Culture of Corruption Alive & Well in Dem Ranks

Ah, more of the “culture of corruption”, Democrat style:

Harry Reid’s scandal over selling out to Vegas Boxing per AP:

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid accepted free ringside tickets from the Nevada Athletic Commission to three professional boxing matches while that state agency was trying to influence him on federal regulation of boxing. Reid, D-Nev., took the free seats for Las Vegas fights between 2003 and 2005 as he was pressing legislation to increase government oversight of the sport, including the creation of a federal boxing commission that Nevada’s agency feared might usurp its authority…………..

The HBO picture shows John McCain Rep-Senator AZ sitting with Reid, but McCain insisted on paying $1,400 for the tickets which he did...........Reid took the free tickets...........................

Hastert's Bizarre Actions Still Go Unexplained

Ed Morrissey updates the Hastert "head scratcher" over at Captain's Quarters:

Given this time out for his obstinacy, Hastert and his colleagues have busied themselves with goalpost-moving and backtracking. Before, they claimed a Constitutional privilege of freedom from search warrants and subpoenas from the executive branch, even though Congress regularly issues subpoenas without judicial approval against members of the executive branch. Now Hastert has acknowledged that Congressmen are subject to the same laws as everyone else, but have modified their complaint; now they say the issue is that Jefferson and his attorney were not allowed to be present at the search. That's a far cry from the phony Constitutional crisis they declared earlier this week, perhaps a more reasonable issue and certainly one that didn't require Hastert's intercession...............

Morrissey goes on to frame-up who still holds the power both in Washington and within the GOP:

George Bush still holds the power in Washington and in the GOP, and this controversy shows that he and the people at Justice remain the adults in charge of the day care center. Hastert has severely damaged himself politically in two ways. No one in the GOP will ever give Hastert the same level of trust again after this attempt to pervert the Constitution, and Republicans will remain furious with him for taking the focus off of William Jefferson and his cash-cow business in selling his vote..........................

I'm still scratching my head over the Hastert move and it really is the weirdest political move I've seen at that level I think in sometime. Why did Hastert do what he did? Was it because he truly did not understand that the search was clearly constitutional? If that's the case then he should not be Speaker of the House..................................

Did he see it as a responsibility of his job as Speaker of the House, to protect not only Jefferson but all House members? Why would he feel the need to protect Jefferson or any other House member if he knew the search was constitutional and he had the same info showing the degree of guilt that everyone else had via the press?

It makes one wonder if Hastert wasn't protecting Jefferson specifically and the body of the House in generic term. Rather I can't help but thinking that such a bizarre action might not have been a proactive defense for himself in some way. It's speculation of course but what other logical reason could Hastert's actions have been based in, and if there is a good explaination then why hasn't he given it?

Time will tell but Hastert has done little to clarify in clear terms exactly what he was thinking in the Jefferson matter and has not justified why he took the steps he did. At a minumum for me, Hastert does not deserve to be Speaker of the House unless he clears this mess up quickly.........................

William Jefferson+Clinton+Joe Wilson+France+Africa Trade Cacus=Major Scandal?

Speculation that the William Jefferson scandal could have the makings of a major and deep scandal, over @ MacMind. The clues:

Africa Trade and Investment Caucus + President Clinton using Joe Wilson to drum up trade in Africa = This excellent researched article by Fedora on Free Republic called: What Joe Wilson Didn't say about Africa.................................

Now that would produce some fireworks would it not? A massive scandal connected by: Jefferson, the Africa Trade & Investment Caucus, former President Clinton, Joe Wilson, and France.........................Can you imagine what the left will be saying about Karl Rove cooking this one up leading into the 2006 election if the scandal comes to light and facts start dribbling out? "Shrieks & Screams" at a diabolical decibel.......................

Obviously it would be a "block buster" of a scandal but of course there have been no facts presented yet that it is in fact true.......................Regardless, it's worth keeping an eye on because if it does break, watch out..................

------------Update-----------------------------

The NYT has this story up showing that Jefferson's love for money earned him the nickname Dollar Bill:

But even as Mr. Jefferson built a reputation as one of Louisiana's brightest, most effective leaders, a less flattering view began to emerge, one signified by his nickname in political circles, "Dollar Bill."

Early in his career, as a state legislator, he was criticized for enriching his law firm with contracts from state and local agencies. He also ran stores that rented appliances by the month to poor residents, owned dilapidated apartment buildings and was sued by federal regulators over a defaulted loan..............

Nice...............................................

Jefferson - Hastert - Pelosi: One Strange Caucus

With this latest bizzarro episode, you have to seriously wonder if congress has not become completely unhinged.............................So a congressman from party "D" is caught stone cold on tape taking bribes and the Speaker of the House who belongs to party "R" calls for the immediate return of the evidence taken by the FBI in the case because the search was unconstitutional, which it clearly was not? Is this about:

A) Standing on principle via a proud 17th century "tradition" of separation of powers? B) Standing on legal precedent? C) Standing to protect everyone in the club's hide by circling the wagon?

I'll go with "C" at this point, given what we know.........................I'm all for bi-partisan action to promote positive legislation for the good of the country and constitutional law protection, however this does not appear to be that "type" of bi-partisanship............................

Congress is adding this icing to the cake while they are currently fumbling away badly on the immigration issues????....................Talk about a "tin ear"........

BTW, Jefferson was the congressman who commandeered National Guard resources during hurricane Katrina, to drive him to his home and retrieve personal belongings. Per ABC:

Amid the chaos and confusion that engulfed New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, a congressman used National Guard troops to check on his property and rescue his personal belongings — even while New Orleans residents were trying to get rescued from rooftops, ABC News has learned...................

Jefferson emerged with a laptop computer, three suitcases, and a box about the size of a small refrigerator, which the enlisted men loaded up into the truck.......

I have a pretty good idea what was in the box & suitcases....$100,000 cash? Would you not like to have access to the files on that laptop?

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The President has ordered that the documents that were seized be sealed for 45 days, however the investigation will continue, per the MyWay-AP:

Bush urged the Justice Department and the House to continue discussions and to resolve the matter quickly. "Those who violate the law - including a member of Congress - should and will be held to account," the president said. "This investigation will go forward and justice will be served."..............

The entire story has obviously not been told here and Congress had better hope there is a great deal of important information forth coming that supports their standing on this matter..........

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Update: Hastert set to sue ABC over the Brian Ross false report.......per Fox Video

Things are getting very interesting in congress indeed......The fog is starting to lift on this story I think.......................

Brian Ross & ABC Mix Down the Hastert Story

ABC's Brian Ross is falling off the floor from a credibility standpoint after his latest anonymous source smear story:

Despite a flat denial from the Department of Justice, federal law enforcement sources tonight said ABC News accurately reported that Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is "in the mix" in the FBI investigation of corruption in Congress........................

So ABC & Ross are sticking with the anonymous source who fed them the Hastert investigation story, which the DOJ flatly denies is true, and are now reframing it as a Hastert is "in the mix" story? Isn't being in the mix much different from being investigated? Is that called a MSM mix-down?

The MSM are cartoon caricatures indeed.............................caricatures in tin foil hats............................

MSM: Enforce the Intelligence Identities Protection Act Unless It's One of our Leak Sources or Reporters

Michael Barone exposes the huge holes in the WaPo editorial "Official Secretes over at USNews. Barone leads by summarizing the WaPo argument:

"The administration is seeking to convert a moribund World War I-era espionage law into an American version of Britain's Official Secrets Act. Mr. Gonzales is correct that the law, which bans the transmission of national defense information to anyone not cleared to receive it, would – if read literally – make criminals out of journalists who publish such material. For that matter, it would also permit the jailing of whistle-blowers, academics who write about leaked information, members of Congress who disclose secrets, and, theoretically, even readers of newspapers who discuss the stories. Precisely because of the law's unthinkable scope, the First Amendment has long been understood to limit its application. Government has gone after officials who promise to protect the nation's secrets and then fail to do so – but generally not against citizens who receive those secrets."......................

Then Barone points out why the MSM is most guilty for the current sorry state of affairs regarding this entire matter:

"It is a dangerous road." I agree. But of course it was the press, led by the editorialists of the New York Times, that bayed loudly for investigation and prosecution of government officials who disclosed the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame, even though it was far from clear that there was any violation of the statute in question, the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982. The press, or large parts of it, is all for prosecution—even if it leads, as it did, to the jailing of then New York Times reporter Judith Miller—if such a prosecution will hurt the Bush administration. On that one, it was the press that was hurtling down "a dangerous road." The Times and Post reporters and editors who published the stories I referenced above are at the very least in the same legal position as Judith Miller; that is, they are witnesses to acts that are in violation of statute and may be jailed for contempt if they refuse to testify against those who illegally disclosed classified information. At worst, they stand in the same legal position as the two former AIPAC officials, who received the information and passed it along to others—and perhaps are in a worse position, since those two defendants argue, quite possibly plausibly, that they did not know that the information they received was classified, while the Times and Post editors clearly did have such knowledge. There's a strong argument against prosecuting the press on these grounds, that doing so is going down "a dangerous road." But the press, which after all has knowledge of the Franklin and former AIPAC officials' prosecutions and the fact that Congress has not repealed the statutes responsible for them, has been going down "a dangerous road," too.................

Surely the left of center MSM must understand how inconsistent and ridiculous they have become.....................Absolute cartoon caricatures.......

Top Twenty-One Right of Center Columnists per Right of Center Bloggers

John Hawkins @ Rightwing News has a list up of the top 21 Right of Center Columnist chosen by right of center bloggers. Its a pretty impressive list of columnists but I have to admit some on the list I have not read that often. Being someone who is pretty hard on the left of center political product put out by the MSM newspapers, I should spend more time reading those on the list that I'm not that familiar with. Here are the top five from Hawkins'polling:

5) Victor Davis Hanson (49) -- 3
4) Jonah Goldberg (55)
3) Thomas Sowell (67) -- 3
2) Charles Krauthammer (91) -- 7
1) Mark Steyn (100) -- 15

I'd have a slightly different top five from my personal perspective:

5) Noonan
4) Barone
3) Hitchens
2) Krauthammer
1) Steyn

I'd put Goldberg @ 6th and Sowell @ 7th...........................What the hell, lets make it a top 10:

10) Barnes
9) Hewitt
8) Reynolds

Depending on the topic, I'd shuffle the top ten up dramatically..............

What I find interesting is how many on Hawkins' ranked columists blog in addition to writing columns. I don't think there is any question that the right of center MSM members have done a much better job of embracing the New Media and jumping in early on.......................

It would be interesting to see a top 20 list of favorite columnists from the left................Perhaps Kos can ring that up for us. I'm sure it would have Krugman, E.J. Dionne and Eleanor Clift, but it would be interesting to see.....................

BTW, I have no issue with the poll that Hawkins has produced but what about the sample group and the response rate? The poll was sent to 225 right of center bloggers (who - what made up the top 225?), and 44 responded? That is a 20% response rate, which seems low. To get a better sample I think you would have to go deeper, much deeper. Perhaps someone will do another survey that does go deeper into the right of center blogger ranks......................It would also be interesting to take the blogger qualification out and see who makes the list for right of center people in general, no blogger status required............

Washington Post Cleans Up at E&P's EPpy Awards

The Washington Post took the Best Overall Newspaper-Affiliated Internet Service and four other top awards per E&P:

In the category of Best Overall Newspaper-Affiliated Internet Service with more than 1 million unique monthly visitors, Washingtonpost.com took top honors.........An article at The Washington Post hailed the company winning five of the awards: washingtonpost.com (which took home three), Slate Magazine, and newsweek.com.....

I don't think there is any doubt that WaPo as a company is the leader when it comes to an MSM organization understanding how to offer online products, and the EPpy awards would further enforce that point. I'm not necessarily talking about the political leanings of paper, but the delivery of online news by an old guard in the MSM, the online product. Jim Brady the VP & Executive Editor of washingtonpost.com had this to say about the awards:

"This is a validation of what we were trying to do for the past few years, trying to bring down the walls between the journalists and the readers," said Jim Brady, the vice president and executive editor of washingtonpost.com, who was also a panelist at the conference. "We're trying to take the world-class journalism of The Washington Post and merge it with these new media. Almost anything is possible, and we certainly see this as an indication that we're headed in the right direction."

WaPo certain had some conflict this past year with their online product, with the lefty attacks earlier in the year over "Deleted Comments" after a blog swarm over a story they had done on Jack Abramoff that was described as following by WaPo:

The move came after several comments containing personal attacks, profanity and hate speech were posted on an item about Washington Post ombudsman Deborah Howell's recent column about the Abramoff scandal: Getting the Story on Jack Abramoff , ( Post, Jan. 15 ). At the time, washingtonpost.com Executive Editor Jim Brady wrote, "We're not giving up on the concept of having a healthy public dialogue with our readers, but this experience shows that we need to think more carefully about how we do it." Brady discussed the decision in a live discussion last week...........................

There was also the hiring of right of center blogger Ben Domenech (hint: need much more of that to move to the next level) and his immediate resignation over charges of "plagiarism"

In the past 24 hours, we learned of allegations that Ben Domenech plagiarized material that appeared under his byline in various publications prior to washingtonpost.com contracting with him to write a blog that launched Tuesday. An investigation into these allegations was ongoing, and in the interim, Domenech has resigned, effective immediately.

In both cases they navigated the storm and moved on. The New Media is much different than the old MSM and those that think posting their legacy product in an online format alone get them there, won't ever get there. The winners of these awards are in a much healthier position than all of their competitors in terms of their livelihood and product in the coming years..........So, take a bow........

As a side note to E&P: don't you think that you should probably provide "links" to the websites of these products that won your award and you are highlighting via an online article from your online product? Just a thought.......

----------------Update--------------------------

E&P has updated their post above to now include links to the winning online papers..........Obviously a favorable edit........................

The Florida Summer of Alligator Attacks

Alligators in my home state of origin and where I grew-up has the media focus due to a couple people who were killed by alligators. Here is some of the coverage:

OCALA NATIONAL FOREST, Fla. — Wildlife officers captured an alligator Thursday that they believe fatally attacked a Tennessee woman while she snorkeled in a secluded recreation area. Trappers caught the 11-foot-4-inch, 407-pound alligator on a baited hook in Juniper Creek, near Lake George, where Annemarie Campbell was attacked, state wildlife officials said.

Per CBS:

(AP) Florida had seen just 17 confirmed fatal alligator attacks in the previous 58 years. In less a week, there appears to have been three. The bodies of two women were found Sunday some 130 miles apart. A third woman's body was found on Wednesday.

I grew-up and lived about 25 miles from Lake George until I was 20 years old and have spent countless hours on the water there and on other water ways in the area. I have no idea why there has been a recent spike in people being killed by alligators in Florida, but it just might be that there are lots more alligators and people in the same area. The alligator was nearly extinct not so long ago. In the 70's a federal law was enacted to protect the species from becoming extinct and although they are still consider and listed as a threatened species, the population has boomed and they are now harvested under state control. See the State Fish & Game Commission for a round-up of how they are harvested, when, and why........................

Two of the three areas where the attacks occurred are in the areas of highest permits issued to harvest alligators per the Commissions Map (751-Lake George & 402-404-405-Everglades). There is a reason that permits are issued for harvest, and that's because they want alligators removed from the population.......................

When I was growing up in Florida we had a game when we water skied and saw alligators, and the game was to spray them with a cut of the ski. They would head under quickly and even those who fell on the cut never got eaten.........Might sound dumb given the current "story" on alligators but no one I knew ever got attacked by an alligator. In my youth on Florida water ways it's more amazing that no one was bitten by a water moccasin. Another skiing game we played was to whip the skier into the lily pads and idle down so they sank and then yanked them out with weeds wrapped around their legs and body............Now that was dumb.................I remember fishing at night on Lake George and seeing alligators under the 16 foot boat that were almost the same length of the boat while the bank had nothing but red eyes (alligator eyes are red at night when shinned with a light) shining back when we pointed the light that way...................No problem, we stayed in the boat..............

What I was always told by the old timers rings true in what the Commission has up on their web-site on how to avoid problems with Alligators:

1) Don't let your dog swim in areas that have alligators - alligators love dogs and might get you if they go for the dog and you are near. Not good for you or your dog............

2) Dusk & Dawn - stay out of the water where alligators are known to be during those hours.................

3) Stay away from alligators when it is breeding season - especially at dusk and dawn and never have a dog with you.....................

4) Simply don't swim in areas where idiots have fed alligators and they have no fear of humans.....................

Every alligator I ever encountered in my youth took off as fast as they could when I got too close. Obviously they probably never were fed by humans and still had a healthy fear of humans in place. What is happening in Florida with alligators has to be a combination of too many alligators and bad choices by humans when in the alligators environment. The alligator environment is shrinking at an incredible rate in Florida and the population of alligators continues to grow..........at some point something has to give...............

Don't fear water sports in Florida..............This native tells you to simply understand the rules and if you follow them you should have no problems with alligators......

Doctors Making House Calls Again - For Cats & Dogs

Here is a great idea and one that will no doubt be a smashing success. Per the AP, veterinarians are starting to make house calls in a growing number:

Rossi is part of a growing number of veterinarians who make house calls because of the low overhead costs and the freedom that comes with it. "For older people, for people with disabilities, for animals that hate to go in, it's really nice and it helps me to see animals in their own environment," Rossi said.

It's cheaper in terms of overhead for the vet and it has to be a huge hit with the owners because it is a much better scenario for the owners pet. We have a 4 year old Brittany (same breed as this one) who loves to go any where in a car including the vets. To her I guess what's the big deal, so you get a few shots but it's worth getting out and smelling all those new smells. Our cat however is 16 years old, yes 16 years old which is 80 in human years, and anyone who owns a cat knows that even young cats hate two things: water and the vet.......................those two dislikes do not change with age and both can lead towards having an Angry Cat.............Per the pet owner in the AP article:

"It's just much more convenient for me and I think the animals react better to have her come rather than going to a vet's office, especially the cats," Vanco said.

Unlike our dog, the cat knows there is only one destination if she goes in the "carrier of hell" and for a ride in the car and that is the vet's office. I think anyone would opt for a program that makes the whole process easier for their old or sick pet if they could. The Doctor is out and on their way to a house call..........the animals are giving an all paws up on that one I'm sure..........................................

Latest NSA Leak Planted to Catch Leak Source?

With Bellsouth & Verizon making official statements that they did not supply phone records to the NSA as reported in the latest MSM scream over the NSA, there is some speculation beginning to build steam that the latest NSA leak was a planted story..........

I'm not a conspiracy-grassy knoll fan by any means, but it is an interesting theory.....................How hilarious would it be to nail an anti-Administration intel leaker and the "liberal jump out of their shoes on anything anti-Bush MSM" on a planted-fake red herring? As VISA states in their commercials, "priceless"...............................

If the story turns out to be a plant to flush out the leaker and MSM feed, the leaker will be frog marched off to court while the MSM associated with the story watch it all unfold while they are forever remembered as on par with Geraldo's reporting standard on "Al Capone Secrete Vault"....................................This story could become very entertaining and institutionally deep.................

I'd apply the Watergate analogy "follow the money" clue but update it slightly to current times, "follow the leak"..........................Can you imagine what we might find at the end of this leak trail if the NSA story was in fact planted................Juicy potential indeed........Plummers find what type of pool at the end of such a leak trail....................

Lt. General Michael V. Hayden New CIA Director?

Per Drudge & Time the new CIA Director will be Lt. Gen. Michael V. Hayden:

........the White House plans to name his replacement on Monday: Air Force General Michael V. Hayden, who as Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence has been a visible and aggressive defender of the administration's controversial eavesdropping program. His nomination is sure to reignite the battle over the program on Capitol Hill, where one House Democrat promises "a partisan food fight" during the confirmation process.................

Sounds like a great candidate.....................We need not a "food fight" over the NSA program of eavesdropping on terrorists, but a defining moment of whether we have the will to win this war and the NSA tool is a critical component of that equation...........................We shall see...................

The New York Times Talks Down the Great Economy

The economy is strong and the Dow just set a new 6 year high but the NYT's is trying to talk the economy down via this story "Statistics Aside, Many Feel Pinch of Daily Costs":

As a rule, when Americans feel financially pinched, the causes are clear: high unemployment, soaring interest rates, depressed home values and a wilting stock market. But many Americans now say they are feeling squeezed in the absence of these factors. Their concerns are instead centered on a combination of high gasoline prices, creeping insurance costs and the pressure of a large number of adjustable-rate mortgages, now jumping to market rates, that helped to fuel one of the largest housing booms in American history.

So things are good and all the bad indicators are not a factor, but hey, its still not a good economy...........................Huh?

Steinhauser goes on to say:

The increase in prices, particularly of gasoline, is taking a political toll on President Bush, even in a Republican area like these suburbs. A recent nationwide CBS News poll found that only 33 percent of those surveyed approved of Mr. Bush's job performance and that 74 percent disapproved of his handling of the gasoline issue. "We went from totally believing in Bush to really having our doubts," said Wayne Toomey, who owns a house with Ms. Tuttle in the nearby suburb of Parrish. "It comes down to his lack of care about gas prices."

Oh I see, even if things are good, they are really bad because gas is more expensive. By the way, I'm not sure CBS is the source to use on the economy hit piece for polling data given their history........................Did you catch the "even Bush voters are abandoning him over gas prices"? Deep stuff no? Jump on the gas and interest rate scare tactic because there is nothing else even remotely in play..............Not that gas or interest rates are either............

How bad does gas prices make things, well per the article:

"I don't even like my job, but I can't face lowering my pay" because of rising gas costs, said Nia Baker, 37, who sells home health products. "I used to fill my car up once a week for $25, and now I fill up twice a week for $40. I feel like the economy is pretty bad, the way these gas prices are going up. "

(Nia use to fill-up her car once a week at $25 but now she has to fill it up twice a week? I have not experienced the same phenomenon of driving the same miles but as the price per gallon rises my miles per gallon drop 100%..............What is that all about????)

So a net increase of $15 per week or $65 per month is the doom and gloom that trumps all major economic indicators that show that the economy is at a 6 year peak..............................................Forget that last summer prices went even higher and the economy continued to grow strong. On the insurance concern pushed by the NYT, do you think that Florida is the right place to get the nations pulse on insurance concerns given the hurricane issues the past couple years? Sounds like a deliberately selected audience to me...............Yes it is agenda based media coverage.................................it would be hysterical if it wasn't so sad..........................

Fidel Castro: Communism Has Been Berry-Berry Good to Me......

Fidel Castro is worth $900 million per Forbes magazine. Reuters has the story:

Fidel Castro was furious when Forbes magazine estimated his fortune at $550 million last year. This year, the magazine upped its estimate of the communist leader's wealth to a cool $900 million...........................Castro, who says his net worth is nil, is likely the beneficiary of up to $900 million, based on his control of state-owned companies, the U.S. financial magazine said in its annual tally of "Kings, Queens & Dictators" fortunes on Thursday.......................

I could see how Castro could get use to those army issue greens, if he is raking in $900 million.........................However, I'd like to have Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum as my state controlled investment advisers:

Perhaps the most industrious of the leaders listed is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, with a net worth of $14 billion. Forbes estimates the renowned racehorse breeder also helped raise Dubai's gross domestic product from about $8 billion to nearly $40 billion since 1994 by diversifying its industries outside of oil and making successful investments overseas..............................

Like Father (Ted) - Like Son (Patrick)

It's just a different level of accountability and laws that apply when your a Kennedy............Ted's son Patrick Kennedy who is a dem US Rep from R.I. crashed his car bad in Washington early this AM (2:45AM) after almost hitting police. It appears pretty clear that the fruit does not fall very far from the tree and that Patrick got his driving lessons from dear old dad. Also, it very obvious that Patrick is connected like dear old dad and those connections attempted to give him a shot of getting out of a very serious matter. Via Drudge:

ROLL CALL reports: According to a letter sent by Officer Greg Baird, acting chairman of the USCP FOP, the wreck took place at approximately 2:45 a.m. Thursday when Kennedy's car, operating with its running lights turned off, narrowly missed colliding with a Capitol Police cruiser and smashed into a security barricade at First and C streets Southeast.

“The driver exited the vehicle and he was observed to be staggering,” Baird’s letter states. Officers approached the driver, who “declared to them he was a Congressman and was late to a vote. The House had adjourned nearly three hours before this incident. It was Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy from Rhode Island.”

Baird wrote that Capitol Police Patrol Division units, who are trained in driving under the influence cases, were not allowed to perform basic field sobriety tests on the Congressman. Instead, two sergeants, who also responded to the accident, proceeded to confer with the Capitol Police watch commander on duty and then “ordered all of the Patrol Division Units to leave the scene and that they were taking over.”

A source tells the DRUDGE REPORT: "It was apparent that the driver was intoxicated (stumbling) and claimed he was in a hurry to make a vote. "When it became apparent who it was, instead of processing a normal DWI, the watch commander had the Patrol units clear the scene. The commander allowed other building officials drive Kennedy home."

Like father like son, but at least Patrick did not kill a companion in his impaired accident, I suppose. No one has a law that applies to them alone like the Kennedy's................................no one................................