GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - May 14, 2008

DIERSEN: VERY SAD: ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Naperville Sun, and Courier News draw attention to the Birkett story

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES & NAPERVILLE SUN & COURIER NEWS
-- VERY SAD: Birkett's son picked up on drug charge - Bill Bird
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/947738,na14_birkett_s1.article
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/948411,3_1_EL14_A10BIRKETT_S1.article
http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/948822,CST-NWS-birk14.article
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Joe Birkett, a former Republican Party gubernatorial candidate, has been a ferocious prosecutor of narcotics dealers, but also established the county’s Drug Court, which tries to deal more compassionately with young people with drug addictions and similar issues. “I love my son dearly,” Birkett said late Tuesday night by telephone. “My family’s the most important thing in the world to me, and we’ll handle this as a family.” Birkett said emphatically his son was “a guest in someone’s home” and did not own or possess any of the alleged contraband found in the apartment. “Anytime something like this happens, disappointment is what you feel,” Birkett said. “My son’s a good kid.")

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
-- VERY SAD: Joe Birkett's son charged with marijuana possession
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-birketts_son_arrested_bothmay14,0,7857960.story

DAILY HERALD
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Normally, the Daily Herald does everything it can to a) draw attention to problems that candidates, elected officials, and party leaders that it disapproves of have, b) bury problems that candidates, elected officials, and party leaders that it approves of have, and c) demonize conservatism and promote liberalism. The Daily Herald must approve of Birkett because it buried the Birkett story. Outrageously, the Daily Herald continues to cover up Foster's very serious divorce problems.
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=190391
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: VERY SAD: Daily Herald paints those who don't support Obama as being racists
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=190330&src=
-- Hispanics like McCain for same reasons that Democrats fear him - Rueben Navarrette
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=190162
(FROM THE COMMENTARY: For many conservatives, John McCain is not their favorite Republican. They think he's built a career at their expense, painting them as fools and bigots. They resent his holier-than-thou attitude. And they're not inclined to trust anyone who has been so fawned over by the national media. Curiously, a lot of liberal Democrats feel the same way about McCain. He isn't their favorite Republican either -- but it's because they know he'll be tough to beat in November. They would have preferred someone more extreme and easier to demonize. That's not John McCain.)
-- 23rd Senate District: Democrat State Senate hopeful Tom Cullerton knocked off ballot, vows appeal - Jake Griffin
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=190060

ABC7
-- VERY SAD: State's attorney's son cited for pot The son of DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett has been cited for possession of marijuana.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6141101

NBC5
-- VERY SAD: DuPage County Prosecutor's Son Arrested On Drug Charge Police Called To Apartment Building For Smell Of Marijuana
http://www.nbc5.com/news/16258584/detail.html?dl=headlineclick

CBS2
-- VERY SAD: DuPage Co. Top Prosecutor's Son Gets Drug Charges - Dana Kozlov
http://cbs2chicago.com/westsuburbanbureau/drug.charges.birkett.2.723444.html
-- Pastor Who Endorsed McCain Apologizes For Remarks
http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/John.Hagee.televangelist.2.722922.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
-- A guilty Rezko could lead up the food chain Feds clearly poised to go after state's most powerful figures - Mark Brown
http://www.suntimes.com/news/brown/948347,CST-NWS-brown14.article
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Many other Illinois carnivores have been ensnared, but not charged, in this "pay to play" investigation, two of them arguably more important than the governor himself. I speak of the Springfield tag team of businessman William Cellini and lobbyist Robert Kjellander, who have been feasting for decades on Illinois' abundant bounty -- and I'm not talking about corn.)

SOUTHTOWN STAR
-- No joke: It's Jacksons vs. Secret Service FOIA requests to be filed about racially insensitive e-mails - William Lee
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/948436,051408jackson.article

DEKAB DAILY CHRONICLE
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: VERY SAD: DeKalb Daily Chronicle promotes Democrats
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2008/05/13/news/news02.txt

OAK BROOK BUSINESS LEDGER
-- Fixing roads, adding buses among congestion solutions - Editorial
http://www.thebusinessledger.com/Home/Archives/CommentaryViewpoints/tabid/86/newsid415/340/Fixing-roads-adding-buses-among-congestion-solutions/Default.aspx

BELLEVILLE NEWS DEMOCRAT
-- Audit points out "appalling" problems with Medicaid bills - Ryan Keith
http://www.bnd.com/326/story/338699.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: "You ought to make sure that we have a system that actually works before you put more money into it and you try to expand it further," said Sen. Chris Lauzen, R-Aurora.)

ILLINOIS HOUSE REPUBLICAN ORGANIZATION
-- Tom Cross on Fox News Sunday
http://www.ilhro.com/nc/press/view/article/watch-tom-cross-on-fox-news-sunday/ (Video clip)

ANDY MARTIN
-- Corruption fighter Andy Martin announces race for national Republican post
http://www.pr-inside.com/corruption-fighter-andy-martin-announces-race-r587289.htm

CHAMPION NEWS
-- The letter Andy McKenna should've had published in today's Chicago Tribune - John Biver
http://www.championnews.net/article.php?sid=981
(THE ARTICLE: As a service to our fellow rank and file Illinois Republicans, we're helping out our state party chairman with a better version of the letter to the editor he penned that appears here. Time for change in Illinois Illinois Republicans have endured failed leadership at the very top of their party and their state government for many years. The responsibility and power that was entrusted to us continues to be squandered. Last summer, a handful of us went around the state and held meetings we called a "reform tour." It was a silly embarrassment. (You can read more about this series of meetings here and here). One of our favorite anecdotes following one of them - the one held in DuPage County - was that after state representative and long time Republican Party activist Paul Froehlich attended the meeting, he was so impressed with our plan that he decided to join the Democratic Party. One idea we claimed to have heard about from attendees was the voters' desire for a recall Amendment. The theory supporting this notion is that all of the problems in the state are due to Governor Rod Blagojevich. Actually, if we were to admit it, most of the people who make up the Illinois Republican Party's leadership believe that Illinois would be a better place had Judy Baar Topinka been elected in 2006. That way we would already have our enormous income tax increase and our enormous expansion of gambling. Not only would the state contracts and bond deals be rewarding all of our friends and campaign contributors, but those pesky gaming lobbyists would finally be leaving those poor Republican state legislators alone. Of course Rod Blagojevich isn't the problem, and Judy Baar Topinka isn't the answer to anything except the question, "how do we finally destroy the Republican Party in Illinois once and for all?" Recalling Blagojevich will insure the rise of an even stronger Democrat, and the odds are the next Dem to live in the mansion in Springfield will have learned from Rod's mistakes and will find better ways to insure Democratic Party dominance in this state for years to come. As the Antoin "Tony" Rezko trial revealed more allegations of deep corruption in Illinois, we were constantly embarrassed by the fact that Bob Kjellander, Bill Cellini, and Stu Levine are all Republicans. We especially hated that the Rezko trial would've been much more damaging to the Democrat's probable presidential nominee Barack Obama had not high profile Republicans in Illinois been equally involved in the scandal. The ineptitude demonstrated by the leadership of the Illinois Republican Party is exactly what rank and file Republican voters can work to address at the upcoming state party convention in June (learn more here). I admit that the attitude of our party leadership has and continues to be one of arrogance and entitlement. We continue to ignore the wishes of the people and work to protect a culture of corruption. Six years ago, Illinois voters threw Republicans out of office in response to our failed leadership, arrogance and inability to listen to the wishes of the people. Republicans were rightfully held accountable. As party leaders we still aren't listening. It's not all about a recall amendment. It's about corruption and a lack of vision on the part of the leadership. Republicans believe it is time for more openness and transparency in the party so the real work can begin to bring tax and spending reform and greater transparency to state government. We believe it is time for change in Illinois. Accordingly, I hereby resign as Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. Andy McKenna, Former Chairman, Illinois Republican Party, Chicago I hereby give Andy permission to use the text I've drafted for him. And because honesty and repentance should be rewarded, I wish him well in his future endeavors.)
-- Jan Klaas: Another GOP leader who gets it - Doug Ibendahl
http://www.championnews.net/article.php?sid=982

ILLINOIS REVIEW
-- McKenna Misses the Point . . . Again - Tyler Jones
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2008/05/mckenna-misses.html

REPUBLICANS FOR FAIR MEDIA
-- Champion News Editor Shares Views on Illinois Politics: John Biver, In His Own Words - Dan Zanoza
http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2008/05/in-his-own-word.html

PUBLIC AFFAIRS
-- Berkowitz w/Col. Morgenthaler (Illinois 6th CD) on Iran and the Economy
http://jeffberkowitz.blogspot.com/2008/05/way-better-than-west-virginia-obama.html

CAPITOLFAX
-- VERY SAD: Dillard: No regrets about pushing Obama - Rich Miller
http://thecapitolfaxblog.com/2008/05/13/dillard-no-regrets-about-pushing-obama/ (Includes video clip)

TOM ROESER
-- Blago’s Committee Owes Almost a Million to Big Jimbo’s Firm says “Crain’s” Hinz
http://www.tomroeser.com/blogs/blogview.asp?blogID=24571

FOX NEWS
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Bill O'Reilly interviews Sandy Rios and John Kass concerning Obama's connections with Ayers and Dohrn
http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/index.html
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?videoId=291720&sMPlaylistID= (Video clip)

PHILADELPHIA EVENING BULLETIN
-- Obama: The Dangers Of An Unvetted Candidate - Herb Denenberg
http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm?newsid=19686867&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=8

GOPUSA
-- Is Obama Smarter Than A 5th Grade Jaywalker? - Doug Patton
http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/dpatton/2008/dp_05131.shtml

ACCURACY IN MEDIA
-- Professors Against the War on Terror - Bethany Stotts
http://www.aim.org/aim-column/professors-against-the-war-on-terror/

TOWNHALL
-- If On the Wrong Track, Why Go Left? - Dennis Prager
http://dennisprager.townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2008/05/13/if_on_the_wrong_track,_why_go_left
-- The Next Conservatism - Paul Weyrich
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PaulWeyrich/2008/05/12/the_next_conservatism

NEWSMAX
-- Source: Huckabee Tops McCain VP List
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Huckabee_McCain_VP_list/2008/05/13/95611.html?s=al&promo_code=6248-1

HUFFINGTON POST
-- Rebranding Republicans - Robert Borosage
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-l-borosage/rebranding-republicans_b_101499.html

WASHINGTON TIMES
-- Boehner says change agenda belongs to GOP - S.A. Miller and Stephen Dinan
http://washingtontimes.com/article/20080514/NATION/268107916/1002

WASHINGTON POST
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: VERY SAD: Obama supporters paint those who don't support Obama as being racists
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/12/AR2008051203014.html
-- VERY SAD: Democrats Complete Special Election Trifecta - Mississippi Dist. 1, Louisiana Dist. 6, and Illinois Dist. 14 - Ben Pershing
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2008/05/democrats_win_miss_special_ele.html?hpid=topnews

NEW YORK TIMES
-- McCain Backer Hagee Regrets Comments on Catholics - Laurie Goodstein
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/us/politics/14hagee.html?em&ex=1210910400&en=2912e762c2a23b99&ei=5087%0A

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
-- The Reverend Wright Controversy Draws Attention to the United Church of Christ The UCC leadership, embracing controversy, welcomes debate over its liberal stands - Jay Tolson
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2008/05/09/the-reverend-wright-controversy-draws-attention-to-the-united-church-of-christ.html

SUNLIGHT PROJECTS
-- Illinois Lawmakers: 2006 Net Worth
http://fortune535.sunlightprojects.org/state/il/
(FROM THE REPORT: Emanuel-$21,113,000; Biggert-$4,270,540; Johnson-$2,312,520; Lipinski-$1,358,520; Durbin-$1,351,180; Roskam-$1,321,590; Manzullo-$1,234,020; Obama-$799,006; Shimkus-$772,504; Weller-$688,502; Gutierrez-$657,502; Kirk-$496,504; Jackson-$374,508; Davis-$357,004; Costello-$352,008; LaHood-$308,504; Schakowsky-$88,008; Bean-$10,012; Rush-$0; Hare-$-32,501)