GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - March 5, 2008

BEACON NEWS
-- National committees pump $2 million into local campaigns Succeeding Hastert: Days dwindle, cash flies as election approaches in 14th District - Dan Campana
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/825921,2_1_AU05_14THDIST_S1.article
(THE ARTICLE: National committees supporting 14th Congressional District candidates -- or, perhaps more accurately, attacking the other candidate -- have blown past the $2 million spending mark for the race. As recently as Feb. 27, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee combined had spent $130,000 on Saturday's special election between Democrat Bill Foster and Republican Jim Oberweis. But that was before a flurry of money went into TV ads, campaign mailers and phone banks and pushed the tab over the $2 million mark as of Tuesday. Respectively, the RNCC has put just over $1.2 million into the race to succeed former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, while DCCC spending is around $970,000. On Tuesday alone, the latter dropped $346,000 on TV ad time and mail pieces for Foster's campaign. Recent ads have taken an aggressive tone, with DCCC trotting out cartoon cows to attack Oberweis' policy, and NRCC using a one-sentence snippet as the hinge of its argument about Foster's approach to problem solving. The committees work in support of, but are not endorsed by or coordinated with, the Foster and Oberweis campaigns. That leaves both camps essentially unaware of commercial and mail content until it reaches the general public. "We know from experience that there is a segment of the population that is less than thrilled when Campaign A says something about Campaign B that they believe to be quote-unquote negative," Oberweis spokesman Bill Pascoe said. "Since all campaigns want all voters to love them, all campaigns would prefer that any negative messaging be done by some other entity." But he called the idea that laws prevent him from approving ads for his own candidate "troublesome," saying, "Anybody running a campaign at any level would prefer to have total control of the message." Saying he wouldn't call the ads a distraction, Foster spokesman Andrew Dupuy said, "We don't have any control. They don't change our fundamental message of change." Committee money aside, the candidates themselves have had a strong fundraising week. Each has raised roughly $131,000 since Feb. 26. Foster also kicked in another $187,500 of his own money toward the special election.)
-- Let's moooove on and leave the poor cows alone - Denise Crosby
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/825909,2_1_AU05_DENISE_S1.article

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
-- Obama is featured in Foster's latest ad 2 sides spending heavily in race for Hastert's seat - James Kimberly
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-14thdistrict-obamamar05,1,7088560.story
(THE ARTICLE: With a special election looming Saturday and national Republicans spending more than $1.1 million to defeat him, Democrat Bill Foster on Tuesday touted the endorsement of popular Illinois Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. In a 30-second TV commercial that began airing on Chicago stations Tuesday, Obama said he is endorsing Foster over Republican Jim Oberweis in the 14th Congressional District race "because [Foster] represents the change we need." "You may think you have to wait until November to vote for change, but here in Illinois you can start Saturday, March 8. That's when you can vote to send Bill Foster to Congress," Obama tells voters in the ad. The Foster campaign announced the existence of the endorsement Feb. 14 but did not air the ad until this week, presumably to give the Democrat a bump going into Saturday's election. The commercial will have plenty of competition for voters' attention. Both Foster, 52, of Geneva, and Oberweis, 61, of Sugar Grove are successful businessmen who are spending millions on their campaigns to replace retired House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Much of the money is going to expensive TV ads. The independent expenditure committees of both national parties also are spending heavily on the race. The National Republican Congressional Committee has spent more than $1.1 million in the last week on the race, most of it on commercials attacking Foster, according to recent filings with the Federal Election Commission. The Democratic Congressional Committee has spent $600,000 on the race in the last week, and Foster's campaign also is benefiting from TV commercials paid for by the Service Employees International Union. The independent expenditure funds are in addition to the money being spent by the candidates. According to recent FEC filings, Foster has lent his campaign fund $1.8 million so far. Oberweis has lent his $2.3 million. Like the national parties, the money is going to TV ads. The race was not expected to be so competitive. The 14th Congressional District—which includes Kane and Kendall Counties and parts of six others, including DuPage and DeKalb—has long been a Republican stronghold. The district re-elected Hastert with 60 percent of the vote in 2006, and President Bush won 55 percent of the vote there in 2004. Oberweis also enjoyed the endorsements of Hastert as well as several other prominent Republicans, including presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar and former Illinois Sen. Peter Fitzgerald. When Hastert resigned from the congressional seat in November, the non-partisan Cook Political Report ranked the race as likely Republican. Last week, it changed that rating to leaning Republican. On Tuesday, it changed the rating again to a toss-up. "Oberweis has been a high-defined candidate ever since his [previous] campaigns," said David Wasserman, house editor for the Cook Political Report. Oberweis ran for U.S. Senate in 2002 and 2004 and for governor in 2006.)
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: BEYOND OUTRAGEOUS: Proposal moves forward to spend $1.36 million of the DuPage County tax hike to attract more people to DuPage County who have severe health and other problems
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-duhealth_0305mar05,1,3257338.story

NBC5
-- Tribune Endorses Democrat Foster In Tight Congressional Race Oberweis, Foster Unleash Torrent Of Ads In Bid To Replace Hastert - Mary Ann Ahern
http://www.nbc5.com/politics/15491887/detail.html (Includes video clip)
(THE ARTICLE: The race in the strong Republican district is too close to call, NBC5's political reporter Mary Ann Ahern reported. The election will be held on Saturday, which is the first time in Illinois an election will be held on that particular day. Both Foster, a former physicist at Fermilab, and his Republican opponent, businessman Jim Oberweis, have blanketed the airwaves with advertising, Ahern reported. On Tuesday, Foster held up the Tribune for reporters with Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-9th) by his side. The paper said Oberweis saw public office as "an opportunity to pick a fight." "Nothing could be further from the truth," Oberweis said. "I think I've demonstrated throughout my career an ability to bring people together." Foster also unveiled a new television advertisement, Ahern reported, banking that the popularity of leading Democratic presidential candidate, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, will make a difference. "This sort of endorsement from Sen. Obama is the sort of positive message that I think naturally is the message that our campaign has brought with it," Foster said. "Certainly in the primary, and certainly the way that I will behave as a congressman." "You have to see this advertisement only once to know that Sen. Obama and I are on the same page about what's needed to change this country." Oberweis said Foster was using the advertisement to avoid discussing the issues. "He (Foster) doesn't want to talk about the issues," Oberweis said. "He wants to talk about -- and hide behind -- those types of ads." Oberweis also unveiled a hard-hitting advertisement, Ahern reported, using testimonials from voters. The special election was called to finish out Hastert's term, Ahern reported, with both the Democrats and Republicans spending a lot of money on ads. While some Republicans were worried that the party could lose the seat, with at least one Washington pollster saying late on Tuesday that the race was too close to call. Oberweis, who was trying for the fourth time for public office, disagreed. "I'm cautiously optimistic," Oberweis said. "All of our polling has shown me with a lead. Not as big a lead as I'd like to see, but certainly a lead." Ahern reported that Gov. Rod Blagojevich picked the election date, which is considered to be an experiment. Whoever wins Saturday's election will finish out Hastert's term until January. Either way, Oberweis and Foster will run against each other in the November election to see who will serve a full two-year term. "We need to change the way we do business in Washington," Foster said. "I'm the candidate who can fight for change in Washington, D.C.")

POLITICO
-- 14th Congressional District election could be test case - Josh Kraushaar
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/8833.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Foster’s Republican opponent, Jim Oberweis, is a household name throughout the state as owner of a popular dairy chain. He also has been a fixture in Illinois Republican politics in recent years, having run three unsuccessful campaigns for statewide elective office — losing in two Senate primaries and a 2006 gubernatorial primary. Oberweis defeated state Sen. Chris Lauzen last month in an acrimonious Republican primary, where both candidates questioned each other’s integrity. The bad blood has continued on to the general election, as Lauzen has not endorsed his opponent. Being such a well-defined figure has been Oberweis’ Achilles heel throughout the campaign. The Chicago Tribune endorsed Foster in an editorial Tuesday, saying Oberweis’ “campaign style has consistently been nasty, smug, condescending ... and dishonest.” “Oberweis’ baggage from previous races is why Republicans are so concerned about this race,” said Cook Political Report House analyst David Wasserman. The special election campaign has largely been fought on the Chicago airwaves, where both candidates and the House campaign committees have spent lavishly on expensive television spots. The National Republican Congressional Committee has spent $1.18 million in the special election — nearly one-fifth of its cash on hand — on this race alone. Its ad accuses Foster of supporting a litany of liberal positions, including “government-run health care” and citizenship for illegal immigrants. “He supports raising taxes on Illinois families and cutting off funding for our troops,” the ad continues. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has spent more than $623,000 in the race, is airing a new advertisement that attacks Oberweis for employing illegal immigrants and his investment firm for “investing nearly $1 billion in Chinese companies.” “Should we trust Jim Oberweis?” the ad concludes, featuring a cow mooing “no.” Oberweis denies the charges. The race also may give an early signal of the eventual coattails of each party’s presidential nominee, as leading candidates have taken time off from the trail to support Foster and Oberweis. The Foster campaign began airing a commercial Tuesday featuring Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). In the ad, Obama argues that Foster “represents the change we need.” “You may think you have to wait until November to vote for change. But here in Illinois, you can start Saturday, March 8,” Obama said in the advertisement. Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) appeared alongside Oberweis last month before hosting a fundraiser that netted the Oberweis campaign nearly $257,000. Oberweis is counting on McCain’s appeal among independent voters, who have been growing in number within the district. “Sen. McCain is a Republican who speaks to independents. He’s a guy who actually has delivered change in Washington, the kind of change that Barack Obama is always talking about,” said Oberweis spokesman Bill Pascoe. “That event raised enough money to pay for a week’s worth of advertising in the campaign, and we’re very appreciative.” Polling in the district suggests the race is neck and neck and will likely hinge on which party is best-equipped to bring out voters in a Saturday election where turnout is expected to be low. Illinois has never held an election on a Saturday before. “The higher the turnout, the better it is for us,” said Bowen. “We see no evidence this year that Republicans who don’t typically vote are excited by their candidate.” The Foster campaign released polling two weeks ago showing him leading Oberweis by a 45 percent to 41 percent margin. More recent Republican polling has shown Oberweis with a narrow advantage. Both candidates will be facing off again in a November rematch for the full term.)

DAILY HERALD
-- Obama lends support to Foster - Joseph Ryan
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=147235&src=5
(THE ARTICLE: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is lending his celebrity to Bill Foster's heavily contested congressional run in the far west suburbs. Illinois' junior senator from Chicago cut a political ad for the Geneva physicist a few weeks ago and it started running on broadcast and cable channels Tuesday. The warm ad will be a respite for voters in a heated race that has drawn millions of dollars in negative ads from both sides. In the ad, Obama tells voters that Foster "represents the change we need." Republican Jim Oberweis, a Sugar Grove dairy magnate, and Foster face off for the former seat of U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert, the longest serving House Republican speaker, in a special district election Saturday. Oberweis spokesman Bill Pascoe said Obama's touting of non-attack politics doesn't fit with Foster's negative campaign advertising. He also said the ad will not sway district voters. "Barack Obama is not on the ballot," Pascoe said. National Democratic organizations have targeted the race, attempting to turn the GOP-leaning region blue. Labor groups and national Republican organizations have also joined the fray, blanketing the expansive 14th Congressional District with mailers, fliers and canvassers. Foster's camp hopes the Obama ad will woo independent voters to their side. "Voters are looking for something new this year," said Foster campaign manager Thomas Bowen. For a Republican-leaning district, Obama is certainly popular. He took 25,810 votes Feb. 5 while Republican John McCain got 20,794 in Kane County, where about 60 percent of the district's voters reside.)
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Daily Herald blasts Blagojevich for not doing a better job of advancing socialism
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=147142&src=
-- Ramey proposal would protect Cabela's in gun flap - Amber Krosel
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=147275&src=109
-- Hastert may push for construction plan - John Patterson
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=147274&src=109
-- Abortion bill creates new standoff in Illinois Legislature - AP
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=146963&src=109
-- OUTSTANDING: Cole Hall demolition 'off the table'? - John Patterson
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=146736&src=5
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: VERY SAD: William S. Hicks of Carpentersville a) demonizes Oberweis and everyone who voted for Oberweis and b) argues that Foster has a "soft-spoken, positive approach"
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=146961&src=
(THE LETTER: Softer Foster tone what district needs - William S. Hicks, Carpentersville There are plenty of reasons for 14th District voters to be skeptical about Jim Oberweis. His stated policies on illegal immigration pander to xenophobes and bigots rather than seeking realistic and humane solutions. His calls for more tax cuts despite hundreds of billions of dollars in war debt and trillions in unfunded Social Security and Medicare liabilities are hollow and irresponsible. And his willingness to make a virtually unqualified and open-ended commitment to the war in Iraq represents neither the national interest nor the wishes of most Americans. During the primary season, the Oberweis campaign launched a series of vicious and unprincipled attacks on fellow Republican Chris Lauzen. This style of campaigning speaks loudly about the candidate's character and the attitudes he would bring to the U.S. House of Representatives. At a time when this nation longs for statesmanship and leaders who can build consensus to solve the endless stream of crises that we face, we cannot afford to have another inflexible and polarizing voice in Washington. Party affiliation is irrelevant if the individual we send cannot work across the aisle in a respectful and collegial manner. Fortunately, in Democrat Bill Foster we have an alternative that represents a moderate and reasoned approach more appropriate for these troubled times. Foster's experience as a successful businessman and respected scientist certainly qualifies him intellectually, but his soft-spoken, positive approach will help to set a different tone in Washington.)

CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS
-- Race for Hastert seat 'too close to call' - Paul Merrion
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=28454
(THE ARTICLE: The hotly contested race for the far west suburban seat of retired House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Plano, is getting even hotter, says an influential non-partisan political analyst. The Cook Political Report, an online newsletter originating in the nation’s capital, last week shifted its rating of the race between Republican James Oberweis and Democrat Bill Foster from “likely Republican” to “leans Republican.” But that could change on Thursday when the report issues its weekly analysis of the most competitive House races. The special election to fill the remainder of Mr. Hastert’s term is Saturday. “Oberweis’ advantages are diminishing in this race and those calculations could change by Election Day,” says David Wasserman, editor of the report’s analysis of House races. Both national parties’ campaign arms are spending hundreds of thousands on television ads, but Republicans are believed to have spent far more, well over $850,000 in a race seen as must-win for Republicans in the traditionally GOP district. Mr. Oberweis is the more politically experienced of the two, having run for statewide office before. But Mr. Foster was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune, and presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., taped a TV ad for the former Fermilab physicist. “They are neck and neck,” Mr. Wasserman says. “This race is too close to call. Oberweis is not enjoying the same sort of momentum that Foster has right now.”)

KANE COUNTY CHRONICLE
-- Officials brace for costs of 14th Congressional District election - Kate Thayer and Kate Schott
http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2008/03/05/news/local/doc47ce81ec9fc56812844123.txt
(THE ARTICLE: GENEVA – While Saturday’s special election will help determine who will represent the interests of the 14th Congressional District for the next 10 months in Washington, D.C., it’s causing headaches in – and potentially affecting the bottom line of – the counties that have to put on the election. The election was triggered when Rep. Dennis Hastert retired late last year. A special primary was held Feb. 8, and the special general election will be Saturday. It will cost Kane County $493,000 to $500,000, along with logistical headaches, Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham said. And because the election is on a Saturday, nine polling places in Kane County had to move, and more than 1,000 election judges, along with janitors and other employees, must report to work, Cunningham said. In November, just after Hastert’s retirement, Cunningham estimated that the special election would cost Kane County between $400,000 and $800,000. For all eight counties that fall partly or completely in the district, Cunningham estimated the cost at between $1 million and $2 million. One challenge for the candidates is getting the word out that residents can cast a ballot on a Saturday. Republican candidate Jim Oberweis said his campaign strategy didn’t change, except that he scheduled more public appearances and other campaigning before March 8. Democratic candidate Bill Foster said his campaign was working to educate voters about the unusual election day as well. He also said it would be an “interesting experiment” to see what voter turnout is on a Saturday. Many people work on typical election days on Tuesdays, and more might have time on a weekend, he said. Cunningham estimated that turnout would be minimal, given the unique circumstances, breaking from the routine of most elections. “There’s only one issue on the ballot,” he said. To get the word out, Cunningham said he was relying on the news media along with signs outside early voting locations. “We need all the help we can get,” he said.)

WBBM780
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Regine Schlesinger promotes Obama ad for Foster
http://www.wbbm780.com/Foster-Hopes-Obama-Endorsement-Key-To-In-14th-Dist/1764064
(THE ARTICLE: Obama Endorsement Could Be Key In 14th District Race - Regine Schlesinger The Democrat in Saturday's special election to fill the congressional seat of former House Speaker Denny Hastert hopes Barack Obama's popularity will boost his chances in the 14th district race. WBBM's Regine Schlesinger reports Bill Foster is airing a new campaign commercial with Obama endorsing him. In the spot, Senator Obama says voters in the west suburban 14th district don't have to wait until November to vote for change. He says they can do it this Saturday when they go to the polls to elect Hastert's successor. But, will Obama's appeal be so strong in a heavily Republican district? Foster thinks so. He says the district has voted traditionally Republican because they like Hastert but, he says they're fed up with the Bush Administration and are looking for change. Foster's fellow Democrat, Representative Jan Schakowsky of the 9th district, says today's endorsement of Foster by the Chicago Tribune reflects the mood of the voters in the race between Foster and Republican Jim Oberweis.)

THE HILL
-- Obama cuts ad in Illinois House race - Sam Youngman
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-cuts-ad-in-illinois-house-race-2008-03-04.html
(THE ARTICLE: Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is hoping to share some of his popularity in Illinois, cutting an ad for a Democratic congressional candidate just days away from a special election there. Obama, locked in a battle for the Democratic presidential nomination, stars in an ad on behalf of Democrat Bill Foster, who is running for former House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s (R-Ill.) seat. Foster is in a tight race with Republican nominee Jim Oberweis, and voters will go to the polls Saturday to decide who gets to finish out the recently retired Hastert’s term. The two candidates will then face off again in November. Foster also won the endorsement Tuesday of the Chicago Tribune. According to a statement, Foster unveiled the ad with Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), and it is slated to run on Illinois stations “indefinitely.” “Like Barack Obama, I’ll work to end politics-as-usual in Congress,” Foster said in a statement. “The people of Illinois’s 14th district are hungry for change, and I’ll join Sen. Obama in Washington to bring about that change.” In the ad, Obama speaks directly to the camera and says voters don’t “have to wait until November to vote for change.” Obama continues: “Here in Illinois, you can start Saturday, March 8. That’s when you can vote to send Bill Foster to Congress.” Obama cruised in Illinois’s Super Tuesday primary Feb. 5, winning about 65 percent of the vote to rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (N.Y.) 33 percent.)

MAJORITY ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT
-- Court records claim Democrat Foster abused wife - Michael Brady
http://majorityap.com/court_records_dispute_foster_s_campaign_claims
(THE ARTICLE: CONFLICTING CLAIMS - Illinois millionaire Bill Foster claims on his campaign website that he and his ex-wife stayed on "good terms." Court records show that while they were married, she accused him of abuse, and held her "hostage" after their divorce. Portraying a warm and fuzzy family image is nothing new for politicians seeking to curry favor with voters. But Illinois Democrat Bill Foster, seeking election to Congress in the district once held by former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, has taken things a step further – boasting on his campaign website of the amicable relationship he enjoys with his ex-wife, who divorced him in 1996. “Bill and Ann are both very proud of remaining on good terms and making things as easy as possible for their kids,” Foster wrote on his candidate biography. But according to Illinois court records obtained by the Majority Accountability Project (http://www.majorityap.com/), the Foster’s were far from being “on good terms” during their testy divorce proceedings. In fact, in a motion filed in Circuit Court in Kane County, his then-wife Ann claimed Foster “pushed, shoved and caused physical abuse and emotional harm…putting her in fear for herself (and the couple’s) minor children.” Ann Foster asked the court to remove her husband from the home they shared, and that the court “issue a temporary restraining order against (Bill Foster) from calling, harassing or touching (Ann Foster).” Equally troubling is Foster’s claim that “Bill and Ann agreed to live within a few blocks of each other in Batavia.” Court records indicate Ann Foster’s decision to live near her soon-to-be ex-husband was not voluntary. A provision of the couple’s divorce settlement stipulated that if Ann Foster moved outside of the Batavia School district prior to their daughter’s eighteenth birthday, “wife shall pay to husband the sum of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000).” Circuit Court Judge Keith Brown, who presided over the couple’s divorce, seemed stunned. “I have never seen a provision as this, such as $50,000 payment if someone moves out of the school district,” he said in a transcript obtained by majorityap.com. “I’m not sure if that’s – let’s say when that day comes, the enforceability of that provision would be an issue.” The judge said of Bill Foster that “it almost sounds, on the initial surface, as if you are holding someone hostage to stay within any school district, which is not in the law of the State of Illinois.” There is some evidence the Foster's once acrimonious relationship has improved. Ann Foster has since moved from the Batavia School district, and now draws a paycheck from her ex-husband. According to Foster’s campaign website, she “works as a software engineer for Bill's company in Wisconsin.”)

FOSTER DIVORCE PAPERS
http://wikileaks.cx/leak/bill-foster-divorce-documents.pdf

OBAMA CAMPAIGN
-- VERY SAD: Obama TV ad for Bill Foster - Sam Graham-Felsen
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gGgBVj (Includes video clip)
(FROM THE POSTING: In the 14th Congressional District of Illinois, there is a special election on March 8th to fill the seat left vacant by former Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert. Barack Obama has endorsed Democrat Bill Foster, a scientist and businessman from Geneva, Illinois. Read more about Bill Foster and watch Barack's endorsement ad below.)

MEDILL REPORTS
-- NIU students likely to pick vacation over voting - Rob Runyan
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=80359
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: The Republican Party exists to advance its platform. The Republican Party's platform is conservative. Very sadly, Radogno blames her problems and the Republican Party's problems on "social conservatives"
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=80043

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
-- OUTSTANDING: Repeal of act requiring students to report their HIV status defeated - Meagan Sexton
http://www.sj-r.com/News/stories/26373.asp

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: VERY SAD: Sun-Times General Assignment Reporter Rummana Hussain blames her problems on discrimination against Muslim women, promotes the name "Hussein," and demonizes those who disagrees with her as being bigots
http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/825571,CST-EDT-open05.article

NAPERVILLE SUN
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: VERY SAD: Naperville Sun promotes DuPage County Democrat Party convention
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/825327,6_1_NA05_DEMS_S1.article

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
-- Grand Old Party High spirits and low expectations at CPAC - Michael Brendan Dougherty
http://www.amconmag.com/2008/2008_02_25/article.html

REPUBLICANS FOR FAIR MEDIA
-- Was Attack on Illinois Conservative GOP Base a Forerunner of National Effort to Shift Power in Republican Party? - Daniel T. Zanoza
http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2008/03/values-voters-a.html

PUBLIC AFFAIRS
-- U. S. Senate Candidate Sauerberg on Immigration, Free Trade and School Choice - Jeff Berkowitz
http://jeffberkowitz.blogspot.com/2008/03/better-than-election-returns-u-s-senate.html

CHAMPION NEWS
-- HB750: Another year older and deeper in malarkey
http://www.championnews.net/article.php?sid=836
-- HB750, Funding, and The Money Myth
http://www.championnews.net/article.php?sid=507

MARCH 15 ELMHURST ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: ENTRIES INCLUDE: Addison Township, Yolanda Campuzano, Redick/Cantore, Paul Fichtner, Bob Grogan, Chris Kachiroubas, Marhsa Murphy, Carole Pankau, Donald Puchalski, Dennis Reboletti, Peter Roskam, and York Township
http://www.elmhurststpatsparade.com/entries.html