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Category: Quote Watch

Classified information is classified, sometimes.

"The easiest job in the world is to spy against America."

-- John Ashcroft, at a Congressional hearing broadcast on C-SPAN this weekend.

Well, it was an interesting moment. Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler was trying to nail Ashcroft by quoting a leak from a classified meeting.

Nobody on the panel was upset that the quote had leaked. Or that a prominent congressman was further broadcasting classified information -- a move that get some people investigated by the FBI.

In Washington, it's the gotcha that counts. Ashcroft properly declined to confirm or deny that the classified quotes were true. And he is right, all a spy has to do to pick up classified info is watch C-SPAN or read the papers.

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Category: Pundit watch

Jesse, Kwame and voters

There is a God. Jesse Ventura is not running for U.S. senate in Minnesota. He said so on an edition "Larry King Live." That should please candidate-comic Al Franken, also in the running there.

Politics are demeaned when goof balls run for office, although in Ventura's defense he did win once as governor of Minnesota.

In many elections, only embarrassing fractions of potential voters actually cast a ballot.

The apathy is part of what ails America. Take public schools in Michigan, for example. Over the years, the turnout at a school board election has been typically in the single digits. Of course, school boards, under union influence, deliberately scheduled elections to discourage turnout. The ploy became an art of many suburbs.

That way, a handful of zealots could rule.

But still, the majority of registered voters let them get away with it.

So they deserve, exactly, the government they have. Whether national, state or local.

Another example lurks in the city of Detroit. Voters returned Kwame Kilpatrick to office after his distinctly lackluster first term. And after his winked at supporters who played a race card against an opponent said not to be black enough.

So now the city's in a thicker swamp. The budget is whacked. Even Windsor won't deal with Detroit. Scandal rules.

Here for Jesse.

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Category: Election 2008

Hillary's hairdo: A political statement?

So Hillary has changed her post-primary hairdo. The part switched from left to the right side. Whim or political import? She's changed hairstyles before, as in the adjacent 1996 photo.

Over at ABC News, Jake Tapper comes up with this quote: "... parting one's hair on the right evokes right-hemisphere processes -- associated with visual, artistic, and musical skills, and 'nonlinear tasks traditionally attributed to femininity in our culture' -- and tends to be regarded as natural for women."

Here for Tapper.

And here for more.

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Category: Whither Michigan?

Kwame should step in and help Beatty

Detroit has pretty much abandoned a damsel in distress: Christine Beatty. Her defense fund is zip while her co-defendant, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, is relatively flush.

Kilpatrick should have the testosteron to step in and help the lady. Sharing sheets should generate some sort of loyalty. He did shake her hand at a recent hearing, one of those steps in their trial for perjury.

Double standard here. Beatty required to resign pending outcome of the case. The mayor not required to resign on exactly the same charges.

The case has long devolved to yet another pathetic joke on the residents of Detroit. They're paying big time to sully the city's reputation, as the case slogs through the courts.

Business leaders and other civic minded folks would prefer an out-of-court deal to end the misery. But then that won't do much, what with some city council members under investigation by the feds.

Here for story.

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Category: Whither Michigan?

Clint Eastwood's in town; Michigan taxpayers pick up the tab

Clint Eastwood's in town filming "Gran Torino." He's one of the wealthier actor/directors in the business. Yet Michigan taxpayers will be subsidizing up to 40 percent of movies that are made in Michigan, including his.

But it's covered. To pay the Hollywood types, lawmakers last year raised taxes on the rest of Michigan. So now that we're all paying higher taxes, the state can better afford to give those breaks to Eastwood and others.

Can't blame Eastwood. He's just taking advantage of a very good deal. It's not his fault Michigan lawmakers give away taxpayer money.

Hollywood flocks to Michigan because the state decided to get off the industry's back (and dole out loot to boot). But other businesses in Michigan aren't so lucky. They get nailed with high taxes year after year. Still other companies don't set up shop in Michigan because they can't afford it.

If lawmakers cut taxes, they will come.

Eastwood proves it.

Here for story.

Category: Metro Detroit

Greektown: Spaghetti hits the spot

Blocking an Italian restaurant in Greektown is a dumb idea. If patrons are offended, they won't eat Italian in Greektown. Most won't care.

The complaint: An Italian restaurant would dilute the strip's cultural identity.

However, Italy has a strong Greek heritage. Greek communities once peppered the land in what is now Italy, including Sicily. The Romans called parts of Italy Magna Graecia (Greater Greece). So it's pretty much samo samo.

Aging Greektown needs some polish. An Italian restaurant would do the trick.

Here for story.

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Category: Pundit watch

Obama moving to the center? Of course.

Lots of clucking today on "Meet the Press" about Obama drifting to the center. Of course he's drifting to the center.

When you're president, you lead all the people, not just fringe Democrats. In 2004, some 62 million voters went for George Bush. That's more than, say, the 3 million members claimed by Moveon.org.

So anyone who wants to be president has to look for center ground. It's how you get elected. It's how you get legislation approved. Same goes for McCain.

As one wag said about criticism of Obama's move to the middle: Liberals accuse Obama of trying to win election.

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Category: Pundit watch

Yes, we're a nation of whiners

Phil Gramm had a point about "whiners." If you're in this country, you participate in a incredibly lucky cut of history. As has been reported and documented, America is the country where even the poor people are fat.

For $1 at McDonald's, you can get enough calories to survive while millions around the world can't get sufficient calories at any price. And yet we have U.S. do-gooders who criticize McDonald's for this service, saying the company is bad for health.

Gramm's "whiners" comment gets play this weekend on talk shows. McCain shies away from it but ought not.

Individuals and groups tend to blame everybody but themselves for their problems. That's one of the joys of Barack Obama. He didn't buy the idea of a political glass ceiling for blacks. And now he's a contender.

Detroiters whine about corrupt city government. And yet they keep returning the same yoyos to public office. They deserve exactly government they elect.

And so on...

Here for more.

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Category: Quote Watch

Obama: Fry Osama

"I am not a cheerleader for the death penalty. I believe it has to be reserved for only the most heinous crimes, but I certainly think plotting and engineering the death of 3,000 Americans justifies such an approach."

-- Barack Obama, suggesting zapping Osama bin Laden for his Sept. 11 attacks. Talking this weekend on CNN with Fareed Zakaria.

Category: Whither Michigan?

Does scandal affect Detroit government? You betcha.

The charade's over. Detroit's scandals indeed adversely affect business, despite the mayor's suggestions otherwise. Now Windsor has iced a deal on the Detroit Tunnel.

The reason: Detroit's dysfunctional politics worry Windsor officials.

Join the club.

Here for story.