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The Sen. John McCain campaign launched a new Web video titled "Obama Love" that takes a swipe at the perceived media bias towards Barack Obama. According to the campaign e-mail, the video "highlights the media's love affair with Barack Obama -- or as MSNBC's Chris Matthews says, that thrill going up my leg." Played to the tune of Frankie Valli's "Can't take my eyes off of you" -- one of Valli's most popular songs. Perhaps, it will turn out to be a hit for McCain as well.

Tonight ABC aired their interview with Sen. Barack Obama with correspondent Terry Moran conducting; here is a clip of the segment that ran on ABC's World News Tonight: Moran: If you had to do it over again, knowing what you know now, would you support the surge? Obama: No. Because, keep in mind that -- Moran: You wouldn't?

The New York Times really has a peculiar relationship with Sen. John McCain. They began the year by endorsing him for the Republican nomination but the love didn't last long -- weeks later they headlined with a controversial story saying that McCain had engaged in an extra-martial affair with a lobbyist. What made that story worse is that they led it with the premise that McCain had an inappropriate affair with lobbyist Vicki Iseman nine years ago but they failed to back that up in the story. The story was loaded with innuendo, unnamed sources and a resurrection of the...

Carrie James regional press secretary over at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) sent a reminder to reporters that their little cash fund is flush with more than six times the amount of cash on hand that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has.

Honest Conservative welcomes our distinguished guest Mayor Lou Barletta, the Republican candidate for the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. His Honor has been a campion of citizens rights to a secure environment and fair government. We will discuss his campaign, its progress and the changing environment as it relates to illegal immigration, energy exploration and the failure of the democrat leaders to do their duty to protect the people they are sworn to protect. The importance of electing dyed in the wool conservatives to the House can not be overstated!

Olympia, Washington: Dee Williams wanted a simpler, greener life -- so she built her dream house, an 84-square-foot cottage on wheels, which is currently parked in a friend's backyard. Not only did she save money using salvaged materials (the front door came from a dumpster, for instance), but the entire house is small enough to fit into a standard parking spot. Says Williams, 'Right now, there's nowhere else I want to be.' Williams’ trailer cottage is surprisingly roomy inside, largely thanks to its clever use of height. For example, Williams’ bed is in a loft above her kitchen. Williams is...

Federal Money on the Move to Local Transportation Wisconsin could receive a lift from Washington to help public transportation keep up with demand. Thursday night, the House of Representatives approved a bill that sends $21 million to transit agencies in Wisconsin. The money, which includes more than $380,000 for Eau Claire, is designed to help public transportation expand services and reduce fares. Demand is up across the country because of the cost of gas. One study shows that American families are spending close to $100 a week on gas, that’s up almost 40% in the last 5 months.

Major Will Breazeale joins Honest Conservative and FRiends on Freedom Radio at 8pm EST Sunday. Visit Will's internet campaign headquarters website at http://breazeale08.com. Mr. Breazeale is a dyed in the wool conservative who supports enforcing our laws and sealing the border, the fair tax, and believes in continued support of the War against Islamofacism. He believes we need to stay on the offense and keep the enemy on defense. Join us on Freedom Radio, as the candidate takes calls from Freeperdom, BTRers, MLFrs. Remember folks, we take back the House and thus the power of the purse. Our liberal candidates...

Sometimes, what’s wrong with government in America really can be “boiled down” to a delicious metaphor – one that exquisitely encapsulates the failure of our politicians to get a handle on their insatiable “appetites.” Take last week’s news that the U.S. Senate is finally privatizing its restaurant business after losing more than $18 million over the past fifteen years – a decision it reached after taking advantage of one last $250,000 taxpayer bailout just to make this month’s payroll, of course. Sure, that amount is scarcely a drop in the bucket compared to the much larger pork smorgasbord Senators spread...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady lead a group of nine Texas lawmakers on Friday, from both political parties, in urging the Texas Department of Transportation to remove the Interstate 69 project from the controversial Trans-Texas Corridor and return it to its original route which brings existing highways U.S. 59, U.S. 281 and U.S 77 up to interstate standards. In a letter to Deirdre Delisi, the new chair of the Texas Transportation Commission, the lawmakers maintain that "public support for the original I-69 project - which focused on bringing existing highways up to interstate standards and existed long before...

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama dropped in on the Chicago 2016 Olympics rally on Friday and declared he is confident that he will be winding up his second term in the White House when Chicago hosts the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Such bravado about his own future is not typical of Obama, even in private. And, in the highly scripted world of modern politics, today's last-minute appearance was unusual. Obama had told CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery on Thursday night that he had intended to ''chill out'' at home for a few days. "It's a...

TAMPA, Fla. -- The wife of a Tampa man who hired a nude maid to clean their home while she was away is speaking out about jewelry stolen from their home. Police say Kenna Dimartini is a person of interest in the case. The wife, who does not want to be identified, says $40,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from their home. The husband was able to point officers to the woman's Web site and give a description. The wife says she plans to file for divorce.

WASHINGTON - Congress thinks the federal government would work better if more civil servants just stayed home. The House, on a voice vote Tuesday, approved legislation requiring the head of each federal agency to set policies allowing qualified workers to telework, or work from home or a convenient location. The bill specifies that eligible employees should be permitted to telework at least 20 percent of the hours worked in a two-week period, generally the equivalent of two work days. "A happy workforce is a productive workforce," said Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., the bill's sponsor. He said giving more federal workers...

Buy one home, get one free: US agents try to beat property slump By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles Last Updated: 10:03PM BST 03/06/2008 A California developer has devised a radical sales pitch to shift new homes amid the current property slump – buy one house, get another one free. Sales of new homes have plummeted by more than 40 percent across the US since their peak almost three years ago "Don't miss this incredible investment opportunity! It's never been done before and may never be done again!" reads the advert promoting the two-for-one offer from Michael Crews Development. The...

Did anyone else notice the "VOTE for CHANGE in 08" bumper sticker in the public restroom scene?

WASHINGTON — The Texas Department of Transportation, long viewed as hyperpartisan and arrogant by some members of the state's congressional delegation, has been trying to soften its image by reaching out to lawmakers of both parties in the nation's capital. But while state transportation officials are having some success in easing the personal animus, they still face a stiff challenge in selling their policy agenda to the state's elected officials in Washington. Many Texans on the Potomac cringe at the agency's embrace of toll roads, the controversies surrounding the Trans-Texas Corridor and TxDOT's resistance to many of the highway earmarks...

The Republican Survey Committee (RSC) has a plan. RSC is a caucus of more than 100 of the U.S. House of Representatives' most conservative Republicans, and their Action Plan for GOP members of the House was announced two days ago. You probably haven't heard about it before this posting, because the media is unilaterally ignoring it. Here's a summary: 1) THE END OF PORK-BARREL SPENDING House Republicans are committed to ending pork-barrel spending. We will not wait on the Democrat Majority to end “Bridges to Nowhere” and “Monuments to Me”— we declare an immediate earmark moratorium and pledge to reform...

The House that Rahm built Tribune-Review By Salena Zito Just before the 2006 midterm elections, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rep. Rahm Emmanuel was asked why he chose such moderate candidates for the House races -- breaking rank with liberal bloggers who were demanding liberal candidates. "Because we want to win," Emmanuel said, promptly ending the interview. Win he did, big time, taking out four Republicans in Pennsylvania alone, making the Keystone State's delegation the House that Rahm built. While the country was distracted by the Democratic presidential nomination battle between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama, the Democrats...

Republicans had lined up in the past to hold a vote open in protest, and Hoyer did not want to keep members on the floor any later than necessary, because most were rushing to the airport for flights home. Blunt told his counterpart that most Republicans wouldn’t be changing their votes at all. The final result: The amendment authorizing money to fund both wars died on the House floor. The vote was 141-149, with 132 Republicans voting present and most Democrats voting against it. The Senate is expected to add the money back to the package this week, but the...

Washington is broken. You need look no further than $4 per gallon for gas to see how political gamesmanship in Washington is impacting your life. Two years ago, congressional Democrats promised “change” but what we’ve seen instead is business-as-usual. Just recently, lawmakers in the U.S. House killed an effort to remove from the Farm Bill three special provisions that would benefit a ski resort in Vermont, the San Francisco salmon industry and forest fish in Montana. And congressional Democrats have just introduced yet another tax hike -- $54 billion on small businesses – to bankroll more Washington spending. I don’t...

The US House of Representatives will hold hearings on energy markets trying to determine who is causing oil prices to rise. The anti-market investigation will blame hedge funds and investment banks for manipulating the markets to make oil go to record levels. Oil is too global a commodity for speculators to determine its price. We know, for instance, that oil prices are high not only in spot markets but in futures markets, not only on the Nymex but in the UK (Brent), Dubai, Malaysia, and numerous smaller, less liquid markets not accessible to speculators. Are we to believe that the...

Dems score a hat trick with specials TRIBUNE-REVIEW By Salena Zito Democrats scored a hat trick with their third special-election win in GOP-held House seats by winning tonight in Mississippi’s 1st District. This win follows Democratic victories in special elections in Illinois' 14th District in March and in Louisiana's 6th District 10 days ago.

Despite all the talk in Congress about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it's not so easy greening the Capitol itself. For one thing, there's disagreement over how much it should cost for the Capitol Power Plant--which provides heating and cooling power to Congress--to use cleaner-burning natural gas instead of coal power. A recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the estimate for the House of Representatives' portion of the bill was about $1.1 million too high.Then there's the broader question of whether the fuel switch should even take place. Joe Lucas, a spokesman for the American Coalition...

Brooklyn Park police were looking for a meth lab, but they found a fish tank and the chemicals needed to maintain it. And a few hours later, when the city sent a contractor to fix the door the police had smashed open Monday afternoon, it was obvious the city was trying to fix a mistake. It happened while Kathy Adams was sleeping. "And the next thing I know, a police officer is trying to get me out bed," she said. Adams, a 54-year-old former nurse who said she suffers from a bad back caused by a patient who attacked her...

OLDSMAR, Fla. -- A 69-year-old woman found an 8-foot-long alligator roaming in her home's kitchen Monday night, police said. Sandra Frosti said the alligator must have pushed through the back porch screen door and gone inside through an open sliding glass door. It then walked through the living room, down a hall and into the kitchen. A trapper with Animal Capture of Florida removed the alligator, which had been cut when a plate was knocked to the ground. No one inside the house was injured. One-Handed Man Wrestles Gator Earlier this month, a one-handed trapper in Florida roped and wrestled...

Does anyone have the list that showed which Democrat Party members (including the "independent" Sanders) who were also Communist Party members?

House prices decline at record levels By Stephen Adams and Andrew Porter, Political Editor Last Updated: 2:08am BST 15/04/2008 House prices are experiencing their most widespread decline since records began because of the fallout from the credit crisis, a report released today shows. Halifax statistics showed house prices tumbled by 2.5 per cent from February to March, the biggest such fall since 1992 Almost four out of five chartered surveyors saw a fall in values in March, research by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has found. RICS disclosed that they were the worst figures since it started compiling such...

Izzy Miyagh has been looking for a home for three years The drop in house prices might be a disaster for many home-owners, but some first-time buyers see it as a godsend. Left behind by more than a decade of soaring property values, thousands of young workers look to a slump as their only hope of securing an affordable mortgage. The Bank of England may have warned that the credit crunch will squeeze the availability of home loans. But with prices falling by 2.5% in March 2008 - the biggest monthly decline since September 1992 - plenty are optimistic...

SEATTLE -- He was kicked while he was down, but he eventually found way to build a new life. But now, David Csaky is on the brink of another fall. Two years ago Csaky found himself homeless, surrounded by dead-ends. "I was divorced, I had bad credit, I have animals with me," he said. "I have two walls against me. I can't hurdle either one."But then he found three sturdy trees under the Ship Canal Bridge in the Eastlake neighborhood and decided to build himself a tree house. While earning a very modest living by rescuing animals, Csaky kept plugging...

Since we started, we at LegiStorm have had a lot of things we have wanted to tell our site users. We are a site primarily of data but the data can tell stories. Take the story by Susan Crabtree in yesterday's The Hill newspaper, which uses our data to show that the campaign of a powerful member of Congress, Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.), paid more than $2,000 for a rifle and other weapons paraphernalia. What makes it more interesting is that Murtha, a close confidant

The 308-116 roll call Wednesday by which the House passed a global AIDS bill authorizing $50 billion in spending over five years. A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the bill. Voting yes were 230 Democrats and 78 Republicans. Voting no were 0 Democrats and 116 Republicans. X denotes those not voting. There are 4 vacancies in the 435-member House. ALABAMA Democrats — Cramer, Y; Davis, Y. Republicans — Aderholt, Y; Bachus, Y; Bonner, Y; Everett, N; Rogers, Y. ALASKA Republicans — Young, Y. ARIZONA Democrats — Giffords, Y; Grijalva, Y; Mitchell, Y; Pastor, Y. Republicans — Flake, N;...

The stucco subdivisions of Las Vegas are caught up in the nation's foreclosure crisis. These days, bankers and mortgage companies often find that by the time they get the keys back, embittered homeowners have stripped out appliances, punched holes in walls, dumped paint on carpets and, as a parting gift, locked their pets inside to wreak further havoc. Real-estate agents estimate that about half of foreclosed properties to be sold by mortgage companies nationwide have "substantial" damage, according to a new survey by Campbell Communications, a marketing and research firm based in Washington, D.C. The most practical way to ensure...

If the British and French can design and build spectacular bridges at a modest or at least reasonable cost, why can’t we? Or maybe we can, but we haven’t tried it lately, at least not in Oregon. The question comes up because Peter DeFazio, our man in Washington, is chairman of the highways and transit subcommittee in the U.S. House. His committee will write the next highway bill, probably by the end of 2009. And when DeFazio led his colleagues on a fact-finding trip to Europe, he saw the viaduct at Millau. It’s the most spectacular bridge he has ever...

Trinity United Church of Christ is building Barack Obama's controversial former pastor a million-dollar Tinley Park home complete with an elevator, whirlpool, butler's pantry, circular driveway and four-car garage, building plans show. The four-bedroom home being built for the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is in the Odyssey Club neighborhood, which boasts some of Tinley Park's largest homes and a mix of town homes. It backs up to the Odyssey Country Club and golf course.See link for the full story.

Concealed weapons on college campuses gets House approvalBy TIM TALLEY, Associated Press Writer OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Legislation that would allow concealed weapons on college campuses in Oklahoma was approved by the state House Thursday despite opponents who said putting more guns on campus makes no sense following recent massacres at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University. “This has to be the craziest thing I have ever seen,” said Rep. Ray McCarter, D-Marlow, one of several lawmakers who said the measure is opposed by college administrators and most Oklahomans but is supported by the National Rifle Association. “How silly can...

For Republicans to regain the House as soon as possible, it’s crucial that we win as many winnable House seats as possible this time around. For this reason it is critical that we pinpoint the seats we can best pick up and concentrate on them, meaning that Republicans nationwide, especially those living in non-swing congressional districts (as well as Republicans abroad), should support candidates outside of their districts who are in real battles. It is especially important that we concentrate on those seats this year, as the easiest time to beat any incumbent is after the first term. In short,...

The Edinburgh home where the pioneer of economics spent his final years has been put up for sale. Adam Smith lived in Panmure House in the Old Town from 1778 until his death aged 67 in 1790. The A-listed building has now been put up for sale by its owner, Edinburgh City Council, after it was deemed surplus to requirements. The authoritative Adam Smith Institute today called on any new development within the building to remember its historic past and commemorate the close link it has with the economist. It has been put on the market for offers over £700,000...

House approves Independent Ethics OfficeMar 11, 2008 10:15 pm US/Eastern House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks during a mock swearing-in ceremony for Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill., Tuesday, March 11, 2008, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) WASHINGTON (AP) The House has voted to create an independent outside office to investigate ethical lapses among its members and restore integrity to a system flawed by partisanship and inactivity. The new Office of Congress Ethics would be charged with looking into possible misconduct and making recommendations to the House ethics committee, which would still have final say on issues...

The Democrats held the vote open after they had lost. They strongarmed three Democrats, apparently, to change their vote to help create an extra layer of bureaucracy. Matt Blunt and other Republicans are yelling "Parliamentary Inquiry!" Republicans are asking why the Democrats changed the rule and then did NOT follow the rule

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers confronted corporate executives Friday about how they managed to take home hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation while their companies were taking a financial nosedive from the subprime mortgage crisis. "It seems that CEOs hit the lottery when their companies collapse," House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said at the opening of the hearing. "Any reasonable relation between their compensation and the interests of their shareholders appears to have broken down." Appearing before the panel were Angelo Mozilo of Countrywide Financial Corp., the nation's largest mortgage lender; Stanley O'Neal, formerly of Merrill...

FOB KALSU — Members of a ‘Sons of Iraq’ (SoI) group led Coalition forces to an al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) torture house and prison in northern Zambraniyah, March 5. The patrol was conducted based on intelligence provided by an SoI leader in the area, said Capt. Chris O’Brian, troop commander of Troop C, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, currently attached to 2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. “The guy wants to clean up the area,” said O’Brian, a native of Herndon, Va. “AQI killed half his family.” The SoI leader, who heads a group...

House Democrats sponsor economic forum U.S. congressional Democrats said they will have a forum with economic and financial experts looking at implications of problems in housing and credit markets. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said the economic forum will be Wednesday in the Capitol. Restoring the American dream for millions of our nation's working families has been a central priority for House Democrats, Pelosi said in a news release. Congress will continue to focus our attention and efforts on the strains Americans are feeling, especially with the...

How fraud led to this property changing hands 3 times as son of owner sat dead inside The new buyers of a rundown graystone on the South Side showed up Jan. 9 to look at the house they won at a foreclosure auction. They took the plywood off the front door and went inside to make sure the utilities had been shut off. Then they called the police. Sitting upright in the corner of a bedroom off the kitchen was a human skeleton in a red tracksuit. Next to him lay a dead dog. Neighbors told police the corpse was...

Over the last few weeks, many of us in the conservative blogosphere have urged House Republican leadership to offer a bold agenda on earmarks and corruption. We advised them to adopt a unilateral moratorium on pork; they declined. We campaigned to get Jeff Flake, a credible reformer, onto the Appropriations Committee; they selected Jo Bonner instead. Today, Rick Renzi reminds us why the GOP needs to get bold and take big leaps instead of baby steps on reform: Republican Rep. Rick Renzi was indicted Friday on charges of extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other matters in an Arizona land...

House to vote next week on energy tax billThu Feb 21, 2008 4:36pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives will vote next week on legislation that would levy $18 billion in taxes on big oil companies to help pay for extending renewable energy tax credits, Democratic leaders said on Thursday. The legislation includes tax credits to promote renewable energy production from wind, solar, geothermal, cellulosic ethanol, biofuels and other sources. Many of the tax credits will expire at the end of this year. The vote on the bill comes as crude oil prices hit a record high this...

The Democratic Party is finding itself in a very strange position. They’re approaching a potential situation where neither of their candidates have enough elected delegates to secure the nomination, and the race will turn to the superdelegates to decide. Primary results can then be trumped by the say-so of the “party elites�. Thus, the party who complained that Al Gore “really won� the 2000 election due to the popular vote may nominate Hillary Clinton, who now looks unlikely to win the national Democrat popular vote or the elected delegate count. The schadenfreude of watching the Democratic Party put into a...

Anybody have a feel for what direction Congress may go? Any possibility that we will recapture Congress? Only capture one house? Which one? My gut feel is it doesn't matter who wins the White House the RAT majorty is likely to incease in both Houses. I would like to be convinced that my gut is wrong!

WASHINGTON - The House voted Thursday to hold two of President Bush's confidants in contempt for failing to cooperate with an inquiry into whether a purge of federal prosecutors was politically motivated. Angry Republicans boycotted the vote and staged a walkout. The vote was 223-32 to hold presidential chief of staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers in contempt. The citations charge Miers with failing to testify and accuse her and Bolten of refusing Congress' demands for documents related to the 2006-2007 firings. Republicans said Democrats should instead be working on extending a law — set to...

February 14, 2008 – 0948 PST (APR) Capitol Hill news sources have been buzzing for the past 48 hours about backroom negotiations in the House of Representatives that may bring comprehensive immigration reform "lite" to the floor. Congressional Quarterly reports that Congressman Joe Baca (D-CA), Chairman of the Hispanic Caucus, is leading the fight for legislation that would provide a five-year amnesty visa to illegal aliens currently in the U.S. Baca said the five-year amnesty visas would be available to illegal aliens who can "prove they have a job, pay taxes and pass a criminal background check." (Congressional Quarterly Today,...

WASHINGTON - The House, seizing a rare moment of bipartisanship to respond to the economy's slump, overwhelmingly passed a $146 billion aid package Tuesday that would speed rebates of $600-$1,200 to most taxpayers. The plan, approved 385-35 after little debate, would send at least some rebate to anyone with at least $3,000 in income, with more going to families with children and less going to wealthier taxpayers. It faced a murky future in the Senate, though, where Democrats and some Republicans backed a larger package that adds billions of dollars for senior citizens and the unemployed, and shrinks the rebate...