Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin can thank Washington lobbyist and political consultant Rick Davis, the chief executive of John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, for being the GOP’s top choice for vice president.
“It’s all his fault. “Palin completely snowballed it,” a source close to McCain told Inside the Beltway over the weekend. “He was completely fascinated by her.”
Otherwise, according to the source, Mr. McCain “wanted Lieberman from the beginning” – referring to Senator Joe Lieberman of the independent state of Connecticut – until the incoming leadership agreed that adding a woman to the GOP ticket would improve everything the GOP’s chances of defeating Democrat Barack Obama.
OBAMA GAME
Men’s Journal, one of the most popular magazines on newsstands, recently ran a glowing cover story on Barack Obama, the fit athlete.
Now the magazine’s editors have published two letters submitted by readers Jim Koepke of Minneapolis and Skip Schmidt of Columbus, Ohio, who, suffice it to say, were unimpressed with the reports.
Koepke: “I’m sad that you seem to have joined in the media outrage for Barack Obama. With each issue you move more and more towards leftist, politically correct eco-nonsense. I don’t recall the cover of George W. Bush on a Bicycle And Dubya Would Probably Kick Obama [expletive] in a foot race.”
Mr. Schmidt: “You look at Obama and you might see an athlete, but I see a skinny cigarette smoker who plays basketball.”
JOE is doing well
Connecticut State Senator Joe Lieberman’s recent and highly publicized re-election campaign was fined $50,000 by the Federal Election Commission.
The complaint filed with the FEC alleged that Mr. Lieberman’s “Friends of Joe Lieberman” campaign spent more than $387,000 on cash payments, each of which exceeded the $100 limit allowed for diminutive cash payments. It was also alleged that Mr. Lieberman’s campaign treasurer, Lynn Fusco, failed to disclose and maintain written records of the expenses in question.
Lieberman lost the 2006 Democratic primary but won re-election after running as an independent third-party candidate. Voting largely with Democrats in the Senate today, Lieberman endorsed Republican Senator John McCain for president over Barack Obama in November.
DOME CITY
We already knew that 100 senators and 435 congressmen go to work on Capitol Hill every day when all congressional seats are filled. We now know how many visitors visit the U.S. Capitol every day to witness democracy (and, more recently, socialism) in action.
On Thursday afternoon, we’re not sure what exact time or minute an unknown person, perhaps a child or senior, became the millionth visitor to enter the fresh Capitol Visitor Center, which opened its doors just 5 1/2 months ago, 3 December.
While the current body of Congress enjoys extremely low levels of support among Americans, we can say that more and more citizens are coming to watch their elected representatives conduct business: compared to this year’s million, only 467,800 people visited the Capitol during the same period. period a year ago.
The peak visitation day of 2009 so far: Monday, April 20, when 19,500 people – six times the population of Nome, Alaska – entered the U.S. Capitol building.
ELITE SIX
Hats off to Heritage Foundation President Edwin J. Feulner Jr. for receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. Charles H. Hoeflich from the national educational organization Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI).
Mr. Feulner, who heads the nation’s leading conservative public policy organization, is an ISI alumnus and currently a member of the ISI board of directors.
Since 1953, only six recipients of the ISI Lifetime Achievement Award have included William F. Buckley Jr., M. Stanton Evans and philosopher Gerhart Niemeyer.
