Conflict of Interests at FOX

Is it any coincidence that FOX News had Wan Juilliams on the Geraldo Rivera Midnight Special to discuss the Herb Cain settlements?

For many journalists, the crystallizing moment was the revelation that Washington Post writer Juan Williams, one of Thomas' most ardent defenders, was himself an alleged harasser. The Post had printed a Williams column minimizing the gravity of the charges against Thomas without disclosing that Williams had been accused of verbally abusing female staff members over a period of at least four years. Post management also initially held back the paper's media writer, Howard Kurtz, from reporting on the angry reaction among Post staff members. It wasn't until WRC-TV, a local NBC affiliate, broke the story that the Post mentioned the controversy in its pages. And only after a protest by 116 newsroom employees did the paper concede that the charges against Williams were founded. Unlike most incidents of sexual harassment in newsrooms, the Williams case was widely reported, largely because of its intersection with the Thomas hearings and the conflict-of-interest question it raised.

I didn't see Wan's performance, so perhaps he copped to his sordid history. And maybe Howie Kurtz will cop to his disgraceful cowardly role in the cover-up. Hope springs eternal.

69-69-69

Herman Cain delivered a forceful defense of his signature tax plan in a speech in Washington on Monday morning, but he did not address allegations of sexual harassment that have posed a new challenge to his Republican presidential candidacy.

Under the plan, all settlements of harassment claims are taxed at 69 percent. The plan is expected to raise billions from FOX News hosts alone.

The Sound of Settling

Herb Cain's going to need better flacks than Mark "Cock" Block. On MSNBC's Daily Goatee, CockBlock asserted that he had no "personal knowledge" was not "personally aware" of Herb's sexual harassment settlements, but vowed unequivocally than Herb had never harassed anyone. Chuck E. Todd was unable to formulate the follow up question, namely, whether Herb had told him about the harassment settlements. (Or, alternatively, whether CockBlock's assurance of Herb's courtliness was based on his 24/7 observation of the Herb's lobbying gig.)

It sounds as if Herb is trying, and failing, to deny the settlements without violating a confidentiality clause in the settlements (which means all gags are off).

Maybe Herb can appear on Bill O'Reilly's program to set the record straight.

Update: TPM has the video, and I have corrected the post to quote the exact words of CockBlock's dodge. You be the judge as to whether I was too hard on Chuck E. Todd.

Riehl to Douthat: Squeal Like A Pig

Self-proclaimed man's man Dan Riehl takes to the epages of Politicho to top Ross Douthat:

Dan Riehl, another conservative blogger, described [Jennifer Rubbin] as an "establishment Republican" and a "neocon" and said he suspected the Post uses her as a kind of foil, to define the rightward limit of the debate as relatively close to the center.

“She’s kind of like [center-right (sic) New York Times columnist] Ross Douthat in lipstick, assuming he doesn't wear any,” Riehl said. "I guess she couldn't get a job with Romney so she stayed with The Washington Post."

Manly Dan's going down on Rick Perry's sinking ship, apparently, while Douthat writes like a Santorum supporter. No wonder the sex is so rough.

The Hill:

Report: Cain, Gingrich to square off in Lincoln-Douglas-style debate.

But which one will be Mary Todd Lincoln and which one Donna Douglas?

Shorter Little Debbie Jr.: "If you can't say anything nice, don't publish the truth."

Slightly longer Little Debbie Jr.: "The coverage of Scott Roeder's conviction was tendentious and unfair because the article didn't point out that other people have committed murder and didn't quote Operation Rescue's press releases."

Earlier coverage of the lickspittle here.

Roger's Book Club

Literature fans, rejoice. James Wolcott's true tale of New York in the 1970s, Lucking Out, comes out on pieces of paper Tuesday. I'll be picking up my copy Tuesday morning, if I can find a bookstore that's still in business.

Blue Girl has already given it high praise.

Roger's alternate selection: Morgue for Whores by Roy Edroso.

RIP John McCain's BFF

The Republican Party's favorite Libyan has bitten the dust. Just three years ago, Gaddafi had friends in high places:

President Bush called Libya's Moammar Gaddafi yesterday -- apparently the first time any president has spoken to the African leader -- to voice his satisfaction that Libya had settled a long-standing dispute over terrorist attacks, including the bombing of a Pan Am jet over Scotland, the White House said.

In their conversation, Bush and Gaddafi "discussed that this agreement should help to bring a painful chapter in the history between our two countries closer to closure," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement.

On Oct. 31, Libya paid $1.5 billion into a fund that will pay claims for the 1988 Pan Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, and the 1986 bombing of a German disco. Another $300 million will go to Libyan victims of U.S. airstrikes ordered in retaliation for the disco bombings. The payment cleared the last hurdle in restoration of full normalization of diplomatic relations between the United States and Libya.

...

A senior White House official told the Reuters news agency that there was no record of any previous U.S. president speaking to Gaddafi, who seized power in a 1969 military coup. Rights groups say Gaddafi's reign has been marked by human rights abuses and restrictions on freedom of expression.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans to meet Tuesday with Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who will be in Washington on a private visit, officials said. In early September, after the settlement deal, Rice became the most senior U.S. official to visit Libya in more than a half century.

Pallin' around with Republicans: IOKIYAT.

Memo to Herb Cain

Waffling on the electrocution of Mexicans is no way to secure Mickey Kaus' endorsement.

Grand Old Police Blotter: Police Blotto Edition

Down in Instacracker country, one of Glenn Reynolds' role models finds himself at odds with his former employer:

Nashville, Tn - Local state representative Curry Todd has been arrested in Nashville. He is charged with DUI and possession of a handgun while under the influence.

Police picked him up around 11:15 Tuesday night.

Todd is a Republican from Collierville.

According to court documents, Rep. Todd was stopped in his GMC Envoy and police say they detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle.

He allegedly failed a roadside sobriety test and refused to take a Breathalyzer test. A loaded .38-caliber gun was found in a holster stuffed between the driver seat and the center console.

A police affidavit said Todd was unsteady on his feet, "almost falling down at times." It concluded that Todd was "obviously very impaired and not in any condition to be carrying a loaded handgun."

The name of a lawyer for Todd, who is a former Memphis police officer, could not immediately be located. A spokesman for the House Republican Caucus had no immediate comment on the arrest.

Todd sponsored a 2009 bill to allow people with handgun carry permits to bring their weapons into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol, provided they don't drink. The law passed despite opposition from law enforcement and district attorney groups, and easily survived a veto from former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen.

Cars, liquor and guns, the libertarian trifecta!

Meanwhile, the G.O.P. leadership is concerned about the real victim:

House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, said it's too soon to say whether Todd will be stripped of his chairmanship of the House State and Local Government Committee.

McCormick said in a press conference that he had spoken briefly with Todd to tell his colleague he was "praying for him and being supportive of him on a personal basis."

He even bought Todd a few rounds.

Update (10/18): Sot Toddy has decided that his arrest provides a good reason for him to reduce his workload, but not his government paycheck.

Herb Cain in the Membrane

How could Karla Faye Tucker's wingut welfare website get such an important story wrong?

Country Singer Lee Greenwod Endorses Herman Cain

By Alex Pappas -- The Daily Caller

Herman Cain has the support of a man who is proud to be an American — and has a song to prove it.

Lee Greenwood, who is best known for his patriotic hit “God Bless the USA,” is part of a group of musicians who offered their support to Cain, a Republican candidate for president, Monday in Nashville.

...

UPDATE: While the group of country music artists blasted out a press release saying musician Lee Greenwood is endorsing Presidential candidate Herman Cain, Greenwood’s manager told TheDC that the musician hasn’t made any endorsement yet and the group mistakenly included Greenwood’s name in its list of supporters.

Update my ass. It's almost as if Alex Pappas received an e-mail from some p.r. flack and reformatted it without doing any reporting. Watch out, Mickey Kaus, Pappas is after your job!

P.S. to Pappas: Artists Raising Cain isn't limited to country music artists. It also counts Nelson and Christian comedian Jim Labriola in its ranks.

Old Times There Are Not Forgotten

G.O.P. frontrunner Herb Cain and Neal Boortz indulge in some nostalgia:

In their radio interview, Boortz asked Cain to define what it could possibly mean to be an “authentic black” person. Cain responded that he didn’t know, before proceeding to trace his family tree back to his ancestors’ experience as slaves in Georgia (which prompted Boortz to ask whether he had any relatives who may have been slaves on the South Carolina plantation owned by members of his family).

Being owned by Neal Boortz' inbred cracker anscestors is the certificate of authenticity.

The Book On Mormons

Poor Mitt Romney. He's only now learning that Republicans have no more use for Xenu than they do for Allah. You've got to learn your place, Mitt.

The blue screen of death comes to us all.

The Fatuous and The Spurious

Why isn't there more coverage of the FBI investigation into Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker aides? There's something for everyone -- the left can dig into the facts of the case and right can claim Walker's the victim of racial profiling by MusliPanther Eric Holder's FBI. Fun for the entire

Breaking! Must Credit Roger Ailes!

According to ABC's Jake Tapper, Sharia Palin just tweeted to Mark Leh-VIN, that she will not be seeking the G.O.P. nomination for President. Of course, communicating with hairless troll doll Mark Leh-VIN disqualifies anyone from holding any public office. Palin wrote that the office of the President was too confiney, restricty and wedgie for her ultimate aspiration, which is not to be the biggest laughingstock in recorded history.

Update: Full drivel here.

Update (3:35 p.m.): Apparently, Conservatives4Palin didn't get the inside scoop on Palin's latest failure. RedStain and Gwen Stacy McCain are also asleep at the switch.

Update (3:43 p.m.): Greta Van Sustern will now return full-time to her search for Natalie Holloway.

Update (3:56 p.m.): Sucker SarahPAC is still open for business, because grift never sleeps.

Will Chris Christie Throw His Fat Into the Ring?

All America is waiting with bated breath to see if Governor Krispykreme will join the parade of horribles hopefuls seeking the G.O.P. nomination. Does Krispy think his record of accomplishment -- begin an obnoxious loudmouth with a Type 2 personality -- qualifies him to be President? Of course he does. Will he run? Who knows.

Howie the Hack

Fresh off yet another fluffer of the other Roger Ailes, Howie Kurtz slanders Nancy Pelosi by printing fabricated quotes. Upon retraction, a Daily Beast mouthpiece lays the blame at Howie's clown shoes:

The article, Behind Obama's Populist Makeover, included a comment erroneously attributed to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, criticizing the administration's political messaging. The writer misread notes of an interview conducted by a colleague. The error has been corrected, and we’ve apologized to Nancy Pelosi's office.

What are the odds of Howie misreading something that aligns with his hatred of Dems? Even money. What are the chances that Howie will suffer consequences for his incompetence? Slim and none. If Kurtz becomes any more of an embarassment, the Daily Caller will offer him a big signing bonus to do a double act with Mickey Kaus.

Education: It's Only A Game

Three-time Super Bowl loser Fran Tarkington has someone sign his name to an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal wondering what would happen if the National Football League was run like public education.

Well, you'd probably have washed-up school teachers writing uninformed, and untruthful, articles for the Wall Street Journal about how the NFL works. The NFL would have at least one team for every 20,000 residents in the country, and every team would have to give the same coaching time and the same playing time to each player within the geographic area. Revenue wouldn't be shared among the teams, so that players from francishes within wealthy districts would have an immense competitive advantage over those from poor districts. With so many teams, the players would make far less, would play until they reached 67, and wouldn't be drug tested, except maybe in Florida. &c.

And if all these changes caused the NFL to disappear, it wouldn't make one bit of difference.

The purpose of public education is to give every child the benefits of an education, and the opportunities that go with such an education. Its purpose isn't to provide entertainment to drunk and promote the sale of boner pills and junk food. Not every teacher can become third-banana to John Davidson and Cathy Lee Crosby, but they can provide something of value to the nation.

Name That Pronoun

From Politicho:

It's between Christie and his wife