Reid Defends His “Tourists Stink” Comments

Reid has attempted to defend his comments he made about the smell of tourists during the summer months.  After this comment at the Visitor’s Center Opening Ceremony, a resident of Las Vegas told Reid that he was the one who stinks.  Reid wrote a rebuttal letter to the Review Journal in his defense of the hygeine comment.  However, Reid didn’t even attempt to apologize.  Reid’s letter contained the following response:

“Much has been made of my comments at the opening of the Capitol Visitors Center,” Reid wrote. “Anyone who took the time to watch my statement or read it in full knows the point I was making: I’m always pleased when the Capitol is filled with citizens eager to learn about our country’s great history and the work we do in that historic building.”

Here’s my crazy opinion:  Not one soul besides yourself and your son Rory thought you were trying to say that  the ripe tourists were crazy history buffs.  Allow me an attempt to translate what your rebuttal was really trying to say: 

“People of the United States, I, Harry Reid, am about to speak.  I have been misunderstood and misquoted.  It was not me who got it all wrong, it was the 300 million people who live in this country.  My comment was taken out of context.  You did not understand what I was trying to say because you only focused on the ‘stinky tourist’ reference.  If you had only forgotten about that part and redacted it from your memory, you would have understood what I was really trying to say.  That tourists and Americans are awesome and they rock my socks.”

Word to the wise, if you preface a sentence with “I know I shouldn’t say this…”, “I have been told not to say this” or “I’m not racist but…” PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE shut your mouth.  It would save you a lot of trouble.

-reagan21

Obama to Investigate His Own Team

Does anyone else see the conflict of interest problems when Obama promises to gather information about his own team regarding Blago, and the pay-to-play politics implemented to sell Obama’s former Senate Seat?

Via Hot Air:

He never spoke to Blagojevich personally, he insists, and is “absolutely certain” there was no dealmaking by anyone on his team, which is quite an assertion when the facts haven’t been gathered yet.

If Obama wants to “gather” the information about what his team knew it shouldn’t be that hard.  Obama should look right at Chief Rahm.  As National Review Reports:

Mr. Emanuel was among the few people in Mr. Obama’s circle who occasionally spoke to Mr. Blagojevich. He declined to answer questions on Wednesday, waving off a reporter who approached him as he walked across Capitol Hill.

A Democrat familiar with Illinois politics and the Obama transition, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said there probably were calls between the Blagojevich and Obama camps about the Senate seat. It was not clear if any calls were recorded by federal agents, who had tapped the governor’s phones.

Someone from Obama’s told Blago he would get appreciation for appointing Obama’s choice to the US Senate.  Rahm is probably the best place to start.  He was the only one we know who spoke with Blago.  If I were “gathering” information we would be interview number one.  That’s where Obama should start.  If he hasn’t, I am sure the FBI already has.

-reagan21

McConnell Fighting for the American Taxpayer…Finally

Majority Leader Reid was counting on McConnell to garner support from the GOP Senators, but it seems McConnell will be of little help.  It seems he has turned his philosphy around on “subsidizing failure” and passing it on to taxpayers for years to come.  Without McConnel’s help and with some D-Senator against the Auto bailout, some think the vote will die.  The Filibuster might not even be necessary.

Via Hot Air / the whole letter is on MM:

A lot of struggling Americans are asking where their bailout is. They wonder why one business would get support over another. When it comes to the auto industry, many Republicans in Congress have asked these same questions.

There are many principled reasons to oppose this bill. But the simplest one is also the best: “a government big enough to give us everything we want is a government big enough to take everything we have.” This is as true for individuals as it is for business. It’s the primary principle on which American industry, including the auto industry, was built. And even in turbulent moments like this — perhaps especially at moments like this — it’s a principle well worth defending.

I do wish McConnell could find Dr. Brown to convert a Deloreon into a time machine and return to last October.  His vote on the $700 billion without even a discussion of alternatives was a huge mistake.  His mistake from last October is not  erased by todays showing of courage.  However, it is a step in the right direction.  We need to think things through before validating the Big Three’s misappropriation of money over the past 20 years.  Things need to change in Detroit before they even think about asking for a handout. 

-reagan21

Another Notch for Blago to Put on His Belt du Class

Not only does Blago put seats in the Seante up for sale and  bribe the Tribune to get a writer fired, allegedly, but he lies to his mother. 

ABC reports:

 . . . “Promise me, son, that you will never take bribes and I said, of course I’ll never take bribes. Not only would that be dishonest, it would be illegal, and I would never do anything to dishonor the memory of my father.”

Click on picture for video.

-reagan21

UPDATE: Say There, Why did Obama Pick Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff?

UPDATE:  SOURCE SAYS RAHM EMANUEL SPOKE WITH GOV. BLAGO ON “MULTIPLE OCCASIONS” (you don’t say?!!)

The attempt by President-elect Barack Obama to distance himself from the scandal erupting in Illinois took a big hit last night with this exclusive report from Chicago’s Fox affiliate. Sources within the investigation say that Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s chief of staff, spoke with Governor Rod Blagojevich on “multiple occasions” about the Senate seat that Blago had wanted to sell to the highest bidder — and that Emanuel will likely be on the FBI wiretaps:

If Emanuel continued meeting with Blagojevich, that indicates some kind of negotiating was happening, and that would strongly suggest that Emanuel was working on Blagojevich’s terms.

It’s still possible that Emanuel was working with the feds, but why stay silent about it now?  They’ve already arrested Blagojevich.  Emanuel could now say, “I helped Patrick Fitzgerald when I saw something wrong and worked with them to get him to make explicit statements,” rather than spend this week ducking reporters.  NOT GOOD FOR OBAMA WHO STATED (TWICE) NO ONE FROM HIS CAMP SPOKE TO BLAGO.

 

Where there is smoke there is fire.  If anyone believes there was no communication between Blago and the Obama camp regarding the Senate seat then you must have a fridge full of Kool-Aid.  This is the cast of characters that have brought Chicago-style politics to Washington.  Change and a new kind of politics  –  sure, but not for the better.  This Blago-saga is like a teaser episode – we have four years with this cast of characters & Obama has not even been inaugurated.

 

– Polymath 3

Obama, Would You Like to Rephrase Your Statement? / UPDATE 1

On Tuesday Obama made this statment regarding the Blagojevich scandal:

“I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening.”

Obama made similar claims on December 11th at his press conference.

This picture was taken on December 2nd.  I guess it depends on what the word no is, and how you define it.  I guess having Billary in the cabinet has its major perks; i.e., experience of unnecissarily spinning word definitions. 

UPDATE

Obama: Hey Blago, do you think the Cubs should even go after Jake Peavey?

The photo above was taken on November 12th 2008, roughly 8 days after the 2008 election.  It was taken from Guv Blago’s newsletter.  Again, would you like to rephrase your statament Mr. Obama?

-reagan21