O’Reilly Scolds Beck: ‘If I Was Cindy McCain, I’d Slap The Hell Out Of You’ (Mediaite)

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by Frances Martel
May 14th, 2011

Glenn Beck has gotten nothing but tongue-lashings for his recent theatrical vomiting at the mention of Meghan McCain’s body, and he ended the week with one final slap on the wrist from colleague Bill O’Reilly. While Beck tried to justify his behavior compared to the controversial comments made by rapper Common, O’Reilly had none of it and commended McCain’s mother, Cindy, for striking back at Beck.



“You’re not going quietly into the night,” O’Reilly quipped upon beginning the segment, though he gave Beck some time with a warm-up topic before talking McCain. While O’Reilly objected to Common’s presence at the White House, he candidly gave the President the benefit of the doubt: “I don’t think Barack Obama knows who the hell Common is.” He compared the invitation to the release of conflicting information regarding the killing of Osama bin Laden, aruging that “there’s no one in charge of this stuff. It’s chaos.”

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Billionaire's role in hiring decisions at Florida State University raises questions (St. Petersburg Times)

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By Kris Hundley
Times staff writer
May 10, 2011

A conservative billionaire who opposes government meddling in business has bought a rare commodity: the right to interfere in faculty hiring at a publicly funded university.

A foundation bankrolled by Libertarian businessman Charles G. Koch has pledged $1.5 million for positions in Florida State University's economics department. In return, his representatives get to screen and sign off on any hires for a new program promoting "political economy and free enterprise."

Traditionally, university donors have little official input into choosing the person who fills a chair they've funded. The power of university faculty and officials to choose professors without outside interference is considered a hallmark of academic freedom.

Under the agreement with the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, however, faculty only retain the illusion of control. The contract specifies that an advisory committee appointed by Koch decides which candidates should be considered. The foundation can also withdraw its funding if it's not happy with the faculty's choice or if the hires don't meet "objectives" set by Koch during annual evaluations.

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Pornography Is Found in Bin Laden Compound Files, U.S. Officials Say (New York Times)

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By Scott Shane
 May 13, 2011

WASHINGTON — The enormous cache of computer files taken from Osama bin Laden’s compound contained a considerable quantity of pornographic videos, American officials said on Friday, adding a discordant note to the public image of the Islamist militant who long denounced the West for its lax sexual mores.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity about classified material, would not say whether there was evidence that Bin Laden or the other men living in the house had acquired or viewed the material.

The discovery of the pornography, first reported by Reuters, may not be surprising in a collection of five computers, 10 hard drives and dozens of thumb drives and CDs whose age and past ownership is not known.

But the disclosure could fuel accusations of hypocrisy against the founder of Al Qaeda, who was 54 and lived with three wives at the time of his death, and will be welcomed by counterterrorism officials because it could tarnish his legacy and erode the appeal of his brand of religious extremism.

In a 2002 “letter to the American people,” Bin Laden denounced American culture for its exploitation of women’s bodies in dress, advertising and popular culture.

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Ron Paul: You Don't Deserve FEMA Help, Also I'm Running For Prez (ABC VIDEO)

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By Evan McMorris-Santoro
May 13, 2011

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) kicked off his third run for the presidency on Good Morning America Friday morning. And in keeping with his role as the Libertarian anomaly of the Republican field, Paul launched his new campaign with some strong opposition to the concept of government assistance.

In response to a question from a viewer, Paul outlined to ABC's George Stephanopoulos his contention that government aid for victims of natural disasters goes against the foundations of America laid down by its founders.


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Rick Scott for president? It's possible (St. Petersburg Times)

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By Adam C. Smith
Times Political Editor
May 13, 2011

Rick Scott for president in 2012?

Absurd as it sounds, people who have talked to Florida's tea party governor about the Republican presidential field are convinced Scott has a bid lurking in the back of his mind.

"I'm not running for president,'' Scott declared the other day.

Probably he won't.

But let's say the field of Republican candidates still looks muddled and uninspiring come November. Let's say no one has managed to persuade Jeb Bush or New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to get in the race. Let's say fed-up tea party activists still dominate the GOP primary electorate and show no enthusiasm for the "electable" Mitt Romneys, Tim Pawlentys and Jon Huntsmans of the world.

Enter Rick Scott, fresh off a year of slashing spending and regulation in Florida, and of infuriating moderate Republicans, independents, Democrats and newspaper editorial writers. By then a proven, uncompromising antigovernment crusader, he may be the best sell among Republican primary voters in these turbulent times.

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Buying a Trump Property, or So They Thought (New York Times)

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By: Michael Barbaro
May 13, 2011

For many middle-class Americans, it is the most coveted brand in real estate, synonymous with sky-piercing luxury and can’t-miss quality: Donald J. Trump.

Far from the New York City towers that bear his name, in cities like Tampa, Fla., and Philadelphia, house hunters clamor to buy into his developments, sometimes exhausting credit lines and wiping out savings for a chance to own a piece of his gilded empire.

But as Mr. Trump, who is weighing a bid for the White House, has zealously sought to cash in on his name, he has entered into arrangements that home buyers describe as deliberately deceptive — designed, they said, to exploit the very thing that drew them to his buildings: their faith in him.

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MUSIC: “Jalalalalalabad (Can’t Find The Time To Bomb You)” (Red Peters)

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Always happy to spread word of a Red Peters song. This one is actually 10 years old, but he just reposted it on word of Osama Bin Laden's demise.


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George W. Bush Describes Getting Call From Obama About Osama Bin Laden Death (Mediaite)

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by Colby Hall
May 13th, 2011

Ever since Barack Obama announced the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden, many in the media have sought commentary from former President George W. Bush. ABC News is reporting that, during an appearance Wednesday at a conference of hedge fund managers in Las Vegas, the Bush made his first candid public comments on the killing of bin Laden saying “The guy is dead. That is good.”

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Governor Rick Perry On Obama’s Immigration Speech: ‘The Guy’s A Stand-Up Comic’ (Mediaite)

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The White House Prom of ’75 (Mental Floss)

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by Stacy Conradt 
May 11, 2011 

Remember the time you held a raging party at your house when your parents were out of town? Susan Ford did that, too. Except her parents were in Europe on Presidential business, the raging party was her senior prom, and her house, of course, was the White House.


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Rand Paul Equates Universal Health Care And Slavery (CrooksandLiars.com)

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Critical Letter by Catholics Cites Boehner on Policies (New York Times)

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By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
May 11, 2011

Speaker John A. Boehner, a Republican who grew up in a Roman Catholic family in Ohio, is scheduled to give the commencement address on Saturday at the Catholic University of America in Washington, a prestigious setting in church circles for its affiliation with the nation’s bishops.

But now Mr. Boehner is coming in for a dose of the same kind of harsh criticism previously leveled at some Democrats — including President Obama — who have been honored by Catholic universities: the accusation that his policies violate basic teachings of the Catholic Church. 


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Is Donald Trump Done? (New York Magazine)

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5/10/11

A month ago, a PPP poll found Donald Trump easily leading the GOP field with 26 percent of the vote — by far his best showing in a poll this year. In the latest PPP poll out today, Trump ties for fifth with Ron Paul at 8 percent. So have we already witnessed the rapid rise and even more rapid collapse of Candidate Trump? 

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Poll Reveals Poorer And Less Educated Voters Support Sarah Palin, Wealthier Voters Prefer Romney (Mediaite)

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by Alex Alvarez
May 9th, 2011

A new Gallup poll reveals that voters who identify as more conservative, do not have college degrees and who make less than $24,000 annually are more likely to support former Alaska governor Sarah Palin over Mitt Romney for president in 2012. Romney, on the other hand, has evidently fared better with voters who describe themselves as “liberals to moderate”, have received degrees of higher learning and who make at least $90,000 a year.

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Euphemism Watch: Callista And Newt Gingrich ‘Had A Nontraditional Start’ (Mediaite)

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by Alex Alvarez
May 10th, 2011

This week, The New York Times delved into the life – and the potential future role – of Callista Gingrich, wife to Newt Gingrich and president of Gingrich Productions. The article immediately mentions the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Gingrich began dating while he was still married to his second wife, Marianne Ginther. The paper does not mince words when it comes to describing the impact the affair had on Gingrich’s political career:

Still in her 20s when they met, Ms. Bisek had been raised in a town of 1,500, the only child of a meat packer and a secretary. A churchgoing Roman Catholic, she had attended a Lutheran college where she practiced piano five hours a day. “Is this the wisest course for you to be taking?” Karen Olson, her best friend, recalled asking.

Today, Ms. Bisek is Mrs. Gingrich, married for 11 years, but perhaps best remembered for the six-year affair that contributed to her husband’s political downfall. His critics cast Mr. Gingrich, the former House speaker, as a hypocrite who sought to impeach a president over infidelity while engaging in it himself with Ms. Bisek, who was a Congressional aide.

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Chris Wallace: Why Is It Legal To Shoot Unarmed Bin Laden In The Face, Yet We Cannot Waterboard? (Mediaite)

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Condoleezza Rice Seeks Credit For Bush In Osama Bin Laden Killing (Mediaite)

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by Tommy Christopher
May 8th, 2011

Former Secretary of State  Condoleezza Rice, followed up her smash-mouth Lawrence O’Donnell interview with a more cordial appearance on Sunday morning’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, and while she was far more gracious than former Bush Chief of Staff Andy Card (who accused President Obama of “pound(ing) his chest” over the Osama bin Laden slaying), she did repeatedly make it clear that people needed to know that Bush and co. loosened the jar on the bin Laden raid.




To her credit, Rice did credit President Obama for making “a brave decision,” and offered her congratulations.

However, in the brief interview, four of Ms. Rice’s seven responses involved the Bush administration’s share of credit for the measure of justice which was served to the terrorist leader, plus another (rightly) lauding Bush for his iconic remarks at Ground Zero on Sept. 15, 2001.

By contrast, she mentioned President Obama three times, most interestingly in her final response, which seemed to suggest Obama was just mopping up. Lauding Bush for the “very, very hard calls that frankly helped to set this up,” she allowed that “President Obama had to make some very difficult calls to bring it to conclusion.”

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