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Hans von Spakovsky withdraws as FEC nominee.

post from Think Progress on 16 May 2008 05:25:00 PM. © Think Progress

Today, Hans von Spakovsky — President Bush?s nominee to the FEC and a lighting rod for criticism over his history of voter suppression at the Justice Department — withdrew his nomination. The Senate had blocked Spakovsky over concern about his tenure at the DOJ, where he unilaterally approved stringent voter ID laws and blocked investigations into voter discrimination. View Spakovsky’s resignation letter here.

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http://thinkprogress.org/2008/05/16/hans-von-spakovsky-withdraws-as-fec-nominee/

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Special Post (Please Read)

post from Talking Points Memo on 16 May 2008 05:12:00 PM. © Talking Points Memo

This is a special day for TPM, a bittersweet one, but also a happy one in as much as we're sending off someone who's contributed so much to what this network of sites has become over the last two and a half years.Today is Paul Kiel's last day at TPM. [...]

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Talking-Points-Memo/~3/291905549/195549.php

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Huckabee at NRA Meeting: Jokes about shooting
presidential candidates are funny!

post from Crooks and Liars on 16 May 2008 05:11:22 PM. © Crooks and Liars

Actually, they’re not. Seeing that this is what passes for “conservative humor” nowadays, is anyone surprised that “The Half Hour News Hour” was an abject failure? You don’t have to answer that. Download | Play Download | PlayCNN:During a speech before the National Rifle Association convention Friday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky, former Republican presidential [...]

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http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/05/16/huckabee-at-nra-meeting-jokes-about-shoo
ting-presidential-candidates-are-funny/

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Breaking: Spakovsky Withdraws as FEC Nominee

post from TPMMuckraker on 16 May 2008 05:10:00 PM. © TPMMuckraker

After a five-month standoff, Hans von Spakovsky has withdrawn his name as a nominee to the FEC. The move likely clears the way for the deadlock over the FEC to be resolved.

You can read his resignation here.

"It is with regret that I write to request that you withdraw my nomination," Spakovsky wrote in a letter to the President today. In his letter, Spakovsky explains that Democrats' opposition to his nomination has caused a battle that has been "extremely hard on my family and quite frankly, we do not have the financial resources to continue to wait until this matter is resolved."

Democrats have opposed Spakovsky's nomination ever since last year, but it was the opposition of Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Russ Feingold (D-WI), who refused to allow any vote on the nominees together, that ultimately led to his withdrawal. Republicans, on the other hand, refused to allow Spakovsky to be voted on separately.

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TPMmuckraker/~3/291905738/breaking_spakovsky_withd
raws_a.php

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The Future of Compassionate
Conservatism--Assassination Jokes

post from Open Left - Front Page on 16 May 2008 05:05:08 PM. © Open Left - Front Page

Mike Huckabee won a lot of respect--along with anger from from some of the folks you want to see[...]

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/OpenLeft-FrontPage/~3/291900858/showDiary.do

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Who You Calling 'Sweetie' Cocktail Time

post from Taylor Marsh on 16 May 2008 05:00:00 PM. © Taylor Marsh

Via NJDemSo hey SWEETIE, what are you drinking? This round is on the house. Share some music. Toast each other. Celebrate Hillary. Salut![...]

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http://www.taylormarsh.com/archives_view.php?id=27702

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John McCain, Hamas and Hypocrisy

post from Daily Kos on 16 May 2008 04:50:43 PM. © Daily Kos

It's sad to say that this can't even be called "stunning hypocrisy," because hypocrisy has become par for the course for John McCain.

From last month, McCain's reaction to former President Carter's plan to meet with Hamas:

It is a grave and dangerous mistake for an American leader to meet with a terrorist organization like Hamas...The very idea that a former President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief would meet with a terrorist organization demands a clear stance from all presidential candidates. Refusing to take a stand, as Senator Obama has done, is not the strong leadership we need today. If Senator Obama is not decisive enough to condemn former President Carter, how can he be strong enough to deal with the threat they pose to America and to our allies?

...and during a conference call with conservative bloggers:

I think that the people should understand that I will be Hamas’s worst nightmare.

I think it is very clear who Hamas wants to be the next president of the United States. If Senator Obama is favored by Hamas, I think people can make judgments accordingly.

But two years ago, during an interview with James Rubin, was this exchange:

Q: Do you think that American diplomats should be operating the way they have in the past, working with the Palestinian government if Hamas is now in charge?"

MCCAIN: They're the government; sooner or later we are going to have to deal with them, one way or another, and I understand why this administration and previous administrations had such antipathy towards Hamas because of their dedication to violence and the things that they not only espouse but practice, so . . . but it's a new reality in the Middle East. I think the lesson is people want security and a decent life and decent future, that they want democracy. Fatah was not giving them that.

It seems that McCain has shelved that "new reality" on dealing with Hamas in the interest of furthering a chosen line of attack against Barack Obama. Unprincipled and hypocritical, and of course, completely in line with his goal of carrying out George Bush's third term. And in fact, following Bush's attack yesterday on Obama as an "appeaser," McCain took the opportunity to expand on Bush's remarks:

And the belief that somehow communications and positions and willingness to sit down and have serious negotiations need to be done in a face to face fashion as Senator Obama wants to do, which then enhances the prestige of a nation that's a sponsor of terrorists and is directly responsible for the deaths of brave young Americans, I think is an unacceptable position, and shows that Senator Obama does not have the knowledge, the experience, the background to make the kind of judgments that are necessary to preserve this nation's security.

When John McCain said that he was "fine" with staying in Iraq for 100 years, he proved that he doesn't have the judgement to be the Commander in Chief, and with his hypocritical attacks on Barack Obama over Hamas, he proves that he doesn't have the character either.

video details and more

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http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/291859451/5839

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Poor Libby, the Village Shrew

Maybe this is what someone feels outside of the pundit class, but I’ve not met such a person yet. Oh sure, when her husband’s affair was broadcast to the world, I felt empathetic, but otherwise, I’ve considered Hillary to be a good lawyer, a fine advocate/activist for women and children, and a political wife turned [...]

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http://www.reachm.com/amstreet/archives/2008/05/16/poor-libby-the-village-shrew/

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Rewarding Liberal Candidates for Being Liberals

I'm quite optimistic about Democratic chances in 2008, but I'm noticing a problem related to[...]

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/OpenLeft-FrontPage/~3/291891469/showDiary.do

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Number of Illinois Citizens on Food Stamps
Reaches Record High

Nearly 1.3 million people in the state of Illinois are now receiving food stamps- a new record.State officials on Thursday said there might be a link between the increase and constantly rising food, gas and energy prices. Aid groups warned there are many[...]

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http://mouemagazine.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/number-of-illinois-citizens-on-food-
stamps-reaches-record-high/

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