The Nightowl Newswrap

Possible gubernatorial bid by Giuliani gathers steam  A new poll just released by Quinnipiac University that was conducted May 5-11 shows the former NY mayor trouncing the incumbent, Governor David Paterson, by more than 20%.  Given Paterson's Bush-like approval rating (28%), Giuliani lapping him isn't too hard to imagine.  What did surprise me was the way he stacks up against Andrew Cuomo, the state's popular Attorney General and the son of former governor Mario Cuomo.  Giuliani only trails Cuomo by 6 points, 47 to 41.  Last month the same poll showed Cuomo walking away with it with 53% and Giuliani polling at a meager 36%.  (This change has my attention and I will be keeping an eye on this one.)

Hodes holds small lead  Rep. Paul Hodes of New Hampshire, who has announced that he will run for the Senate seat being vacated by Judd Gregg, holds small (within the margin of error) leads over two potential GOP opponents, former Senator John Sununu, who was unseated by Jeanne Shaheen last fall and former Rep. Charlie Bass, the man Hodes defeated in 2006 to take the seat he now occupies.  

It's about time!  The Department of the Treasury wants to implement a central electronic-based system to track the buying and selling of over-the-counter derivatives, a class of financial instruments that include the risky contracts that helped bring down AIG.

Wild animals are not pets, as the tragic case of Travis the Chimp just keeps driving home - but his owner was going to great lengths to pretend otherwise, including giving the animal Xanax, a potent benzodiazapine that is most frequently prescribed for anxiety disorders that was not prescribed for the animal.  The drug was present in his system at the time of the attack.  (Xanax is perhaps best known as the drug Noelle Bush, Jeb's daughter, was arrested for forging prescriptions to obtain.)  The victim of the mauling lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids to the attack and faces years of repeated surgeries, and will still never be whole again.  She and her family are suing the owner of the animal for $50 million.

Miss California USA pageant director resigns  One day after "The Donald" decided that Carrie Prejean can continue to wear her tiara on that wingnut homophobic head of hers, Shanna Moakler, the state pageant director resigned in protest.  "I cannot with a clear conscious move forward supporting and promoting the Miss Universe Organization when I no longer believe in it, or the contracts I signed committing myself as a youth," she continues. "I want to be a role model for young woman with high hopes of pageantry, but now feel it more important to be a role model for my children. I am sorry and hope I have not let any young supporters down but wish them the best of luck in fulfilling their dreams."

Congressional Democrats are looking for a productive July  Before the August recess, the congressional Democrats have an ambitious schedule for July, planning to take up annual spending bills, climate change legislation, health care and a possible battle over a Supreme Court nominee. "It's a lot, but we're determined to get it done," said a senior Senate Democratic told The Hill.

GOP will use rising gas prices to fight against climate change legislation  The republicans still think that rising gas prices are the silver bullet that will kill cap-and-trade.  They don't know what it is, but they know that they're agin it, you see, and they are banking on enough people being so stupid as to believe that scientific fact is subject to a democratic vote that they can hamstring the efforts of those trying to get ahead of this thing and continue to cash in, courtesy of Big Oil.  

No one was watching AIG For approximately three quarters before AIG took the first dollar in bailout money, neither the top executives at the firm nor the federal regulator who was responsible for oversight paid any attention to the pillage and plunder going on beneath their noses.  A review of the 2008 calendars for the Office of Thrift Supervision shows not a moment dedicated to AIG before the now-infamous 45-minute conference call on September 15.  The next day, AIG received $85 billion bailout dollars.

This is why I like Ike!  The Skelton-McHugh Waste TKO Act cleared the House today.  The legislation is vital to reining in out-of-control cost growth in defense programs.  Now it is on to the Senate.  Representative Skelton wants to send the bill to the President for his signature before the August recess.  

Murtha really, really, really needs to go  I have never understood how the corrupt old fucker ever survived ABSCAM, let alone stayed in his seat all these years.  (What the fuck is wrong with the people in that district, anyway?)  The latest accusation of wrongdoing to come his way?  His 2008 opponent claims that Murtha's chief of staff threatened to have him recalled to active duty and then forced to either abandon his campaign or face a court martial for campaigning while an active duty member of the armed forces.  Bill Russell, an Iraq war veteran who served with the Army, told FOXNews.com that Murtha's chief of staff, John Hugya, made the threat on two occasions -- first to his former commanding officer and then to his face in March.? "It's a terrible, terrible threat to make," said Russell, a Republican who lost to the Democratic powerhouse in November but plans to challenge him again in 2010. Asked if Murtha is trying to bully him out of a rematch, Russell said: "It was a direct intent to intimidate."? C'mon PA - get rid of this guy already.

Eric the Red is in a snit  over the NRSC's early support of Charlie Crist.  He appears to be one of those folks who thinks the GOP keeps losing elections because they haven't been behaving quite crazy enough and it's time to dig a little deeper and double down on the "bats hit insane" one more time.

Um...Ben?  "An Army of One" was just a stupid advertising slogan (maybe even the stupidest ever)  Two weeks ago Ben Nelson came out strong against any public health care option, and he vowed to assemble a bipartisan coalition of Senators who agreed with him.  Two weeks later, he is still a coalition of one.      

Sweet Jesus, the Senate is useless!  Has there ever been, in the history of the body, a more useless Majority Leader than Harry Reid, or a more spineless bunch of buffoons and stooges than about half of the Democratic Caucus?  (I don't think so either.)

Congratulations Marcy!  Marcy Wheeler (Emptywheel at FireDogLake) who sees fit to validate our existence with a link on her blogroll, is the recipient of a Hillman award for excellence in journalism.  Congratulations on the much-deserved recognition, Marcy, and keep up the good work.  We all get to enjoy your reflected credibility.  Thanks for showing the world that we can do this thing if given half a chance and something to work with.  

You can bet your sweet ass I'll have more on this A retired Army physician has been caught falsifying research to promote a product manufactured by a company that retained him.  Dr. Timothy Kuklo is now an associate professor of medicine at Washington University in St. Louis.  It is not enough for me that this asshole be fired from his teaching position, I want him recalled to active duty and his rank - and retirement - reduced.  Falsifying research is bad enough.  But there is something especially abhorrent about what he did.  And if the Army doesn't start punishing some of these bastards, they will be the demise of the military.  Punish this rat-bastard severely and make a big damned deal of it.  Strip his rank and bust him to E1 and cashier his ass with about one-sixth the retirement he is currently drawing.  Draconian action like that is the only way we are going to get the officer corps back in line.  You have no idea how much trouble our military is in.  No idea at all.  


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