News Roundup for 6/23/09

SC Gov. Mark Sanford, shown bragging unconvincingly

-Headline of the day-
"Was Sanford Hiking Naked?"

Some people want to know. Some people don't. Some people are repeating nursery rhymes over and over to try to keep the image out of their heads. But it turns out that it's a real possibility that S. Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, frequently mentioned as a possible 2012 Republican presidential candidate, disappeared into the wilderness for a nude walkabout.

The whole story started when it was reported yesterday that Sanford was kind of missing, but that no one was extremely freaked out about the fact. According to that report, his whereabouts had "been unknown to state officials since Thursday," leaving some in the capital "questioning who is in charge of the executive office."

"Neither the governor's office nor the State Law Enforcement Division has been able to reach Sanford, who left the mansion in a black SLED Suburban SUV," we were told. "Sanford's last known whereabouts were near Atlanta, where a mobile telephone tower picked up a signal from his phone..."

Still, Sanford's wife said he'd been gone for a couple of days, "she doesn't know where, but she is not concerned." That's either a really good wife or a really bad wife. You make the call.

Now Sanford's office says he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail, trying to clear his head after a bruising battle (which he lost) to refuse stimulus money for his state. Adding insult to injury, the trail's being maintained with some of the stimulus money he opposed.

AP has reported that Sunday -- Father's Day -- was "Naked Hiking Day" on the Appalachian Trail. Between the skeeters, the ticks, and the poison oak, I can't say I think this is the best idea ever, but what do I know? Maybe there's a trick to it.

So anyway, Mark Sanford may have metaphorically hiked naked on Barack Obama's stimulus funding or ran into a whole bunch of people who were. Either way, that's not the best way for a 2012 presidential hopeful to spend the weekend -- especially not after making a big Scooby-Doo mystery out of where the hell he was.

It'd sure explain why no one could get ahold of him though, wouldn't it? Where would he put the phone? (Political Wire)


-That worked well-
Last month, Republicans began taking advantage of what they saw as Barack Obama's weakness on national security. With the president closing Gitmo, ending torture, and pretending that terr'ists don't have superpowers, the GOP decided they owned the issue of terrorism.

"I think what I’m trying to do here," said House GOP leader John Boehner, "is push the administration to tell us, What is the overarching strategy to take on the terrorists and defeat them and to help keep America safe?" Yeah! Make him say all the stuff he explained on the campaign trail! You remember that, it hurt him so bad that everyone voted for him...

Some naysayers said nay; the GOP's strategy here wasn't going to work. "They are reverting back to their game plan, time and time again, which is fear," said dem Sen. Robert Menendez. "When they can’t succeed on policy, they pursue fear... Republicans are wasting their time and money."

Oh yeah? Well, we'll just see about that! A new Washington Post/ABC News poll asked respondents, "Who do you trust to do a better job handling the threat of terrorism -- Obama or the Republicans in Congress?"

34% answered "Republicans," while 55% said "Obama" -- a better than twenty point gap.

Keep pluggin' away, GOP. I'm sure you'll make a dent eventually. You know what they say, "If at first you don't succeed, try again -- fail better." (Plumline)


-This item brought to you by Judd Gregg, R-NH-
Ooooh, that stimulus! Hangin' Mark Sanford isn't the only Republican out there who thinks that it's the worst thing ever. Sen. Judd Gregg hates it and wants to make sure you don't see it -- or, if you do see it, you don't know you're looking at it.

According to the report, Judd has introduced a bill "that would prohibit the use of stimulus funds for signs that say a project is being carried out using those funds." No "your tax dollars at work" signs, because everyone knows that tax dollars are better spent being shoveled into a hole in the desert of Iraq. If people start seeing bridges and schools and hospitals and God knows what-all being built with tax dollars, they might start to think that maybe this whole thing was a good idea.

Judd says any signs "are simply for political self-interest," a big ad for good things your government can do for you, when it should be blowing up that money in some godforsaken third-world country way the hell and gone on the other side of the world.

If you're thinking that the name "Judd Gregg" rings a bell, it might be because of the Judd Gregg Meteorology Institute, paid for with federal bucks he took home. Ditto for Gregg Hall at the University of New Hampshire and The Judd Gregg Library for the Nasua Policy Athletic League.

So you see, it's important for people not to think that all this money comes from the federal government and the taxpayers. What's important is that people think it comes from golden eggs laid by Judd Gregg. (Think Progress)