A story about Andrew Breitbart from the Chicago Tribune. I haven’t actually had a chance to read it yet. The story is from Sept. 2nd and most likely was published in the LA Times. Breitbart is from LA.
To be sure I’m somewhat familiar with this story because if it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t know about this US Dept. of Agriculture official.
Originally posted at It’s My Mind on April 11, 2010
It was breaking news yesterday Saturday morning that the President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, and his wife were killed in a plane crash on their way to Russia. Now there are concerns over relations between Poland and Russia.
The crash came as a stunning blow to Poland, wiping out a large portion of the country’s leadership in one fiery explosion. And in a chilling twist, it happened at the moment that Russia and Poland were beginning to come to terms with the killing of more than 20,000 members of Poland’s elite officer corps in the same place 70 years ago.
“It is a damned place,” former President Aleksander Kwasniewski told TVN24. “It sends shivers down my spine.”
“This is a wound which will be very difficult to heal,” he said.
…
Russian emergency officials said 97 people were killed. They included Poland’s deputy foreign minister and a dozen members of Parliament, the chiefs of the army and the navy, and the president of the national bank. They included Anna Walentynowicz, 80, the former dock worker whose firing in 1980 set off the Solidarity strike that ultimately overthrew Polish Communism, as well as relatives of victims of the massacre that they were on their way to commemorate.
…
While the crash is not likely to substantially change Poland’s relationships with other countries, including its plans to host part of an American missile defense system, it could agitate Poland’s relationship with Russia.Mr. Kaczynski, 60, a pugnacious nationalist who often clashed with Russia, was on his way to Katyn, where members of the Soviet secret police executed Polish officers captured after the Red Army invaded Poland in 1939.
Relations between Warsaw and Moscow have been strained ever since. For half a century, Moscow denied involvement in the killings, blaming the Nazis. But last Wednesday, Mr. Putin took a major step to improve relations by becoming the first Russian or Soviet leader to join Polish officials in commemorating the massacre’s anniversary. He was joined there by Mr. Tusk.
Mr. Kaczynski, seen by the Kremlin as less friendly to Russia, was not invited. Instead, he decided to attend a separate, Polish-organized event on Saturday.
Russia’s leaders, acutely aware of the potential political fallout of the crash, immediately reached out to Poland with condolences. Mr. Putin left Moscow to meet Mr. Tusk at the site of the crash, and President Dmitri A. Medvedev recorded an address to the Polish people, saying, “All Russians share your sorrow and mourning.”
Because this crash resulted in the deaths of other prominent Polish officials (or leadership) well there might be one scramble to see who’ll lead the nation. Of course that’s not to say that there isn’t anyone already there who may prove to be important during this difficult time. Let’s just hope that the Poles will learn something from this and hopefully a disastrous crash like this will never happen again.
When President George W. Bush nominated Henry Paulson to serve as Treasury Secretary, Republicans raised a red flag that Paulson, who, along with his wife, has strong ties to the Democrat party, would not be an honest broker with Republicans.
That seems to have been borne out, with sources inside of Treasury reporting that Paulson briefed Sen. Barack Obama and his campaign advisers on the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailout plan before offering such a briefing to the McCain campaign.
In fact, the McCain campaign had sought a similar briefing several days ago as word spread that a bailout plan was to be unveiled and had been turned down by Paulson’s senior staff.
The next question is: Why was the Obama campaign so keen on getting advanced word about the bailout?
“They have a huge problem with the mortgage and housing market story, and everyone is missing it,” says a Republican political media consultant with ties to the Obama campaign due to the bipartisan nature of the firm he does work with.
“You look at Obama’s economic advisers, the guys he has counted on from day one and who have raised him a ton — and I mean a ton — of money: Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson, both of them are waist to neck deep in the mortgage debacle.”
Both Raines and Johnson have served as CEO of Fannie Mae, with Raines taking over from Johnson. Both are key political and economic advisers to Obama.
Read the whole thing. Via Newsalert!
Oh no! He just had to get in on this presidential election. He was rejected by the Constitution Party but he found someone who would have him.
Alan Keyes is once again challenging Barack Obama for political office.
Mr. Keyes, who has repeatedly failed in his efforts to be elected as president and U.S. senator, has been nominated as the presidential candidate for the America’s Independent Party.
His nomination was announced Wednesday at the party’s first national convention.
Based in Fenton, Mich., America’s Independent Party describes itself as composed of pro-life, pro-family conservatives “who believe that the Republican party, with the pending nomination of John McCain, has abandoned the principles of Ronald Reagan.”
Tom Hoefling, chairman of America’s Independent Party, said his organization will file for Mr. Keyes to be a write-in candidate on the Illinois ballot.
He really wants that rematch only to get himself trounced as per usual. Not that I’m a huge Obama supporter but if there was a race between Obama and Keyes, I’d choose Obama. Keyes will never ever be my choice!
I forgot to mention Keyes was the Republican nominee back in 2004 for US Senate against Obama. That was after Jack Ryan was unceremoniously booted from his spot as the Republican candidate for US Senate to replace retiring Senator Peter Fitzgerald. It could have been a real race but the farce that gave Illinois Republicans Alan Keyes had to be embarrasing!
I did a little round-up this afternoon looking for as much information as I could. Especially whether or not she died or she lived. Unfortunately she’s passed away at 58. More from The Hill.
Blip.tv’s blog has a story about Conley an independent journalist who was detained by Chinese authorities after he was caught documenting pro-Tibet protests.
