RNC: Anybody have $10 Billion in Singles?

One Little Bar Tab Should Put Michael Steele at Risk
Chip Hanlon at Red Country
And if the spending and the leadership are examined closely and found to be lacking, shouldn’t the man in charge of it all suffer a worse professional outcome than a donor who picked up a bar tab?

Hugh Hewitt has Another RNC E-mail

I really don’t have much more to say about the stupidity of all of this.

Here we are, Republicans finally banding together. Conservatives lining up to fight Obamacare and to take back the House and maybe the Senate in the fall. And we get this story.

If I’ve read correctly one person has been fired. Sorry. Not good enough.

Anyone and everyone who knew about this, who approved it, who condoned it or who tried to cover it up should be gone.

Yesterday.

I can’t wait until the next time RNC calls my house.

Couldn't she see the warning signs?

Jenny Sanford says that she agreed to let her husband Mark (R-Argentina) remove the vow to be faithful from their wedding ceremony. 

Wasn’t that a clue?

I mean, sure lots of wedding vows no longer require the woman to say “obey.”  But isn’t the whole point of a wedding a commitment to remain faithful?

Apparently Governor Sanford was a wanderer well before he hit the Appalachian trail, so to speak.

H/T Politico:  Mark Sanford dropped ‘faithful’ from vows

From little Acorns, big scandals grow

Acorn Who?
Obama heads for the high grass
John Fund in The Wall Street Journal

Given his longstanding ties with Acorn, President Obama’s protestations of ignorance or disinterest in the group’s latest scandal seem preposterous. Here’s hoping White House reporters will press the president to clarify just how much he really knows about Acorn and when he knew it.

National Endowment for the Administration?

This story, as they say, is huge.  Not that you’ll hear much about it from the mainstream media.
EXPLOSIVE NEW AUDIO Reveals White House Using NEA to Push Partisan Agenda
Big Hollywood
The NEA did encourage a handpicked, pro-Obama arts group to address issues under contentious national debate. That fact is irrefutable.

The Rest of the Story
Powerline
Much remains to be said about this incident and what it tells us about the Obama administration. Attention has centered on the role played by the NEA; understandably so, given that agency’s past scandals. But the NEA was not the only organizer of the conference call. Sergant’s email said that the conference call was sponsored by “the United We Serve team, in collaboration with the White House Office of Public Engagement and the National Endowment for the Arts.” So the White House was specifically involved in the effort.

He can't Rangel out of this one

At least he shouldn’t be able to…

Rangel Must Go
Americans for Limited Government
Charlie Rangel’s problems are legion. Namely, he is the subject of an “ongoing” investigation by the House Ethics Committee for violating public disclosure laws to the tune of failing to report over $1 million in outside income. And he also failed to report $3 million in business transactions as required by the House. And if justice is to be served, it must no longer delayed by the Ethics Committee.

Sure She Wears a Crown, But did she call on the Princess Phone?

The newly crowned “Miss Deeds 2009,” an unidentifed Deeds Campaign staffer, called Bob McDonnell’s office this morning and pretended to be a reporter wanting to know Bob’s schedule.

Who is Jennifer? Another Case of Inter-Campaign Trickery
The Washington Post
The problem? She isn’t a reporter. She actually works for Creigh Deeds’s campaign.
Read more.

When asked if he’d assumed McDonnell didn’t have caller ID, Deeds was reported to say, “He has caller ID?  Yeah. Me too!”

See also:

Shaun Kenney:  867-53-oh-ni-ee-i-ne…

The Contemporary Conservative:  Dirty Tricks by Deeds in Gov. race

Below the Beltway:  Amateur Hour At The Deeds Campaign

Could you pass the test Mr. President?

Recoiling from the stinging criticism of his firing of Americorps IG Gerald Walpin the White House issued a letter saying: “The Board’s action was precipitated by a May 20, 2009 Board meeting at which Mr. Walpin was confused, disoriented, unable to answer questions and exhibit other behavior that led the Board to question his capacity to serve.” [See The Washington Post for the full letter]

But Walpin asserts that was not the case.

Yesterday, Glenn Beck had Walpin on his show and issued a senility test, the one actually used in courts of law. Walpin passed flawlessly.

Could the President have done the same? After all, one of the questions is “where are you?”

Two videos. Tell me who’s confused? Who’s not?

See also:

The Smearing Of Gerald Walpin
IBD Editorials
Walpin was probably getting too close to the waste, fraud and abuse that’s been found rampant in the stimulus program. The administration, which has expanded AmeriCorps, no doubt feared a too-strict accounting of where the money was being spent. The AmeriCorps board wants to fire a Bush appointee investigating an Obama contributor misusing AmeriCorps funds. Hmmmm.
Read more.

FNC: Fmr Inspector General Charges ‘Mudslinging’ by Obama Admin
Newsbusters
On Wednesday, several FNC shows recounted the latest developments in the case of President Obama’s suspicious, and possibly illegal, firing of former inspector general Gerald Walpin, after an investigation headed by Walpin found Obama friend and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson guilty of misusing over $800,000 in funding intended for the AmeriCorps program.
Read more.

Senator asks about firings of watchdogs
Chicago Tribune
That controversy deepened with Grassley’s complaint Wednesday that the White House wasn’t answering questions posed by his staff.
Read more.

How to write a NYT article on an Obama controversy
Hot Air
They managed to include the Obama administration’s accusation of mental illness, and even threw in the part about Senators Claire McCaskill and Charles Grassley objecting to the firing. But what did Neil Lewis and the Times forget to include in the story…
Read more.

Joe Biden: None of these people are patriots

“We can’t send a message to the American people that we’ve got two sets of rules — one for prominent people and one for ordinary people.”
President Barack Obama, today
Responding to the withdrawal of Tom Daschle to be Secretary of Health and Human Services
FOX News

Can I not pay my taxes and get a Presidential appointment? Just until the book deal comes through?

Michelle Malkin: Obama: “I screwed up”
Yes, it’s a little late to be worrying about sending a message about “two sets of rules.”

Two sets of rules?

Oh yeah, I guess you can only get away with not paying your taxes if you’re going to be Secretary of the Treasury.

Team Obama Can’t Justify Geithner
Amanda Carpenter, TownHall
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tom Daschle withdrew his name from consideration to become Health and Human Services Secretary because he didn’t want to be a “distraction” from the president’s agenda. Gibbs said Nancy Killefer, who was on track to become the federal government’s chief performance officer, resigned on Tuesday for similar reasons…Obama’s Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, however, also had tax problems. He failed to pay $34,000 in taxes while working for the IMF. Gibbs said Geithner’s transgressions were not a deal-breaker because “Mr. Geithner has gone through a process..he has gone through the full Senate with bipartisan support.”

Okay, but didn’t he get that “bipartisan support” when he was the only tax cheat up for nomination? Or at least the only one we knew about at the time?

Why, Mr. President, is there one set of rules for Timothy Geithner, yet another set of rules for Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer?

Don't Tax, Don't Tell

Blagojevich, Richardson…Geithner…and Barack Obama isn’t even President yet.

Treasury secretary confirmation hearing postponed
Los Angeles Times
The confirmation hearing for Timothy F. Geithner to become Treasury secretary has been delayed until next week, after reports surfaced that he had failed to pay some taxes in the past and had employed a housekeeper whose work papers had expired.

This is what I call a win-win
The right-wing liberal
However, if he gets confirmed, he becomes the poster-boy for tax reform and simplification. The ads write themselves, but I’ll start with this one: America’s tax code is so complicated it even stumped the Treasury Secretary.

Obama SecTreas Nominee — Tax Cheat
Virginia Virtucon
Of course Sen. Dem Leader Harry Reid called this simply a “hiccup.” Never mind that a brand-new, entry-level IRS agent would be dismissed from his job were this uncovered in his past. Will this be yet another instance where the rules only apply to “the little people” when it comes to Democrat “ethics”?

Glen Beck
Do as I say, not as I do
This guy apparently plays it fast and loose. He’s willing to take the — he’s willing to take the risks. He’s a risk-taker, and he’s willing to give him the benefit of the doubt instead of just saying, “It’s not worth $4,000, it’s not worth it. It’s not worth — what did that trip cost me? It’s not worth the $250 that I’m going to save on my income tax. It’s just not worth it. It’s stupid.” It’s Martha Stewart coupled with the arrogance of having a worker — look, not only is it against the law to have somebody work for you who’s not a legal alien — or a legal worker, but it’s stupid.

Tim Geithner! Why Are Rich People So Cheap?
Maureen Dowd, The New York Times
How does a guy on the fast track to be Treasury secretary fail to pay $34,000 worth of federal taxes ($43,200, including interest), or forget to check on the immigration status of a house cleaner — the same sort of upstairs-downstairs slip-up that has tripped up other top-drawer prospects on their way to top jobs here? Americans expect the man who’s in charge of the I.R.S. to pay his own taxes.

And then there were two?

Now, feds probe Gov. Richardson of Obama Cabinet for ‘pay-to-play’
Los Angeles Times Blogs
New Mexico’s Gov. Bill Richardson, who is the newly named Secretary of Commerce in Obama’s about-to-be Cabinet, is also being investigated by a federal grand jury in his home state for possibly steering state bond business from the New Mexico Financial Authority toward David Rubin, a significant campaign contributor, according to an NBC News report, among others.  Read more.

Beverly Hills Firm’s Ties To Richardson Probed
The Beverly Hills Courier
A Beverly Hills-based company is being examined by a federal grand jury looking into contributions the firm made to political committees formed by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. The grand jury apparently is investigating if the contributions that CDR Financial Products made had any impact on a New Mexico government contract that CDR landed from the state.  Read more.

Cabinet choices touch off scramble in states
Associated Press
But Richardson himself is facing possible legal issues. A federal grand jury is investigating how a California firm that contributed to Richardson’s political activities won a lucrative government contract. Richardson has declined to comment on the matter.  Read more.

The Buzz: Another governor scandal?
KansasCity.com, December 20, 2008
A federal grand jury is investigating how a California firm that contributed to the political activities of Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico — the Democratic nominee to head the Commerce Department — won a lucrative government contract.  Read more.

Richardson’s Staff: We Didn’t Hear the Question about the Grand-Jury Investigation, Honest
Jim Geraghty, The Campaign Spot
A television station aired footage of Bill Richardson concluding a press conference by quickly getting up and ignoring reporters’ questions about a grand-jury investigation into a campaign donor; refusing to even make eye contact. (Richardson is apparently usually eager to take questions.) Read more.

Richardson on the Run
The Weekly Standard, December 19, 2008
Bill Richardson has broken the first rule of political scandals: don’t let yourself be filmed running from questions.  Read more.

Grand Jury Investigates Richardson Contributor
The Washington Post, December 16, 2008
A federal grand jury is investigating whether a financial firm improperly won more than $1.4 million in work for the state of New Mexico shortly after making contributions to political action committees of Gov. Bill Richardson (D). Read more.

H/T Pejman Yousefzadeh, RedState: What Did Bill Richardson Know And When Did He Know It?