Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
Wright or Wrong?
Some prominent African-American Christians dispute the Reverend Jeremiah Wright's claims that criticism of him is an attack on the black church.
Bible church Pastor Kenneth Hutcherson of Seattle tells Cybercast News, "I didn't know Reverend Jeremiah Wright was the sole representative of the black church. He was attacked for what he said, not because he represents the black church."
Episcopal Bishop Council Nedd of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania says, "It appears he's made his career pandering to a certain constituency and it appears his chickens have come home to roost."
And, Mychal Massie of the conservative black think tank Project 21 — who holds theology degrees says, "There is no black church. There is no white church. There's only the Christian church."
Exporting Jobs
Hillary Clinton is blaming the Bush administration for the fate of an Indiana company that was bought by the Chinese government — which then laid off the Indiana employees and moved its defense technology work to China. Clinton ends the story by saying President Bush could have stopped it but didn't.
However, as the McClatchy newspapers points out the sale of that company was actually approved by her husband when he was president. The omission has not gone unnoticed.
Ed Dixon of Valparaiso, Indiana, writes to his local paper, "Hillary Clinton must have been hoping we Hoosiers have short memories."
Fred Sliger of Valparaiso, Indiana, writes, "They would have us believe Bush was behind this sale, when in fact the Clinton administration rubber stamped this along with the sale of numerous other high tech secrets to the Chinese."
The Clinton campaign responded today by saying that while President Clinton approved the company's sale to China, he prohibited the company and its jobs from being moved to China. That part of the deal was approved by the Bush administration eight years later.
Working the System
Ron Paul has been mathematically eliminated from contention in the Republican presidential race, but his supporters are conducting an underground campaign to win influence at both the local and national level.
The Los Angeles Times reports Paul forces last March cleverly used existing rules to elect about a third of the delegates to Missouri's State Republican Convention — which will pick delegates to the national meeting.
And, last weekend in Nevada, Paul supporters used sophisticated communication techniques to get a rules change that could have given them more influence at the national convention in things like the Party platform. Paul supporters also showed up with what was called a blizzard of campaign signs and shouted down the convention chairman. Eventually, the meeting adjourned without electing any delegates.
Growth Plan
We all know about President Bush's stimulus package to pump up the U.S. economy.
But now, the mayor of Lo Prado, Chile, has another kind of stimulus in mind to pump up some of his older voters. The BBC reports Mayor Gonzalo Navarette Munoz is going to distribute free Viagra to men 60 years of age and older. The mayor — who is also a doctor — says he was inspired by complaints from older men about their poor sex lives.
The cost of the program is about $20,000 for the first year, and the mayor says his office will pick up the tab. Critics say it's just a ploy to get the mayor reelected.
— FOX News Channel's Martin Hill contributed to this report.
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