Poland: Conservative Parties Dominate Public Opinion

What party would you support in the next election?

	Nov. 2008	Oct. 2008	Sept. 2008
Civic Platform (PO)	52%	48%	58%
Law and Justice Party (PiS)	25%	28%	24%
Peasant’s Party (PSL)	7%	7%	4%
Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)	6%	7%	6%

Source: PBS DGA / Gazeta Wyborcza
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,050 Polish adults, conducted from Nov. 7 to Nov. 9, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Mumbai Photographer Accuses Police of Cowardice

It is the photograph that has dominated the world's front pages, casting an astonishing light on the fresh-faced killers who brought terror to the heart of India's most vibrant city. Now it can be revealed how the astonishing picture came to be taken by a newspaper photographer who hid inside a train carriage as gunfire erupted all around him.

Sebastian D'Souza, a picture editor at the Mumbai Mirror, whose offices are just opposite the city's Chhatrapati Shivaji station, heard the gunfire erupt and ran towards the terminus. "I ran into the first carriage of one of the trains on the platform to try and get a shot but couldn't get a good angle, so I moved to the second carriage and waited for the gunmen to walk by," he said. "They were shooting from waist height and fired at anything that moved. I briefly had time to take a couple of frames using a telephoto lens. I think they saw me taking photographs but theydidn't seem to care."

Belfast Telegraph

Illegal Aliens and Crime

Washington Post Calls for Charlie Rangel to Step Down as Chairman of Ways and Means Commitee

The revelation is the latest in a litany that has come to light since the summer. It was disclosed that Mr. Rangel was paying below-market rents on four Harlem apartments. One, which he has since given up, was illegally used as a campaign office. He owed taxes on at least $75,000 in rental income on a vacation home in the Dominican Republic. (He has since paid $10,800 to the IRS and New York State for three tax years and has hired a forensic accountant to determine how much he owes for the remaining 17 years.) Mr. Rangel underreported the value of a condominium he and his wife owned in Florida. He neglected to fully account on House travel disclosure forms for some privately sponsored trips. And he used his official stationary to ask for meetings to discuss his eponymous school of public service with titans of business and philanthropy.
—Washington Post

Media Equates Genius With Liberalism

If there is a dreadfully overused word in the giddy countdown to the Obama inauguration, it is "smart." Not just "smart," but also its stronger cousins like "brilliant" and "genius." These words have been offered shamelessly for nearly every person assigned a role by President-Elect Obama. They are assembling an "all-star cabinet."

This was not an honor for those having attended all the right schools, but a tribute to people who have all the "right" ideas. Liberals are smart because they're liberals. Conservative beliefs are honed from having been dropped on your head as an infant.
Brent Bozell

France: Sarkozy Improves Rating

What is your opinion of Nicolas Sarkozy’s performance as president?

	Nov. 2008	Oct. 2008	Sept. 2008
Good	48%	43%	47%
Bad	47%	54%	48%

What is your opinion of François Fillon’s performance as prime minister?

	Nov. 2008	Oct. 2008	Sept. 2008
Good	53%	50%	55%
Bad	37%	45%	37%

Source: BVA / L’Express
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 970 French adults, conducted on Nov. 22, 2008. No margin of error was provided.

Mumbai Massacre - An Australian's First Hand Account Of The Ordeal

Islam Spreads in France

Number of Mosques per Department of France in 2008:

Source: Brussels Journal

Moins de 5 is less than 5
Plus de 30 is more than 30

To this I can attest:
I have been in Paris and Strasbourg, and I can tell you both cities are crawling with Muslims. I was actually attacked with a sucker punch to the left cheek by one while I was taking photographs of the Ill River in Strasbourg, in the Republique area of the city. Luckily, he slinked away when I confronted him. That would be Department 67 on the map, in northeast corner of France.

It was pretty amazing how brazen this third-world intruder was, considering there were plenty of people around. France has gotten a reputation as a country full of people who are too afraid to do anything when they see Muslims commiting crimes, so of course they create a lot of crime. Perhaps my assailant did not know I was American, but when he found out he did not stick around long enough to finish what he had started. I could see his bravado quickly melting away when he realized he would not get me to back down. I was afraid he was concealing a weapon, but luckily this was not the case (or he chose not to use it).

Moral of the story: If you are threatened by a Western-hating Muslim, and as long as he doesn't have a bomb-vest wrapped around him, slap him around some and then send him on his way. The French are too afraid to keep their own country clean.

Americans Want More Nuclear Power

Should more nuclear power plants be built in the United States?

Yes	55%
No	27%
Not sure	18%

Source: Rasmussen Reports
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 likely American voters, conducted on Nov. 12 and Nov. 13, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Britain: Conservatives Lead by 11

If there were to be a general election tomorrow, which party do you think you would vote for?

	Nov. 20	Nov. 6	Oct. 19
Conservative	42%	43%	42%
Labour	31%	30%	30%
Liberal Democrat	19%	18%	21%
Other	8%	9%	7%

Source: ICM Research / Sunday Mirror
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,010 British adults, conducted on Nov. 19 and Nov. 20, 2008. No margin of error was provided.

Ron Paul Rejects CAIR Terror Group Invitation

The Council on American-Islamic Relations boasts that a "capacity crowd" turned out for its 14th annual fundraising banquet earlier this week. But there was at least one prominent no-show: congressman and former presidential candidate, Ron Paul.

Paul, an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, has become a darling of the Wahhabi lobby in Washington. But WND has learned that he turned down an invitation to speak at CAIR's confab in Washington at which a number of CAIR officials were slapped with a legal summons.
World News Daily

Pennsylvania: Specter Lead Matthews, 45 to 33

In an early look at the 2010 U.S. Senate race, Republican incumbent Sen. Arlen Specter leads TV commentator Chris Matthews, a possible Democratic challenger, 45 - 33 percent. Sen. Specter leads 72 - 9 percent among Republicans and 45 - 27 percent among independent voters, while Matthews leads 55 - 25 percent among Democrats.

Specter gets a 62 - 25 percent approval rating and by a 56 - 23 percent margin, voters have a favorable opinion of him.

For Matthews, 60 percent say they don't know enough about him to form an opinion.

10 Worst Republican Senators

According to Human Events:

The senators below received the 10 most liberal scores for Republicans in the National Journal’s ratings of all senators based on their rollcall votes on key economic, social and foreign policy issues during 2007.

1. Snowe, Olympia (R.-Maine) 47.8

2. Collins, Susan (R.-Maine) 47.2

3. Smith, Gordon (R.-Ore.) 47.2 GONE!

4. Specter, Arlen (R.-Pa.) 45.5

5. Coleman, Norm, (R-Minn.) 42.5

6. Lugar, Richard (R.-Ind.) 41.8

7. Voinovich, George (R.-Ohio) 41.8

8. Warner, John (R.-Va.) 38.8 GONE!

9. Hagel, Chuck (R.-Neb.) 38.7 GONE!

10. Stevens, Ted, (R.-Alaska) 36 GONE!

Germany: Conservatives Lead by 12

What party would you vote for in the next federal election?

	Nov. 12	Oct. 15	Oct. 1
Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) / Bavarian Christian-Social Party (CSU)	37%	35%	35%
Social Democratic Party (SPD)	25%	25%	25%
Left Party (Linke)	13%	13%	11%
Free Democratic Party (FDP)	11%	12%	13%
Green Party (Grune)	11%	10%	11%

Source: Infratest-Dimap
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 German voters, conducted on Nov. 11 and Nov. 12, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

Israel: Likud, Kadima Continue to Lead the Field

Prospective results of a Knesset election
(Results presented in seats)

	Nov. 2008	Oct. 2008
Likud (Consolidation)	32	26
Kadima (Forward)	26	29
International Organization of Torah-observant Sephardic Jews (Shas)	11	11
Israel Our Home (Yisrael Beiteinu)	9	9
Labour	8	11
Vitality-Together (Meretz-Yachad)	7	6
Yahadut Hatorah (United Torah Judaism)	7	7
Jewish Home (National Union and NRP)	6	7
Green Party (Yerukim)	3	2
Gil (Retired People’s Party)	--	2
Arab parties	11	10

Source: Dahaf Institute / Yediot Ahronot
Methodology: Interviews with 500 Israeli adults, conducted on Nov. 19, 2008. Margin of error is 4.5 per cent.

Georgia: Chambliss Leads by 3

Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss holds a narrow lead over Democrat Jim Martin in the Dec. 2 Georgia Senate runoff, according to a new Politico/InsiderAdvantage poll.

The poll shows Chambliss leading Martin by 3 percentage points, 50 percent to 47 percent, with 3 percent of respondents undecided. The first-term GOP senator's lead is within the poll’s four-point margin of error. The Politico/InsiderAdvantage poll surveyed 523 likely voters on Nov. 23.

The poll numbers are almost identical to the general election results, when Chambliss fell just short of the 50 percent necessary to win the seat outright on Election Night. He led Martin 49.8 to 46.8 percent, with a Libertarian candidate taking three percent of the vote.
Politico

Major Terror Attack in India

Gunmen have opened fire at a number of sites in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay), killing at least 60 people and injuring about 200 more.

Police said shooting was continuing and that the incidents were co-ordinated terrorist attacks. Gunmen are thought to have taken hostages at two hotels.

At least seven sites have been targeted across India's financial capital.
Reuters

France: Sarkozy & Fillon Improve Standing Slightly

Do you have confidence in French president Nicolas Sarkozy to face the country’s problems?

	Nov. 2008	Oct. 2008	Sept. 2008
Confidence	47%	49%	41%
No confidence	46%	54%	50%

Do you have confidence in French prime minister François Fillon to face the country’s problems?

	Nov. 2008	Oct. 2008	Sept. 2008
Confidence	48%	43%	44%
No confidence	43%	50%	48%

Source: CSA / Le Parisien
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,008 French adults, conducted on Nov. 5, 2008. No margin of error was provided.

Russians Support Surrendering More Power to Medvedev

Do you approve or disapprove of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev’s proposal to extend the term of the president from four to six years, and extend the term of the State Duma from four to five years?

Approve	56%
Disapprove	29%
Hard to answer	15%

Source: All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center
Methodology: Interviews with 1,600 Russian adults, conducted on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16, 2008. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.

2012: Palin & Romney Favored

Candidate	Republicans	All Voters
Palin	24.4%	13.4%
Romney	18.1%	13.7%
Jindal	15.6%	12.5%
Huckabee	9.7%	8.0%
Giuliani	4.9%	5.0%
Paul	2.9%	7.4%
Someone Else	8.2%	20.3%
Not Sure	16.2%	19.7%

Source: Zogby International

64% of Americans Support Death Penalty

Are you in favour of the death penalty for a person convicted of murder?

	Oct. 2008	Oct. 2007	May 2006
In favour	64%	69%	65%
Opposed	30%	27%	28%
Not sure	6%	4%	7%

Source: Gallup / USA Today
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,011 American adults, conducted from Oct. 3 to Oct. 5, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Israel: Likud Leads, Labour Plummets to Tie With Shas

Prospective results of a Knesset election
(Results presented in seats)

Likud (Consolidation)	34
Kadima (Forward)	28
Labour	10
International Organization of Torah-observant Sephardic Jews (Shas)	10
Israel Our Home (Yisrael Beiteinu)	10
Vitality-Together (Meretz-Yachad)	7
Yahadut Hatorah (United Torah Judaism)	6
Jewish Home (National Union and NRP)	4
Arab parties	11

Source: Dialog / Haaretz
Methodology: Interviews with 488 Israeli adults, conducted on Nov. 18, 2008. Margin of error is 5 per cent.

Norwegians Against Joining European Union

Would you support or oppose Norway’s accession to the European Union (EU)?

	Nov. 2008	Jan. 2008	Nov. 2007
Support	34.6%	33.3%	34.6%
Oppose	53.4%	54.1%	53.4%
Unsure	12.0%	12.6%	12.0%

Source: Sentio-Norsk Statistic / Klassekampen
Methodology: Interviews to 1,000 Norwegian citizens, conducted in November 2008. No margin of error was provided.

Even Washington Post Admits Palins Saved McCain From Worse Loss

Love her or loathe her, the data appear somewhere close to conclusive that Palin did little to help -- and, in fact, did some to hurt -- McCain's attempts to reach out to independents and Democrats. But just because Palin doesn't appear to have helped McCain move to the middle doesn't mean that picking her was the wrong move.

Remember where McCain found himself this past summer. He had won the Republican nomination, but the GOP base clearly felt little buy-in into his campaign. A slew of national polls reflected that energy gap, with Democrats revved up about the election and their candidate and Republicans somewhere between tepid and glum.

Enter Palin, who was embraced with a bear hug by the party's conservative base. All of a sudden, cultural conservatives were thrilled at the chance to put "one of their own" in the White House. In fact, of the 60 percent of voters who told exit pollsters that McCain's choice of Palin was a "factor" in their final decision, the Arizona senator won 56 percent to 43 percent.

For skittish conservatives looking for more evidence that McCain understood their needs and concerns, Palin did the trick. It's hard to imagine conservatives rallying to McCain -- even to the relatively limited extent that they did -- without Palin on the ticket. And without the base, McCain's loss could have been far worse.

Source: Washington Post

Poland: Conservative Parties Still Hold Top 2 Spots

What party would you support in the next election?

	Oct. 2008	Sept. 2008	Jul. 2008
Civic Platform (PO)	48%	58%	48%
Law and Justice Party (PiS)	28%	24%	28%
Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)	7%	6%	9%
Peasant’s Party (PSL)	7%	4%	6%

Source: PBS DGA / Gazeta Wyborcza
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,050 Polish adults, conducted from Oct. 17 to Oct. 19, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Roseanne Barr is the Paris Hilton of Ugly People

Proposition 8 has Roseanne sounding freaked and stupid:

Let's expose these evil doctors accountants dentists business owners, pastors who hate the united states of america and seek to overthrow its guarantees of equality and rights to all of its citizens. these disgusting supporters of hatred should not be hired, or socialized with or not allowed to enjoy life in this country which they despise!!!! These people should be forced to emigrate to the soviet union where they will be more comfortable with other totalitarians that hate freedom!!!
Roseanne Barr

Like Lambs to the Slaughter: Most Israelis Not Concerned About Obama

Are you concerned about the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States?

Yes	27.6%
No	63.3%
Don’t know	9.1%

Source: Shvakim Panorama / Israel Radio
Methodology: Interviews with 510 Israeli adults, conducted on Nov. 5, 2008. No margin of error was provided.

Status Quo Forever! Gingrich Attacks Palin

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) is batting down the hype that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin heads into 2012 as the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination.

Palin energized the Republican base after GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) tapped her as his running mate and she has tried to preserve her high public profile since Election Day.

But Gingrich, an architect of the Republican revolution of 1994, took Palin down a notch, asserting that she would not become the party’s leader, as some have predicted. [I guess she turned down one of his sweaty, bloated advances]

“I think that she is going to be a significant player,” said Gingrich during an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation”. “But she’s going to be one of 20 or 30 significant players. She’s not going to be the de facto leader.”
The Hill

France: Sarkozy and Fillon Improve Dramatically Since October

Do you have a favourable or unfavourable opinion of Nicolas Sarkozy’s performance as president?

	Nov. 2008	Oct. 2008	Sept. 2008
Favourable	49%	41%	42%
Unfavourable	49%	56%	55%

Do you have a favourable or unfavourable opinion of François Fillon’s performance as prime minister?

	Nov. 2008	Oct. 2008	Sept. 2008
Favourable	50%	46%	49%
Unfavourable	41%	48%	44%

Source: Ipsos / Le Point
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 929 French registered voters, conducted on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8, 2008. No margin of error was provided.

War Brewing Between Catholics and Obama on Abortion?

The nation's Roman Catholic bishops vowed Tuesday to forcefully confront the Obama administration over its support for abortion rights, saying the church and religious freedom could be under attack in the new presidential administration.

In an impassioned discussion on Catholics in public life, several bishops said they would accept no compromise on abortion policy. Many condemned Catholics who had argued it was morally acceptable to back President-elect Obama because he pledged to reduce abortion rates.

And several prelates promised to call out Catholic policy makers on their failures to follow church teaching. Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton, Pa., singled out Vice President-elect Biden, a Catholic, Scranton native who supports abortion rights.

"I cannot have a vice president-elect coming to Scranton to say he's learned his values there when those values are utterly against the teachings of the Catholic Church," Martino said. The Obama-Biden press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Associated Press

Michael Steele Running for RNC Chairman?

Michael Steele, former lieutenant governor of Maryland, has decided to run for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee and is in talks with Newt Gingrich to win the former House speaker's endorsement, FOX News learned Tuesday.

Steele declined to comment, but a source close to the situation said Steele would announce his candidacy as early as Thursday.

The source also contradicted a report in Tuesday's Washington Times that Steele and Gingrich were competing for the RNC post.

Fox News

Minnesota: Franken Trying to Steal Senate Election

When voters woke up on Wednesday morning after the election, Senator Norm Coleman led Al Franken by what seemed like a relatively comfortable 725 votes. By Wednesday night, that lead had shrunk to 477. By Thursday night, it was down to 336. By Friday, it was 239. Late Sunday night, the difference had gone down to just 221 -- a total change over 4 days of 504 votes.
Fox News

Horrific Video: Gay Protestors Attack Old Lady at Church, Stomp on Her Cross

Notice at the end, the politically correct anchorman says that there's a lot of hate "on both sides."
Really? I don't think anyone will agree after seeing this video.



Now really, how in the world do you think this helps your case? Did Ghandi or Nelson Mandela do crap like this?
I look at this and see my little old mother in the woman being attacked in this video. That does not endear me to your cause.

2012 Primary Season: Less Than 3 Years Away...

Politico's article on the next presidential election.
There will be a lot of un-ruining to do after 4 years of Obama/Biden.

“Oh, man,” drawled Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, when asked about 2012 and specifically his own interest in a possible presidential run. “I’m going to tell you something. One of the worst things that can happen to the Republican Party in our effort to rebuild is for a bunch of people to start running for president. Anybody harboring that ambition needs to squelch it until after 2010. … Anybody out there running for president is undercutting what’s important. You do this against your own interest.”

Whole story at Politico.

O'Reilly & Greta Argue Over Anti-Palin Gossip

You Are Charged With Free Speech!

Fighting Nazis by becoming Nazis:

A prominent Jewish group said Monday it was reviewing legal options against a German neo-Nazi party for "racist" remarks calling Barack Obama's election a "declaration of war" on non-white America.

The Berlin chapter of the American Jewish Committee (AFC) condemned statements made by Juergen Gansel, a deputy in the Saxony state legislature for the far-right National Democratic Party of Germany, against Obama's election as the first African-American US president.

In a statement from his office entitled "Africa conquers the White House," Gansel said multicultural America sought the destruction of "pure" national cultures and that Obama aimed to destroy the United States' "white identity."

Breitbart

Jews have a lot more to fear from an Obama presidency than they do from a pathetic, self-styled Euro-Trash Nazi.

Freudian Slip: Obamaist Claims He is Ready to 'RULE'

Georgia Congressman Speaks Out Against Obama Paramilitary Group

"That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did," Broun said. "When he's proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist."

Obama's comments about a national security force came during a speech in Colorado about building a new civil service corps. Among other things, he called for expanding the nation's foreign service and doubling the size of the Peace Corps "to renew our diplomacy."

"We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set," Obama said in July. "We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."

Associated Press

California Columnist 'Hopes for Civility' by Attacking Republicans

More hypocrisy.

Here are some choice cuts from something called Larry Magid, writing for the San Jose Mercury News:

1. Palin's "leadership" during this campaign served as a negative role model, implying that it's OK to spread rumors and call people names. While she never said that Obama was a terrorist, she did say he pals around with them [True]. She also called him a "socialist," [True] which gave ammunition to some on talk radio and in the blogosphere to imply that he's a "Marxist" [True] and "communist" [True] and therefore a likely dictator [Remains to be seen].

2. It wasn't just the presidential campaign that nauseated me. There was the comment by Rep. Michele Bachmann, [She is one awesome congresschick, by the way] R-Minn., to MSNBC's Chris Matthews [Obama's Bitch] implying that some members of Congress are un-American. [True. Hello!!!]

3. And who can forget defeated North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole's implication that her opponent (a Sunday school teacher) was "Godless." [True. I guess it is okay to be Godless, but it is not okay to point this out because it 'nauseates' this moron.]

This guy goes on to compare people who dare disagree with him to 'cyberbullies,' which is a real problem. I guess Mr. Magid thinks people who think independent of him should be gotten rid of, just like cyberbullies should be done away with.

Democrat Controlled LA Times Attacks 'Right-Wing Media'

Ooh...the hypocrisy. By the way, they must have REALLY cut back on the news room. I write better than this loon.

You have to give Rush Limbaugh a perverse kind of credit. At least when he is demonizing Barack Obama, fabricating Obama policies, blaming Obama for single-handedly causing the recession and the stock market crash, he doesn't pretend to be fair.

Opening his first post-election rant against the president-elect, Limbaugh launched in with a certain relish. "The game," he told his radio listeners, "has begun."

Sean Hannity, on the other hand, insisted on feigning a post-election detente, telling his Fox News television audience last week, "I want Barack Obama to succeed."

Didn't he think anyone would notice that, just a moment later, he was back parroting the failed campaign argument that Obama is a "mystery"?

"I fear [this] is the guy that has these radical associations 20 years ago," Hannity added, an odd way of demonstrating support for the new commander in chief.

A healthy skepticism is not only the media's right but its obligation. Indeed, commentators at many mainstream outlets -- including the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal -- have already argued that Obama's best bet to succeed will be if he hews to a centrist path. [No you have not.]

But many on the losing end of last week's election want to hold on to their anger. And there are those in the media -- led by the likes [Remember, this is supposed to be a journalist...] of Limbaugh and Hannity -- only too ready to feed that animus, along with their own ratings.

"The Obama recession is in full swing, ladies and gentlemen," Limbaugh told his radio audience of 15 million to 20 million on Thursday. "Stocks are dying, which is a precursor of things to come. This is an Obama recession. Might turn into a depression."

Apparently the tanking of the real estate market, record losses in the auto industry, and massive failures in the banking and investment industry have very little to do with our problems. The economic system is collapsing, Rush wants us to know, because it anticipates the tax increases Obama has pledged on capital gains and for the highest income earners.

But maybe that shouldn't be so surprising, because radio's Biggest Big Man [Remember, this is supposed to be a journalist...] also assures us that the Democrat welcomes "economic chaos" because it gives him "greater opportunity for expanded government." In a time when the nation calls out for cool leadership and rational discussion, Limbaugh stirs the caldron, a tendency he proved in a particularly grotesque way last week when he accused Obama's party of plotting a government takeover of 401(k) retirement plans.

"They're going to take your 401(k), put it in the Social Security trust fund, whatever the hell that is," Limbaugh woofed. "Trust fund, my rear end."

A slight problem with Limbaugh's report: Obama and the Democrats have proposed no such thing. [Lie. Remember, this is supposed to be a journalist...]

The proposal, in fact, emanated from a single economist, one of many experts testifying to a congressional committee.

The president-elect has thus far shown as much interest in taking over your 401(k) as he has in moving the capital to Nairobi. (If you look hard, you might find that one somewhere out there in the blogosphere, too.)

To broadcast such a report -- so drained of context as to constitute a lie -- would be a shameless act at any time. But Limbaugh needlessly stirred the fears of the millions he holds in his thrall -- making the 401(k) thievery sound like nearly a done deal. Shameless.

Hannity and Limbaugh filleted Obama's selection as chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, in a way that exposed their partisan gamesmanship.

Mainstream newspapers have filed plenty of unflinching accounts of Emanuel's tough, occasionally ruthless tactics as a Democratic congressional leader and onetime operative in the Clinton White House. That assessment of bare-knuckle partisanship Hannity seized on. But it wouldn't do to report another aspect of Emanuel's record -- his Clintonesque bent for the political center.

So the Fox-man simply created a new persona for Emanuel as, you guessed it, [Remember, this is supposed to be a journalist...] "one of the hardest left-wing radicals on the left."

Ever open-minded, Hannity concluded, "I think they're going to overreach, and I think we're going to see the person that I think Barack Obama is. I think he is hard, hard left."

Then, I kid you not, [Remember, this is supposed to be a journalist... 'Then, I kid you not?'] Hannity ended with this pledge: "We'll see. We'll give him an opportunity."

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham apparently didn't get the memo requiring Obama's opponents to sink immediately and mindlessly into rank partisanship.

The South Carolina senator, one of Sen. John McCain's closest allies in his bid for the presidency, praised Obama's selection of Emanuel as "a wise choice." He added that the new chief of staff could be a tough partisan, but was also "honest, direct and candid" and willing to "work to find common ground where it exists."

Perhaps Hannity, Limbaugh and the rest of those intent on poisoning the soil [Guess that includes me] before bipartisanship can take root might recall words of wisdom from Brit Hume, a veteran newsman who is close to leaving the Fox anchor desk for semi-retirement. [Suddenly, Fox News is worthy of being quoted.]

The problem with the accusations of Obama being "dangerous" and "radical," Hume said on election night, "was that it just didn't fit with the man you saw before your eyes."

Rainey is a Times staff writer. [No F-ing kidding? You mean this crap wasn't written by James Joyce's ghost? You forgot to add: I'm Barack Obama and I approved this ad. You're supposed to do that at the end of a political advertisement, even if it is free.]