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In 1991, Barney Frank received an official reprimand for reflecting “discredit upon the House.” The reprimand came as a result of his relationship with a man named Steve Gobi, a male prostitute whom Frank initially paid $80 for sex. Frank later took Gobi to live with him in his home, making him a personal aide. He paid him $20,000 in compensation (unreported to the IRS) and let him use his car. Subsequent investigation revealed that in the course of their relationship, Frank used his congressional office and stationary to fix Gobi’s 33 parking fines. Frank also used his congressional letterhead to write a reference letter to Gobi’s probation officer — Gobi was under court supervision as a convicted felon with a prison record — in which he gave false information. Most damningly, the investigation found that Gobi ran a prostitution ring from Frank’s home. In his defense, Frank asserted he knew nothing of Gobi’s illicit enterprise. 

The Democrat -controlled House voted 408-18 to reprimand Frank after a heated debate during which some Republicans demanded expulsion. They pointed out that the claim that Frank did not know of Gobi’s criminal activities was incredible to say the least.

Gosh, we might not have gotten into this whole subprime mess if Frank had been a Republican.  Nuts!

Politico reported that Emanuel has a daily phone conference call with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, and CNN’s James Carville and Paul Begala. With Rush Limbaugh’s raucous CPAC address, as he termed it his “first address to the nation,” we can see at least one example of what is likely an attack strategy resulting from the Emanuel phone session with a rush to bash Rush the day after the appearance.  

As soon as the sun rose on the day after Limbaugh’s CPAC appearance, three of the four of the phone call participants attacked Limbaugh with the same talking points. It seems obvious that they coordinated their attack together in the Obama secret strategy session. It is amazing that a president’s staff can have such power over major media figures without a peep being heard from those that only months ago bashed former presidents over a perceived undue, even “dangerous,” control of the media.

Here’s what I learned today–it took some serious searching by the way.  President Obama’s approval rating is about average that of a president after one month in office.  Actually, Obama’s ‘net popularity’ is at +39; George Bush’s was at +41 at a comparable point in his presidency.  

Looking through the list, one finds some interesting points like Carter’s whopping 71% versus Reagan’s anemic 55%.  Today, Carter is a chump and Reagan one of the best loved president’s in history.  Go figure.  Lesson to Obama…the honeymoon clock is ticking, ticking, ticking and early polls are just that.

“If businesses can’t afford to hire people, then people won’t be able to work and pay off their mortgages,” he said. “It’s kind of like putting money into a funnel.” Albach, who is also a Republican, said Obama’s plan sounds good but questioned how Obama can want to rely on “people’s responsibility” when that is “what got us in this economic crisis in the first place.”

How is it that an 18 year gets it and can explain it better than the huge brains back in Washington?  Perhaps because he lives in the real world or maybe he is the son of business owner.  No matter, Maaike has restored my faith in the next generation.  Thanks, Maaike!  I needed that!

We need a Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Truth Commission.  THAT is what has decimated this country’s economy.  Why are you afraid to call for it?  The possibility of too many of your friends on the left side of the aisle being involved?  If you are so committed to finding the truth, ask for Senator Dodd’s ‘friend of Angelo’ mortgage docs.  Then I will take you seriously.  Till then, your ‘truth commissions’ are just rants to no where.

Write your senator.  It’s easy to find their website, just put the following in your browser: senator’s last name.senate.gov  (e.g. leahy.senate.gov).  Let’s start calling for the Dems to stop being hypocrites and start looking at all the real crooks.

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I do appreciate the attempt at finding common ground as did Voinovich on Friday.  The search for him came up fruitless and he phrased it well using one of Mr. Obama’s favorite literary tools, the triplicate:

“I’ve really tried to work on this, but the three things that it should be timely, that it should be temporary and it should be targeted, that was something that I looked at,” Voinovich said. 

That should be the acid test: Timely, Temporary, Targeted.  Instead, we will have a lengthy, never ending, and thrown to the wind spending spree heavy on pork, pork, redistribution, and little actual stimulus.  The words “morbidly obese” come to mind.  We’ll all be able to thank Snowe, Collins and Specter for feeding the monster.

By the way, if you’d like to fax the Senators, here are their fax numbers:

Arlen Specter     202.228.1229
Susan Collins      202.224.2693
Olympia Snowe 202.224.1946

a federal law that makes it a felony for any American citizen to attempt to negotiate with a foreign government or attempt to influence foreign policy without clear authority from the executive branch of the U.S. government.

During the weeks leading up to the inauguration, it is now reported that then Mister Obama was having chit chats with Iran and Syria.  If you’ll recall, the U.S. has not had diplomatic relations with Tehran for 30 years.  If you’d like to read the whole story, click here.

So, if you’re OK with private citizens holding talks with rogue states that support terrorists, you have your man in office.  Let’s just hope there’s no one with the audacity of someone else to follow his lead.