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Briefing Book! Ex-Gov Blagojevich Pleads Not Guilty

CitizenSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:01:55 -0700

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich plead not guilty to 16 federal criminal counts today, saying, "Black care never catches a rider whose pace is fast enough." - New York Times
Use condoms or make Hitler? - The XX File
Interracial smooch photo on St. Louis Post-Dispatch magazine causes a controversy. - Gawker
You're born with your personality so stop trying to change it. - LemonDrop
Why bathroom breaks before going on national TV are important. - GiggleSugar
Facebook makes your grades drop! - geeksugar

Front Page: Man Who Killed Pastor Will Face Charges

CitizenSugar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:09:17 -0700

A man suspected of shooting a pastor to death yesterday during mass will be charged by authorities soon. Police say the pastor first deflected bullets with a Bible. - MSNBC
President Obama plans to lift President Bush's ban on stem cell research today, pledging to take politics out of science. - Reuters
Economist Paul Krugman says the Obama Administration's economic policies are already falling behind the curve. - New York Times

North Korea has promised retaliation if its satellite launch is blocked by South Korea and the US. - Voice of America
Joseph Fritzl, the Austrian father who imprisoned his daughter in the basement for 24 years, plans on writing a memoir. His trial begins next week. - The Times of London

Briefing Book! Burris Ignores Trouble, Gears Up For Election

LibertySugar — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:30:19 -0800

Illinois Sen. Roland Burris is gearing up for his 2010 election bid. - Wonkette
Lobbyist Vicki Iseman speaks out, says she did not have an affair with John McCain. - Huffington Post
World's first Jackie Chan museum opening in Shanghai. - Shanghaiist
Model sues after runway slip. - Lemondrop
Newt Gingrich is back with new NYT magazine profile. - Town Hall
CIA destroyed 100 terror interrogation tapes. - Huffington Post

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Obama License Plates - Love It or Leave It?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:01:36 -0800

The Land of Lincoln is now proudly the Land of Obama. The state is selling specialty license plates dedicated to the 44th president and donning his face. Proceeds from the $50 plate go to the Illinois Library Association.

Briefing Book! Blagojevich Thought About Appointing Oprah

LibertySugar — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:00:28 -0800

Senator Oprah: On Good Morning America, Illinois Gov. Blagojevich said he considered appointing Oprah Winfrey to Obama's Senate seat. -Talking Points Memo
President Obama: A look back at his first week. - Huffington Post
Education: Making the grade? Take a look at how countries rank in math and science test scores. - Good
Biden: John Stewart introduces us to a face we may see a lot of: Obama's STFU face. - GiggleSugar
Bailout: CitiBank gets bailout, buys $50 million jet. -Townhall

Do You Think the Roland Burris Affair Is Fair?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:30:47 -0800

We've all heard the tale by now: Illinois’s governor Roland Burris was appointed to replace President-elect Barack Obama as a US Senator, only he was appointed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was recently arrested by federal agents and accused of trying to sell the seat to raise campaign money. While most critics admit Burris is qualified, Democratic party leaders said they wouldn’t recognize anybody Blagojevich named.

Burris went on The Early Show yesterday and dismissed his critics, saying his appointment was valid and even showed up for the Senate later in the day, only to be refused. He then announced he was rejected for the seat while lawmakers waited the gaveling of the 111th Congress into session. Burris's lawyers were quick to say an "extraordinarily arbitrary and unlawful process is afoot." The news today is that Burris is sitting down with Senate leaders and may be granted a seat, despite all the hoopla.

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Briefing Book! Blagojevich Can't Wait to to Tell His Side of Story

LibertySugar — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:00:53 -0800

Blagojevich: Are you dying to hear what he has to say? Governor says he'll tell his side of the story no later than Thursday, and says to hang loose until then. - Huffington Post
Wall Street: Can I get its accountant's phone number? Goldman Sachs' tax bracket drops to 1 percent for 2008, compared to 34.1 percent in 2007. - Donklephant
Bush: Can't get enough of the shoe toss? Check out this depiction of what Bush was thinking during the attack. -23/6
Money: How do you miss a $50 billion fraud? In an extraordinary admission of failure, SEC chairman Cox ordered a full review of why his agency failed to act on complaints about Bernard Madoff. - Talking Points Memo

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Do You Think Obama's Staff Is Illegally Tied to Blagojevich?

LibertySugar — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:00:00 -0800

Guilt by association thrives in the minds of at least 25 percent of Americans. According to a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, a quarter of Americans believe that Barack Obama's staff engaged in illegal activities related to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's alleged plan to sell Obama's senate seat. The rate of suspicion jumps among Obama's opponents - half of Republicans surveyed think Obama's staff has an illegal connection, while the other half apparently agrees with John McCain that we should not jump to conclusions.

The US attorney asked Obama to hold off on disclosing his staff's contacts with Blagojevich, and Obama, who is refusing to answer questions on the scandal, has complied. Do you think the Obama team has dirty hands?

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Senate Seats: Caroline Wants NY's, IL Too Poor For Vote

LibertySugar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:00:27 -0800

When word broke that Joe Biden's chief of staff would replace the senator from Delaware when he becomes VP, nobody paid much attention, but that's not the case when it comes to seats recently warmed by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Today, news broke that Caroline Kennedy indeed wants the soon-to-be-free seat once filled by her uncle Bobby, and now occupied by Hillary. After wrestling with a decision to enter the public spotlight, Caroline appears ready to carry on the Kennedy dynasty.

Meanwhile, embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich still has the sole authority to appoint Barack Obama's replacement. While state legislators try to impeach the governor, another option gaining momentum includes holding a special election to let voters determine who should represent them. To find out how much a special election would cost, read more.

When it comes to letting voters decide, Illinois state clerks say not so fast - the election officials warn that there's no money to pay for the special election, which would cost between $13 and $16 million.

Do you think Gov. Paterson should pick Caroline Kennedy? And over in Illinois, is no cost too high when it comes to upholding democracy?

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Details Emerge After Gov. Blagojevich's Arrest

LibertySugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:30:03 -0800

New details have emerged since FBI agents arrested Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today on federal corruption charges alleging that he tried to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.

The FBI affidavit filed in District Court quotes Blagojevich as explaining that the vacant seat "is a f**king valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing." On Nov. 11 Blagojevich said that he didn't care that Obama wanted Valerie Jarrett, a longtime confidante, to succeed him, because "they're not willing to give me anything except appreciation. F**k them."
When the FBI called Blagojevich this morning to tell him they were coming to arrest him, he asked: "Is this a joke?"
US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who conducted this investigation along with the Valerie Plame investigation, said at a press conference today: "Gov. Blagojevich has taken us to a new low. This conduct would make [Abraham] Lincoln roll over in his grave."
The Chicago Tribune delayed running its independent investigation of Blagojevich for misconduct, after prosecutors asked them to wait, or risk jeopardizing the criminal investigation. The editor explained that the paper's "interest in reporting the news flows from its larger obligation of citizenship in a democracy."
As for the Obama seat, Blagojevich still has the authority to fill it, but the US Senate could always reject his choice. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin has asked the Illinois state legislature to call for a special election to fill Obama's seat, saying that no appointment by Blagojevich would be credible.

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