democrat Al Gore but won the Electoral College after the U.S. Supreme Court halted a dispute over votes in Florida.

For those running campaigns, though, strategy and voter turnout efforts trump concerns about a late surprises.

"There is nothing you can do. If something happens, then we'll worry about it," said Carl Forti, spokesman for the House Republican campaign committee.

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

There was an earthquake in Hawaii today. President Bush said that the government would do everything to help the people of Hawaii out. He went on to say that he considers Hawaii to be one of our most important allies.

FEMA was on site immediately. Actually they had just showed up for the bombing of Pearl Harbor the day before and just figured while they were there they might as well check out the earthquake.

Did you see that fight at the college football game between Miami and Florida International? 31 players were suspended. Not only were they suspended but they now also will have to take actual tests in college. That’s never happened before.

A number of countries have issued sanctions against North Korea. Particularly bans on importing of luxury items – mainly platform shoes that Kim Jung Il wears.

John Kerry says that he deserves a second chance to run for president. I say if his wife can afford it – why not?

Mark Foley is now writing a book. The book is said to be about 400 pages long. No word on what the book is about, though it will be about 400 pages.

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Rabbit-Eggs

Bush and Rove 'Upbeat'

President Bush and Karl Rove have a message for all the doom-and-gloom visionaries in advance of the midterm elections: Don't worry.

According to the Washington Post, there is widespread panic in the Republican establishment about the coming elections, but Bush and Rove are "inexplicably upbeat."

Some Republicans on Capitol Hill are bracing for losses of 25 House seats or more. But the Post reports that party operatives say Rove is predicting that, at worst, Republicans will lose only 8 to 10 seats -- shy of the 15-seat threshold that would cede control to Democrats for the first time since the 1994 elections and probably hobble the balance of Bush's second term.

In the Senate, Rove and associates believe, a Democratic victory would require the opposition to "run the table," as one official put it, to pick up the necessary six seats -- a prospect the White House seems to regard as nearly inconceivable.

The Mark Foley page scandal and its fallout have many Republicans panicked, but Rove professes to be taking it in stride. "The data we are seeing from individual races and the national polls would tend to indicate that people can divorce Foley's personal action from the party," he told the Post.

Rove's self-assurance may stem in part because, as NewsMax reported, he predicted last month that there would be an "October surprise" that the GOP would use to emerge victorious in November.

Bush's political strategist also said that the final two weeks before the elections will see a blitz of advertising, and the Republican National Committee is deploying an army of volunteers to key locations to help the grass-roots effort and monitor the elections.

The RNC is offering to fly in volunteers and cover their expenses.

Rove would not reveal specifics of the "October surprise," refusing to give Democrats anything to use against the GOP. "I'd rather let the balance [of plans for the elections] unroll on its own," he said in a Sept. 21 NewsMax story.

According to the Post, the official White House line of supreme self-assurance comes from the top down. Bush has publicly and privately banished any talk of losing the GOP majorities, in part to squelch any loss of nerve among his legions. Come January, he said last week, "We'll have a Republican speaker and a Republican leader of the Senate."

Kerry: I Deserve 2nd Chance in '08

Sen. John Kerry says he deserves a second chance if he decides to take another crack at becoming president.

The Massachusetts Democrat, who lost to President Bush in 2004, said it is a basic principle that "Americans give people a second chance. And if you learn something and prove you've learned something, maybe even more so. Now, I don't know what I'm going to do yet. We'll make that decision down the road."

Ronald Reagan twice unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination for president before he got it — and won two elections for the White House.

"John McCain, their leading candidate — didn't he get kicked around South Carolina by the same president because he wasn't patriotic enough as a prisoner of war? He's now their leading candidate for president," Kerry said of the Republican Party. "Richard Nixon seemed to get kicked around pretty badly both running for president and governor, turned around and came back and got elected president."

Kerry faces a major challenge trying to convince Democratic activists that a recently defeated candidate can still carry his party's hopes for recapturing the White House.

If Kerry runs, he would have to overcome other Democratic presidential hopefuls such as Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Joe Biden of Delaware, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut.

The list of potential opponents also could include New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former Indiana Gov. Sen. Evan Bayh, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, and even Kerry's ex-running mate in 2004, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

Kerry: GOP Lied About Foley, Iraq

Sen. John Kerry, a potential presidential candidate in 2008, likened the congressional page scandal to the war in Iraq and the handling of North Korea, saying that Republicans have lied repeatedly.

"A lie, a lie, a lie, a lie. What we have in Washington is a house of lies, and in November, we need to clean house," Kerry, D-Mass., said Friday night during the New Hampshire Democratic Party's annual fall fundraising dinner.

"They tell us we're making progress in Iraq and that there is no civil war. That is a lie," he said. "It's immoral to lie about progress in that war in order to get through a news cycle or an election cycle."

Kerry criticized the Bush administration for blaming the North Korean nuclear test on former President Clinton.

"That is a lie. North Korea's nuclear program was frozen under Bill Clinton. When George W. Bush turned his back on diplomacy, Kim Jong Il turned back to making bombs, and the world is less safe because a madman has the Bush bomb," he said.
Republicans also are lying when they claim the page scandal surrounding former Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record) is a Democratic plot to win the midterm elections, Kerry said.

"This issue is here because of a Republican cover-up," he said. "And those from the party that preaches moral values that covered this up have no right to preach moral values anymore."

Responding to the speech, Wayne Semprini, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee, said Americans didn't buy what Kerry and the Democrats said in 2004.

"The fact that they have failed to come up with any new ideas in the past four years assures that they are once again headed for defeat," Semprini said.

Foley, R-Fla., resigned Sept. 29 after being confronted with sexually explicit computer messages he sent to a teenage male page. For several days afterward, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., blamed Democrats for the scandal but later changed course and took responsibility for the matter.

On Thursday, the House ethics committee questioned a former Foley aide who has said he took complaints about Foley's conduct to Hastert's chief of staff three years ago. Hastert's chief of staff has denied that exchange took place.

Kerry, the Democratic Party's presidential nominee in 2004, has packed his schedule with appearances for Democratic candidates for Congress and state offices.

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CBS

Chris Wallace: Registered Democrat

Bill Clinton accused interviewer Chris Wallace of doing a "nice conservative little hit job” when Wallace recently grilled him about his administration’s pursuit of Osama bin Laden on "Fox News Sunday.”

Evidently Clinton didn’t do his homework regarding Wallace’s political leanings. The Washington Post did – and found that the newsman has been a registered Democrat for more than 20 years.

Wallace, who lives in Washington, told the Post: "The reason I’m a registered Democrat is that in Washington, D.C., there is really only one party. If you want a say in who’s going to be the next mayor or councilman, you have to vote in the Democratic primary.”

Wallace also said he’s voted for members of both parties, and insisted that he keeps his politics out of his work: "However I vote personally, I think I’m professional enough that it doesn’t have anything to do with the way I cover the news.”

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

I’ve been talking about this all week. Some kids working at a Burger King in New Mexico were arrested when cops discovered they had placed marijuana on their burgers. This marks the first time in history that anything organic has ever been served at Burger King.

You thought that Burger King guy was creepy before. How about if you were stoned?!

Mel Gibson was interviewed by Diane Sawyer. Did you see that? He said that is was a blessing and that he needed humiliation on a global scale. Wouldn’t it have been easier to get a show on NBC?

Letterman

I’d like to apologize for last night’s show. It was the stupid ramblings of a drunkard.

Mel Gibson was on "Good Morning America”. He’s making a new movie, I believe it’s the first step in the healing the process.

The movie is about the end of the Mayan civilization. Guess who’s fault that was?

Katie Couric is on the program tonight. She’s going to talk about her move from NBC to CBS and the first time Andy Rooney groped her.

Lieberman Civil Rights Role Acknowledged

NewsMax - A black leader who had accused Sen. Joe Lieberman of lying about his civil rights record said Thursday he accepted Lieberman's word that he marched with 1960s-era activists against segregation.

"It is true that he marched with Dr. King, but I believe Dr. King would be disappointed in his record as a senator over the past 18 years," said Henry E. Parker, a former state treasurer, in a statement released by the campaign of Lieberman's rival Ned Lamont.

"I accept the fact that Senator Lieberman provided documentation that he participated in the civil rights movement in the 60s," added Parker.

Lieberman, locked in an increasingly nasty re-election race, on Wednesday disputed charges by Parker that he had lied about his 1960s activism fighting segregation in the South.

Earlier, the Connecticut Federation of Black Democratic Clubs, which includes 20 clubs across the state, endorsed Lamont and questioned whether Lieberman had marched for civil rights. Lamont attended the event.

Lieberman's campaign responded by producing a 1963 college newspaper clip that cites Lieberman's reporting from Jackson, Miss., about the arrests of civil rights workers. Lieberman was chairman of the Yale Daily News.

Lieberman said he led a group of Yale students to Mississippi. He also recalled being part of the Washington, D.C., crowd at the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famed "I Have a Dream" speech in August 1963.

"Was I there?" Lieberman said on Wednesday. "You bet I was there."

Lamont's campaign has tried to distance itself from the charges. Campaign manager Tom Swan said Lamont was not questioning Lieberman's civil rights background. However, Lamont's campaign paid for a flier the group distributed at the event.

Lamont captured the Democratic nomination from Lieberman in the August primary. The three-term Democratic senator is running as an independent.

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

The Army is spending over $200 million to change their slogan to "Army Strong”. How about Army screwed?!

I knew they were lowering academic standards – but totally eliminating vowels now.

An 83-year-old was caught trying to cross the border with ten pounds of meth. Border Guards became suspicious when the man swam the river, leaped the fence and dug a tunnel all in less than ten minutes.

Conan

Here’s an odd story. Yesterday a man that was so fat tried crossing the Mexican border and became trapped in a tunnel. This really isn’t fair. If he’s that fat he belongs in the United States.

Today is October 11th. Did you know this is National Coming Out Day? Tomorrow October 12th is National What The Hell Was I Thinking Day.

John Kerry says he is serious about running again in 2008. He’s already practicing his concession speech.

Sen. Harry Reid: $1 Million in Shady Land Deal

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid collected a $1.1 million windfall on a Las Vegas land sale even though he hadn't personally owned the property for three years, property deeds show.

In the process, Reid did not disclose to Congress an earlier sale in which he transferred his land to a company created by a friend and took a financial stake in that company, according to records and interviews.

The Nevada Democrat's deal was engineered by Jay Brown, a longtime friend and former casino lawyer whose name surfaced in a major political bribery trial this summer and in other prior organized crime investigations. He's never been charged with wrongdoing - except for a 1981 federal securities complaint that was settled out of court.

Land deeds obtained by The Associated Press during a review of Reid's business dealings show:

The deal began in 1998 when Reid bought undeveloped residential property on Las Vegas' booming outskirts for about $400,000. Reid bought one lot outright, and a second parcel jointly with Brown. One of the sellers was a developer who was benefiting from a government land swap that Reid supported. The seller never talked to Reid.

In 2001, Reid sold the land for the same price to a limited liability corporation created by Brown. The senator didn't disclose the sale on his annual public ethics report or tell Congress he had any stake in Brown's company. He continued to report to Congress that he personally owned the land.

After getting local officials to rezone the property for a shopping center, Brown's company sold the land in 2004 to other developers and Reid took $1.1 million of the proceeds, nearly tripling the senator's investment. Reid reported it to Congress as a personal land sale.

The complex dealings allowed Reid to transfer ownership, legal liability and some tax consequences to Brown's company without public knowledge, but still collect a seven-figure payoff nearly three years later.

Reid hung up the phone when questioned about the deal during an AP interview last week.

The senator's aides said no money changed hands in 2001 and that Reid instead got an ownership stake in Brown's company equal to the value of his land. Reid continued to pay taxes on the land and didn't disclose the deal because he considered it a "technical transfer," they said.

They also said they have no documents proving Reid's stake in the company because it was an informal understanding between friends.

The 1998 purchase "was a normal business transaction at market prices," Reid spokesman Jim Manley said. "There were several legal steps associated with the investment during those years that did not alter Senator Reid's actual ownership interest in the land."

Senate ethics rules require lawmakers to disclose on their annual ethics report all transactions involving investment properties - regardless of profit or loss - and to report any ownership stake in companies.

Kent Cooper, who oversaw government disclosure reports for federal candidates for two decades in the Federal Election Commission, said Reid's failure to report the 2001 sale and his ties to Brown's company violated Senate rules.

"This is very, very clear," Cooper said. "Whether you make a profit or a loss you've got to put that transaction down so the public, voters, can see exactly what kind of money is moving to or from a member of Congress."

"It is especially disconcerting when you have a member of the leadership, of either party, not putting in the effort to make sure this is a complete and accurate report," said Cooper. "That says something to other members. It says something to the Ethics Committee."

Other parts of the deal - such as the informal handling of property taxes - raise questions about possible gifts or income reportable to Congress and the IRS, ethics experts said.

Stanley Brand, former Democratic chief counsel of the House, said Reid should have disclosed the 2001 sale and that his omission fits a larger culture in Congress where lawmakers aren't following or enforcing their own rules.

"It's like everything else we've seen in last two years. If it is not enforced, people think it's not enforced and they get lax and sloppy," Brand said.

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

With the news coverage I’m not sure what to be more worried about. Terrorists in the Middle East, a dictator in North Korea, or a congressman from South Florida.

We haven’t been able to confirm whether or not North Korea detonated a nuclear bomb. Confirm? We can’t even confirm who the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s baby is.

It’s interesting how times have changed. Remember when it was a good thing when two congressmen were on the same page?

The U.S. Army has a new slogan. They are dropping the "Army of One” slogan. The new one is "Army Strong”. Army Strong – which beat out the phrase, "Did someone say Jihad?”

Twenty-five of the wealthiest men in American are currently out of work. But enough about the New York Yankees.

Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie have settled their dispute. They say that their two hearts combined make one. Their two brains combined also make one.

YouTube Censors Conservatives

NewsMax - The hugely popular video sharing Web site YouTube has allowed liberals to "censor” a Republican political ad depicting a prominent Democrat, according to the Media Research Center.

The spoof political ad was created by Republican filmmaker David Zucker, producer of "Airplane" and other movies. It depicts former secretary of state Madeline Albright, a Democrat who served in the Clinton administration, acting as a maid, servant and cheerleader for Islamic terrorists and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

Democratic viewers of YouTube used the site's software to "flag" the video as "inappropriate," a designation usually reserved for extremely violent or sexually explicit video clips – even though there is nothing even remotely sexual or violent in the clip.

Internet users who tried to watch it on YouTube – which was recently purchased by Google – were greeted with the message: "This video may contain content that is inappropriate for some users, as flagged by YouTube's user community. To view this video, please verify you are 18 or older by logging in or signing up.”

According to the NewsBusters site of the Media Research Center, which seeks to combat liberal bias in the media: "This isn't the first time YouTube's editorial buzzsaw has dismembered conservative and politically incorrect speech. The site has repeatedly pulled videos critical of Islam, and even gone so far as banning popular conservative blogger Michelle Malkin from posting videos.

"No similarly high-profile liberal or anti-Christian censorship has been reported . . .

"Almost certainly what happened with the Zucker ad is that liberal users complained it was ‘offensive’ and managed to get the clip censored automatically.”

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

Finally some good news for Republicans today. North Korea tested a nuke!

By the end of the year North Korea could have as many bombs as NBC.

That was the story today. All around the world people were reacting to North Korea’s nuclear testing. The U.S. condemned it. China said it was wrong. France surrendered.

Congress is now looking at the possibility of getting rid of the page program. That’s typical of congress. Let’s don’t get rid of the congressmen. Let’s get rid of the kids. That’s the problem.

With Iraq, Mark Foley and President Bush’s approval numbers at an all time low even Democrats are thinking they might not blow this election.

John Kerry has said that he is serious about running for president again. (Silence) See John, we’re just not that into you.

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Cardboard

Sen. McCain Blasts Clinton 'Failure' on North Korea

Republican Sen. John McCain on Tuesday accused former President Clinton, the husband of his potential 2008 White House rival, of failing to act in the 1990s to stop North Korea from developing nuclear weapons.

"I would remind Senator (Hillary) Clinton and other Democrats critical of the Bush administration's policies that the framework agreement her husband's administration negotiated was a failure," McCain said at a news conference after a campaign appearance for Republican Senate candidate Mike Bouchard.

"The Koreans received millions and millions in energy assistance. They've diverted millions of dollars of food assistance to their military," he said.

Democrats have argued President Clinton presented his successor with a framework for dealing with North Korea and the Republican fumbled the opportunity. In October 2000, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright made a groundbreaking visit to Pyongyang to explore a missile deal with Chairman Kim Jong Il. There was even talk of a visit by President Clinton.

The initial breakthrough occurred in October 1994 when U.S. negotiators persuaded North Korea to freeze its nuclear program, with onsite monitoring by U.N. inspectors. In exchange, the United States, with input from South Korea and Japan, promised major steps to ease North Korea's acute energy shortage.

These commitments were inherited by the Bush administration, which made clear almost from the outset that it believed the Clinton policy ignored key elements of North Korea's activities, especially the threat posed by the hundreds of thousands of troops on permanent duty along the Demilitarized Zone with South Korea.

Reports suggesting North Korea tested a nuclear device prompted a number of Democrats to criticize Bush, arguing that he focused on Iraq, a country without weapons of mass destruction, while ignoring legitimate threats from Pyongyang.

McCain, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he backed tough U.N. sanctions against North Korea in response to the reported test. The measures, he said, should include a military embargo, financial and trade sanctions and the right to inspect all cargo in and out of North Korea.

The Arizona senator and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., are considered their party's front-runners for 2008.

McCain also called on China to "step up to the plate" and vote for sanctions and rejected calls for one-on-one talks between the United States and North Korea.

"The worst thing we could do is to accede to North Korea's demand for bilateral talks," McCain said. "When has rewarding North Korea's bad behavior ever gotten us anything more than worse behavior?"

Sen. Kerry Still Fighting Swift Boat Veterans

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., lashed out Sunday against a group that campaigned against him during his last run at the White House.

Kerry said he is concerned that Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is again resorting to "the politics of fear and smear."

The group, financed by Texas conservatives, ran commercials questioning his Vietnam record - the centerpiece of his presidential campaign in 2004. Those same conservatives have formed another group this year - Economic Freedom Fund - to campaign against Democrats across the country.

"We're not going to give them an ounce of daylight," said Kerry, who is considering another run at the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.

The senator said his response to the commercials in 2004 was not strong enough.

"We thought the fact that the truth was out there was enough," he said. "Clearly it wasn't."

Poll: GOP Voters Backing Hastert

More than half of Americans -- 52 percent, including 29 percent of Republicans -- believe that House Speaker Dennis Hastert was aware of Congressman Mark Foley's inappropriate messages to teenage Congressional pages and tried to cover it up, according to the latest Newsweek Poll. Only 24 percent say he did not.

A plurality of Americans, 42 percent, now say they trust Democrats to do a better job of handling moral values; 36 percent say they trust Republicans more. This represents almost a complete reversal from an Aug. 2-Sept. 1, 2002 Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard/Washington Post poll in which 31 percent of Americans said they would trust Democrats to handle moral values better while 44 percent said they would trust Republicans more.

On the subject of the war on terror at home and abroad, 44 percent of Americans trust the Democrats to handle it better-a five-point increase from the Aug. 10-11, 2006 Newsweek Poll. Thirty-seven percent trust the Republicans more-a seven-point drop from the same August Newsweek Poll. When it comes to the situation in Iraq, 47 percent of Americans say the Democrats would handle it better, versus 34 percent who say the Republicans would.

Fifty-three percent say the Democrats would do a better job with the economy, while only 31 percent say Republicans would. Fifty-seven percent of those polled say the Democrats would do a better job with health care; 43 percent say they would do a better job with immigration, versus 34 percent who say Republicans would. Fifty-six percent say the Democrats would do a better job managing gas and oil prices and 53 percent say the would do a better job managing federal spending and the deficit.

A majority of Americans, 53 percent, would like to see the Democrats take control of Congress in this year's elections, according to the Newsweek Poll. Only 35 percent say they would like the Republicans to keep control. And 51 percent of registered voters say that if the elections were held today they would vote for the Democratic candidate in their district, versus 38 percent who say they would vote Republican. Among likely voters, 51 percent would vote for the Democratic candidate and 39 percent for the Republican candidate.

President Bush's approval rating fell to a record low-33 percent-in the Newsweek Poll, a three-point drop from the Aug. 24-25, 2006 poll. Fifty-nine percent of Americans say they disapprove of how Bush is handling his job as president. Sixty-seven percent say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States; only 25 percent say they are satisfied.

For the first time in the Newsweek Poll, a majority of Americans -- 58 percent -- believe that the Bush administration purposely misled the public about evidence that Iraq had banned weapons in order to build support for the war. Thirty-six percent say it did not. In general, 66 percent of Americans say that the Iraq war has not made Americans safer from terrorism; 29 percent say that it has. A 58-percent majority also say they are not too confident or not at all confident that the United States will successfully establish a stable democratic form of government in Iraq over the long term. Only 38 percent say they are somewhat or very confident. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's approval rating has fallen to just 30 percent, with a plurality of Americans, 48 percent, saying he should resign.

For this Newsweek Poll, Princeton Survey Research Associates International interviewed 1,004 adults aged 18 and older on October 5-6, 2006. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Late Nite Jokes

Letterman

The signs of autumn are all around us. Today for example Terrell Owens almost overdosed on cider.

You can tell it’s fall here in New York City because Hillary Clinton is wearing her all flannel pants suit.

How about the baseball playoffs? New York City playoff baseball. It’s a little different here in New York. You sit in the stands and blow the foam off a $20 beer.

Cher, the star, the national treasure, she just had a big auction. She auctioned off over 800 items including a Louis XVI chair. Actually Cher is so old that the chair was used by Louis XVI.

On this date in 1899 Thomas Edison showed the first motion picture. To give you an idea of the times, back then, large butter popcorn cost around $8.

Also on this date in 1792 the first cornerstone was laid at the White House. And on the same date in 1993 Bill Clinton was first laid in the White House.

Nancy Pelosi: I'll Drain the GOP Swamp

Franklin Roosevelt had his first hundred days.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is thinking 100 hours, time enough, she says, to begin to "drain the swamp" after more than a decade of Republican rule.

As in the first 100 hours the House meets after Democrats - in her fondest wish - win control in the Nov. 7 midterm elections and Pelosi takes the gavel as the first Madam Speaker in history.

Day One: Put new rules in place to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation."

Day Two: Enact all the recommendations made by the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Time remaining until 100 hours: Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, maybe in one step. Cut the interest rate on student loans in half. Allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for Medicare patients.

Broaden the types of stem cell research allowed with federal funds - "I hope with a veto-proof majority," she added in an Associated Press interview Thursday.

All the days after that: "Pay as you go," meaning no increasing the deficit, whether the issue is middle class tax relief, health care or some other priority.

To do that, she said, Bush-era tax cuts would have to be rolled back for those above "a certain level." She mentioned annual incomes of $250,000 or $300,000 a year and higher, and said tax rates for those individuals might revert to those of the Clinton era. Details will have to be worked out, she emphasized.

"We believe in the marketplace," Pelosi said of Democrats, then drew a contrast with Republicans. "They have only rewarded wealth, not work."

"We must share the benefits of our wealth" beyond the privileged few, she added.

Pelosi, 66, has been a leader of the House Democrats since 2002. But her political apprenticeship dates to childhood, when her father was mayor of Baltimore.

Now, her political base is about as liberal as it gets, San Francisco. It's a fact that Republicans love to emphasize to voters who might want to visit, but not feel comfortable living there.

Republicans find her an attractive political target, and recently said she would try to "cut-and-run" from Iraq while "launching bitter partisan investigations" of the Bush administration, possibly including impeachment hearings.
A grandmother five times over, Pelosi pops chocolates, shuns coffee and flashes her wit. Asked what offices should would occupy if in the Capitol if she becomes speaker, she laughed. "I'll have any suite I want."

She would, too.

"If the election were held today we'd be successful," Pelosi predicted, claiming that her party's prospects are expanding as the campaign enters its final month. "So many other races are emerging right now," she said.

Democrats must gain 15 seats to regain the majority they lost in 1994, and have candidates in competitive races for 30 or so Republican-held seats, according to strategists in both parties. By contrast, only about a handful of Democratic-controlled seats appear ripe for possible Republican takeover.

Democrats have a pamphlet that lists all their promises and have run through several slogans in the past year or so as they test campaign messages. In recent days, Pelosi said, their prospects have improved by the discovery that former Republican Rep. Mark Foley of Florida had sent sexually explicit computer messages to teenage male pages.

Not long before sitting down for a lunchtime interview, she turned down a suggestion from Speaker Dennis Hastert that they jointly appoint former FBI Director Louie Freeh to recommend improvements in the page program.

"That was about protecting their majority" rather than the pages, she said dismissively.

Instead, she wants to put Hastert and other Republicans under oath and make them say what they knew of Foley's actions, when they learned it and what they did to stop him.

The potential for political gain is clear to her.

"It's an opportunity for growth among women" for the Democrats, she said. "They don't always vote and this could be a motivation."

With married women, in particular, it's a huge issue, she added.

Among older voters, too.

"If there's an ethical issue, seniors take a hike" and abandon politicians they blame, she said.

"If we hold onto seniors we win the election."

Pictures Of The Day

More great pictures from You.

DNC

Late Nite Jokes

Letterman's Top Ten

Top Ten Signs You're Watching A Bad Mafia Movie

10.Takes place on the mean streets of Appleton, Wisconsin.

9. The fake blood is clearly Yoo-Hoo.

8. Someone is given an offer he has the option of refusing.

7. Directed by Martin Scorsese's brother Larry.

6. When mobsters try to dump body in Jersey, they sit in traffic at the tunnel for 90 minutes.

5. Instead of horse's head, informant wakes up with a delicious chocolate on his pillow.

4. Punishment for snitching: No X-Box for a week.

3. Boss keeps using the catchphrase, "Don't Hassel the Hoff".

2. Feds use wiretap to get famous vegetarian lasagna recipe.

1. Only whacking is done by Mark Foley.

Newt Gingrich: Left Has 'Stench of Hypocrisy'

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that Democratic sex scandals have been far worse than the suggestive Internet messages sent to teenage congressional pages by former Rep. Mark Foley.

Gingrich said Democrats have wanted to punish their offenders less than the GOP.

"What we don't have to do is allow our friends on the left to lecture us on morality," Gingrich said at a party fundraiser in Greenville. "There's a certain stench of hypocrisy."

Foley abruptly resigned Friday after being accused of sending salacious Internet messages to teenage boys who served as pages on Capitol Hill. The FBI and Florida law enforcement officials are investigating.

Gingrich would not say whether House Speaker Dennis Hastert should step down in the wake of the scandal. He also declined to discuss reports that Hastert may have known about Foley's behavior for more than three years.

"I don't know what he knew," Gingrich said.

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

Mark Foley’s attorney is now blaming Foley’s behavior on alcohol. But apparently he wasn’t too drunk to send an email.

Foley also said today that his behavior has nothing to do with being molested by a clergy member when he was young. It doesn’t? Then why bring it up?

People are now wondering what to do with Foley’s seat in congress. How about they start with Lysol? Then some Bactene. After that cover it with plastic.

With all these sex scandals I think they should replace the Sergeant at Arms in the House with a Mother Superior. When a congressman gets out of line she could just whack him with a ruler.

North Korea is close to conducting a nuclear test. If that is successful they are going to try something harder – indoor plumbing for their people.

Conan

The latest on the Washington sex scandal involving Congressman Mark Foley – according to CNN Foley’s instant messages were not only inappropriate, but also were full of typos. In Foley’s defense, he said it was hard to type with one hand.

A group of students at Arizona State are being asked to change the name of their club, the Campus Caucasian Club to something else. They are going to rename it the "golf team”.

Bush: 'Vote Republican for Safety'

President Bush tried to drown out political anxieties about war and sex Wednesday by sounding alarm bells on national security and urging people to "vote Republican for the safety" of the country.

This week has put the Republicans' bid to keep control of Congress in further jeopardy and brought even more bad news for the president. Republicans on Capitol Hill have been damaged by one member's online sexual advances against teenage boys, while military commanders in Iraq are grappling with a rash of troop casualties and allegations of police corruption.

New polls show Americans are increasingly unhappy with Bush's leadership and the war in Iraq. And even after months of campaigning on immigration reform, he had to sign a bill Wednesday with only a fraction of the changes he wanted.

Still, Bush persisted with the strategy that has brought Republican victory in the last two elections - campaigning on national security with some tax talk thrown in. With Republicans down, he tried to bring Democrats down even farther.

"If the other bunch gets elected, they're going to raise your taxes," Bush charged during a breakfast fundraiser for Rep. Rick Renzi at the posh Camelback Inn near Phoenix.

Worse yet, Bush said, some Democrats are putting national security at risk by voting against bills that would allow secret eavesdropping on phone calls and tough measures to interrogate prisoners to try to detect terror plots.

"If you want to make sure those on the front line of protecting you have the tools necessary to do so, you vote Republican for the safety of the United States of America," Bush said to applause from the donors who together gave $450,000 to see him speak and support Renzi.

Democrats said Bush was just trying to distract from his failed management of the war on terror.

"Instead of making baseless claims, the President should focus on the facts and discuss what he's doing to improve the situation on the ground in Iraq," said New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, head of the Democratic effort to win seats in the Senate.

After his remarks, Bush stepped outside on a patio with a view of Camelback Mountain to sign a $34.8 billion bill to fund homeland security. The bill includes $1.2 billion for fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, along with vehicle barriers, lighting and infrared cameras to help catch people sneaking across.

But Bush has been saying for months that the country's immigration problems cannot be solved just by tightening border security. U.S. employers need cheap foreign labor, and immigrants will continue to sneak in to take the jobs, Bush said, so Congress should authorize temporary work permits to match those workers with low-paying jobs that other Americans don't want. He also wanted to give citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants already in the United States.

But Republicans in Congress took a tougher stance against immigration and have refused to give Bush the more comprehensive legislation he wanted.

"We'll continue to work with Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform that secures this border, upholds the laws, and honors our nation's proud heritage as a land of immigrants," Bush said just before putting his pen to the bill's paper.

Later, Bush flew to Colorado to raise $550,000 for Rep. Bob Beauprez, who is running for governor. Then he was heading back to Washington after a three-day swing through four Western states that brought more than $3.6 million to GOP coffers.

CBS Terror Expert: Clinton Wouldn't Kill Osama

Bill Clinton created a big stir when he angrily defended his anti-terror efforts as president during an interview with Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday.”

But comments by a top anti-terror expert contradicting Clinton’s defense got far less attention in the liberal press.

The day after Clinton’s Sept. 24 tirade on Fox, Michael Scheuer — head of the CIA’s Osama bin Laden unit during the Clinton administration — said the al-Qaida leader "is alive today” because Clinton and his top aides refused to kill him.

"It's just an incredible kind of situation for the American people over the weekend to hear their former president mislead them,” Scheuer said about Clinton’s remarks.

Scheuer resigned from the CIA in 2004 after 22 years of service to publish "Imperial Hubris,” a blistering assault on the anti-terror policies of both Clinton and Bush.

"Although the intensity of [Clinton’s] outburst against Wallace was unplanned, he was ready to upbraid anybody who questioned his performance,” Robert Novak wrote in a column about Scheuer’s response. "Unexpected by him was a rebuttal by a CIA professional never confused with being a Bush acolyte.”

In his role as CBS News terrorism analyst, Scheuer appeared on the "Early Show” and said this about Clinton’s claim that the CIA could not verify bin Laden’s responsibility for the attack on the USS Cole: "The former president seems able to deny facts with impunity."

Scheuer continued: "He defames the CIA . . . and the men and women who risked their lives to give their administration repeated chances to kill bin Laden."

Asked if Bush was equally responsible for letting bin Laden escape from Tora Bora in Afghanistan, Scheuer replied: "The fact of the matter is that the Bush administration had one chance that they botched and the Clinton administration had eight to 10 chances that they refused to try. At least at Tora Bora, our forces were on the ground."

Novak wrote: "Scheuer's blunt remonstrance goes to the heart of what probably impelled Clinton's finger pointing on national television. Rather than attempting to shape the midterm campaign, as Republicans believe, he was interested in protecting his legacy. No former president in the last half-century has seemed so sensitive to critical assessments of his tenure.”

Late Nite Jokes

Leno

With all the sleaziness in politics it makes me glad that I’m in a career like show business.

I want to remind everyone that this is a kosher monologue in honor of Yom Kippur.

Bob Woodward has a new book out. He’s had three now. In the first two he said that President Bush was firmly in command. Now in the third one he says that the Bush administration is in denial with confusion and bickering. Forget all that, I want to know if I can get a refund on the first two books?

Dan Bartlett says that Woodward’s book has a formulated conclusion. His mind was already made up. Sort of like invading a country without knowing all the facts.

The US Army is investigating whether or not a group of women in the Kentucky National Guard posed nude with M-16’s while on duty. If it turns out to be true the pictures will be sent to recruitment centers across the country.

Al Gore says that smoking is a major factor in global warming. Cigarettes are a major factor. Unfortunately when Al Gore gives a speech most people leave the room for a cigarette.

Letterman

Florida Congressman Mark Foley has resigned after allegations of inappropriate relations with a minor. At least Democrats wait until interns turn 18.

The Republicans acted quickly on the situation. He’s being transferred to a different parish.

Bob Woodward claims that the Bush administration is in a state of denial. Today the Bush administration denied it.