Marine Corps Sgt. Liam Madden of Rockingham is seriously sticking his neck out by speaking out against the war, and trying to protect himself by invoking whistleblower protection. From Christian at the Vermont Guardian:

“The real grievances are if democracy is our goal than I believe we are going about it all wrong. The occupation is perpetuating more violence and I think it is the biggest de-stabilizing thing we can do to the Middle East. It’s costing way too many human lives — Iraqi civilians and American service member lives — and brings us no benefits,” Madden said. “The only people who benefit in my eyes are corporations like Halliburton. I don’t think that the war is being paid for in the right manner, and I think that if people want to
support the troops then they should support us coming home.”

Madden serves in the U.S. Marine Corps and is stationed in Quantico,

This is a brave, honorable Marine, who is doing his state, his country and the corps proud, as far as I’m concerned. To date, nearly 350 servicemen and women have joined Madden in filing an appeal of redress on the issue. And the number is growing.

Vermont taxpayer funded GOP propoganda is back on the air. Barre’s WSNO (right wing talk radio) was down for a bit, but sadly returned yesterday during the Sean Hannity Show broadcast. As we previously reported, one of the sponsors of the Sean Hannity Show is the Barre Technical Center. That means tax money from the area school districts that send students there, as well as statewide via the Education Fund. Nice, huh?

Did Martha Rainville harass supporters of Peter Welch in Franklin County because they happened to share her last name and held an event for Welch? That’s what Philip is reporting. Pretty damn pathetic and petty, if true.

( – promoted by odum)

This is it people. If you’re not signed up for a lit drop, visibility, get-out-the-vote or canvass shift, you better have a really good reason (such as you’re immobile due to health reasons or are out of the country for the next week-and-a-half).

I haven’t talked about the local races nearly as much as I wanted to, because I have only limited time for this blogging thing, and there has been so much to get to. So belatedly, I’m going to try to make amends.

A lot of good Dem candidates in local House and Senate races are facing tough challenges. Many are right on the edge in campaigns that could go either way. Now I wouldn’t presume to say that any campaigns are more important than any others, but the following folks are really riding the edge of victory/defeat, and when you consider how to spend your volunteer time in the final push, keep these folks in the front of your mind when deciding how to allot your time. I’ve included contact numbers you can call to offer your help (all on the flip)

Diane Lanpher (Addison-3: Addison, Ferrisburgh, Panton, Vergennes, Waltham) 877-2230. This is a crazy crazy race we’ve covered here before, and with a none-too-progressive Progressive in the mix, it’s truly wide open. Some butt-busting could make the difference.

Chris Bray (Addison-5: Bridport, New Haven, Weybridge) 453-3444. This district totally should be ours.

Kristy Spengler and Bud Meyers (Chitenden 7-2: Colchester), 864-6567 and 879-3360 respectively.

Gary Gilbert (Franklin-1: Fairfax, Georgia) 849-6333.

Peter Peltz, Shap Smith {Lamoille-Washington-1: Worcester, Woodbury, Elmore, Morrisville), 472-6524 and 888-9214 respectively.

Mitch Pearl (Rutland-7: Brandon) 247-8175. Come on…how cool would it be to take Joe Acinapura’s seat?

Paul Poirier (Washington 3-1: Barre City) 476-7870. One time Dem superstar Paul Poirier attempts a comeback in a city that has a hard time letting go of the civil union battle. This one is a true mystery. Valliere could win in a rout. Poirier could win in a rout. It could be a squeaker. Who the hell knows?

John Moran (Windham-Bennington-1: Dover, Readsboro, Searsburg, Somerset, Stamford, Wardsboro) 896-9408. A former county chair, John’s tried this in the past unsuccessfully, but word is he’s running a much stronger campaign than ever before.

Tom Buchanan (Windham-Bennington-Windsor-1:Jamaica, Londonderry, Stratton, Weston, Winhall) 824-4248.

Rep. Kathy Pellett (Windsor 1-1: Andover, Baltimore, Chester, Springfield) 875-1372. A tough, tough re-election fight in a very important district.

Mark Mitchell (Windsor 6-1: Barnard, Hartford, Pomfret) 234-9188.

Hilda Ojibway (Windsor 6-2: Hartford) 296-2669. Hilda is trying to replace retiring Rep. Lynn Bohi. This is a swing district if ever there was one, but Lynn took it (and took it back after losing it) with pure hard work and smart campaigning. There are no corners than can be cut in this district.

Rep. Rozo McLaughlin (Windsor-Orange-1:). Rozo is dealing with serious illness. She’s also one of the toughest people you’ll ever meet, still, she needs help with the visibility and footwork that she can’t do right now. Contact Linda Weiss at 439-5280 to help out.

…and frequent GMD contributor Ed Weissman (Bennington-Rutland-1 : Dorset, Danby, Mt. Tabor, Peru, Landgrove), 867-0269, is facing a serious challenge in trying to wrest this district out of GOP hands. Give him a hand.

Senators Sara Kittell (827-3274) & Don Collins (868-7975) in Franklin County. This one will alwys be tough, but with Alan Parent dumping in unprecedented amounts of money into advertising (TV, even), this is tougher than usual.

Sen. Susan Bartlett (888-5591) in Lamoille – although she won handily last time, that was likely n anomaly. This is another perpetual battleground county, and there is nobody in the state that the Jims (Barnett and Douglas) want to take out more.

And in Rutland County, both Bill Carris (438-5391) and Hope Blucher (779-2246) have real shots (and wouldn’t it be nice to take out Wendy Wilton?).

In my home county of Washington, even though Democratic Senator Ann Cummings should be re-elected handily, the conventional wisdom is generally that Republicans Doyle and Scott are undefeatable, but the fact is that the numbers don’t bear that out. Former Republican Attorney General Kim Cheney (223-3181) always cuts it painfully close, and former Plainfield State Rep. Donny Osman (479-0819, or leave a note here for JD) is running an energetic and innovative campaign. If there’s going to be a surprise Dem pickup, it could happen right here.

I left out a bunch. Jump in and tell me who I should’ve included on the list. But most importantly, make some time for these folks in the next week-and-a-half. Let’s see about veto-proofing that majority in the event of a Douglas re-election.

On the heels of the Brattleboro Reformer’s spineless endorsement of Jim Douglas (that also took needless, unreasonable shots at Scudder Parker), which was presented to us in order to bump up their transcendent, independent thinking cred in the face of their expected, multiple Dem endorsements, the Reformer is trying to get their progressive readership to just forget about it and move on with today’s compensation piece.

Although I must admit, they hit it outta the park:

Clinton hoped for unity. He never got it. Instead, Americans never found out the truth about the extent of cooperation between the U.S. and Iran and Iraq in the 1980s. If that information got out, it’s doubtful George W. Bush would have ever become president.

Truth matters. History matters. Accountability matters. Setting the record straight is important. Sadly, it appears the Democratic Party is prepared to make the same mistake today that Clinton made in 1993.

Below the fold for the rest of their point. And then return to the above link to read the whole piece. It should be required reading.

Republicans are fearful that if the Democrats retake control of one or both chambers of Congress, they will have subpoena power. They will have the power to fully investigate the Bush administration on many fronts, including the decision that led to the invasion of Iraq.

But the centrists in the Democratic Party don’t want to do this. They are afraid that members of the so-called “angry left” will be so bent on impeaching President Bush that they will destroy the Democrats’ credibility.

This is nonsense. If the centrists think that this time, the Republicans will play nice, it’s not going to happen. If the Republicans in Congress do find themselves in the minority come November, they will obstruct, attack and offer zero cooperation to Democrats.

Instead of pretending that trading away a search for the truth will yield some potential political advantage later, the Democrats need to let Americans know how the Bush administration misled the nation to war in Iraq. They need to let Americans know about the corruption and incompetence that has infected every level of the federal government. They need to hold the ruling party accountable for every misdeed.

This isn’t about partisan politics. It is about the most important commodity in a democracy — truth.

All of a sudden it’s Lite Gov-Lite Gov-Lite Gov everywhere you look. Freyne’s column leads with the race, Philip has set the week aside for Dubie-trouncing, and Matt Dunne is in the headlines.

There are several elements converging to create a perfect storm heading for the Doobster:

• Positive polls for the US Representative race are making Democrats feel more cautiously confident, and that optimism is electorally cross-pollenating.
• The Parker campaign is energizing the grassroots, and the Dunne field operation is well situated to plug into that energy.
• The debates have finally begun, and Dubie was right to be scared to face Dunne – in addition, his obvious fear has itself become an issue.
• Staff turnover in Dunne-land, where former Vermonters First blogger and veteran of the first Schweitzer campaign in Montana Adam Quinn is now steering the ship. I’ve worked with Adam, and his first impulse is to be very aggressive – an impulse he very much held in check while on the Clavelle campaign. Don’t expect him to hold back after that experience, especially with only a week-and-a-half to go.

Meanwhile, Dubie – up to this point widely assumed to be cruising to an easy victory – has approvals only in the low 40s, and his flaccid re-election campaign, which has been dominated by his hide-from-Dunne-whenever-possible strategy, is perhaps best summed up by this screenshot from his campaign website (below the fold):

No news stories. No supporters. No interest. Just a single, throwaway “vote for me ’cause I’m already here” press release message. In a combination of laziness, overconfident hubris and fear of engaging on the issues, the Dubie operation is barely even phoning it in.

And lest you think I’m just being Mr. Pep Rally, consider this report from Darren Allen only yesterday that suggests the wave is breaking:

An internal poll conducted on behalf of Democratic Lite Guv candidate Matt Dunne showed that the GOP incumbent, Brian Dubie, is not holding ground.

The poll, conducted within recent days, shows that Dubie still has a comfortable 15 point lead over Dunne. But going beyond that, Dubie failed to garner the support of 50 percent of those polled.

Dubie polled 44 percent, Dunne 29 percent and Prog Marvin Malek 4 percent, leaving nearly a quarter fo the electorate undecided.

Allen adds that we’re about to see some of the money Dunne has raised in the form of an ad blitz in the waning days of the campaign season.

Of course, nobody’s doing any polling to back up these internal campaign reports, but anecdotally at least, the momentum seems consistent with what we’ve all been witnessing. The question lingering is whether or not the breaking wave has time to make it to the beach before Election Day, now a matter of days away.

Dunne’s campaign has sleeper victory written all over it. Get involved:

Contribute.
Volunteer.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) reminds us what many “enlightened” Republicans – as well as many live-and-let-live Independents who tend to lean to GOP candidates – would find it convenient to forget; that the one-party rule in Washington is moving us rapidly back to the outright re-criminalization of homosexuality. And that this is a goal that could come to fruition (enabled by spineless, hypocritical gay Republicans) in the next two years if there isn’t a change of power in congress.

Think it’s hyperbole? Just listen to the clip below from Bill Maher’s show as Frank makes mincemeat of GOP mouthpiece Stephen Moore (thanks to Bill in Portland Maine and Firedoglake).

[This is my second column for the Vermont Journal that appeared last week. I’m still getting the hang of this print medium thing, frankly, and this one kinda blew. The one coming out this Wednesday is a bit better… I’m working on it.]

Two years ago, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Peter Clavelle was taken to task by the media for attempting to draw connections between Governor Jim Douglas and the already widely unpopular (in Vermont, anyway) administration of President Bush. Burlington’s True Majority organization crystallized the argument with the “Jim=George” lawn signs that popped up here and there across central Vermont.

Many considered this line of attack to be part of the reason for Clavelle’s electoral pummeling, but when you hear current Democratic candidate Scudder Parker making the same connections, you aren’t hearing the same dismissive response from Vermont’s fourth estate.

To an extent, it’s because many in the state approach elections this year as one big circus show with several rings. There’s Bernie vs. Tarrant over in that corner, Dubie vs. Dunne across the way, and our local state House and Senate candidates scattered about – but all still under one big top. It was inevitable, therefore, that with the high profile race for US Representative, the Bush factor would be brought into the general arena in a way that it wasn’t two years ago.

But it’s more than that. If it weren’t, Parker’s criticisms of Douglas’s Bush connections (he was Bush’s Vermont re-election campaign chairman in 2004) wouldn’t be resonating at all.

The fact is that national politics are on everyone’s mind in a way that they weren’t two years ago. With Iraq falling into Civil War, terrorism a greater threat than it was on 9/11, and corruption and moral hypocrisy reaching never before seen levels in Washington, it’s hard not to be thinking about the state of our union.

Iraq in particular has become an electoral catalyst. With 64% of Americans firmly against it now (and no doubt even more dramatic numbers in Vermont), the war is effecting people’s local electoral decision making in two ways.

First, it is causing eyebrows to rise at any direct connection to Bush and the Washington Republicans. Martha Rainville’s campaign has been one steady defensive attempt to create distance from this crowd, but her financial and institutional connections run too deep for her to convincingly cast herself as an independent operator.

It’s also no coincidence that the battle for Governor only caught fire when Douglas foolishly used his connections to the Washington GOP in a very public way to kill the Wilderness bill, and in doing so cast himself in opposition to Senator Leahy, Senator Jeffords, and Congressman Sanders – the virtual Holy Trinity of national anti-Bush sentiment.

Most significantly, it is feeding the anger and cynicism of self-identified independent voters as they look at the political parties as a group from the outside. Independents have abandoned Democrats in the past because of a judgment that they don’t stand for anything. While hard-pressed to shake that impression, shifting poll numbers suggest that independents are now forming a collective impression of those who willingly self-identify as candidates of this President’s party as well; that they stand for something both dangerous and foolish.

This could put anyone with an R alongside their name at any level at risk, as a vote for a Republican becomes seen as a vote to institutionally enable those whose disastrous policies have put our nation at greater risk.

This election and its unique climate will test the axiom that Vermonters vote the candidate rather than the party, like never before. Whether it makes sense or not, many voters cast their ballot based on what’s on their mind and what’s in their gut. The Governor knows this well, which is why he has tried to loudly shift the conversation towards taxes in these waning weeks.

Tip O’Neill is famously quoted as saying “all politics is local.” One has to wonder, looking at the world and the issues on everyone’s mind, if the reciprocal hasn’t become the case this year – that all local politics have become national.

In case you missed it (from the Times Argus):

Gov. James Douglas said he is “disgusted” with the behavior of his fellow Republicans in Washington, asserting that both Congress and the White House are out of touch with Vermont and the rest of the country.

In his most forceful comments against the Republican Party since becoming governor four years ago, the life-long GOP stalwart said that he would like to see a change in his party’s leadership in the House of Representatives, suggesting that current House Speaker Dennis Hastert should be replaced should the Republicans retain their edge in the chamber.

So what to make of this from he, who famously spoke the words “aren’t we lucky to have George W. Bush in the White House” with Darth Cheney at his side? Certainly he has taken positions the White House would prefer he didn’t, but usually only when he feels a need to control the conversation, as with his action on the NSA wiretapping issue. Scudder Parker came out strong, so within a few days Douglas trumped him by coming out with similar rhetoric and putting some of the muscle of the executive behind it (if Douglas does get re-elected, it’ll be interesting if he drops his efforts to force accountability on the issue, as the Bush administration has demanded).

Bud I digress. On the rhetoric at hand, logic suggests four possibilities only (on the flip):

1. His words are sincere.

2. Parker is getting traction in Douglas’s internal polling and this is a counter-move.

3. Douglas is looking to the next election, and rather than play it safe, wants to crush Parker at the ballot box as he did Clavelle to scare off any A-list challengers in future elections.

4. Some combination of the above.

In the absolute sense, we’re probably looking at #4. Like most other Republicans, Douglas is probably trying to figure out what the hell the neocons have been thinking. Still (and this shows in his phrasing), his critique is one on method and style rather than policy. 

The truth, of course, is – as anyone who knows anything about Vermont issues and has looked at Douglas’s history even casually will tell you – that his opinions and approaches ebb and flow with the political winds. He is a master of having it both ways in every argument, in no small part due to his rather shameless penchant for taking credit for the work of others – even when he himself oppsed that same work tooth and nail (in this way, he’s been doing the Bush administrations Homeland Security Department trick since the pre-Bush era, while in other state offices). Given this history, it’s hard to think #1 is at play in any meaningful way. More likely that this isn’t anything other than banking soundbites that he can refer back to in future debates.

#2 sounds nice, but based on the recent SUSA poll, it’s not too likely.

So my money is on #3. Grain of truth to #1 or no, I believe Douglas and his team want to crush his second challenger in as many cycles to send a loud and clear message to the Shumlins, Markowitzs and Symingtons of the Vermont Democratic politcal scene;

Don’t even think about it.

Whatever the reason, going forward with such rhetoric puts GOP COngressional candidate Martha Rainville at extreme risk. Although Douglas sprinked her liberally throughout his remarks in an attempt to innoculate her from any increase to the anti-national-GOP fire that is fueling Peter Welch’s campaign, the truth is it is a feeble attempt at best. Trying to control any damage, GOP State Chair Jim Barnett sounded even worse:

“I, too, am embarrassed by certain individuals in our party, just as Democrats should be embarrassed by members of their party,” Barnett said. “The problem is that too many members of both parties have shamed themselves and shamed Congress, and that’s why we need to elect a different kind of person, not a career politician who looks at Congress as one more stepping stone on an ambitious career path.”

Weak, at best. Try as they may to spin it otherwise, Douglas’s speech does Rainville no favors – which also sends a message to potential future candidates for statewide office, but in this case Republican ones:

The Governor looks out for the Governor. Douglas’s help is only there inasmuch as it’s consistent with his own goals.

This is one political Kingpin who plays by his own rules.

This is cute. From a Welch campaign press release:

Burlington, VT – Gilles and Claudette Rainville of East Georgia will host a meet and greet for Peter Welch on their Franklin County farm Monday evening.

The Rainvilles will host Welch, a candidate for U.S. Congress, and U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy for food, drink, and politics on Monday, October 23 from 5:00 –7:00 pm.

“I am pleased to have the support of Gilles and Claudette Rainville in this race and look forward to discussing the issues facing Vermonters with their community,” said Welch.  “The Rainville name means a lot in Franklin County and this event means a lot to my campaign.”

Welch has visited numerous farms on the campaign trail, including the Rainville farm.

The event is free and open to the public.

Heh.

…and on an aside, I got an email asking me why I’d been focusing so much on Rainville and hadn’t said a peep about Tarrant lately. It’s simply because the last diary I did post felt like an epitaph. The Tarrant campaign had just become so pathetic, it seemed there was nothing more to say. By all means set me straight if you think I’m off base, and feel free to let loose with any other topics or gossip or thoughts you might feel like sharing that you don’t think merit a whole diary…

[Quick UPDATE/P.S. – the DCCC has just dropped another $69,000 into the VT US House race. It’s reassuring to know they’re still taking this contest seriously…]

In Senator John McCain’s television spot for Martha Rainville, the straight-talking maverick from Arizona says “we’re all a little tired of the way things are in Washington”

…or, wait – I think it was “most americans are disgusted by politics in Washington.”

In any event, he says Rainville is an “independent principled leader”… or, no – it’s that it “takes a tough person to be independent.”

Well, it aint plagiarism, but the ads McCain is cutting on his endorsement express (presumably in a cross-country attempt to gin up local goodwill for his presumed presidential run in ’08) are pretty damned cookie-cutter. He uses the same rhetoric and buzzwords for Rainville as he does for Ohio Republican Deborah Pryce, among others (thanks to a reader for pointing this out via email).

But McCain isn’t sweating the details – and that includes the details of the campaign finance law that famously bears his name, the McCain-Feingold act, as McCain’s endorsement express has left the law in tatters across the country. Click below the fold for a detailed list of offenses, along with comparitive links between the Rainville and Pryce TV spots for you to judge for yourself (and we throw in a li’l bonus pic for ya at no extra charge…).

From Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH):

And Martha, Martha, Martha…

And how’s that McCain-Feingold thing going on your endorsement express, Senator McCain? From The Senate Majority Project:

September 2005: McCain Breaks Required Ad Approval Section. McCain cut a TV ad endorsing Marilyn Brewer for the United States House of Representatives (California’s 48th Congressional District). As reported by the Orange County Register, “One thing the first airings of the ad did not include: Brewer does not state that she approved the ad. That’s now required by law. Specifically, the law co-sponsored by McCain himself.” [Orange County Register, 9/5/05]

September 2005: McCain Breaks 501c3 Rules. Political Money Line reported that “Talk of 2008 – Sen. John McCain’s Straight Talk America” registered again as a federal PAC…The phone number on their form was also listed as the fax number on the website of the Reform Institute, a 501c3 organization supporting McCain’s goals.” The IRS has a strict prohibition against 501c3 organizations conducting political activity. [Phoenix News, 9/9/2005]

March 2006: McCain Disregards Fund-Raising Restrictions in California. On March 20, McCain showed up at a “high-priced fundraiser” to show his support for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. McCain was the “star attraction” at the event that allowed guests who contributed or raised $50K to $100K to take photos with the governor and attend a private reception. Some of the money went to Schwarzenegger’s camp and some to the CA GOP. California Democrats and some campaign finance experts “question whether McCain is violating” the McCain-Feingold Act, which “restricts candidates for” federal “office from raising money for parties and sets limits on how much money they can raise for other candidates.’ [The Hotline, 3/21/06]

August 2006: McCain Runs TV Ads in Michigan that Fail to Include Disclaimers. McCain endorsed Joe Schwarz of Michigan for Congress, while Schwarz was running television ads that blatantly violated rules under McCain Feingold, specifically failing to include the proper spoken and written disclaimers [Club for Growth, 8/3/06]

August 2006: McCain Raises Soft Money in South Carolina. McCain went to South Carolina to raise money for Adjunct General Stan Spears. The invitation says that the “minimum donation requested is $100,” but says nothing about the maximum. The law that he helped pen specifically prohibits Senators from raising more than $2100 for a state candidate; however, the Spears invitation encourages donors to give more. This means that John McCain is raising soft money. [Hotline, 8/15/06]

August 2006: McCain Again Stars in TV Ads that Fail to Include Disclaimers. In a fundraising mailer, Club for Growth heads Pat Toomey and David Keating write: “The TV ad — featuring none other than John McCain endorsing Lincoln Chafee — was illegal under the McCain-Feingold law! It’s not the first time Chafee ignored the law. He did it at least 1408 times with at least four different TV ads that were illegal under the so-called ‘stand by your ad’ provisions. … If Club members keep donating funds to Laffey’s campaign, we will soon teach wayward Republicans a lesson they’ll never forget.” [The Hotline, 8/21/06]

John McCain. An independent, maverick…

…Falwell asskisser.

At her press conference on Monday, Rainville feebly tried to distance herself from her national GOP benefactors in the US House leadership. With everyone from Speaker Dennis Hastert on down the leadership rolls seemingly either indicted or implicated in some scandal or other, Rainville confirmed that while she would of course support Republicans for House leadership, she may not endorse the current crop.

Rainville laid out her own leadership dream team of Republicans who “…can get something done without waiting for a perfect bill or a perfect plan.” Who makes up her ethically superior slate? Why, Nancy Johnson (R-CT), Heather Wilson (R-NM), and Charlie Bass (R-NH).

First of all, it should be stated that none of these Reps to my knowledge has indicated an interest in leadership. It should also be pointed out that, given the polling in their districts, it’s possible that not a one of these incumbents will survive re-election. Nevertheless, for those who aren’t familiar with these relatively “clean” republicans, here’s a primer after the fold:

Nancy Johnson:

As the author of legislation to crack down on sexual predators who use the internet, Rep. Nancy Johnson should be among the most vocal critics of the GOP’s handling of the Mark Foley imbroglio.

But the dean of the Connecticut Congressional delegation has been remarkably soft spoken about the scandal – the single statement posted on her homepage is nothing more than an effort to deflect criticism from her colleagues in the Republican leadership.

A little odd?

Not!

Johnson apparently was financially involved with Foley, whose penchant for online chats with semi-nude pages threatens to topple the GOP leadership. Before the Florida representative was publicly disgraced, the congresswoman privately teamed up with him to raise thousands of dollars for her campaign, FEC documents show.

Heather Wilson:

Reminiscent of the still-unfolding scandal involving Rep. Mark Foley — and what many, even on the right, see as a Republican cover-up — is an earlier scandal involving Republican Rep. Heather Wilson (NM-01) and her husband, Jay Hone. The video above shows a KOAT-TV7 (Albuquerque) news story prompted by one of Wilson’s first actions when she was appointed to head the NM Department of Children, Youth and Families. Wilson served as Department Secretary from 1995-1998. On her third day in office, she removed a sensitive department case file, which had been opened on her husband, from the agency’s central records repository in Albuquerque. Although Wilson initially denied doing so, she later changed her story and admitted removing the file. In other words, she lied.

Charlie Bass:

A top aide to Rep. Charlie Bass resigned yesterday after admitting he used a government computer to post misleading messages on liberal Web sites.

Tad Furtado agreed yesterday to resign as policy director, the number-two job in the Republican congressman’s office.

That click clack sound you hear is Martha reloading her M16, as she has shot herself in the foot so many times now, it’s time for new ammo…