She [Nancy Reagan] was escorted out of the hall by Frederick J. Ryan Jr., chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation, and president and CEO of The Politico.

So the President and CEO of The Politico, Frederick Ryan, is also the Board Chairman for the Reagan Library. And that makes sense, because Ryan is a long-time, hard-core Reaganite… So the President and CEO of The Politico worked in multiple positions in the Reagan White House, and was continuously promoted until he rose to the level of Assistant to the President. And his close connection to the Reagan family and the Reagan presidency continues through today.

Are we supposed to treat this fact as irrelevant or something when assessing what The Politico is and what type of political coverage it churns out?… The Politico’s primary (perhaps sole) funding source is the Allbritton Company, of which Frederick Ryan is an employee. The Allbritton family’s leader, Joe, was CEO of Riggs Bank when Riggs pleaded guilty to a series of illegal financial transactions with right-wing Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and his brutal military that took place throughout the 1990s and into 2001.

Although Allbritton himself was never charged with knowledge of those illegal transactions, he maintained what appears to be a close personal and business relationship with the right-wing dictator (h/t Jonathan Schwarz):

    When Joe L. Allbritton was chief executive of Riggs Bank, he received personal gifts from Augusto Pinochet and wanted the former Chilean dictator to visit the Allbritton horse farm in Virginia, according to drafts of letters from 1996 and 1997.

    The drafts were found in the bank’s investigation of the relationship between Allbritton and Pinochet, whose government murdered or tortured an estimated 3,000 political opponents over 17 years. . . .

    The two draft letters and memos do not show that Allbritton was aware of any illegal actions by the bank or its officers, but they indicate that Allbritton had a personal relationship with Pinochet and knew details of his business dealings at Riggs, according to sources who have read the documents. . . .

    Since July, Riggs’s internal investigators have discovered that Pinochet’s relationship to Riggs was both deeper and longer than previously known, according to sources familiar with their findings. Since the July Senate hearing, Riggs has found photographs of Allbritton and Pinochet together and internal correspondence and letters to Pinochet and senior Chilean military officials that indicate Allbritton was personally involved in courting the former dictator as a Riggs client… http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/05/04/politico_funding/index.html

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Stories originating from this source much music ringtones free cell phone ringtones ringtones for verizon phone alltel free ringtones free ringtones maker download ringtones for nextel phone free cingular mp3 ringtones download ringtones motorola cheap mobile ringtones virgin free composer ringtones компютри втора употребаfree download mobile ringtones free verizon wireless ringtones free arabic ringtones 24 ctu free ringtones free cricket ringtones free samsung ringtones madonna ringtones dash mobile ringtones t free sprint ringtones free nokia ringtones tracfone should be considered as an extension of the Republican noise machine.  At this point, their goal is to disrupt the Democratic Party primary process as thoroughly as possible and then crosshair the nominee.  CAVEAT EMPTOR

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Barack Obama argued that his foreign policy proposals are more in line with former presidents George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan than with the current President Bush and Hillary Clinton.

“The truth is that my foreign policy is actually a return to the traditional, bipartisan, realistic foreign policy of George Bush’s father, John F. Kennedy, of in some ways Ronald Reagan,” Obama told a crowd at the first town hall meeting of his “Stand for Change” bus tour.

“It’s George Bush that’s been naïve and its people like John McCain and unfortunately some Democrats who have facilitated him acting in these naïve ways that have caused us so much damage in our reputation around the world.”

Obama accused Hillary Clinton of subscribing to President Bush’s politics when it comes to foreign policy, even though he said she may not agree with all of his policies.

“In many ways, she has been captive to the same politics that lead her to vote for the war in Iraq. Since 9/11, the conventional wisdom has been you have to look tough on foreign policy by voting and acting like the Republicans,” Obama said, “She, like McCain and Bush, said you shouldn’t talk to leaders of countries like Iran.”… SOURCE

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10. Responding to a student who criticized his remark about our staying in Iraq for 100 years, McCain quipped, “No American argues against our military presence in Korea or Japan or Germany or Kuwait or other places, or Turkey, because America is not receiving casualties.”

I guess Ron Paul isn’t American. Or Dennis Kucinich. Or many others who have questioned the mindset behind keeping our troops abroad forever, which is what an empire does, not a republic. Although, perhaps more people don’t argue “against our military presence” in the other spots he named, because, you know, those wars weren’t based on 100 percent fabricated evidence and didn’t make us less safe after they were done. Just a thought.

9. John McCain is “very proud to have Pastor John Hagee’s support.”

Just FYI, John Hagee makes Jeremiah Wright seem like Richard Simmons. Hagee has called the Catholic Church the “Great Whore,” an “apostate church,” the “Antichrist,” and a “false cult system.” And let’s not even get into what he has said about Jews.

8. “In the shorter term,” said McCain, “if you somehow told American businesses and families, ‘Look, you’re not going to experience a tax increase in 2010,’ I think that’s a pretty good short-term measure.”

This is McCain’s statement in suport of making permanent the tax cuts he voted and railed against in 2001 and 2003. Back then they were only a giveaway to the rich and “budget-busters.” Now that we are much further along in borrowing our economy from the Chinese, and the rich have become even richer, they are a way to stimulate the economy by putting money in the hands of working Americans.

7. “This is a Catholic Voter Alert. Governor George Bush has campaigned against Senator John McCain by seeking the support of Southern fundamentalists who have expressed anti-Catholic views. Several weeks ago, Governor Bush spoke at Bob Jones University in South Carolina. Bob Jones has made strong anti-Catholic statements, including calling the Pope the anti-Christ, the Catholic Church a satanic cult! John McCain, a pro-life senator, has strongly criticized this anti-Catholic bigotry, while Governor Bush has stayed silent while seeking the support of Bob Jones University. Because of this, one Catholic pro-life congressman has switched his support from Bush to McCain, and many Michigan Catholics support John McCain for president.”

This was a John McCain for president campaign robo-call in 2000. Today, as we pointed out, he hangs with the Rev. Hagee who thinks Catholicism is a “cult” and the “Antichrist.” How romantic.

6. “Everybody says that they’re against the special interests. I’m the only one the special interests don’t give any money to.”

Here are some examples of Sen. McCain’s epic battle with special-interest money: According to the Center for Responsive Politics, McCain has taken nearly $1.2 million in campaign contributions from the telephone utility and telecom service industries, more than any other senator. McCain sides with the telecom companies on retroactive immunity.

McCain is also the single largest recipient of campaign contributions from Ion Media Networks — formerly Paxson Communication — receiving $36,000 from the company and employees from 1997 to mid-year 2006.

5. McCain listened intently, pausing a second before delivering what could be a defining answer. “The other one will do just fine.”

For what important reason was Sen. McCain interrupting an explanation to the press of his positions on Iraq and national security to take a cell phone from an aide? Why his wife needed to buy them a new barbecue grill.

4. During a Nov. 28, 2007, Republican debate Sen. McCain angrily denounced torture and offered unmitigated support of the Army field manual’s restrictions, saying they “are working, and working effectively.”

So naturally and quite logically, he voted against applying these same standards to the CIA. Apparently these rules won’t work effectively for spooks, just the men and women on the front lines.

3. McCain, while speaking at a town hall meeting in a suburb of Philadelphia, was asked if he had concerns that anti-American insurgents in Iraq might commit increased acts of violence in September or October with a plan in mind to tip the November election to the Democrats. “Yes, I worry about it,” McCain said.

How did he figure out what the insurgents — which his policies in Iraq have helped create — are up to? When they attacked us on 9/11, and the warning signs were all ignored by President Bush and his then National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, he was punished with winning a second term. So, of course, militants, who follow john McCain’s campaign like Republicans do the signs of the Rapture, are closely planning their events because they know the exact opposite will be the result this time.

2. Let’s go back to the videotape: “I’m the only one the special interests don’t give any money to.”

Not only have we proven this false, but perhaps many can’t give money because they all work on his campaign. His campaign manager, Rick Davis, lobbyist. Top advisor, Charlie Black, lobbyist. The operative currently running his Senate office, Mark Buse, former lobbyist. And so it goes. Here is what one observer had to say. “It’s an interesting dichotomy. On the one hand, he’s presenting himself as the crusader against special interests and yet, on the other hand, he’s surrounded himself with senior advisers that are lobbyists,” said Sheila Krumholz of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan, non-profit research group focused on money in politics.

1. And finally, McCain’s craziest, coolest, most unstoppable McCain Moment: The senator said, while in Jordan, that it was “common knowledge and has been reported in the media that al-Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran, that’s well known. And it’s unfortunate.” A few moments later, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, admiringly gazing at McCain until that moment, stepped up and whispered something in the presidential candidate’s ear. McCain then blurted out: “I’m sorry, the Iranians are training extremists, not al-Qaeda.”

Phew. Glad trusty Joe Lieberman was there to explain to the man of “experience,” a man who wants to lead the free world, that Sunnis (Al Qaeda) and Shia (Iran) not only don’t work together but are in direct conflict. We have only been at war there for five years, so I wouldn’t expect Sen. McCain to concern himself with such trivial matters… LINK

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The president of a prominent watchdog group said Wednesday that he believes Democratic presidential frontrunner Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) “intended to leave no paper trail” during his time in the Illinois Senate.

Judicial Watch, which has been seeking access to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) records from her time in the White House, argued Wednesday that the Illinois senator, who has criticized the former first lady for a lack of openness, has his own “records problem.”

“The more we learn about the Illinois Senator, the more obvious it becomes that he is anything but the ethically upright outsider he purports to be,” said Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch.

The group rose to prominence when it repeatedly took on former President Bill Clinton during his time in office. It also sought records from the Bush administration regarding Vice President Dick Cheney’s energy task force.

In a statement, Fitton noted that his group has sought access to Obama’s records as a state senator and questioned whether the presidential candidate has been forthcoming with regard to what happened to those documents.

However, he said that “nobody knows where they are, if they exist at all” and claimed that “Obama’s story keeps changing.”

The senator’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fitton argues that Obama’s public accounts of what happened to his records do not mesh with information from the Illinois Office of the Secretary of State. He added that the Judicial Watch investigation “suggests” that the senator could have had his records archived in a way that would grant the public access to them.

“It appears that Obama never kept records of his time in the Illinois state legislature, or he discarded them,” Fitton stated. “Either way, he clearly intended to leave no paper trail.”… http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/judicial-watch-obama-i…

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Oklahoma House Rep. Sally Kern made an Easter Sunday appearance on KFOR-TV’s “Flash Point” to face off with an openly gay pastor, elaborating on her recent leaked speech and defending her views.

A spirited theological and political debate ensued between Rep. Kern, host Kevin Ogle, panelists Burns Hargis and Mike Turpen, and Dr. Scott Jones of Oklahoma City’s Cathedral of Hope.

“I was speaking to a group of Republicans; grassroots Republicans,” Kern explained of the original speech, which gained worldwide attention after posted on the Internet by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, “and I was talking about the homosexual agenda, and how they are out there putting forth–funding very heavily–homosexual and pro-homosexual candidates to run against, and defeat, conservatives across the nation.

“I did talk about what I believe…scientific evidence, health evidence…proves that the homosexual lifestyle is a dangerous lifestyle. And, yes, I did compare it to being more dangerous than terrorism. And my point in doing that, gentlemen, was this: Everybody knows terrorism destroys and tears down, and that was the only analogy I was making is that the homosexual agenda, this lifestyle which is so destructive to individuals, is at the heart trying to tear down what is the bedrock foundation of our society, which is the family and traditional marriage.”

more at: http://pageoneq.com/news/2008/kern_032508.html 

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/24/white-house-ho…

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When the owners of Quickie Burger and Dogs chose their logo, they thought it would make patrons crave an order of chili cheese fries. But the logo, a busty woman in a tight shirt straddling a hamburger, has drawn criticism from campus groups.

The newest addition to the South State Street landscape has caused a stir on campus with its brightly colored logo, which some believe is offensive.

The restaurant, which opened two weeks ago, sits south of campus at the intersection of State and Hill streets. Adorning the blue awning above the restaurant next to its name is an image of a cowgirl riding a hamburger.

The Stonewall Democrats, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender caucus of the University’s College Democrats chapter, has taken offense with the restaurant’s logo and recently began circulating a petition to sway the owners to change the logo.

Complete article at:
http://media.www.michigandaily.com/media/storage/paper8…

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The State Department investigation of improper computer access to passport records of three presidential candidates is focusing on one remaining employee — a contract worker with a company headed by an adviser to the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama

The probe by State’s inspector general will include polygraph tests for supervisors in the passport section to find out whether the three contract employees who accessed the records had a political motive or were part of a political operation to obtain personal data on Mr. Obama, Sen. John McCain or Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Two of the three contract employees had been fired before The Washington Times first reported Thursday on security breaches involving Mr. Obama’s passport records. The furor expanded yesterday to incidents involving the passport records of Mr. McCain and Mrs. Clinton.

The third employee, who has not been fired, worked for The Analysis Corporation (TAC), which is headed by John O. Brennan, a former CIA agent who is an adviser to Mr. Obama’s presidential campaign on intelligence and foreign policy.

The TAC employee is the only individual to have accessed both Mr. Obama’s and Mr. McCain’s passport information without proper authorization, a State Department spokesman said. That employee, who was not named, triggered an electronic alarm system, officials familiar with the probe said….

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AI…

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For all its overwhelming force in the lonely mountain passes, where military convoys toil towards the clouds, or in the dark alleys of Chengdu’s Tibetan quarter, where soldiers stand watch, the sour tang of a debacle for China is in the air.

Despite 20 years of iron-fisted security, huge investments and mass migration since the last Tibetan uprising, the roof of the world once again looks like a hostile place to most Chinese.

The uneasy sense of psychological defeat emerged from interviews with Chinese citizens and soldiers in Sichuan province, a vast region that includes a swathe of the Tibetan plateau, over the past week.

Almost without exception, people said they had lost faith in government propaganda and feared that Tibetans would turn to violence against China…MORE

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A member of a radical US 1970s group has been returned to jail, less than a week after being released on parole.

Sarah Jane Olson was freed on Monday after seven years in jail for attempted bombings and second-degree murder during a campaign in 1975.

But officials found an “administrative error”, and realised she still had one more year to serve before being freed.

Olson’s lawyer said the California prison authorities were “bowing to political pressure”…MORE

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