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The Maharaja witnessed his first in-flight Mughal-e-Azam at 30,000 feet above sea level on Saturday, as two members of the cabin crew—one male and one female—slugged it out with the pilot and co-pilot. Endangering the lives of 106 passengers and grossly violating safety norms, the airline staffers came to blows in the cockpit and galley of the Indian Airlines Airbus A-320 as the aircraft cruised over Pakistan en route to Delhi via Lucknow from Sharjah. The cabin-vs-cockpit tiff originated on the ground in Sharjah itself and then turned into a full-blown fight once IC 884 took off soon after midnight....

CREW Cut: Rangel on "Most Corrupt" List, AgainMakes naughty list. By HASANI GITTENS Updated 11:13 AM EDT, Wed, Sep 16, 2009 Sorry Charlie just can't catch a break. Rep. Charlie Rangel has been named one of the "most corrupt" members of congress for the second year in a row. The dubious distinction was handed down by CREW, or Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, in their fifth annual report, which includes 15 members of congress. The liberal group took Harlem's Democratic congressman to task for a range of ethical issues: "(1) improperly leasing four rent controlled apartments; (2) improperly...

The Obama administration says it will release names of most visitors to the White House, starting at the end of this year. Information on visitors in the first eight months of his administration will remain secret — unless you know which names to ask for. The White House called the release of information "voluntary," continuing to argue the Bush administration's position that full disclosure is not required by the Freedom of Information Act. After being sued twice by a nonprofit organization seeking the records, the Obama administration said Friday it will post the visitor logs online. The release will be...

A document filed in federal court this week by the Justice Department offers new evidence that former vice president Richard B. Cheney helped steer the Bush administration's public response to the disclosure of Valerie Plame Wilson's employment by the CIA and that he was at the center of many related administration deliberations. The administration's discussion of Wilson's link to the CIA was meant to undermine criticism by her husband of administration allegations that Iraq attempted to acquire uranium, a matter that her husband had probed for the CIA, according to testimony presented in a 2007 trial. *snip* He mentioned in...

WASHINGTON – A federal judge said Thursday that he wants to look at notes from the FBI's interview with former Vice President Dick Cheney during the investigation into who leaked the identity of a CIA operative. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan's decision to review the documents followed arguments by Obama administration lawyers that sounded much like the reasons the Bush administration provided for keeping Cheney's interview from the public. Justice Department lawyers told the judge that future presidents and vice presidents may not cooperate with criminal investigations if they know what they say could become available to their political opponents...

Billionaire George Soros is an extreme leftist & naturally a huge supporter & financier of Øbama. Soros funds dozens of far-left front groups which advocate everything from open borders, to the legalization of most drugs, to abortion on demand. George Soros’ funded "programs" also promote the liberal agenda being taught in schools. Some of Mr. Soros' endeavors include: MoveOn.org, The Open Society Institute, USAction, Center For American Progress, Americans United For Change, money to ACORN & many more, including Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). CREW is the group who filed the clothes complaint against Governor Palin, and,...

Lobbyists and government watchdogs are applauding revisions made by the White House on Friday to lobbying restrictions on stimulus funds. After completing a 60-day review last week, the administration modified the rules to extend a speaking ban not just to lobbyists but to others who contact government officials about specific stimulus projects. But that ban only occurs now after a grant application has been filed for the project. Those interested in the project have to file their views in writing with administration officials, which will then be disclosed on the Internet. All contacts with lobbyists will still have to be...

<p>WASHINGTON - At least 80 wealthy liberals have pledged to contribute at least $1 million each to fund a network of think tanks and advocacy groups, to compete with the potent conservative infrastructure built up during the last three decades.</p>

Congrats to the Columbus Crew. Defeats the New York Red Bulls 3- 1.

A political watchdog group on Thursday filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) about the Republican National Committee (RNC) spending nearly $150,000 on a wardrobe for vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) charged that the shopping excursions on behalf of Palin and her family violate a federal prohibition against candidates for federal office converting campaign funds to personal use. “It is ridiculous that the RNC would spend $150,000 to outfit a vice presidential nominee and her family at any time, but it is more outrageous given the dire financial straights of...

Published on CREW's Most Corrupt Members of Congress (http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org) Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA) Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA) is an 18th-term member of Congress, representing Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district.  Rep. Murtha chairs the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.  Rep. Murtha’s ethics violations stem from abuse of his position on the subcommittee to benefit the lobbying firm of a former long-term staffer and from threatening to block earmarks of other members for political purposes.  Rep. Murtha was included as a member to watch in CREW’s 2006 and 2007 reports on congressional corruption.PMA GroupPaul Magliocchetti worked with...

Joy from rescue of 5 Aggie boaters turns grim when 6th member of capsized boat crew is found dead amid wreckage A day that started with the joyous rescue of five crew members of a Texas A&M University at Galveston sailboat closed with the somber discovery of the sixth sailor's body in the wreckage of the sunken ship. Roger Stone, whose body was recovered by a salvage crew Sunday about 27 miles southeast of Freeport, was called a hero for helping two students escape from below decks seconds before the Cynthia Woods capsized. "I'm sure that's what lost his life,"...

The Hillary Chronicles: Worse Than You Thought Two new biographies shed new light on Senator Clinton By Byron York Hillary Clinton wasn’t looking forward to the publication of two new biographies, Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton, by former and present New York Timesmen Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta Jr., and A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, the lesser half of the Watergate team of Woodward and Bernstein. Senator Clinton is, of course, famously secretive — she probably wouldn’t be happy with any biography unless it were written by, say, Sidney Blumenthal — and...

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii, Feb. 24, 2008 – The crewmembers of the USS Lake Erie were calm as they fired the latest shot heard round the world. The Aegis-class cruiser fired the missile that destroyed a dead spy satellite that posed a threat to humans Feb. 21. Navy Capt. Randall M. Hendrickson, the Lake Erie’s commanding officer, spoke to reporters today aboard the ship, which has just returned from the mission. The visiting reporters are traveling with Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who visited the ship. The captain said the crew worked intensively...

Somali pirates threaten to kill tanker crew By Laura Clout and agencies Last Updated: 12:32pm GMT 11/12/2007 A tense standoff has developed off the Somali coast between US warships and pirates who have hijacked a tanker packed with explosive chemicals. Somali pirates are able to operate with relative impunity off the volatile Horn of Africa. Under seige from the US navy, the pirates have now threatened to kill all 22 crew members of the Japanese Golden Nori unless a $1 million ransom is paid. The tanker, carrying up to 40,000 tons of inflammable benzene, was captured as it was sailing...

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- The crew of a North Korean cargo vessel, Dai Hong Dan, regained control of their vessel Oct. 30, after fighting with the pirates who had taken over their ship sometime Monday. The crew was able to control the steering and engineering spaces of the ship, while the pirates had seized the bridge. The ship is approximately 60 nautical miles northeast of Mogadishu. Three corpsmen from USS James E. Williams (DDG 95), an Arleigh-Burke-class destroyer operating as part of the maritime coalition, along with a boarding team, provided medical assistance and other support as needed to the...

Mud thrown at Murtha stains all of us The Tribune-Democrat (Murtha's hometown newspaper) — John Murtha represents the people of this region in all that he does. We can’t accept the congressman’s earmark dollars with one hand and brush off his alleged transgressions with the other. When he steps in mud, or when others throw mud at Murtha, we all get dirty. That’s why, when questions are raised about possible improper activities at a Murtha-created organization, we get anxious. And when a watchdog group rates our local congressman as being among “the most corrupt” lawmakers in Washington, we are embarrassed....

After an extensive audit, the Internal Revenue Service has exonerated Focus on the Family Chairman James Dobson of accusations from liberal watchdog groups that he violated his organization's non-profit status by endorsing GOP candidates -- including President Bush -- during the 2004 election. "No dings. No criticisms. Not a single allegation was found to have substance," Dobson said regarding charges made against him in 2005 by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and Citizens Project, a Colorado group that states its purpose is "creating a community valuing diversity, equality and religious freedom." [ snip ] CREW's original complaint,...

AP Omits Liberal Label for 'Watchdog Group' Complaining About Sen. Craig By Michael M. Bates | August 28, 2007 - 14:38 ET In its continuing coverage of Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID), the Associated Press now reports: A government watchdog group filed an ethics complaint against Idaho Sen. Larry Craig Tuesday after Craig said he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges stemming from complaints of lewd conduct in a men's room. . . Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint with the Senate ethics committee seeking an investigation into whether Craig violated Senate rules by engaging in disorderly conduct....

I must admit to having an initial gut response to CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) and their current attempts to root out nepotism in our nation's Capitol. According to Josephine Hearn at The Politico, "House members are complaining that their spouses could lose their jobs, their family incomes could drop and, perhaps, the entire pattern of their family lives could change if an ethics reform bill just passed by the House becomes law.""The bill would bar campaigns from employing a lawmaker's spouse. Its backers argue that employing a spouse creates an implicit conflict of interest, tempting lawmakers...

WASHINGTON, July 3, 2007 – An AH-64 Apache helicopter crew rescued two U.S. pilots after enemy fire brought down their OH-58D Kiowa helicopter south of Baghdad yesterday. The OH-58 pilots suffered minor injuries. An Air Force Thunderbolt II destroyed the downed helicopter with two 500-pound laser-guided bombs after the pilots were evacuated from the area. In operations today, coalition forces killed three terrorists, detained 29 suspects and destroyed a cache of bomb-making materials, U.S. officials said. A senior al Qaeda in Iraq leader was killed today by U.S. troops during a raid conducted west of Tarmiyah. The U.S. soldiers also...

WASHINGTON — Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund have helped to secure exoneration by the Internal Revenue Service for two non-profit organizations targeted by a leftwing special interest group in Washington. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sent a complaint to the IRS, demanding that it open an investigation to revoke the tax-exempt status of a crisis pregnancy center and an abstinence information clearinghouse in Sioux Falls, S.D. “Pro-life and pro-abstinence viewpoints should not be treated as second-class perspectives. This is just another attempt by political special interests to silence these viewpoints in the great debates of the day,”...

After leading the charge along with the NYT against Mark Foley (R-FL), it must have come as quite a shock to the radical left to see a popular Democrat come into CREW’s cross-hairs in a January 25 expose of the Feinstein - MILCON scandal. Still, CREW stood by their story, which was linked or referenced by scores of conservative websites. So what changed? It’s not like anyone really believed that the Soros-funded “CREW” was anything but a partisan hit site. Maybe it’s a testament to the Digg Effect. Four days after the CREW article was posted on Digg, and some...

/26/2007 - WASHINGTON (AFNEWS) -- It was a warm summer morning when the crew of the Flak Man, a B-24 Liberator, joined other bombers and their escort fighters on a daring mission. They flew from Pantanella, Italy, and played a key role in the bombing of oil refineries 700 miles away near Ploesti, Romania. The location was of strategic importance -- Nazi Germany got 60 percent of their petroleum from the plants there. En route, there was heavy resistance from the Luftwaffe in the air and from anti-aircraft fire on the ground. But despite heavy damage to the Flak Man,...

Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to reopen his investigation of Karl Rove's role in disclosing Valerie Plame Wilson's status as a covert CIA operative in light of recent revelations about missing White House emails. Press reports indicate that Mr. Rove uses a Republican National Committee (RNC) email account for 95% of his communications. In addition, the RNC's counsel has admitted that all of Mr. Rove's emails prior to 2005 have been destroyed. Moreover, the White House has admitted that -- as CREW reported yesterday -- five million emails are missing from...

A Northwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Detroit was canceled Friday evening because a crew member used inappropriate language, Northwest media relations manager Roman Blahoski said. Flight 1190, carrying 180 passengers, was scheduled to land at Detroit Metropolitan Airport at 6:18 p.m., Blahoski said. Passengers who were able to pay out of their pocket to buy a one-way ticket to Detroit may make it late Friday or Saturday, while others are waiting to be accommodated.

WASHINGTON, March 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against the Peace Through Strength Political Action Committee (PTS PAC), the leadership PAC for presidential candidate Rep. Duncan Hunter (news, bio, voting record) (R-CA). The complaint asks the FEC to investigate PTS PAC's illegal support of Rep. Hunter's presidential campaign. Rep. Hunter announced his intentions to explore a presidential bid in October 2006. Beginning in December 2006, he promoted his candidacy by running advertisements with money he both raised and spent illegally. In December 2006, PTS PAC aired thinly-veiled...

ABOARD USS JOHN C. STENNIS, March 6, 2007 – Navy, Marine Corps and Army personnel are working side by side aboard the USS John C. Stennis Strike Group supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The Stennis Strike Group is afloat in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility, which encompasses about 7.5 million square miles and includes the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean. “This is the epitome of a joint operation,” said Navy Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn, commander of Carrier Strike Group 3. “Our primary mission is to conduct air operations in...

An attorney for former ambassador Joseph Wilson, whose wife, Valerie Plame, is at the center of the Plamegate scandal in Washington, was raked over the coals by a judge Thursday for remarks she made the day before on MSNBC's Hardball. During an interview on the program, Melanie Sloan said that former administration official Scooter Libby could still be convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice even though he may not have been the first person to reveal that Plame was a CIA agent. In a stinging rebuke from the bench, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said that he "would not...

WASHINGTON - A federal judge strongly admonished an attorney for former ambassador Joseph Wilson for her appearance yesterday on MSNBC's program "Hardball" where she predicted a jury can find I Lewis "Scooter" Libby guilty of making false statements.

Public Statement Washington, DC – Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) released its second annual report on the most corrupt members of Congress entitled Beyond DeLay: The 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and five to watch). This encyclopedic report on corruption in the 109th Congress documents the egregious, unethical and possibly illegal activities of the most tainted members of Congress. CREW has compiled the members’ transgressions and analyzed them in light of federal laws and congressional rules. Two members have been removed from last year’s list of 13. Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-CA) is now serving...

For Immediate Release November 13, 2006 Contact: Naomi Seligman Steiner - 202.408.5565/press@citizensforethics.org CREW BLASTS PELOSI ENDORSEMENT OF UNETHICAL MURTHA FOR MAJORITY LEADER DEMOCRATS WIN ON ETHICS BUT CHOOSE TO RUN CORRUPT MEMBER FOR LEADERSHIP POST Washington, DC – Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) questioned soon-to-be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) commitment to eradicating corruption with her endorsement of one of the most unethical members in Congress, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), to be Majority Leader of the House of Representatives. Rep. Murtha was listed in CREW’s report Beyond DeLay: The 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and five...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-abortion group calling itself a watchdog organization has filed a lawsuit seeking information on federal funding of pregnancy centers across the country. The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) claims that the government is funding centers that are providing misleading information to women. CREW is one of several pro-abortion groups that have tried to tarnish the reputation of the thousands of pregnancy centers across the nation by claiming they are giving women false information about abortion's risks. Previously, CREW asked the Department of Health and Human Services and the White House about the...

Duncan Hunter's cam- paign committee paid $26,000 to say deal was on up and up. In a move rarely seen in politics, U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter bought a full-page ad in yesterday's editions of The San Diego Union-Tribune to rebut what he said were false impressions created by the newspaper regarding his East County home. Laced with bits of humor, the ad's overall tone was serious, with Hunter telling readers that his 1994 purchase of the property in Alpine was on the up and up. As for questions the newspaper raised about the residence's value on the tax rolls,...

CREW - Citizens For Responsibility and Ethics in government (eye roll) have launched a new dirty trick against Curt Weldon and it is clear it was done in conjunction with the Sestak campaign. What remains to be seen is if the Mainstream media reports it objectively given the obvious facts. E-mails received by CREW have prompted us to ask the Department of Justice to investigate whether Congressman Curt Weldon (R-PA) violated the law by intimidating government personnel "in the national security field" who support his opponent, Joe Sestak. The first e-mail describes a "hit list" compiled of Weldon opponent's supporters....

A federal judge has ordered the Bush administration to release information about who visited Vice President Dick Cheney's office and personal residence, an order that could spark a late election season debate over lobbyists' White House access. The Washington Post asked for two years of White House visitor logs in June but the Secret Service refused to process the request. Government attorneys called it "a fishing expedition into the most sensitive details of the vice presidency." U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina ruled Wednesday that, by the end of next week, the Secret Service must produce the records or at...

Democrat Patty Wetterling's campaign manager has fired a field organizer who admitted sending an e-mail to one of opponent Michele Bachmann's field staff implying he was a Bachmann supporter. Bachmann said the e-mail was signed "Erick," but the e-mail heading said the message was from "Jon Bohn," a Wetterling employee who joined the campaign about a month ago. The e-mail sought information about Bachmann's plans to overcome Wetterling's lead in the latest poll. Wetterling campaign manager Corey Day says he fired Bohn minutes after he received the e-mail from the Bachmann campaign. He said Bohn admitted to sending the e-mail....

Agents raid homes of Rep. Curt Weldon’s daughter, close friend By John Shiffman, Mitch Lipka and Patrick Kerkstra INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS Federal agents raided the home of the daughter of U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon (R., Pa.) and his longtime friend Charlie Sexton this morning. The agents departed Karen Weldon's three-story brick home on Queen Street in Philadelphia with arms loaded with boxes. A government car pulled into the alley to the back door of the house and loaded boxes into it. Three agents standing in an alley declined to identify themselves. "I can confirm that we conducted a number of...

The FBI is investigating whether Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., used his influence to secure lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, two people familiar with the inquiry said Saturday. The inquiry focuses on lobbying contracts worth $1 million that Weldon's daughter, Karen Weldon, obtained from foreign clients and whether they were assisted by the congressman, they said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidentiality of the criminal investigation. Weldon, a 10-term Republican from the Philadelphia suburbs, long has denied any wrongdoing, and his top aide said Saturday no one had notified him of an investigation. "I think...

WASHINGTON - The FBI is investigating whether U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon used his influence to secure lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, two people familiar with the inquiry said Saturday.

MEDIA, Pa. - The FBI raided the homes of Rep. Curt Weldon (news, bio, voting record)'s daughter and a close friend Monday as it investigates whether the congressman improperly helped the pair win lobbying and consulting contracts. Agents searched four locations in the Philadelphia area and two in Jacksonville, Fla., said Debbie Weierman, an FBI spokeswoman in Washington. The congressman's home and his offices were not among the locations searched, she said. Earlier Monday, Weldon called the investigation politically motivated and called the timing suspect. The Republican, who is locked in a tight re-election bid and has clashed with the...

The FBI is investigating whether Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., used his influence to secure lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, two people familiar with the inquiry said Saturday. The inquiry focuses on lobbying contracts worth $1 million that Weldon's daughter, Karen Weldon, obtained from foreign clients and whether they were assisted by the congressman, they said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidentiality of the criminal investigation.

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is investigating whether Republican Rep. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania traded his political influence for lucrative lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, according to sources with direct knowledge of the inquiry. The FBI, which opened an investigation in recent months, has formally referred the matter to the department's Public Integrity Section for additional scrutiny. At issue are Weldon's efforts between 2002 and 2004 to aid two Russian companies and two Serbian brothers with ties to strongman Slobodan Milosevic, a federal law enforcement official said. The Russian companies and a Serbian foundation run by the brothers'...

Its sinister maneuvers in the Foley scandal have put George Soros' Shadow Party on a collision course with the FBI. THE SCANDAL over Congressman Mark Foley’s sexual misconduct has generated some unexpected blowback.  It has pitted George Soros’ Shadow Party against the FBI. The Soros-funded group CREW has effectively declared war on America’s top federal law enforcement agency. CREW has called on the Justice Department to investigate the FBI.  In an October 5 statement, it accused the Bureau of having “fabricated and disseminated” falsehoods about CREW, as part of an FBI “cover-up” of the Foley scandal. (1) In the war of...

A leftist group with strong ties to the Democratic Party and to radical billionaire George Soros may have engaged in criminal obstruction of justice in the Foley case. FBI investigators have accused the group CREW of concealing evidence of Rep. Mark Foley’s sexual misconduct over a period of several months. George Soros’ Open Society Institute contributed $100,000 to CREW in January 2006. “CREW is little more than a front for George Soros’ Shadow Party,” charges David Horowitz. “CREW has been withholding this evidence for months, apparently in order to release it just before the election. It is well known that...

One of the stories going around Democrat Party circles is that party operatives like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and American Family Voices weren't quite ready for primetime with the opposition research materials they had gathered for the 2006 election cycle. According to one political consultant with ties to the DNC and other party organizations, "I'm hearing the Foley story wasn't supposed to drop until about ten days out of the election. It was supposed the coup de grace, not the first shot." So why the rush? According to another DNC operative: bad polling numbers across the...

CREW, the Soros-funded organization, wants to have it both ways on the sanctity of private emails and web material. Sometimes it is fine to disclose them. Other times not. Sometimes the content of these communications matters, other times the only important question is the process by which they became public. And of course, most of the press and some Republican saps buy into this nonsense. As attention is focused on CREW’s role in the non-sexual / not-pedophilia / non-scandal of Mark Foley, it’s worth revisiting that organization’s role in the persecution of Manny Miranda, a former Senate Judiciary Committee aide....

DES MOINES, Iowa --Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry lashed out Sunday against a group that bashed him during his last run at the White House. Kerry, who made a weekend appearance in northwest Iowa, said he is concerned that Swift Vote Veterans for Truth is again resorting to "the politics of fear and smear." The group, financed by Texas conservatives, ran commercials questioning his claim of being a decorated Vietnam veteran -- the centerpiece of his presidential campaign in 2004. "We're not going to give them an ounce of daylight," said Kerry, who is considering another run at the Democratic presidential...

John Aravosis is yapping up a storm, and letting out details he doesn’t quite comprehend are (a) not common knowledge and (b) implicate him as working to orchestrate Foleygate in the media. It is important to note all the activity in July of 2006 regarding the non-salacious emails between Foley and a Page from Louisianna (aka, the LA Page). I have done numerous posts on these emails (the last one here with back referencing links). Reader TopSecretK9 as reminded me of this Aravosis comment when he admitted in October that he had the Foley Emails in July and mentioned he...

In London, sex scandals come along every other week. You name it, British parliamentarians do it: three-in-a-bed, auto-erotic asphyxiation, gay teen flagellation, getting your toes sucked while wearing the soccer kit of Chelsea Football Club. But at least at Westminster, sex scandals require actual sex. That the governing party of the world's only superpower could be felled by one creepy pervert's masturbatory e-mails and IMs is an event historians will marvel at. Granted that the Roman Empire in its death throes got hung up on gay sex, the American hyperpower seems set to be the first to collapse over gay...