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I have a new piece up at Hudson New York this morning, called "Broken Premises."  For those interested, it's here.

TUESDAY,  MAY 25,  2010

CONNECTICUT TURMOIL – AT 7:36 P.M. ET:  With the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate heavily damaged by revelations that he lied about his service record, the GOP has a chance in this very bluish state.  But does it have the candidate to capitalize on the chance?  From USA Today:

Former congressman Rob Simmons has announced he's disbanding his campaign for Connecticut's GOP Senate nomination, citing former World Wrestling executive Linda McMahon's money advantage. McMahon won the endorsement of the Connecticut GOP activists at a weekend convention, but she's not popular with all Republicans.

Razor-penned conservative pundit Ann Coulter has accused Republicans of trying to "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" in the contest to win the seat being vacated by Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn. Coulter dismissed McMahon as an "impressario" and praised Simmons, a veteran of Congress, the Army and the CIA. Simmons also had the backing of Jonathan Bush, uncle of former president George W. Bush and brother of former president George H.W. Bush.

Simmons issued this statement:

"We understand the mathematical reality of competing against an opponent with unlimited financial resources who has already invested over 16 and a half million dollars in this campaign - by far more than any Senate candidate in the country - and who has an unlimited ability to continue spending at an extraordinary rate.

"On this basis we have decided, reluctantly and prayerfully, to scale back the campaign. We will release staff to pursue other opportunities and curtail campaign activities. This is not an easy decision or a happy decision. But we believe it is the right decision."

COMMENT:  That is sad.  This is strictly a "money talks" situation, and those who think the money issue in politics is minor might contemplate for a few moments. 

Simmons has not endorsed McMahon.  The whole thing is a mess.  You'd think Connecticut Republicans could unite around a first-rate candidate.

I realize some readers disagree, and have scolded me for not giving Ms. McMahon a chance.  But I want to maximize the potential for a GOP victory, not minimize it.  I can just imagine the Democratic attack ads, showing bleeding wrestlers and people being hit on the head with chairs.  The first thing the Dems will try to do is define McMahon, and they may succeed. 

May 25, 2010     Permalink

THANKS FOR COMING, BUT... – AT 7:21 P.M. ET:  The president met with Republican senators today.  It did not go well:

WASHINGTON (AP) - If President Barack Obama thought having a private lunch with Republican senators would ease partisan tensions in Congress, he grabbed the wrong recipe.

The president walked into a remarkably contentious 80-minute session Tuesday in which GOP senators accused him of duplicity, audacity and unbending partisanship. Lawmakers said the testy exchange left legislative logjams intact, and one GOP leader said nothing is likely to change before the November elections.

The problem is that Obama still thinks he's Divine, and that Republicans aren't.

"He needs to take a Valium before he comes in and talks to Republicans," Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., told reporters. "He's pretty thin-skinned."

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said he addressed Obama, "trying to demand overdue action" on the giant oil spill damaging Gulf coast states. He said got "no specific response" except Obama's pledge to have an authoritative White House official call him within hours.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Obama's 2008 presidential opponent, said he pressed the president on immigration issues. McCain said he told Obama "we need to secure the border first" before taking other steps. "The president didn't agree," he said.

The president sees immigration in strictly political terms.  However, later in the day the White House announced that National Guard troops are being sent to the southern border.  Way overdue.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., complained to Obama about the partisan genesis of the health care law, enacted without a single Republican vote in Congress. Administration aides repeatedly have said GOP input was welcome, but none within reason turned up.

It's hard to know if Obama genuinely thought his luncheon visit would melt some of the partisan iciness. Several Republican senators and aides in the room said he seemed to be going through the motions, not making real efforts at consensus.

COMMENT:  We're shocked that anyone would accuse Barack Obama of a lack of sincerity.  Choke now.

May 25,  2010   Permalink 

STUNNING – AT 9:41 A.M. ET:  Day by day, we've watched the president's approval drop dramatically in the Rasmussen poll, ending the period of stability that he enjoyed.  Today's report should be especially alarming to the White House:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 24% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty-four percent (44%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -20.

And...

Overall, 42% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's performance. That is the lowest level of approval yet measured for this president. Fifty-six percent (56%) now disapprove of his performance.

COMMENT:  The midterms are five months away.  The president's approval rating will affect Democratic performance.  Yes, of course that rating can improve, but it's hard to see how.  What victories are on the horizon? 

The Dems argue that the economy is improving, but where?  And Obama's groveling to President Calderon of Mexico last week reminded voters of who he really is.

And yet, Republicans have no reason to feel completely confident.  Many GOP candidates are weak, and the party still lacks an overall program.  An opportunity taken, or an opportunity missed?  It's up to the GOP.  The races that will decide whether the Republicans take control of Congress will probably be decided by a few points.  There's work to be done.  The president's bumbling can't do it all for us.

May 25, 2010     Permalink

GRIM, AND MORE GRIM – AT 9:17 A.M. ET:  The private economy is shrinking, the public economy is growing.  From USA Today:

Paychecks from private business shrank to their smallest share of personal income in U.S. history during the first quarter of this year, a USA TODAY analysis of government data finds.

At the same time, government-provided benefits — from Social Security, unemployment insurance, food stamps and other programs — rose to a record high during the first three months of 2010.

Those records reflect a long-term trend accelerated by the recession and the federal stimulus program to counteract the downturn. The result is a major shift in the source of personal income from private wages to government programs.

The trend is not sustainable, says University of Michigan economist Donald Grimes. Reason: The federal government depends on private wages to generate income taxes to pay for its ever-more-expensive programs. Government-generated income is taxed at lower rates or not at all, he says. "This is really important," Grimes says.

COMMENT:  What isn't reported here is that median government salaries now exceed median private salaries.  We are becoming Europe.  Is that what America voted for? 

May 25, 2010     Permalink

I'M SHOCKED, SHOCKED, THAT BIAS IS GOING ON HERE – AT 8:42 A.M. ET:  It has been discovered that colleges and universities are biased toward the left when it comes to inviting commencement speakers.  I did not know that.  From the Washington Times:

The Obamaites are proving a much bigger hit than the Bushies ever were on the cap-and-gown circuit.

A survey by the conservative Young America's Foundation found that nine officials from the Obama administration have been invited to speak at commencement exercises at the nation's 100 top-ranked universities this spring alone — compared with 14 officials from the administration during President George W. Bush's eight years in office.

Foundation officials say the results, part of an annual survey conducted for the past 17 years, show that the liberal dominance of graduation day has only increased under President Obama.

Who woulda guessed it?  Colleges are on the left?

Despite disclaimers from university officials, Evan Gassman, program officer at the Young America's Foundation, said there is no denying that a bias exists.

"You can see there is a trend," he said. "Every single year for the past 17 years, these commencement speeches have contained over 50 percent of liberal ideologies, where conservatives are left out of the conversation."

He added, "You'd think that the officials at the Obama administration would be dealing with the war in Iraq or the 9.5 percent unemployment rate, but it seems they're all tied up. You think they're busy but they're not."

COMMENT:  This story is more than just a curiosity.  I've long believed that some people in government, and a large number in journalism, angle for those commencement invitations and those honorary degrees.  Careers, and career judgments, can easily be compromised. 

There's an old saying that there are million-dollar-a-year executives who'd give anything just to walk down an aisle with a sixty-thousand-a-year college professor.  It's true.  It's always been true.  Colleges have ideological influence, and it isn't always healthy.

May 25, 2010     Permalink

KOREAN TENSIONS GROW – AT 8:23 A.M. ET:  While Americans are thinking ahead to the Memorial Day weekend, a crisis brews on the Korean peninsula.  Question:  How far will we be pushed this time?  From AP: 

SEOUL, South Korea - Tensions on the Korean peninsula soared Tuesday as North Korea's leader reportedly ordered troops ready for combat and the South resumed propaganda broadcasts into the North in retaliation for the deadly sinking of a warship.

A North Korean monitoring group said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il last week ordered his 1.2 million-member military to get ready for combat, shortly after South Korea officially blamed his regime for the March 26 sinking of its warship Cheonan.

The South's restarting of psychological warfare operations was among measures it announced Monday, along with slashing trade, to punish Pyongyang for the March torpedo strike that sank a navy warship and killed 46 sailors.

The U.S. has thrown its full support behind South Korea's moves to retaliate, which also include bringing North Korea before the U.N. Security Council. China — North Korea's main ally and aid provider and a veto-wielding member of the Security Council — has so far done little but urge calm on all sides.

COMMENT:  We will now see what "full support" means.  This is Obama we're talking about.  He knows there's plenty of room under that bus should he decide to throw another ally there. 

This story is growing.  The North Koreans engaged in a naked act of war.  My guess is that the Chinese will not agree to anything substantial, and that we will back down from "full support" to support of a tut-tutting resolution in the U.N.  And then we'll "move on."

May 25, 2010     Permalink

MADNESS IN NEW YORK – OR AS MARK TWAIN SAID, "I REPEAT MYSELF" – AT 8:01 A.M. ET:  New York State is almost bankrupt.  More people are leaving New York than any other state.  Ultra-establishmentarian Andy Cuomo, son of a three-term governor, is running for his father's job as an outsider, and the GOP can't find candidates for the Senate or governorship in a Republican year.

Now, you would think, with all this, that New York politicians would get serious.  Are you kidding?  Why get serious when there's a race card to be played?  Consider this dribble:

City cops are livid over a legislative proposal that could handcuff the brave officers involved in life-and-death confrontations every day -- requiring them to shoot gun-wielding suspects in the arm or leg rather than shoot to kill, The Post has learned.

The "minimum force" bill, which surfaced in the Assembly last week, seeks to amend the state penal codes' "justification" clause that allows an officer the right to kill a thug if he feels his life or someone else's is in imminent danger.

The bill -- drafted in the wake of Sean Bell's controversial police shooting death -- would force officers to use their weapons "with the intent to stop, rather than kill" a suspect. They would be mandated to "shoot a suspect in the arm or the leg."Under present NYPD training, cops are taught to shoot at the center of their target and fire their weapon until the threat has been stopped.

Explanation:  The "controversial" police shooting death of one Sean Bell was controversial only in the eyes of the left.  Mr. Bell was killed fleeing arrest and aiming his car at police officers, an unhealthy act characterized by a lack of sportsmanship.

"These are split-second, spontaneous events -- and officers have to make a full assessment in a fraction of a second," said an angry Michael Paladino, president of the Detectives Endowment Association. "It is not realistic, and it exists only in cartoons.

"It's moronic and would create two sets of rules in the streets if there is a gunfight. This legislation would require officers to literally shoot the gun out of someone's hand or shoot to wound them in the leg or arm. I don't know of any criminal who doesn't shoot to kill. They are not bound by any restrictions."

"The legislators have their heads buried in the sand, and we would not be able to fully protect the public or ourselves."

In fact, NYPD officers and detectives hit their targets only 17 percent of the time because of the incredibly stressful circumstances surrounding a shooting.

COMMENT:  Welcome back to the 1960s.  Ever since the election of Barack Obama, the sixties crowd has wallowed in a kind of nostalgia for the whacked-out "ideas" of that era, this being one of them.

In fact, police killings of citizens are rare in New York, and are almost always justified.  But attacked the cops – all cops – is so sixtyish.  Ah, wasn't it a time.

This legislation will likely go nowhere in its current form.  But an alternative bill, with language that only a tort lawyer could love, may well emerge.

May 25, 2010    Permalink

MONDAY,  MAY 24,  2010

JINDAL IN ACTION – AT 8:41 P.M. ET:  Contrast please the active performance of Republican Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, in the face of the Gulf oil spill, with the passivity of former Democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco in the face of Katrina.  I guarantee you that the mainstream media will not do a contrasting report. 

As thick oil flows into the sensitive marshes of the Louisiana coast, Gov. Bobby Jindal called on the White House and BP today to either stop the oil spill or get out of his way.

Jindal is still waiting for the federal government to provide millions of feet in boom and to approve an emergency permit for a state plan to dredge and build new barrier islands to keep the oil from reaching the marshes and wetlands.

Jindal is so desperate for the islands, he's said he'll build them even if it sends him to jail.

And Eric Holder would send him to jail.

"We've been frustrated with the disjointed effort to date that has too often meant too little, too late for the oil hitting our coast," Jindal said.

Anyone at CNN noticing?

May 24, 2010    Permalink

OH DEAR, OH DEAR, OH DEAR – AT 8:10 P.M. ET:  Another shining example of the quality of journalistic research these days.  A commencement speech has been given.  Apparently, three minutes of research were done.  This is the result:

Where am I? The crowd at Saturday's Wheaton College commencement may have wondered that while listening to Ann Curry's speech to grads. The "Today" show anchor gave a shout-out to a few distinguished Wheaton alums, but there was one problem: They were alums of the other Wheaton College. Curry, a graduate of the University of Oregon, cited evangelist Billy Graham, horror director Wes Craven, and 9/11 hero Todd Beamer, who was a passenger on United Airlines flight 93. While it's true all three attended Wheaton, it was the Christian liberal arts college in Illinois, not the school in Norton where Curry was speaking.

"She gave a great speech," said Wheaton spokesman Michael Graca. "She went out of her way to meet with students before her speech and to get information about the college." The transcript and video of Curry's 16-minute talk is posted on the college's web site, but the reference to Graham, Craven, and Beamer has been edited. "We didn't want to broadcast misinformation," explained Graca, who told us Curry is aware of her mistake.

In case you're wondering, Wheaton College in Massachusetts does have its own distinguished alums, including "60 Minutes" correspondent Leslie Stahl, former New Jersey governor Christine Todd Whitman, and Oscar-nominated actress Catherine Keener. In an open letter to the Wheaton community today, Curry said: "I am mortified by my mistake, and can only hope the purity of my motive, to find a way to connect with the graduates and to encourage them to a life of service, will allow you to forgive me."

COMMENT:  If this happened in real journalism, no doubt they'd "stand by our story."   Curry's apology was gracious.  I only wish there were more apologies and corrections where they really count.

May 24, 2010     Permalink

ULTERIOR MOTIVE DEPARTMENT – AT 7:25 P.M. ET:  Illinois politics is never dull.  Even the deceased are fascinated, and they prove it by voting repeatedly.  Now there's a strange move contemplated by a famous name.  A political detective story from The Politico:

It’s been a rough stretch for Illinois Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias — and it could be getting a little bit rougher.

His family’s business, Broadway Bank, was seized by regulators last month. He’s had trouble getting robust support from a White House that originally preferred another candidate. And political writer Stu Rothenberg devoted a column last week to asking “Is it time for Democrats to shove Giannoulias out?”

Now, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who did not endorse anyone in the Democratic primary, is flirting with the idea of backing Republican nominee Mark Kirk in the general election.

“I like Alexi Giannoulias, but I have great respect for Mark Kirk and his service to the people of Illinois,” Jackson told POLITICO.

Hmm.  Jesse Jr. backing a Republican is like the pope having a bar mitzvah. 

If Jackson does go for Kirk — or even remains neutral, which seems more likely — Giannoulias will lose out on the veteran Democratic congressman’s political operation on Chicago’s South Side.

Giannoulias failed to attract the backing of any of Chicago’s three black congressmen in his primary race. Jackson was neutral, and Reps. Danny Davis and Bobby Rush endorsed one of Giannoulias’s rivals in a campaign he won with a plurality of just 39 percent.

And...

Giannoulias’s camp released its own polling last week showing a neck-and-neck race with Kirk. But several independent surveys taken since the beginning of April have given Kirk a single-digit edge ranging as high as 8 percentage points.

Jackson’s endorsement wouldn’t likely translate into a big shift of votes to Kirk in the black community, but it could soften opposition. And it would be a strong symbol of Kirk’s ability to work across party and racial lines.

It would also be a slap in the face to Barack Obama.  Kirk and the ethically challenged Giannoulias are competing for Obama's old seat. 

COMMENT:  This is a we'd-love-to-win-it contest for Republicans.  Kirk is a strong candidate.  While Illinois is a blue state, it periodically elects Republicans statewide. 

There's a strong shot here if Republicans play the state correctly.

May 24, 2010     Permalink

JACK WON'T BE BACK – AT 7:07 P.M. ET:  The end tonight for "24," one of the most successful shows in television history, fading out after eight seasons.  We won't be seeing Jack Bauer save America any longer.  Now we'll have to depend on Janet Napolitano.  Ugh.  From the Daily Caller:

Tonight marks the end of a television era: 24 airs its eighth season finale. The impact of the show on the country has been profound; in the way subjects on the show have been brought into the public spectrum and how Jack Bauer, the protagonist, has become an icon – the man that will do anything to stop evil. While many mourn the loss of Law and Order or Lost, 24 has had a greater impact on America in our post-9/11 era.

24 captured its audience with an extremely accessible plot line that has impacted – directly and indirectly – the United States over the past nine years. The most obvious is the use of torture. Bauer is often forced to use ghastly methods to locate the person, evidence, bomb, or whatever it is he’s looking for. The ‘ticking bomb scenario’ has entered political discussions as to what tactics are appropriate when presented with a dire situation. In addition, the show is responsible for revealing the intricacies behind the scenes of both government and law enforcement, that has helped (or hurt) how they are viewed by the general public. Finally, many credit the portrayal of Dennis Haysbert, who played the fictional President David Palmer, with helping with the election of President Obama. This was the first time that the concept of an African-American president was presented to such a large audience.

The show became a conservative favorite.  I've never met any liberals who watched it, but I'd guess there are some who did, and kept it a secret from their culturally respectable friends.

Never once on "24" did we hear the term, "man-caused disaster," nor was any crisis attributed to domestic insurgents who didn't like Obamacare.

There's talk of a feature film. 

Jack lives!

May 24, 2010     Permalink

SINKING STILL – AT 9:55 A.M. ET:   We've been reporting on President Obama's slippage in the Rasmussen poll.  After months of relative stability, the president's slide recently resumed.  Today brings one of his worst days yet:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 25% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty-three percent (43%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -18. That’s the president’s lowest rating since the health care bill became law in March.

And...

Overall, 44% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's performance. Fifty-four percent (55%) disapprove. The Rasmussen Reports Media Meter shows that media coverage of the President has been 51% positive over the past week.

COMMENT:  I suspect that the president's disgraceful groveling to President Calderon of Mexico last week, just as Calderon was roasting the U.S. on an official visit to this country, didn't help Obama's poll numbers.

These are awful ratings.  True, other polls have Obama somewhat stronger, but the overall trend is south.

May 24, 2010     Permalink

JUST A LITTLE ERROR – NOTHING TO SEE, NOTHING TO SEE – AT 8:51 A.M. ET:  Finally there comes the apology.  From The Politico:

Hartford Courant, “Blumenthal: ‘I have made mistakes and I am sorry’”: “After nearly a week of criticism following revelations that he misrepresented his military record and five days after a press conference in which he expressed regret for his misstatements, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Richard Blumenthal apologized. ‘At times when I have sought to honor veterans, I have not been as clear or precise as I should have been about my service in the Marine Corps Reserves,’ Blumenthal said in a statement emailed to the Courant late Sunday by his spokeswoman, Maura Downes. ‘I have firmly and clearly expressed regret and taken responsibility for my words. I have made mistakes and I am sorry. I truly regret offending anyone. … I will always champion the cause of Connecticut's and our nation's veterans.’”

COMMENT:  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I apologize so everything is okay. 

No, it's not okay.  Lying about your military record is serious business.  Lying about it over and over is disqualifying.  Or, at least it used to be, in an America with a moral compass.

Blumenthal should withdraw.  How do you enter the United States Senate with this cloud over you?

Connecticut is a very blue state, and Blumey was considered a shoo-in.  Now there's a shot for the GOP, if it plays its cards right.  But Republican parties in this northeast region are often close to nonexistent.  They normally consist of the highest-ranking Republican officeholder in the state, and some friends.  In New York the GOP doesn't even have a viable candidate for governor. 

Right now the leading Republican candidate for the Senate in Connecticut, Linda McMahon, is the co-founder of the World Wrestling Federation.  There's a heavyweight background for you – literally.  I know we're supposed to be fair and give her a chance, but...jeez.  Wrestling?

May 24, 2010    Permalink

THIS IS ALSO FOR THE KIDS.  FOR THE KIDS, I TELL YOU – AT 8:25 A.M. ET:  They're getting right deep in the heart of Texas.  Maybe, just maybe, this will prompt a desperately needed national discussion on higher education, probably the most oversold product in America.  From the Houston Chronicle: 

It has been the dirty little secret of higher education for decades: Tens of thousands of college students can't do the work.

Developmental education — reteaching basic skills in reading, writing and math — is a $200 million-a-year problem in Texas, funded by taxpayers, colleges and the students themselves.

Private groups also spend millions of dollars on the issue.

But relatively few students who need the classes go on to earn a degree, raising questions about whether money spent on developmental education is a wise investment.

“It's all about efficiency,” said Jim Pinkard, a program director at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. “What are we sending all these kids to college for?”

Now there's an intelligent question, and one that should have been asked decades ago, as the "college education" became sacrosanct.

The statistics also affect the state's work force, sparking concerns about our economic future.

“It's a matter of finances, and it's a matter of work force development,” said Donetta Goodall, vice chancellor of academic affairs and student success at Lone Star College, which serves suburban Houston and where about two-thirds of students require at least one remedial course.

“Funds are limited everywhere,” she said. “If we have people who can go straight through college, who we don't have to spend additional money on remediating them, that helps the work force but it also helps the coffers at the state level.”

COMMENT:  See story just below.  It's the people turning out students who can't read and write who are demanding more in federal funds.

We send far too many kids to college.  The result has been that jobs that, not long ago barely required a high-school education, now "require" college degrees because employers want to show that they have "high standards." 

Too many of our colleges are just glorified high schools, teaching material that "students" should have mastered in the tenth grade.  Will anyone notice?

May 24, 2010     Permalink 

BUT IT'S FOR THE KIDS! – AT 8:08 A.M. ET:  Once again the education industry is demanding its share of national treasure.  How can we turn it down?  It's for the kids!  From Fox:

Education Secretary Arne Duncan is asking lawmakers to put aside “politics and ideology” as they consider a request for $23 billion in “emergency” funding for public schools – a measure Republicans reject as a massive federal bailout for the teachers’ unions.

Yeah, we've watched the way the Obama administration puts aside politics and ideology. 

The Obama administration is supporting the bill, formally titled the Keep Our Educators Working Act and sponsored by Rep. George Miller (D-CA) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA).

Mr. and Mr. Liberal.

In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) dated May 13, Duncan warned that if the bill is not enacted, “millions” of school children will be adversely affected and the ensuing damage will “undermine the groundbreaking reform efforts underway in states and districts all across the country.”

It's a crisis.  It's the end of the world.  Don't you see?  The kids!  The kids!

Many Republicans oppose the measure, citing previous federal outlays for education, the size of the federal deficit, and the fact that the bill forces no spending cuts elsewhere in order to pay for itself.

Yup.  That's right.  Education is a bloated, inefficient industry, that constantly produces disappointing results.  You want some additional funding, look at the number of "administrators" who are employed, and then check out their political connections.

“This is a bipartisan issue -- politics and ideology, around education, we have to put to the side,” Duncan said during an appearance on “Fox and Friends” on May 21.

I'm surprised he hasn't said that we need this because we're at war.  Of course, then he might have to say who we're at war with, and you know how the Obamans feel about that.

Demand savings and cuts from the educational establishment.  Then we'll see about federal grants.

May 24, 2010    Permalink

BRIBERY NEWS – AT 7:55 A.M. ET:  Who said the Brits don't like the American way of doing things?  From the New York Post:

Flame-haired royal flake Sarah Ferguson, bragging that she and Prince Andrew are the "happiest divorced couple in the world," got stung on videotape shamelessly shilling access to her ex for more than $750,000.

Andrew, the 50-year-old Duke of York, is Britain's special representative for international trade and investment.

"Five hundred thousand pounds when you can, to me . . . open doors," Fergie says in videotape of a meeting at a ritzy London apartment, according to the British tabloid News of the World.

"Then you open up all the channels, whatever you need, whatever you want . . . We can do so much."

"If you want to meet him in your business, look after me and he'll look after you," the paper quoted her as telling an undercover reporter about Andrew.

COMMENT:  I actually find Fergie's honesty, while involved in a sublime act of corruption, rather refreshing.  In America I think they call this a...campaign contribution. 

I wonder what will happen now to the Duchess of Pork, er, York.  I do think Britain will survive. 

This reminds us of an old saying in Louisiana politics during the reign of the Long dynasty.  It went approximately like this:  "For a ten-thousand-dollar contribution, you get a meeting with the governor.  For a five-thousand-dollar contribution you get a meeting with a congressman.  For a twenty-five-hundred-dollar contribution you get a dinner with a state senator.  And for zero contribution you get good government."

And so the ways of the upper crust, or toasted crust, are revealed.

May 24, 2010    Permalink