Rep. Mark Kirk's (R-Il.) false claim that he was named the Navy Intelligence Officer of the Year in the late 1990's was made at a committee hearing before the YouTube era began, but the long arm of C-SPAN can reach back and bring it up as if it happened yesterday. What is striking about Rep. Kirk's assertion in the video is that it appears scripted and thought out, which belies Kirk's recent defense that the false claim on his website -- that was only removed last week after a Washington Post investigation -- regarding the award was little more than an administrative oversight. At the very beginning of Kirk's testimony, he makes the claim, which he has since confessed is false: "I've been in office just one year. Before that I was a Navy Reserve Intelligence Officer--was the Navy's Intelligence Officer of the Year in 1998," Kirk said in a March 2002 House committee hearing. In today's politics, such transgressions seem to gain currency only when there is video evidence that … [Read more...]

Rep. Burgess and the Fort Worth City Council were briefed on issues related to gas drilling in North Texas by TCEQ, and given inaccurate test results of air quality.  When TCEQ realized they had given bad information, they didn't attempt to contact anyone they had previously briefed.  Here is an excerpt from a Fort Worth Star Telegram article: Burgess said he was recently briefed by the TCEQ on air quality issues related to gas drilling and found it disturbing that he hadn't been presented with all the data. "I relied on the information I was given, as did many others in North Texas," Burgess said in a statement. "I find it personally offensive to find out that what I have been told may not be the full story on the air quality issues in the area that affect millions of North Texans. There are a lot of questions that TCEQ needs to answer, and the public is right to demand accountability." The TCEQ conducted air tests in Fort Worth in December and told city officials at a public … [Read more...]

  Let us be real. This is not a real story. It is a GOP talking point that is filtered to the mainstream media who have be abdicating their duty to be the research arm of our democracy. If GOP or Democratic talking points are the catalysts for media coverage, as a country we are in trouble. This story must be shut down so we can move on to real issues. … [Read more...]

  How Conservatives Made the Case for Increased Regulations According to a new CBS News poll 70 percent of Americans disapprove of how BP has handled the oil gush, compared with 45 percent who disapprove of how Obama has handled it. This could change in the days or weeks ahead if the spill continues to worsen and the White House looks and acts powerless. The poll also points out a danger for Obama: Only 35 percent approve of his words and deeds so far during the crisis. He seems too willing to defer to BP executives, even as Bad Petroleum Ltd. tries to shift blame to Transocean Ltd., the rig operator, which is trying to put blame on Halliburton, which made the cement casings. But it's not just the oil gush. Most Americans continue to be livid at Wall Street executives and traders -- for which they blame an economic crisis that's cost many their jobs, savings, and homes -- a crisis that's still costing taxpayers a bundle even as the bankers are back to collecting huge compensation … [Read more...]

The non-scandal of the Obama administration offer of a non-paying high level job to prevent a divisive senate race is neither unprecedented or unethical. The mainstream media is again being puppeteered by the GOP talking points to give this the semblance of a Whitehouse scandal. Here is proof positive that even the Republicans Messiah Ronald Reagan did it. … [Read more...]