Critical of Case vs. Delay

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Not even the editorial writers of The Washington Post, who have no use for Tom DeLay (search), are comfortable with the case against him. The paper said today that it was far from clear that the scheme described in the indictment was "a violation of state law rather than the kind of clever money trade that election lawyers engineer all the time." And it called the law, "an awfully blunt instrument to wield against Mr. DeLay."

And some of Delay's strongest Republican critics seem to be rallying to his side. Colorado GOP maverick Tom Tancredo (search), who earlier this year urged DeLay to step down, called the indictment, "…pretty much a witch hunt."

Golden Opportunity

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco (search) had the chance to answer charges by former FEMA (search) head Michael Brown that her state was "dysfunctional" in handling Hurricane Katrina when she appeared before the Senate Finance Committee to ask for more federal money Wednesday. But the Democratic governor never mentioned her role in the disaster relief effort because she told the committee in advance she didn't want to talk about it. Senators on the committee obligingly agreed not to ask the governor about Louisiana's response to the storm.

Senate Sell-off?

New Jersey Senator and Democratic candidate for governor Jon Corzine (search) followed Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist's lead this week telling financial advisors handling his blind trust to sell all remaining shares of Goldman Sachs (search) — the Wall Street firm where Corzine made millions — after lawyers advised him of a potential conflict of interest.

But trustees were unable to complete the transaction because the shares had already been sold. The AP reports that it's unclear when the transaction was completed since the sale wasn't listed on Corzine's last tax return.

Radio Request

Liberal radio network Air America (search) is now soliciting donations from listeners to help keep the embattled network on the air. Air America management recently repaid an $875,000 loan from a New York Boys & Girls Club, a loan still being investigated by the city of New York.

Now, the network is offering donors who pony up enough dough a selection of Air America bumper stickers, tote bags, or even a personal "thank you" on the air. A spokesperson says listeners demanded the program to help "spread the word" about Air America.