First Door on the Left

One of the great mysteries of this century, thus far, is how Rudy Giuliani is currently leading the race for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. He is, after all, in favor of a woman’s right to control her own body, sensible gun control and equal rights for gay people — all of which the Republican party adamantly opposes. He is also a confessed adulterer (and accused embezzler), which in and of itself should take him off the radar of the “party of family values.” Yet, despite all this, he is the Republican front-runner. Go figure.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Please, please, Republicans… nominate this guy!

Right Wing News blogger John Hawkins doesn’t seem to agree…

Rudy Giuliani Would Be Our Bill Clinton

Perhaps the biggest oddity of the Republican primary season so far has been that GOP voters keep saying that they want another Reagan, the candidates keep comparing themselves to Reagan at every opportunity, and yet the man who is leading in the national polls, Rudy Giuliani, is about as far apart from Reagan as it’s possible to get ideologically while still remaining in the Republican Party. Rudy Giuliani is no Reagan. What he is, and what he would be if he gets the nomination, is our Bill Clinton.

Consider a few things.

Yes, Bill Clinton was impeached for perjury, not for having an affair, but conservatives relentlessly bashed Bill Clinton throughout the nineties for cheating on his wife and degrading the office. Well, morally Rudy Giuliani is every bit as sleazy as Bill Clinton.

He has been married 3 times, which could be forgivable in a President, but he also cheated on his second wife with his current wife, Judith Nathan, and announced his separation from wife number two, Donna Hanover, to her and the world at the same time at a press conference.

This has seldom been discussed during the primary season, which is rather bizarre given that the biggest knock against Newt Gingrich that I heard when he was thinking about running — from the readers on my blog and other bloggers privately — was that they were disgusted by his affairs and shabby treatment of his former wife. Yet Rudy, whose Clintonesque private behavior is every bit as appalling as Newt’s, has gotten a pass on the issue.

Folks, if you think that nominating a man as sleazy as Rudy isn’t going to come back and bite the GOP in the general election after the way we complained about Clinton during the nineties, you’re kidding yourself. Moreover, if you think it’s out of the realm of possibility that Giuliani would diddle some intern in a back office somewhere once he got out from under the watchful gaze of his wife, you’re giving him way too much credit. Any man who will cheat on his second wife will cheat on his third wife, too, if the opportunity presents itself…

Long story short, conservatives who are backing Rudy should go into it “eyes wide open” and understand exactly what they’re getting. They’re getting a Republican Bill Clinton: an ethically compromised candidate that Republicans will constantly have to apologize for and who is destined to disappoint conservatives either by losing in 2008 or by winning and then opposing us on many of the issues we care about most once he gets into office.

For the record, I’ve always rather liked Bill Clinton. Rudy Giuliani, on the other hand, is a phony and dishonest blow-hard. And I sure hope the Republicans nominate him in 2008. (He has a considerable lead in our current poll (in the column to your left).)

Once again it is Friday night, and once again we present our collection the week’s best political and editorial cartoons. Click on any image to view it full size. You may also view a slide show by clicking on a cartoon and using the controls that will appear at the bottom of your browser window. Enjoy.

And finally, Tom Toles takes his own newspaper to task for what has to be the worst example of yellow journalism I have seen in years…

As always, our thanks to the talented cartoonists who help us smile through the pain.

A man armed with what he claims to be a bomb has taken hostages at the Clinton campaign offices in Rochester, New Hampshire.

Mrs. Clinton has canceled her address to the DNC meeting in Virginia this afternoon.

Updates and live video feed here.

Some comments from the right:

“Obama’s campaign office is two doors down. They released a statement saying all of their personel are safe and they have nothing to do with the bomb or the bitch.”
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“For all we know Hillary walked in with bed head and they thought it was a madman.”
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“You may be right, the statement from the Obama campaign originally said “nappy headed ho” but was revised for sensitivity reasons.”
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“I wonder if the hostage situation will come to and end if Osamabama agrees to take a back seat to Hillary?”
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“I sure hope it’s a democrat causing the fuss.”
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“The bomber is now demanding to talk to Hillary or he’ll blow himself up. Wow, he is misguided. I’d have demanded she shut up.”
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“Clinton campaign is now calling for all the troops to be pulled out of New Hampshire.”
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“I just can’t help wondering if this isn’t another “plant”, designed to garner sympathy for Hillary. The democrats, Clintons in particular, are well known for doing anything … anything … to win.”
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“I hope the hostages are OK, even if they are working for Satan.

The bomber, well he can save all of us taxpayer a big sum of dough and detonate.”
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“Doesnt the nutjob realize that blowing up Hillary isnt going to make America go after him except to pin a medal to his chest?”
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“Given the reputation of Conniving Calculating Cackling Clinton, odds are 80-20 that this is a staged event for publicity. Rumor has it the hostage taker is the same gay general that Conniving planted on the CNN Youtube #### debate.”
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“Just trying t keep America safe from Osama Bin Barack and Hillary. Give him a break”

Then there was this bit of “humor” from revered right wing cartoonist Chris Muir…

(click to enlarge)

Update: Much to the chagrin, I am sure, of the commentators quoted above and those who think and believe as they do…

Hostage Situation In Rochester Ends With Man’s Arrest

A hostage situation at the Rochester headquarters of the Hillary Clinton campaign ended with a man’s arrest Friday evening.

Leeland Eisenberg, of Somersworth, N.H., was immediately arrested after exiting the office and told to kneel and then lie on the ground before police placed handcuffs on him. Moments earlier, a young man believed to be the third and final hostage was released…

“I am very grateful that this difficult day has ended so well. All of my campaign staff and volunteers are safe,” Clinton said from her Washington, D.C., home Friday night. “I was in touch during the day with the families of those who were held hostage, and I commend their extraordinary courage under difficult circumstances. This has been a difficult day for everyone in our campaign.”

Clinton said that she would travel to New Hampshire to thank the law enforcement officials who helped to bring the hostage situation to an end.

It’s a fricking teddy bear, people.

Calls in Sudan for Execution of Briton

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) – Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and knives, rallied Friday in a central square and demanded the execution of a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her students to name a teddy bear “Muhammad.”

In response to the demonstration, teacher Gillian Gibbons was moved from the women’s prison near Khartoum to a secret location for her safety, her lawyer said.

The protesters streamed out of mosques after Friday sermons, as pickup trucks with loudspeakers blared messages against Gibbons, who was sentenced Thursday to 15 days in prison and deportation. She avoided the more serious punishment of 40 lashes.

They massed in central Martyrs Square outside the presidential palace, where hundreds of riot police were deployed. They did not try to stop the rally, which lasted about an hour.

“Shame, shame on the U.K.,” protesters chanted.

They called for Gibbons’ execution, saying, “No tolerance: Execution,” and “Kill her, kill her by firing squad.”

This is the kind of ignorance and extremism that exists in many parts of the world, and exactly the kind of ignorance and extremism we would be living with in the United States if the right wing of the Republican party had their way. They are undoubtedly loving every minute of this ridiculousness.