DL Hughley to Ron Paul: “You are too human to be Republican”

March 7, 2009

DL Hughley interviews Rep Ron Paul (R-TX). The “Rush Limbaugh is the head of the Republican Party” debate continues.

HUGHLEY: Why is his name Steele? You should call him aluminum.

HUGHLEY to Paul: You talk sensibly, you’re very reasonable, you’re very pragmatic in your approach…Is Rush Limbaugh the Republican Party Leader?

PAUL: Philosophically, he has a lot to do with it but technically, no, he’s not that leader. He’s not an elected leader. But philosophically he’s filling a void. I think there’s a void in the Republican Party and somebody is filling it. There are philosphic influences and that’s what Rush Limbaugh does.

HUGLEY: If the word conspiracy is gonna be used let the black guy do it.

HUGHLEY to Paul: You don’t seem like a Republican to me - like that I’ve ever heard. You seem so reasonable…You seem to make sense, which I don’t attribute to too many politicians.

Paul says he’s a “strict Constitutionalist” but he didn’t have the nads to go to the wall with barry and his birth certificate.

HUGHLEY: You are too human to be Republican….You make too much sense - you can’t be a Republican.

Both interviews - Steele and Paul - Hughley remarked that they didn’t seem like Republicans, revealing his own generalized thinking.

What if someone were to say to Hughley: You don’t seem like a black person to me - you seem too reasonable - too human - you make too much sense.

Would it be considered worse than *articulate*?

Hx31963

HUGHLEY: Next we’ll find out if Jesus was a Republican…

RNC Dr Ada Fisher: “it would be a good idea for Mr. Steele to consider stepping aside”

March 6, 2009

RNC Member Dr Ada Fisher was on Rachel Maddow. She sent to 13 members of RNC Chairman Michael Steele’s transition team an email (which was leaked) suggesting Steele should consider stepping aside because the RNC hasn’t been doing their job - raising money for their candidates. Evidently there is a history between them - she not being a great fan of his, which Steele’s spokesman said publicly.

Bits of her email, which she did not realized was leaked. From The Hill:

FISHER: I don’t want to hear anymore [sic] language trying to be cool about the bling in the stimulus package or appealing to D.L. Hughley and blacks in a way that isn’t going to win us any votes and makes us frankly appear to many blacks as quite foolish.

Hughley called the Republican National Convention “literally looked like Nazi Germany“. Steele wasn’t fazed - said nothing and then went on to insult Rush Limbaugh

FISHER: Limbaugh has already promised that ‘His Conservatives’ won’t be giving to the RNC. I would suggest to you that that is a real bet. If we can’t raise money and continue to allow the alienation of the few varifiable [sic] red states remaining, we are foolish.

FISHER: I have never seen such ineptness in our GOP leadership. And I though we handled the 2008 elections very poorly.

She also reportedly called the Limbaugh-Steele clash a “Republican Horror Show”.

From the MSNBC transcript:

MADDOW: “U.S. News & World Report,” yesterday, quoted an unanimous top GOP strategist saying, quote, “If his implosion continues, RNC members are likely to call a special session to dump him for an effective chairman.”

….You will recall that Michael Steele offering the, quote “friggin‘ awesome” Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal some, quote, “slum love.”

Recall Mr. Steele calling civil unions crazy. You‘ll recall him insisting that in all human history, government has never created a job. Hmm. Mr. Steele has also failed to hire staff to run the Republican National Committee and, of course, he memorably has promised more outreach to urban-suburban hip-hop settings via an off-the-hook Republican public relations campaign.

Now, in a new radio interview, Mr. Steele has also said that Republicans over the years, quote, “in trying to be, you know, cool and hip in a Democrat way, we failed.” Mr. Steele then went on to explain how he thinks of the task ahead for the party he leads.

“I‘m putting the party on a 12-step program of recovery. And this is going to take some time, it‘s going to take some effort.”

[...] On top of all this, Michael Steele continues to have a cloud hanging over him from his last run for public office. He’s currently under FBI investigation for possible fraud after he paid thousands of dollars in campaign funds to a firm called Brown Sugar that was controlled by his sister. A former Steele campaign official says that no work was performed in exchange for those payments.

In addition, WBAL in Baltimore is reporting allegations about thousands of dollars Mr. Steele paid to a different firm during that same failed 2006 Senate bid. It was more than $60,000 in payments labeled as political consulting fees, but they were paid to a company that traded commodities. Their business was like trading coffee and minerals and stuff. And the company had forfeited its license to operate in Maryland a year before the payments.

[...] Mr. Steele told the “Washington Post” in an interview publish today, quote, “I’m in the business of ticking people off. That’s why I’m chairman.” Steele also told “The Post”, quote, “Everyone has a role to play, but at the end of the day, all roads are going to lead to this desk.”

Then Maddow talked about how Steele threatened to financially sanction the Rep Senators who backed barry’s bill (Collins and Snowe from ME, Specter PA, ). Snowe asked him if it was true - he said no and then later said yes he wasn’t going to back down from it and then donated $1M RNC dollars to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Why he needs a staff.

Also, you might recall Steele was in the center of the “Oreo cookie” controversy when he was running for Lt Governor of Maryland that may or may not have happened. The cleaning crew, reportedly, never found a single chocolaty bit.

The interview proper from the transcript:

MADDOW: Joining us now is Dr. Ada Fisher of North Carolina. Dr. Fisher, many, many thanks for coming on the show tonight.

DR. ADA FISHER, REPUBLICAN NAT‘L. COMMITTEE MEMBER: Well, thank you for inviting me. I‘d like to also thank (INAUDIBLE) Hendersonville, North Carolina, for agreeing to let me meet here with you in this public forum.

MADDOW: Sure. You are the first Republican National Committee member to publicly call for Michael Steele‘s resignation as chairman. What are you main concerns about his chairmanship?

FISHER: Well, first of all, let me say that I sent a memo to 13 members of, people who I thought were on Michael Steele‘s transition team and not to the media. So, I was surprised to find that people are quoting from the memo about various things that I said. What I said to the transition team and what I stand behind is I believe that, given all the things that are happening, it would be a good idea for Mr. Steele to consider stepping aside and letting the—and letting the RNC elect a new chairman. And you can call it whatever you want to, but that‘s what the memo said.

My concerns are, number one—that the job of the RNC is to raise money and get our candidates elected. We also have to sit down and talk about what our strategies are. We have been diverted by nipping and sniping from a lot of different sides, and we have not gotten to our primary mission. And if we don‘t get to our primary mission, we won‘t be effective in helping our candidates get elected both in 2010 and 2012.

We also have a challenge, because we have people in local races, from school boards to county commissioners who need our help. And we need to be out in the counties, where I am now, trying to drum up support and get the Republicans energized to take on this task as well. And that is what our mission is and that‘s what we should be doing. And I don‘t think that we have put the time into that.

MADDOW: I know that your memo was not intended for the media. It did leak, which means that somebody who received it decided to let it—to let it get out to the media. What we got from the memo was reported in “The Hill” newspaper. I wonder—given that—what kind of response you have had directly from the people to whom you sent this memo, from the transition team, from other RNC members?

FISHER: I haven‘t received any response from anybody that I know of. And I checked my email at a different computer today about 4:30. So, I haven‘t received anything.

And when you called me, it was the first time that I knew that the memo was leaked. And that‘s just not standard operating procedure nor is it correct. And we need to tighten up our ship and do better.

MADDOW: Well, Mr. Steele‘s transition chairman did say publicly today that—essentially, that you just got a grudge against Mr. Steele, that you have been gunning for him essentially since he decided to run for chairman. That‘s the way publicly he‘s responding. What‘s your response to that?

FISHER: Well, I think that his response is absolutely wrong. I don‘t have a public grudge against anyone. My role at the RNC National Committee woman from North Carolina is to help get our candidates elected.

And if we are not about that business, then we are not doing what we are supposed to. I‘ve also said that we must have transparency in all of our operations because I am accountable to my state and the people in this state. And people want to know what‘s going on. Now—that‘s it.

MADDOW: OK.

FISHER: And I don‘t have a grudge against anybody.

MADDOW: In an e-mail that you wrote—in this email that you wrote, you said and I‘m quoting here from, again, something you did not intend to be public but it is. “I don‘t want to hear anymore language trying to be cool about the bling in the stimulus package or appealing to D.L. Hughley and blacks in a way that isn‘t going to win us any votes and makes us, frankly, appear to many blacks as quite foolish.”

I mean, Mr. Steele made history as the first ever black party chairman. You are one of only three members of the RNC who are African-American. Why do you think he specifically makes the Republican Party look foolish to black people?

FISHER: I think that he makes people—he makes us look—first off, we have an 11^th commandment. And that commandment says we should not speak ill of other Republicans. Mr. Steele has a right to say what he wants as does Rush Limbaugh.

My concern is, we need to focus on our mission and our principles. We need to talk about the fact that this economy is failing and we need to promote what is the Republican response. We need to talk about the fact that we have healthcare coming from the White House, and Republicans need to say this is what our response is. Those are the challenges that we face.

And the Democrats are doing a good job of getting us off-task and off-mission.

MADDOW: Do you think that Mr. Steele should stop talking to the media as long as he is chairman? Would that be—would that be a positive step in your mind?

FISHER: What I think should happen is Mr. Steele and the RNC needs to come together and talk about several issues. If you read the memo further, you would say that—you would hear that we are having a phone conference on Friday. And I asked to talk and discuss these things on Friday in the phone conference. So, I haven‘t received a response to that.

We need to talk to each other not about each other. We need to get it straight what is going to be our mission so that we can go with a unified front and say, this is what we believe. The principles of this party are correct.

I am writing a book now which is called “Commonsense Conservative Prescriptions.” And the subtitle says, “It‘s not what you say, it‘s what they hear based on what they‘ve seen.” And I think that that is one of the dilemmas for the party. We have the right principles. People have not seen us use them and promote them in a way that they can relate to, and we need to do a better job of that.

MADDOW: We‘re just about time, just one last quick question. Are you, at all, concerned about those financial scandals surrounding Mr. Steele? Having spent money on a—given money to a company run by his sister, apparently, for work that was not done, this other allegation about spending $60,000 for consulting with a company that appears to be a minerals commodity trading firm—are you concerned about those things as well?

FISHER: I‘m concerned about how we use and operate money throughout the Republican Party, not just in his case. I ran a campaign and the FEC came down on me for some late reports which were not my fault but related to a third party. So, we got some cleaning up in campaign finance reform to do all along. But I would say to you, if the FBI can investigate Mr. Steele for his finances, somebody needs to look at the Obama campaign and its finances, which are not subject to public scrutiny and should be to the same extent that we are holding Mr. Steele and others.

MADDOW: Republican National Committee member, Dr. Ada Fisher, thank you for coming on the show tonight. I really appreciate your time, ma‘am.

FISHER: Thank you very much.

DL Hughley: “The Republican Convention literally looked like Nazi Germany”

DL Hughley: “The Republican Convention literally looked like Nazi Germany”

By mattie14

February 28, 2009

Republican National Committee Chairman Micheal Steele was on DL Hughley discussing the two parties and the black community. Selected quotes - see transcript for the whole show.

HUGHLEY: I really do. I think you’re a really bright guy. And they hired both of us because we have a black president.

STEELE: That’s right.

HUGHLEY: You don’t have to go any further than the Republican National Convention. It literally looked like Nazi Germany. It literally did.

[...]

HUGHLEY: You, me, Bobby Jindal, we’re all working because of the brother in the job.

STEELE: That’s right. All the brothers in the same room, right?

barry is responsible for the accomplishments of two high-ranking Republicans? It’s goes beyond ludicrous to demeaning.

HUGHLEY: A lot of the things I see Republicans do specifically are reactionary. They’ll go, you know what, they don’t like Hillary? Let’s give them Sarah Palin. They voted for Obama. Let’s give them Michael Steele. And the other guy who we don’t know who he is yet. It is always so plastic, that you go, wow, is this what they think? They think that — they’re missing the entire point of what happened during the Obama transformation. They missed the entire point.

The “Obama transformation”??

STEELE: There was a Michael Steele before there was a Barack Obama. The reality of it is, I had established — I was the only black lieutenant governor in the country at the time. I was the only statewide black elected official when I was governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. And then Obama got elected from 2005. So that wasn’t about, oh, geez, let’s do this because of Obama.

Note: Burris was Illinois’ first statewide black elected official (Comptroller) in 1979 making the way for barry, who is now totally snubbing Burris.

Steele was also was the first to be named Chairman of the Republican Party in any state (2000) and he did the GOP rebuttal to barry’s DNC speech (2004). So his being named as RNC Chairman was not based on barry.

Gov Jindal has been around the national seen as long as barry and he’s 10 years younger. They were both sworn in in 2005 - Jindal as a US Representative and barry as a US Senator. Jindal was elected governor all by himself and to somehow say it was because of barry diminishes Jindal’s own hard work and talents. He was a Rhodes Scholar and was accepted to both Harvard Medical school and Yale Law school and chose politics instead, getting his PhD from Oxford. And instead of just talking about ethics reform he is actually doing something.

It’s like Spike Lee saying time will be marked: “before Obama and after Obama”.

Hip-hop legend Chuck D then joined the discussion and brought up the “articulate” reference that is supposed to be a racial code word. In reference to Hughley and Steele’s conversation:

CHUCK D: It was so exciting, just eloquence across TV.

HUGHLEY: He’s an eloquent man. I don’t know that I necessarily agree with him but I can honestly say that I never heard — never heard the Republican agenda articulated so accessibly.

Then Hughley disses Steele to his face.

HUGHLEY: Like Rush Limbaugh, who is the de facto leader of the Republican Party.

STEELE: No, he’s not.

HUGHLEY: I will tell you what …

STEELE: I’m the de facto leader of the Republican Party.

[...]

HUGHLEY: You know what, there’s no doubt that you’re worthy of respect. But this does seem like a common situation when you get in trouble, always bet on black men. You know what I’m saying! You know what I’m saying. I’m just saying. Hey, Michael, hey, listen, they didn’t just do it to you. The whole country went, we’re in trouble. Let’s get a black guy. Always bet on black. We’re in style now, baby!

STEELE: Wait a minute, D.L., when you bet on black, don’t you win?

HUGHLEY: Absolutely! You better come to our side. Michael Steele, Chuck D.

Then Hughley showed a snippet of Alan Keyes’ made for videotape tirade about barry being a “radical Communist” and he remarked:

If you’ll excuse me, I hear the Massa calling me. This cotton won’t pick itself.

Then he proceeded to posit that the white man sitting next to Obama during the Stevie Wonder’s Lifetime Achievement Award performance at the White House - somebody he doesn’t even know or even name - somebody who is doing nothing but sitting there - is thinking:

HUGHLEY: Eight more years of this. Jesus, when did the White House turn into “Soul Train”. ‘When did the White House become Soul Train.’

And then he goes back to Gov Jindal.

GOV. BOBBY JINDAL (on videotape): Some are problem the government will rescue us from the economic storms raging all around us. Those of us who lived through Hurricane Katrina. We have our doubts.

HUGHLEY: For the last time, no, I’m not the kid from “Slumdog Millionaire”!

Why are these ok?

Comparing the people in the Republican Convention to Nazi Germany? Automatically assuming that the white man can’t enjoy Stevie Wonder and that because he is white he is thinking derogatory comments? What does that say about Stevie Wonder’s music?

Hughley was making snap judgments solely based on the color of the man’s skin.

How is that not racist?

Will anyone be calling for his firing tomorrow?

Imagine if it were the other way around.

And the most curious part is how the black community continues to take credit for barry being in the White House when 8 Million eligible black voters couldn’t be bothered to register to vote for barry. That means 1/3 of the eligible black voting population did not find it important to get out and vote for progress in America. Only 2% more black voters came out after 8 years of Bush to vote for the first biracial president in history.

Where was that discussion?

The black vote made the difference in the primary because barry used the race card at every turn. In South Carolina - where barry had already prepared a memo painting ‘The Clintons’ as racists - barry’s policies suddenly became enticing? The same policies that were not attracting black voters at a >95% rate up until that very moment?

No. barry made it about race - the man who claimed to Unite! and Transcend Race! used race to win.

How was that not identity politics?

So why would 95% of white people voting for Senator McCain be considered racist?

Because it’s the Double Standard.

And until it is addressed and abolished, race relations in America will remain the same.

You can’t have it both ways.

It can’t be ok to be racist in one direction and not in the other. There cannot be an exception for one skin color over the other.

Prejudice is prejudice.

Bigotry is bigotry.

Small mindedness is small mindedness.

Making snap judgments based on the color of a white man’s skin is just as unacceptable as making comments about black basketball players’ hair.

Either both are ok or neither.

***

Rev Lowery: “When white will embrace what’s right”

Eric Holder: “[The USA] continues to be essentially a nation of cowards”

John Ridley: “Are you black enough to be part of all this”

RNC Ad: "Questions Remain"

December 17, 2008

RNC Ad: "Questions Remain"

GOP ad pushing for special election

December 17, 2008

GOP ad pushing for special election

Convicted felon Governor Ryan - clemency - apology to Willis family

UPDATE: GOP goes after barry about Gov Blagojevich

December 10, 2008

Republicans are getting in the act. Why not? What do they have to lose?

RNC Chairman, MIKE DUNCAN:

Obama’s comments on the matter are insufficient at best. Given the president-elect’s history of supporting Gov Blagojevich, he has a responsibility to speak out and fully address the issue….

President-elect Barack Obama’s carefully parsed and vague statements regarding his own contact and that of his team with Governor Blagojevich are unacceptable. Considering the of the allegations against Governor Blagojevich, the President-elect should immediately disclose any and all communications hs transition team has had with the governor’s office along with Employees International Union (SEIU) officials involved in the matter. Obama’s promise of transparency to the American people is now being tested.

He will not be able to obamanate free of this aka “carefully parsed and vague” and it’s acceptable as long as the proobamedia doesn’t wake up and see they’ve been had. His promise of transparency is just now being tested? What have they been looking at? Might explain why they waited till the end to start looking. He hasn’t yet been transparent and won’t be unless a higher power forces him to. I imagine that will be a question he asks of his new Justice Department appointments and their answer will dictate whether or not they are appointed. Wonder what Joe the Plumber thinks about possible union involvement?

This is a hometown issue relevant to his political and personal career and, of course, Rezko. The Syrian-born operator has survived worse than this and was even named Arab-American businessman of the decade in Illinois. Wonder how much he paid to get that? The proffering of barry’s senate seat pertains directly to him as the ex-Senator and most likely there are some recordings of him and his top aids discussing it. I am personally interested in what Jesse Jr was willing to do to get the seat…whether he further trashed his dad…whether there was a deal when he came out against his dad to save barry. It’s all there - it’s just a matter of how far the pro-obamedia chooses to follow it. Already they’re spinning for him: Blagojevich is a whack job.

Mark Kirk backed up barry much to Norah O’Donnell’s dismay. He wants to know who is senate candidate #5.

BLAGOJEVICH (on tape):We were approached pay-to-play. He raised me $500K. An emissary came. Then the other guy would raise a million if I made candidate #5 a senator.

My guess: Emil Jones.

Spokesman Dem Congressional Committee spokesman, DOUG THORNEL:

Spare us the phony rhetoric…Congressional Republicans have enough ethically corrupt members under criminal investigation to make Jack Abramoff, former Rep Bo Ney and Duke Cunningham blush.

But none of them are in barry's position…a very sad position indeed.

Ignorant MSM of the day: "She has been palling around with haberdashers."

Rant alert. I didn't think this was possible. Two weeks left and what are they discussing? How much Sarah Palin has spent on clothing. They don't bother to stop and think that this woman was plucked out of Alaska and had a baby less than six months ago and that just maybe her wardrobe wasn't exactly ready for prime time. Remember when they commented that Cindy McCain's convention outfit was worth $250K or whatever? People actually thought her dress and shoes alone cost that much cost. The dress itself was around 3K - completely reasonable for a high-powered woman executive or the rich white women who attend obama fundraisers or women going to a wedding or even some prom dresses. Don't even try to convince me that Mrs Obama doesn't have or hasn't worn a 3K dress - she has.

Who as looked into the cost of her outfitting? She has over ten pairs of Jimmy Choos, which run about $400 apiece. The rest of Mrs McCain's "outfit" was estimated by the jewelry she was wearing. Jewelry she has had for years - jewelry consistent with a million dollar heiress who made $4M last year with the assumption that the jewelry was authentic. She has made no apology for her wealth and she has done extensive charity work abroad - hands on work - and what has Mrs obama done? NOTHING. Absolutely nothing. When did she get her first passport? Just prior to barry's tour of the world? What kind of first lady is she going to make? She has not traveled anywhere - by herself - or in any official capacity and has no idea of the customs or what's expected of her. And yet she trashed Sen Clinton at every turn and allowed the media to do so so her husband could be anointed. (For the record - he did not win outright - he was coronated by the superdelegates.) She still claps with her mouth wide open and her hands up covering her face. This is barbaric to the cultures of the East. Imagine her lumbering into the Japanese consulate. Gov Palin has already shown she can meet and greet world leaders. Anyone seen Mrs Obama doing the same?

All that aside - here's the lead story of the day on Morning Joe. What is so hypocritical is Mika sits there like she as never had a shopping spree totaling in the thousands. Here's the breakdown from investigative reporter JEANNE CUMMINGS at Politico:

Early September Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis/New York = $49,425.74. Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, $75,062.63. RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup.

Here's how she justifies such inanity:

"The cash expenditures immediately raised questions among campaign finance experts about their legality under the Federal Election Commission's long-standing advisory opinions on using campaign cash to purchase items for personal use."

GOP Tracey Schmitt: "With all the important issues facing the country right now, it's remarkable that we're spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses. It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign."

I thought the economy was Obama's main thrust...before Biden made it National Security. Spending $150K is a way of stimulating it and conserves the paper needed to print 500 stimulus checks.

Barnicle: "It's clear she has been palling around with haberdashers." Haberdashers clothe men.

Mika; "I wonder what Hillary Clinton spent."
Mika: "By way of balance, we should point out that what Barack Obama spends on a suit is some family's mortgage payment."
Mika: "She (Palin) ought to be buying her clothes at Wal-Mart."
Mika: "I'm a pill-popping, vodka-drinking housewife - is there something wrong with that?"

RNC Protesters in St Paul, Minnesota

Peaceful Protest Marred by Small Band of Anarchists
Not exactly anarchists.

RNC Protesters in St Paul, Minneapolis

Rocky Rough Cut video RNC

Click on link to see shaky video of RNC protesters in St Paul, Minneapolis

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockymountainnews/2818796594/]

Gaffe of the day: "It's over!"

September 3, 2008
Afternoon before Gov Palin's speech at the RNC Convention

Noonan: Yeah.

Murphy: You know, because I come out of the blue swing state governor work. Engler, Whitman, Thompson, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush. And these guys, this is all like how you want to (inaudible) this race. You know, just run it up. And it's not gonna work.

Noonan: It's over. [Listen to her intonation. There is no doubting how she intended it.]

Murphy: Still, McCain can give a version of the Lieberman speech to do himself some good. [Because this is how he responded to her meaning.]

Todd: Don't you think the Palin pick was insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchinson, too.

Noonan: I saw Kay this morning.

Todd: She's never been comfortable about it.

Murphy: They're all bummed out.

Todd: Yeah, I mean is she really the most qualified woman they could have turned to?

Noonan: The most qualified? No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political bullshit about narratives and the picture.

Todd: Yeah, but what's the narrative?

Noonan: Every time the Republicans do that because that's not where they live and it's not what they're good at, they blow it.

Murphy: You know what's really the worst thing about it? The greatness of McCain is no cynicism and this is cynical.

Todd: This is cynical. And as you call it gimmicky. Thanks, guys.

And of course the mea culpa. You said it - you meant it. Deal.
Peg: "Well, I just got mugged by the nature of modern media, and I wish it weren't my fault, but it is."

Mugged? Who attacked her? She opened her own nasty mouth. Maybe if you gagged yourself there wouldn't be a chance for a mugging. And what's your fascination with the word 'forebearance'?

An audio tape of that conversation was sent, how or by whom I don't know, onto the internet. And within three hours I was receiving it from friends far and wide, asking me why I thought the McCain campaign is "over", as it says in the transcript of the conversation. Here I must plead some confusion.

Waa waa waa and get real. Confusion in a woman whose life revolves around words?

In fact, at an on-the-record press symposium on the campaign on Monday, when all of those on the panel were pressed to predict who would win, I said that I didn't know, but that we just might find "This IS a country for old men." That is, McCain may well win. I do not think the campaign is over, I do not think this is settled, and did not suggest, back to the Todd-Murphy conversation, that "It's over."

However, I did say two things that I haven't said in public, either in speaking or in my writing. One is a vulgar epithet that I wish I could blame on the mood of the moment but cannot. No one else, to my memory, swore. I just blurted. The other, more seriously, is a real criticism that I had not previously made, but only because I hadn't thought of it.

You blurt what you mean. And the last para...all she needed to say:

But, bottom line, I am certainly sorry I blurted my barnyard ephithet (sic), I am certainly sorry that someone abused my meaning in the use of the words, "It's over," and I'm sorry I didn't have the Kay Bailey Hutchison thought before this morning, because I could have written of it.

Someone abused your words? We heard them loud and clear, Peg. And then blaming your words on your thoughts? Hello? And doesn't the WSJ have spell check?