You'll never read this on a Republican blog--their game is to smear someone with a rumor and then run--but Al Gore has been cleared by Portland law enforcement. Here's a summary from the district attorney who investigated allegations that Gore harassed a masseuse:

1. Ms. Hagerty, who has red hair, states she called Mr. Gore immediately following the alleged incident and told him to "dream of redheaded women" seemingly in contradiction to her assertions that she was terrified of Mr. Gore. Two days after the alleged incident Ms. Hagerty also sent an email to the Hotel Lucia stating that she appreciated the business referrals she received from the hotel. She did not mention any problem with Mr. Gore;

2. Witnesses at the hotel where the alleged incident occurred state they do not remember seeing or hearing anything unusual---directly contradicting Ms. Hagerty's published claim in the July 12, 2010 of the National Enquirer that she was "shaking and in shock" and "rushed down the hall and to the lobby where the front desk clerk noticed she was upset was asked if she was OK";

3. Forensic testing of pants retained by Ms. Hagerty as possible evidence are negative for the presence of seminal fluid;

4. Ms. Hagerty has not provided as repeatedly requested medical records she claims are related to the case;

5. Ms. Hagerty has also failed to provide other records related to the case;

6. Ms. Hagerty failed a polygraph examination;

7. It appears Ms. Hagerty was paid by the National Enquirer for her story; and

8. Mr. Gore voluntarily met with detectives and denied all of the allegations.

I suspect that reason number 7 is the reason any of this happened: Hagerty was trying to cash in at Gore's expense. Police should check to she if she received payments from any of Gore's political opponents.

Stopped being interested in Usher a long (long) time ago, but his OMG isn’t a bad pop tune for the dance floor:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ida Maria’s Oh My God?  More on my plane:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Greg has the breakdown of Corey Stewart unveiling his Rule of Law campaign statewide to crack down on illegal immigration in Virginia.  Its interesting to watch Stewart move forward in Virginia, as he is the first person I can think of that is putting forth a statewide initiative while not holding any kind of state or legislative office.  Its impressive and I'm starting to think that I guessed right about him, that there is more going on here than a lieutenant governor's campaign or reelection in Prince William.  Obviously he will be doing the latter, but I really think he's moved his sights past LG.  

Stewart for Senate!  Who's with me?

You all know what is happening…Albert Haynesworth, $100 million crybaby of the Washington Redskins, failed his team physical today for a second time.

My prediction is that the third time will be a charm.  You see, I think AH probably did show up to camp in bad shape.  I bet Mike Shanahan, justly annoyed about Haynesworth’s behavior in the off-season, decided to let him see who is in charge.  It is true that no one else is having to take the test.  It is also true that everyone other team member attended all the Official Team Activities and can reasonably be said to have shown the coaching staff what condition they are in.

So I can see how AH has to take the physical tests until he passes…and I bet he passes on the third go-round.

Shanahan has made his point, and he has shown that perhaps Haynesworth off-season training was inferior to that he would have gotten had he followed the ‘Skins program and not one of his own making.

AH has to understand that actions do have reprecussions…however, the longer this goes on the more it seems like the physicals are about retribution and less about drawing lines.  The longer this goes on, the less opportunity the ‘skins will have to find a place for Haynesworth on the field-and as noted in many places AH is still the most physically gifted player on the Redskins roster.

So, I think AH passes the next test.  If he doesn’t, then he may not pass for another two weeks-and will be sure evidence that the Redskins have no real plans of using his this year and just want to work toward a deal to rid themselves of one of the worse decisions of the Vinnie Era.

Filed under: Washington Redskins

VPAP has posted two new political committees that recently registered with the State Board of Elections:

Virginia Rule of Law PAC -- Aimed at passage of "Arizona-style" immigration laws in Virginia. PAC started by Corey Stewart, chair of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.

Southwest Virginia Fund for Children and Public Education -- A Virginia Education Association (teacher's group) PAC planning to be active in state elections and local elections in Norton and counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott and Wise.

These PACs will file an initial campaign finance report on October 15, 2010.

The new Loudoun Indie (formerly the Independent, now owned by the Loudoun Times Mirror) put out an article on the Loudoun blogosphere today, wondering where it has gone.  As I stated for the article, it’s still here, but this is the proverbial calm before the storm - summertime and the living is easy, and it’s not exactly a scorching political scene at the moment.

 

The NovaTownHall gang holds down the far right, while the new lib aggregate blog struggles to make itself relevant  (like with Air America, liberal media is just boring as hell).  I find msyelf firmly to the right of center, and definitely in between the two extremes usually exhibited by those sites.  As I’ve said numerous times (much to some pursists’ disbelief) I am actually very conservative on most issues, but realize that pragmatism and some moderation is necessary to get elected (especially in a swing electorate like Loudoun’s) and to govern effectively.  Unfortunately the LCRC seems to be heading right off the cliff again following a “we may lose but at least we’ll be pure” course of action.

 

There are some other indepedent Loudoun-centric sites dealing with politics, most notably Hooda Thunk, Bulletproof Monk, and Lloyd the Idiot (links in the blogroll to the right).  I was not aware that Martin Casey, former Loudoun Easterner editor, had started a Loudoun specific blog, Life in Loudoun County (note to Martin – no need to sign your name when you show up as the author below the post!).  It looks good so far and deserves more attention.

 

I do think things will heat up significantly as the big 2011 local elections approach.  Like it or not, the dirty inner workings of both parties will be exposed as they jockey for position.  I want to keep it as clean (although the language here may get a bit salty!) as possible, and nothing disinfects like sunlight.  Stay tuned, I said I was taking some summer blog vacation time, but I’ve had a few juicy stories come my way that I’ll be dribbling out over the next week.  Never a dull moment in Loudoun!

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Our secret meeting has adjourned, and the winners have been announced:

—The Razor's True Bigots, and

—Noisy Room's Socialist "Journalistas".

Congressman Bob Goodlatte’s Weekly Column: July 30, 2010

The Wasteful Washington Spending Continues

As I travel throughout the 6th Congressional District, meeting with my constituents, I consistently hear concerns about the out-of-control government spending that is going on in Washington. The majority of my constituents rightly know that in these challenging economic times it is even more important for government to control spending. However, this is a principle that has been lost on the Majority in Congress. They have increased federal spending at an unsustainable pace, spending billions of dollars on wasteful projects in failed attempts to grow our economy.

One particularly egregious waste of taxpayer dollars is right here in southwestern Virginia. Just over a year ago, it was announced that nearly $51 million of the taxpayer’s money would be spent to increase the energy efficiencies of the Richard H. Poff Federal Building in downtown Roanoke. I have received numerous inquiries from constituents concerned about the excessive price tag for the project, the cost effectiveness of this project relative to alternative construction, and the inability of local businesses to bid on the initial stages of the project. Recently the primary construction contract was issued to an out of the area company. Since that time I have aggressively sought answers from the GSA regarding the cost and scope of this wasteful and misguided project and called on General Services Administration (GSA) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate this matter.

I am particularly concerned about the lack of a thorough cost-benefit analysis of the renovation and failure to include security improvements to the building in the project’s plans. Recently I learned that the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, one of the largest employers in the Poff Building, had requested that GSA examine alternatives to the renovation of the Poff Building for security and efficiency reasons and was refused. Our federal district courts have many controversial criminal and civil trials and security must be a top priority.

Additionally, I have strong concerns about the significant impact of the renovation on the tenants of the Poff Building. It has come to my attention that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Roanoke Regional Office will be moved to four different locations. Not only will this be difficult for the employees of the VA Roanoke Regional Office but it will cause an increase in already lengthy delays in processing veterans’ claims and place an unnecessary burden on our area veterans when they are seeking assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs. How can GSA spend nearly $51 million of the taxpayers’ money to renovate the Poff Federal Building and yet not address the needs of the building’s tenants? Recently Senators Warner and Webb, recognizing that this project is ill-conceived, wrote to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Administrator of GSA suggesting that the Poff building renovation be halted.

The path to our economic recovery starts with fiscal responsibility in Washington and that’s why I have strongly urged GSA to immediately halt the wasteful and misguided renovation of the Poff Federal Building. I will continue working to see that a thorough investigation into this matter is completed. We must ensure that any improvements made to the Poff Federal Building will be beneficial to the taxpayers, the federal government, and the Poff Building tenants.

To contact me about this or any other matter, please visit my website at http://www.goodlatte.house.gov/.

WC: 482

By Robert Parry
July 30, 2010

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and top Pentagon brass are claiming that the lives of Afghan civilians and U.S. soldiers have been put at risk by the leak of some 92,000 classified documents about the Afghan War, waving the bloody shirt (even if they don’t yet have one).

Read on.

For one reason or another, Anthony Weiner was unable to muster enough support in the House today to give 9/11 first responders free health care for life.It's hard to say exactly why Weiner failed. Obviously no one in Washington gives a damn that we are bankrupt, and, on its face, this bill seems like just the kind of generosity with other peoples' money at which politicians excel.However, it is

The idiocy and sheer bigotry displayed by this so-called man of God is really quite appalling:

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This is an e-mail that I and many of you probably received from our Congressman. If you did not receive this e-mail from Congressman Bob Goodlatte, please act on it! Take advantage of Bob's Communication to you, his constituent!

If you did receive this e-mail from Bob, I encourange you to help Bob by taking the time to forward it to as many of your friends and family members that you can, so that they are aware of how to follow what our Congressman is doing!

Sincerely,


Joe Kelliher
540 761 6346
joeksalemva@comcast.net

On behalf of the Salem Republicans and Kjersten Croke, Chairman of the Salem Republicans

_________________________________________________________

Here is Bob's e-mail from today July 30, 20010:

Keep Up With What's Going on in Washington

Dear Friend:

From health care reform to tax and economic policy, what happens in Washington affects us back home in western Virginia. Today's technology allows me to connect with residents of the 6th Congressional District more than ever. I urge you to keep up with what is going on in Congress by utilizing some of these great tools:

Visit my website. My website – http://goodlatte.house.gov/ - is a great source of information and a great way to share your opinions with me. My website includes information on events, visiting our nation’s capital, my stance on issues, press releases and my weekly editorials, internship opportunities, photos, and much more. While you are there please take the time to sign-up for my e-newsletter. These regular updates contain information about the key issues facing our nation and important events happening around the Sixth District of Virginia.

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter. If you already use Facebook, be sure to sign-up to be my fan at http://www.facebook.com/BobGoodlatte. If you have Twitter, be sure to follow me at www.twitter.com/RepGoodlatte. If you currently don’t use Facebook or Twitter, you can create an account and follow me, so you can keep up with my TV interviews, my speeches on the House floor or in Committee, my events throughout the 6th Congressional District, and my votes on the legislation that is important to you.

I always look forward to hearing from you on the issues that are important to you, and urge you to use the tools listed above to continue to stay involved and communicate with me. It is so important that you stay up-to-date with what is going on in Congress.

Sincerely,

Bob Goodlatte
Member of Congress

Former CNN anchor, and political populist, Lou Dobbs has confirmed that he will be a keynote speaker at the first Virginia Tea Party Convention Oct. 8-9 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.
Organizers expect somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 people to attend the event, which will feature, in addition to Lou Dobbs; Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, former Gov. and Sen. George Allen, and Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

Well, if nothing else, this alignment is certainly an interesting way to strip the context right out of this particular protest.

Kashmiri people protest outside a hospital against the killing of two civilians in Srinagar July 30, 2010. Police fired on large anti-India demonstrations in Kashmir on Friday, killing two civilians, officials said, the latest violence in the region at the core of dispute between India and Pakistan. REUTERS/Danish Ismail (INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR)

Protip to the pooroppressed people of Kashmir:—If you don't want to get shot by the police, don't throw stuff at them.

[ Daylife Link ]

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is sharing the word about a Washington Post Magazine profile that is slated to run in Sunday's paper. "It's definitely worth reading," Cuccinelli notes in an e-mail to supporters. "This article is a result of months of in depth research - it's an extensive look at Ken, his family, and what has made him a national leader in the fight for liberty and protecting the Constitution. Here's a link to the profile. The Post is hosting a webchat with Cuccinelli starting at 3 p.m. (yes, that is today). This link will take you there.

Check out state Del. Brenda Pogge, R-York, rubbing elbows with noted political analyst Dick Morris during a recent rally set up by the Americans for Prosperity.

See if you can spot the disease in the caption below.

Afghan protesters throw rocks at a car during clashes with police following Friday prayers in Kabul July 30, 2010. Afghan police fired shots to disperse hundreds of protesters who torched two vehicles similar to those used by many foreign security guards following reports of a fatal traffic accident. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani (AFGHANISTAN)

Governor Bob McDonnell will hold a series of town hall meetings across the state beginning August 4. Dubbed the “Virginia Speaks” tour, the series will allow citizens to speak directly to the Governor and members of his cabinet and administration. The only Hampton Roads stop is scheduled for Monday, August 9, from 7pm to 8:30pm in the Hampton/Newport News room at ODU’s Webb Center.

One of the topics to be discussed is the privatization of liquor stores. This Washington Post article says that the governor’s staff is looking into four ways to accomplish this:

The options are: selling all of the state’s alcohol assets to a single outfit; offering licenses to the 3,000 businesses that sell beer and wine; having firms take over the state’s 332 existing stores; and auctioning an undetermined number of licenses to the highest bidder.

Interesting to me is that I’ve noticed an uptick in the number of stores in Norfolk requesting off-premises alcohol sales permits, most notably Walgreen’s. Years ago, it was rumored that the proliferation of drug stores in our city was connected to the possibility that alcohol sales would be privatized at some point.

While I’m ambivalent about whether or not the state should be in the liquor business, I am concerned about how, given the economic conditions, the state recoups the money currently flowing into the general fund. So I’ll be attending this meeting to listen and learn. Hope to see you there!

On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rejected the petitions of AG Ken Cuccinelli and 9 other groups that challeneged their finding that carbon dioxide is a threat to human health.  EPA declared that "the petitioners' arguments and evidence are inadequate, generally unscientific, and do not show that the underlying science supporting the Endangerment Finding is flawed."

Cuccinelli, in a short response, claimed that the EPA's decision was "fatally flawed.  Let the Attorny General know how you feel about his political posturing on climate change.  Submit a question for his online chat with the Washington Post at 3pm today, July 30th.

The League of Conservation Voters' President Gene Karpinski's response is below the jump:

We applaud the EPA for rejecting attempts by corporate polluters and industry lobbyists to gut the Clean Air Act, a law with a nearly 40-year track record of cutting dangerous pollution to protect human health and the environment and spur innovation. The administration refused to let corporate polluters petition their way out of cleaning up their act and rightly chose science over politics. After a decade of record-high temperatures, there's never been a more urgent time to protect the EPA's authority to address carbon pollution and protect public health.

With this reaffirmation that climate science is sound and that carbon pollution is a threat to public health, every effort must be made to put in place comprehensive clean energy solutions that will create jobs, cut pollution and protect the planet for future generations.

From the Richmond Times Dispatch:

A public watchdog group has accused Rep. Eric Cantor, R-7th, of accepting major donations from the financial sector after questioning President Barack Obama's relationship to the financial industry.

Public Campaign reported that Cantor received more than $460,000 in the second quarter from the financial sector, including Goldman Sachs and Bank of America.

Read the entire article here.

You can visit Public Campaign here.