Immigration rallies come to Hastert's office in Batavia on Saturday - Matthew DeFour

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/city/2_1_AU12_BATAVIA_S1.htm

BATAVIA — Less than two weeks after massive immigrant rights marches in Aurora and Chicago, thousands are expected to demonstrate at 1 p.m. Saturday here at the office of U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Several groups representing opposing arguments in the immigration debate are rallying their members, including the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the Illinois Minuteman Project.

With the U.S. Senate expected to resume debate on the issue next week, organizers are hoping to catch the ear of Hastert, who will be influential once the Senate and House legislation moves on to a conference committee.

Police are expecting anywhere from several hundred to 2,000 or more demonstrators to attend what is expected to be a peaceful event outside Hastert's district office at 27 N. River St.

The largest political rally in recent Batavia memory was last year's anti-war demonstration featuring peace activist Cindy Sheehan, which drew about 600 to 700 people from both sides of that debate.

NAPERVILLE SUN

Powell trumpets notes of hope - Tim Waldorf

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/sunpub/naper/news/6_1_NA12_POWELL_S1.htm

The world still looks to the United States for hope and for help. The only way that's going to change is if Americans change it.

That was the message former Secretary of State Colin Powell delivered Thursday to a near-capacity crowd gathered in the Dan and Ada Rice Center on the Benedictine University campus in Lisle.

Powell spoke for more than an hour, relating humorous stories from 40 years as a general and statesman on the theme of "Diplomacy: Persuasion, Trust and Values." He closed his presentation by telling the 2,000-plus who paid between $40 and $100 to hear him speak that leaders across the globe look to the Declaration of Independence – its first two sentences specifically – as they guide their countries to brighter futures.

"You've got to believe me, what I tell you, it shines a light of hope into the darkest corners of oppression in the world," Powell said.

Powell spoke of a group of Brazilian students who visited the United States in 2004. When he spoke with them at the conclusion of their trip, he asked them for their impression of the country.

One spoke of her surprise when a Chicago restaurant owner gave them their meal for free when they realized after they'd eaten they couldn't cover the bill. It was the restaurateur's gift of thanks for their having visited his country, his city and his business.

That memory of the restaurant owner's "simple act of generosity" will leave a more indelible impression on them, he said, than will their brief meeting with him.

"Because in that one instance, they saw the real America," he said.

Powell said he realized a year or two after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that the United States, in its efforts to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again, was paying too high of a price.

It was forfeiting its "greatest strength," he said.

"The terrorist can come, they can knock down our buildings. We'll be mad, we'll go after them, we'll rebuild them," said Powell. "They can kill some of our fellow citizens, and we'll really get mad, and we'll go after them, and we will mourn them.

"But what they can't do, they can never do, is change the nature of our society, change who we are as people," he added. "Only we can do that to ourselves, and we must not do that to ourselves. We must remain an open, welcoming, generous, considerate society, because if we do that, the terrorists will lose."

In an exclusive interview with The Sun prior to his Benedictine appearance, Powell said he doesn't see the Oval Office when he looks through his windshield. When asked if he'd be running for president in 2008, he supplied only a terse "no."

Powell draws praise from Benet crowd Bush's former secretary of state makes the case for America - Flynn Murphy

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/sunpub/naper/news/6_1_NA12_POWELL_S2.htm

Colin Powell's remarks were well received by the majority of the audience at Benedictine University.

"I thought his speech was very balanced between political answers and military explanations and sprinkled with good real-life stories," said Aurora resident Terry Olah.

Residents from Chicago to Hanover Park praised Powell for his humor and insight.

"Maybe America hasn't always made the best decisions," said Mary Mecker of Wheaton. "But our integrity lives on in people like Colin Powell."

Only one attendee questioned Powell's infamous U.N. speech about Iraqi nuclear capabilities. The remaining crowd responded positively to Powell's speech.

"He was terrific," said Bob Anderson of Wheaton. "I'm only sorry he's not running for president."

ABC7

Meeks to announce slate of candidates State senator might run for governor May 20 - Andy Shaw

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=4164120 (includes video clip)

State Sen. James Meeks stopped short Thursday of saying he will run for governor, but he said he would unveil a third-party slate of candidates for statewide office May 20.

Meeks, a Chicago minister, said he then would begin collecting the 25,000 signatures of registered voters he needs to get his slate on the November ballot and deal with any resulting challenges to his petitions.

"I doubt if we have gone through all of that for nothing," Meeks told The Associated Press.

June 19 is the first day Meeks can file his nominating papers, according to the State Board of Elections.

Meeks, who was elected to the Senate as an Independent but filed his re-election papers to run as a Democrat, declined to identify his slate of candidates.

News of a possible gubernatorial run by Meeks has circulated since he criticized Gov. Rod Blagojevich for renewing his no-tax pledge in seeking a second term. Meeks has called the tax pledge the "death knell" for education funding.

The talk of a run has prompted speculation that Meeks was using it as a way to leverage concessions from Blagojevich, who could lose black voters to Meeks. Meeks is black and leads a megachurch on Chicago's South Side that boasts a 22,000-member congregation.

Meeks has said that a poll he commissioned shows him taking voters away from the Republican candidate, state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka.

In a statement reported on the Chicago Defender's Web site, Meeks said once his slate of candidates was announced on May 20 in Chicago, they all would then travel to Rockford, Springfield and East St. Louis to meet voters and launch petition drives.

He said Thursday that neither the Blagojevich nor Topinka campaigns have tried to convince him not to run.

Blagojevich campaign spokeswoman Sheila Nix said they welcomed Meeks to the race if his petition drive is successful, calling the development "great" and saying it's "part of the American process."

Topinka called Meeks a "good person."

"This potential candidacy shows the enormous dissatisfaction with Gov. Blagojevich's performance in office -- even from within his own political party," she said in a written statement.

Meeks is not identifying a possible running mate, or the other statewide candidates on the slate by name, except to say it is a picture of diversity and if he actually gets on the ballot and runs, the governor's race will be up for grabs.

Conventional wisdom indicates Meeks hurts Blagojevich the most by siphoning off a lot of black, Hispanic and liberal white votes that usually go to the Democrat. But he could be attracting a lot of people who are fed up with the governor and would have voted for Topinka. In other words, the effect is hard to gauge at this point, but there's no doubt the race will be fascinating.

Obama mocks Bush's `subliminal messages' of Iraq victory

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=4164425

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama ridiculed the Bush administration's defense of the Iraq war on Thursday, arguing that messages such as "Plan for Victory" can't hide the "2,400 flag-draped coffins that have arrived at the Dover Air Force Base."

In a speech to EMILY's List, the Illinois senator used biting criticism in assailing the president and his handling of the war. Obama spoke in support of former Army Maj. Tammy Duckworth, a helicopter pilot who lost both her legs in combat in Iraq and is trying to win an open House seat.

Obama mocked the "idea that somehow if you say the words `plan for victory' and `stay the course' over and over and over and over again, and you put these subliminal messages behind you that say `victory' and `victory' and `victory,' that somehow people are not going to notice the 2,400 flag-draped coffins that have arrived at the Dover Air Force Base."

The first-term lawmaker asked the audience: "People, have we flipped? It's time to say we notice it. It is time to say that we care, and we are not going to settle anymore."

A White House spokesman declined to comment, referring the matter to the Republican National Committee.

Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said in a written statement that Obama's remarks "are emblematic of a party that would rather promote pessimism and point fingers" than weigh in on "an issue as critical as the central front of the war on terror."

Obama, who first came to national attention when he delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2008 -- or perhaps a running mate.

"I don't know about you," he told his audience, referring to Bush's 2000 campaign comments on possible U.S. military involvement overseas, "but when George Bush said he did not believe in nation building, I did not know he was talking about this nation."

Obama cited reports that former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, critical of how the GOP was governing in Washington, suggested Democrats could reduce their campaign slogan to two words: "Had enough?"

Then, to much applause and sometimes laughter, the senator went through a litany of popular Democratic criticisms of the Bush administration, ranging from a failure to offer sufficient protection for the nation's ports to neglecting the needs of schools.

"I've had enough of children who are going to school where the rats outnumber the children," Obama said.

He told the group the way to deal with the situation politically is to support and work for such Democrats as Duckworth, who is trying to win the seat held by retiring GOP Rep. Henry Hyde, a 32-year House veteran. Her Republican opponent in the suburban Chicago district is state Sen. Peter Roskam of Wheaton.

In her own speech to the group, Duckworth rebuked the Bush administration for failing to plan for the Iraq war, saying the White House "needs a new plan, and their first plan, for Iraq."

After her speech, Duckworth said she would not support earmarks as a member of Congress.

She blamed the use of earmarks -- whereby a member of Congress inserts a project in a bill, often during late negotiations in the budget process and with little or no knowledge by most of the other members of Congress -- for the mushrooming deficit.

"I think we should go back to pay as you go and there should be no sacred cows," she said.

Ellen Malcolm, executive director of EMILY's List, predicted that Democrats would regain control for the first time since 1994, when Gingrich successfully led the GOP effort to win back the chamber for Republicans for the first time in decades.

Citing recent national polls, Malcolm said Republican voters are demoralized and vulnerable to Democratic overtures. She said her goal was to see Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., become speaker of the House.

EMILY's List is an organization that helps Democratic women who favor abortion rights.

CHICAGO DEFENDER

Meeks to launch gubernatorial petition drive on May 20 - Roland S. Martin

http://www.chicagodefender.com/page/local.cfm?ArticleID=5295

State Sen. James Meeks announced Thursday that he will launch a statewide drive on May 20 to get 25,000 registered voters across Illinois to sign petitions in order for him to launch a third-party run for governor.

In a statement provided to the Chicago Defender, Meeks said at the May 20 kickoff, he will introduce a slate of candidates for the top statewide offices, and then “travel from Chicago to Rockford, Springfield and East St. Louis meeting voters and launching local petition drives.”

He has until June 26 to sign up 25,000 registered voters across the state, which he told the Chicago Defender will not be an issue.

“You cannot announce a candidacy until you have completed a petition drive,” he said. “Therefore, I’m anticipating completing the petition drive, and then announcing.”

Meeks, an Independent state senator who chairs the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, is seeking to run against Gov. Rod Blagojevich because he has been dissatisfied with the governor’s stance on equalizing education funding in the state. If he gets on the ballot, he will also faced Republican challenger Judy Barr Topinka.

For the last two months, Meeks has been discussing a gubernatorial run, stating that in addition to education, he wants Blagojevich to commit to a plan to serve underserved communities.

Meeks said that if Blagojevich wants to rely on Black voters on second term, he needs to provide an initiative that addresses their concerns.

“He hasn’t done anything,” Meeks said. “He has not met with African American aldermen. He’s not met with the Black caucus on the issues of education and resources for underserved communities. But the guy wants our vote.

“He’s not met with any coalition of Black people to tell what he’s going to do to earn our vote. The only thing he’s done is run” TV ads slamming Republican challenger Judy Barr Topinka.

Meeks continued, “He has not met with Black leaders to say this is what I’m going to do for Black voters. He hasn’t met with Black clergy, Black elected officials, African American journalists. He’s not met with African American business leaders or anybody since the time I said, ‘Hey, let African Americans know what you’re going to do for this vote.”

A possible Meeks run represents a thorn in the side of Blagojevich, who was hoping to use his vast campaign war chest to target the Topinka over the next seven months. But with Meeks likely joining the race, he will have to defend his policies against a state senator who brings an interesting resume to the campaign.

In addition to being a member of the General Assembly, Meeks is the pastor of Salem Baptist Church of Chicago, a 22-member South Side church in the Roseland community. He is also closely tied to white evangelicals because of his anti-abortion stance and opposition to gay marriage.

That combination of appeal to liberal Democrats and social conservatives – and of course, African Americans – could make for a tough campaign in a three-person race.

Doug Scofield, a spokesman for the Blagojevich campaign, told the Defender that the governor “has a lot of respect for Sen. Meeks…and he hopes they will be able to continue to work together.”

“I think whether the senator runs or not, the governor is still going to run the same type of campaign given his work on education and health and raising the minimum wage. It will have a lot of appeal to all of Illinois, but particularly to African American voters,” Scofield said.

Topinka called Meeks a "good person."

"This potential candidacy shows the enormous dissatisfaction with Gov. Blagojevich's performance in office – even from within his own political party," she said in a written statement.

WQAD

DIERSEN HEADLINE: Topinka tells Illinois Association of Minorities in Government that she sees lots of possibilities for minorities to serve in her cabinet and her administration

http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=4893665&nav=1sW7

(DIERSEN: To give one racial group preference is to discriminate against another racial group.  The Republican platform is against discrimination.  To promote bilingualism is to promote divisiveness.)

Topinka discusses Illinois' future with minority association
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Republican Judy Baar Topinka says if she's elected governor, she won't propose any new programs or initiatives until the state is in better financial shape.

The state treasurer discussed the state's future today with the Illinois Association of Minorities in Government.

Topinka told the group she wasn't going to "sugarcoat" the state's financial situation because it's an election year.

She says she would work to cut college tuition costs for all students.

Topinka also told the group she sees lots of possibilities for minorities to serve in her cabinet and her administration.

She noted the importance of recruiting people who are bilingual into state government.

(On the Net: http://www.judyforgov.com.)

AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION

VERY SAD: Ford Makes Historic Move in Support of Groups Pushing Homosexual Marriage

www.afa.net

Earlier this year, Ford Motor Company sponsored a program showing two lesbians passionately kissing each other. Now the automaker has made an in-your-face move against traditional marriage advocates with the historic step of advertising all their name brands in a homosexual magazine. This followed a request by AFA that Ford withdraw from supporting any homosexual magazine.

In the May issue of the homosexual publication OUT, Ford has advertised all eight of their brand automobiles. This is first time in history that Ford has advertised all their brands in a homosexual publication.

In this issue of OUT, which Ford supported with their advertising, are articles such as Nightlife: Party All the Time. Here is the description OUT gave of that article: "Rockin' and raunchy queer clubs are making a comeback, and we tell you where the three hottest places to play are."

Another article was The Mix: Scary Lady, Porn 2 Go. Here is the OUT description: ...porn stars cook up their favorite meals for your pleasure..."

Under the title The Long and Short of It, we find this description by OUT: Ronni Radner goes inside Runt, a weekly party for bite-size gay guys and the men who love them, and looks at the rise of the vertically challenged queer man.

To view the front cover of OUT, click here. To see the Ford ad supporting OUT, with all their brands, click here. Notice the wording at the bottom of the ad: "Standing strong with America's families..." Since this ad was run in a homosexual publication, evidently Ford considers two homosexuals to be a "family."

THE HILL

Duckworth supports earmark reform

www.thehill.com

        llinois House candidate Tammy Duckworth (D) told reporters Thursday that she does not support earmarks and would work to have them banned should she be elected in November.
 
         “My priority is to get rid of earmarks,” Duckworth said. “There are quite a few worthy projects - I just don’t like the process.”
 
         She said that if her district needed a project, she would allow it to go through the regular budgetary process rather than attach it to other legislation.
 
         In addition to earmark reform, she addressed ethics and healthcare as top priorities of her campaign.
 
         Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran who lost her legs after a rocket propelled grenade struck her helicopter, spoke openly about her concern that most Americans would not receive the same kind of medical treatment she had as a member of the Army National Guard.
 
         “If I had lost my legs in a car accident, my husband and I would have gone bankrupt” from the medical bills, Duckworth said.
 
         Duckworth was one of the featured candidates endorsed by EMILY’s list to attend a D.C. Luncheon for the political action committee Thursday.

BELLEVILLE NEWS DEMOCRAT

Democrats ready to slate field to replace retiring Evans - AP

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/state/14556319.htm

Democrats will slate a potentially crowded field of candidates Saturday in the race to replace 12-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Lane Evans on November's ballot, party officials say.

The 54-year-old congressman won the Democratic nomination in March but later announced he would retire after his current term due to complications from his long battle with Parkinson's disease.

Precinct committeemen from the 17th District will nominate candidates Saturday in Galesburg, then vote by mail to pick an opponent for Republican nominee Andrea Zinga, a former television anchor who lost to Evans by 21 percentage points in 2004.

More than half a dozen Democrats campaigned for the party's nod during a series of forums after Evans announced his plan to step down.

Evans has thrown his support to top aide Phil Hare, who has worked in the congressman's district office since he was first elected in 1982. Other candidates are state Sen. John Sullivan of Rushville, state Rep. Mike Boland of Moline, Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert, Quincy high school teacher Rob Mellon and retired oral surgeon Hal Bayne of Taylor Ridge.

Macon County Auditor Amy Stockwell pulled out of the race Wednesday and endorsed Sullivan, who won his state Senate seat in 2002 by defeating popular Republican incumbent Laura Kent Donohue in a GOP-leaning district.

Sullivan lives eight miles outside the 17th District, but law requires only that U.S. representatives live in the state, not the district.

If the six remaining candidates are slated, political observers say geography could help decide the nominee in a district that snakes along the Mississippi River from the Quad Cities to north of St. Louis and juts into the prairies around Springfield and Decatur.

Four of the candidates - Hare, Boland, Schwiebert and Bayne - are from Rock Island County, which could split the district's largest bloc of votes.

"I would think that would be to Sullivan's advantage," said Western Illinois University political science professor Keith Boeckelman.

Augustana College political science professor Dan Lee agreed.

"If they divide the vote, someone from the southern part of the district could come into play," Lee said.

Party officials say the mail-in vote will be conducted over about two weeks. Committeemen will cast weighted votes based on the number of Democratic ballots in their districts in the March primary.

QUINCY HERALD-WHIG

Search for Tenhouse's replacement heats up - Doug Wilson

http://www.whig.com/286069330037106.php

Political leaders are working overtime to find the right candidates for the 93rd District House seat being vacated by Rep. Art Tenhouse, R-Liberty.

Adams County Democrat Chairman Verne Hagstrom met with other county chairmen Wednesday night to start the process of selecting a nominee who will appear on the November ballot.

"We've got to follow a procedure set out by the Illinois State Board of Elections where we elect a chairman and secretary and get organized," Hagstrom said.

The Democrat chairmen plan to meet again Monday to hear from anyone who is interested in the nomination. Hagstrom hopes the group will vote on a candidate that night so the paperwork gets to the board of elections well ahead of the May 22 deadline.

Names that have been circulating among Quincy area Democrats are former Mayor Chuck Scholz, Adams County Sheriff Brent Fischer, Matt Obert, Randy Dickhut and Monica Scholz.

Republicans also have been assembling a list of candidates. Names under consideration include Adams County Circuit Clerk Randy Frese, Adams County Board Chairman Mike McLaughlin, Tom Ernst, Leo Henning, Lonnie Dunn, Jeremy Farlow and sheriff candidate Jon McCoy.

Names that may also be on internal polls include former Rep. Jeff

Mays and former Sen. Laura Kent Donahue.

Since Tenhouse's name was on the primary election ballot, Republicans have until Aug. 31 to select a ballot replacement.

Adams County Republican Chairman Larry Ehmen could not be reached for comment about the nomination process. Ehmen told reporters Tuesday that the timing of Tenhouse's departure makes things difficult for the party.

Tenhouse told reporters during his retirement announcement that he had no control over the timing of the job offer from the Illinois CPA Society where he will be vice president of government affairs. The job will come open in June and Tenhouse will be starting in July.

"After 17 years of serving this district, I don't feel like I should get a guilt trip for thinking of myself and my family when this opportunity presented itself," Tenhouse said.

Republican county chairmen who are seeking Tenhouse's replacement on the ballot also will have the ability to appoint Tenhouse's replacement for legislative service starting with his departure in July.

State law would allow them to select a candidate who also serves out the term through January — or select different people for those two roles, one as a candidate and another serving in the veto session this fall.

Both Democrat and Republican nomination processes will be weighted according to the number of votes by that party in a recent election. Due to its relative size, Adams County will have a majority of the votes in both party meetings.

CBS2

Meeks To Launch Gubernatorial Petition Drive Drive Kicks Off May 20

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_131164257.html

The Chicago Defender reports today that State Senator James Meeks will launch a statewide petition drive on May 20th -- the first official step in his third-party run for governor.

Meeks says he will introduce a slate of candidates for the state's top offices. He says he will gather signatures across the state before officially announcing his candidacy.

Meeks has until June 26th to obtain signatures from 25,000 registered voters.

If he runs, Meeks would go up against Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich and Republican challenger Judy Baar Topinka.

Meeks has said he has asked Blagojevich for two things: a four-year comprehensive plan for school funding and a plan for how underserved communities are going to be served.

Governor Questions Gay Man's Military Dismissal  Matt Dwyer Was Discharged From Air National Guard

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_131164112.html

The Air National Guard's discharge of a gay serviceman has drawn the attention of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Blagojevich said today he thinks the discharge should be investigated. The Democratic governor says he has asked the attorney general to review the matter.

Springfield resident Marty Dwyer was discharged from the Air National Guard in February after his superiors learned he was gay. He was a staff sergeant who had served in the Guard for 13 years.

Dwyer is challenging the decision, saying the Guard did not follow proper procedures under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. He has filed a complaint with the Illinois Human Rights Department.

Blagojevich's office said earlier today that the governor opposes the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. But an aide now says he has no quarrel with it.

Scott Fawell To Be Sentenced Aug. 24 - Derek Klobucher 

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_131205724.html

A federal judge said Thursday that she would sentence Scott Fawell, an aide to former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, on Aug. 24.

U.S. District Court Judge Blanche M. Manning accepted a plea agreement between Fawell and prosecutors in 2004, but prosecutors had asked that he not be sentenced until after he could cooperate in Ryan's recently ended trial.

Fawell was one of six defendants in a bid-rigging case stemming from his tenure as CEO of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. He is serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence on racketeering charges; prosecutors had offered to have the term reduced by six months for his testimony against his mentor.

He had been chief of staff while Ryan was secretary of state and a key campaign aide. Ryan appointed him to MPEA in 1999, shortly after taking office as governor.

An indictment by the U.S. attorney alleged Fawell abused his position with MPEA to commit fraud by misusing funds and hiring bogus contractors.

The charges stemmed from Operation Safe Road, an investigation into Ryan's political campaign committee and time as secretary of state, launched in the wake of allegations that state employees were bribed to give people driver's licenses without proper qualification.

Witnesses testified that Fawell assigned them to work on political campaigns while on the state clock and hire unqualified contractors who did little to no work.

Fawell made headlines while testifying in the corruption trial against Ryan.  

ILLINOIS REPUBLICAN PARTY

Senator Rutheford joins McKenna: Calls on Blagjevich to return contributions - Questions Surrounding Landfill Closing Still Unanswered - Mike Zolnierowicz

www.ilgop.org

CHICAGO – State Senator Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac), Republican candidate for Illinois Secretary of State, and a Member of the Senate Environment & Energy Committee, today called on Governor Blagojevich to return close to $100,000 in campaign contributions from Anthony Portone, a donor who saw a business opportunity in a landfill closed by the Blagojevich administration.

“For a prominent donor to Governor Blagojevich to see a business opportunity in a landfill closed by the Blagojevich administration to me doesn’t pass the smell test,” said Rutherford.  “The Governor already has enough questions surrounding the political nature of this landfill closing, he should return the money.”

Yesterday, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna called on Blagojevich to return $93,500 in contributions in light of recent reports from the Chicago Sun-Times. (Chicago Sun-Times, 5/11/06)

NORTHWEST HERALD

Reporters and George Ryan: Not praiseworthy  - Thomas P. Breen Jr.

http://www.nwherald.com/MainSection/opinion/289229765263241.php

An April 30 letter in the Northwest Herald lauding reporters for bringing former Gov. George Ryan to justice is ludicrous.

Everyone knowledgeable about Illinois politics, including reporters covering Springfield, has known Ryan was a crook back to his days as a state representative when Ryan's Joliet pharmacy benefited from "no bid" contracts to provide prescription drugs to the state penitentiary.

Not a word of the corruption appeared in print or was heard in the electronic media, for a very good reason.

Ryan made sure everyone had a share.

State and local politicians received campaign donations and taxpayer money for their pet projects.

Reporters gained access and "scoops" as well as invitations to barbecues and other gubernatorial soirees.

It took a tragic auto accident to focus the spotlight on truck licenses for bribes and a single-minded federal prosecutor to cap Ryan's lifetime of public corruption.

MSNBC

Hard-core conservatives fleeing Bush’s side  Concerns over spending, immigration policy running high, experts say - Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12729893/from/ET/

WASHINGTON - Disaffection over spending and immigration have caused conservatives to take flight from President Bush and the Republican Congress at a rapid pace in recent weeks, sending Bush's approval ratings to record lows and presenting a new threat to the GOP's 12-year reign on Capitol Hill, according to White House officials, lawmakers and new polling data.

Bush and Congress have suffered a decline in support from almost every part of the conservative coalition over the past year, a trend that has accelerated with alarming implications for Bush's governing strategy.

The Gallup polling organization recorded a 13-percentage-point drop in Republican support for Bush in the past couple of weeks. These usually reliable voters are telling pollsters and lawmakers they are fed up with what they see as out-of-control spending by Washington and, more generally, an abandonment of core conservative principles.

There are also significant pockets of conservatives turning on Bush and Congress over the their failure to tighten immigration laws, restrict same-sex marriage, and put an end to the Iraq war and the rash of political scandals, according to lawmakers and pollsters.

Coalescing around the base
Bush won two presidential elections by pursuing a political and governing model that was predicated on winning and sustaining the loyal backing of social, economic and foreign policy conservatives. The strategy was based on the belief that conservatives, who are often more politically active than the general public, could be inspired to vote in larger numbers and would serve as a reliable foundation for his presidency. The theory, as explained by Bush strategists, is that the president would enjoy a floor below which his support would never fall.

It is now apparent that this floor has weakened dramatically -- and collapsed in places.

"A lot of us have been like Paul Revere and sounding the alarm for three or four years," said Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.). "Conservatives forgave Bush and Congress for our past mistakes because the war on terrorism was so important . . . but now there is a great deal of unhappiness. What you are going to increasingly see is a divided Republican Party."

Michael Franc, a top official at the Heritage Foundation, said his organization hosted 600 of its top conservative donors last week and heard more widespread complaining about Republicans than at any other point in the past 12 years. "It begins with spending, extends through immigration and results in a sense that we have Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee for the two parties," Franc said.

Dissatisfaction in the trenches
Ralph Sivillo, a 64-year-old retiree living in Monroe, N.Y., said he started turning against Bush in January. He said Democrats are beginning to look better to him. "I'm really dead against Bush at this point. What's he doing? He's doing nothing. Everybody's just bailing on him because they feel the same way."

"He's not well liked," said Douglas Giles, 47, a self-described conservative from Buffalo. "A lot of people don't think he's very good."

Michael Dimock of the Pew Research Center, a leading polling group, said one of the most striking findings of recent surveys is the growing number of conservatives who "don't see Bush as one of them" as they did earlier. Pew found that Bush has suffered a 24-point drop in his approval rating among voters who backed him in 2004: from 92 percent in January 2005 to 68 percent in March.

Frank Newport of the Gallup Organization cautioned against reading too much into Bush's recent loss of support among conservatives. He said the numbers tend to ebb and flow and must be confirmed over several months before it is possible to conclude the president has suffered irreversible erosion.

Moreover, the public's view of the economy and Washington may have been soured by gasoline prices having topped $3 a gallon over the past month.

Trend worries GOP strategists
But GOP lawmakers and strategists, who have reviewed a series of polls released in recent weeks, said the results confirm what they are hearing from voters: Conservatives are demoralized and defecting in worrisome numbers. The most recent Associated Press poll found Bush had a 52 percent approval rating among conservatives; only 33 percent had a favorable opinion of the Republican-run Congress.

"The problem in my mind, and the only way to explain the very significant erosion is just a disgust with what appears to be a complete abandonment of limited government," said former Republican congressman Patrick J. Toomey, who runs the conservative Club for Growth. Toomey said commitment to smaller government has been the unifying idea for most elements of the GOP coalition since Ronald Reagan's presidency. "Republicans have finally had enough," he said, a sentiment echoed by several other conservative activists and lawmakers.

Since Bush took office, government spending has increased by more than 25 percent, the largest increase under any president since Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson. At the same time, Bush and the Republican Congress dramatically increased the government's role in, and overall spending on, education and Medicare by enacting the No Child Left Behind law and new prescription drug entitlement for seniors. David A. Keene, head of the American Conservative Union, said there is a sense of flaccid leadership at the White House and in Congress that begets "things like frustration, which leads to disgust and apathy" among conservatives.

Unease over immigration
The immigration debate appears to be damaging Bush and GOP lawmakers, too. Conservative voters are saying they want swift congressional action to secure to the border and enforce immigrations laws, but Bush and Congress are split over the best way to deal with illegal immigrants already in the country.

A new Zogby Interactive poll found that fewer than 25 percent of respondents who described themselves as conservative or very conservative approved of Bush's handling of the immigration debate. "Unfortunately, when it comes to controlling our borders, we are about a decade behind where we need to be," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.).

Karl Rove, Bush's top political adviser, and GOP leaders are well aware of the problem and planning a summer offensive to win back conservatives with a mix of policy fights and warnings of how a Democratic Congress would govern. The plan includes votes on tax cuts, a constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage, new abortion restrictions, and measures to restrain government spending.

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER

Tenhouse leaving House for CPA Society job - Adriana Colindres

http://www.sj-r.com/Sections/News/Stories/85727.asp

State Rep. Art Tenhouse, R-Liberty, announced Wednesday that he plans to end his nearly 17-year tenure in the Illinois House and start a new private-sector job with the Illinois CPA Society.

He will become vice president of government affairs for the CPA Society, which represents certified public accountants and has more than 22,000 members. Tenhouse will succeed Thomas Wetzler, who is stepping down.

"I'm going to miss some of the relationships you develop over the years with local folks," Tenhouse said Wednesday. "I think, on balance, it's time to move on."

Tenhouse, who has a bachelor's degree and a master's in business administration from the University of Illinois, received his certified public accounting certificate in 1978.

He has served in the House since 1989 and was deputy Republican leader when Lee Daniels of Elmhurst was House GOP leader. During Daniels' tenure, Tenhouse was a key state budget negotiator.

"I've enjoyed it. It's been a great experience," Tenhouse said of his time in the legislature. "But you really don't have much time for yourself."

Nearly every weekend, he said, meant making an appearance at a parade, festival or other event in his sprawling, seven-county legislative district.

"It just wears on you. Seventeen years is a long time," he said.

Tenhouse said the attractions of his new job include higher pay and the ability to spend more time with his family."The only regret I have is probably that I didn't do a better job as a dad," said Tenhouse, who is married and the father of three children. "I should have stopped to smell the roses more."

But Tenhouse also acknowledged he might not be leaving the General Assembly if he had prevailed in his 2002 effort to succeed Daniels as House GOP leader. Tom Cross of Oswego instead was chosen as Republican leader.

"If I were still involved in leadership ... I'd have a lot more energy to continue," he said.

Cross spokesman David Dring praised Tenhouse as "an outstanding legislator" with a "distinguished career in the General Assembly."

Tenhouse had been running unopposed for another two-year term as representative from the 93rd District, which consists of portions of Hancock and Pike counties and all of Adams, Brown, Schuyler, Cass and Scott counties. But he said Wednesday he soon would notify the State Board of Elections about his withdrawal from the race.

Republican Party officials from the legislative district will meet to determine who should replace Tenhouse on November election ballots and who should fill out the remainder of his present House term, which expires in January 2007.

Steve Sandvoss, general counsel for the State Board of Elections, said the chairmen of the seven counties' Republican central committees would use a "weighted vote" system to replace Tenhouse on the ballot. The system is based on the number of Republican ballots that each county cast in the March primary for the 93rd District.

Larry Ehmen, chairman of the Adams County Republican central committee, said Adams County cast more than half of the House district's Republican ballots. As a practical matter, that means he will get to choose Tenhouse's successor.

"I have already talked with every one of the county chairmen," Ehmen said. "We are in total harmony with this whole process. There's no battles going on."

Ehmen said the chairmen have started putting together a pool of names of people who could take Tenhouse's place on the ballot. So far, about a dozen names are on the list, he said, declining to divulge any of the identities.

Now that Tenhouse is bowing out of the election, Ehmen said he expects Democratic Party officials in the district to appoint someone to run in the 93rd District.

Verne Hagstrom, who leads the Adams County Democrats, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Sandvoss said Democrats have until May 22 to put up a candidate in the 93rd District, while Republicans have until Sept. 1 to replace Tenhouse.

WHEATON LEADER

Growth is the focus in Mouhelis' mayoral bid - Courtney Cavanaugh

http://www.libertysuburban.com/story.php?pub=1&sid=48408

Tom Mouhelis' campaign for mayor of Wheaton is about increases -- increase public safety, increase business and increase development.

Mouhelis, councilman for the East District; Alan Bolds, councilman at large; and former Councilman Michael Gresk have announced their intentions to run. Mouhelis announced his campaign to succeed retiring Mayor James Carr earlier this year.

Mouhelis, who has lived in Wheaton for about 30 years, said his campaign will be about "seeing a different vision for the city of Wheaton."

He has served as councilman for the East District since 2001. He also is a veteran, retiring after 30 years with the U.S. Air Force with the rank of major. He is a member of the Wheaton Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2164 and of the Wheaton/Carol Stream American Legion Post 76.

He received his bachelor's degree in history from Elmhurst College in Elmhurst. He said he is trained in total quality management, and has worked in sales management for more than 20 years with numerous firms.

Mouhelis is active in veterans affairs, volunteering for six years at Department of Veterans Affairs Edward Hines Jr. Hospital near Maywood with Pets for Vets. He also is a former soccer coach with the Wheaton Park District.

Mouhelis said the city needs to increase business and retail in the community. He said he would also like to see public safety improved, add a fourth fire station in the city and canine units for the Police Department.

"I believe we need to maintain our level of service, if not increase it in the community," he said.

To do this, Mouhelis said retail presence in the city must be increased, which in turn increases the income of the city. He said the redevelopment of the downtown is a step toward this goal.

Mouhelis said he thinks he has the experience to serve as mayor. He said he's been on the City Council for six years, but has attended the meetings for the last nine years. He said he has a good grasp of the city's capabilities, adding he has a good relationship with Community Unit School District 200 and the Wheaton Park District.

CAPITAL FAX

Topinka's abortion position: a loser from every angle - Jill Stanek

http://capitalfax.blogspot.com/2006/05/topinkas-abortion-position-loser-from.html

 Topinka's supposedly center-left abortion position will score her points with no one. Appearing moderate on abortion may work for some incumbents, but it does challengers no good.

Call it a wash? No. In Topinka's battle for the middle, pro-lifers will not lift a finger to defend her, but pro-aborts will and are doing all they can to spin Topinka's "moderate" abortion position as radical right. Moderate voters will be pulled toward Blagojevich.

Case in point: Planned Parenthood Illinois Votes recently sent out an email alert saying things like:

While Topinka has spun herself as a moderate, her record on reproductive rights and her choice of anti-abortion hardliner, Joe Birkett, as running mate make it clear: Topinka's no moderate on abortion.

Judy Baar Topinka's Record While Judy Baar Topinka claimed to support reproductive choice during the primaries, her record sings a different tune. During her 13 year tenure in the legislature (1981-1994) Judy Baar Topinka voted against reproductive choice 84% of the time.

The bold emphasis was theirs.

Who will defend Topinka? Certainly not pro-lifers. Judy's positions against partial birth abortion and for parental notification only indicate she's not whacked-out barbaric, not that she expresses thoughtful "common sense" on the issue, as one on this blog has said.

And Judy certainly doesn't like to discuss the a-word. It makes her uncomfortable, as it rightfully should; bringing it up could only cause trouble. For instance, how could she answer a knowledgeable reporter's question, "Explain why you oppose second-trimester partial birth abortions but not second-trimester dilatation and evacuation abortions?"

(Perhaps one of you pro-aborts can answer that.)

Pro-aborts are invested to see Judy lose, while pro-lifers are not invested to see her win. Abortion is big business, and Blagojevich has brought a ton of money to IL's abortion industry these past few years and also vowed to keep all abortion floodgates to and in IL open. The industry returns the favor with money, workers, and a push for votes.

Bottom line: Topinka's "moderate" abortion position will lose her votes.

Topinka and conservatives: Snubbing the snubbers - Jill Stanek

http://capitalfax.blogspot.com/2006/05/snubbing-snubbers.html

There are unconfirmed reports that Topinka indicated earlier this spring she didn't need conservatives to win.

Whether or not that's true, we will likely find out, and this isn't just whiny saber-rattling by IL conservatives.

Nationally, conservatives are showing their displeasure with an aberrant president and legislature by walking and threatening to walk.

This week, in an unprecedented move, conservative leaders boycotted a Tuesday meeting at the White House with Karl Rove and Harriet Miers to discuss judicial nominees. These meetings are rare; this was the first in over a year. Typically, 60-70 attend. But this time WH and Senate staffers nearly outnumbered the 15-20 who showed.

(See my blog for posting of articles detailing this from The Hill and Congress Daily AM not available online.)

News watchers will not then wonder why the issue of judicial nominees suddenly rose in prominence the past few days on the GOP Senate and WH agenda.

Peggy Noonan addressed this issue on a larger scale in her piece, "Baseless confidence," in today's Wall Street Journal:

[T]he administration and the Congress are losing their base, and it isn't because of the media....

The Republicans talk about cutting spending, but they increase it--a lot. They stand for making government smaller, but they keep making it bigger. They say they're concerned about our borders, but they're not securing them. And they seem to think we're slobs for worrying. Republicans used to be sober and tough about foreign policy, but now they're sort of romantic and full of emotionalism. They talk about cutting taxes, and they have, but the cuts are provisional, temporary....

What's a voter to do? Maybe stay home, have the neighbors over for some barbecue....

Party leaders say they're aware they're in trouble, aware of a sense of stasis in the country. They are going to solve the problem, they say, by passing legislation. They're going to pass a budget. And they're going to pass an immigration bill, too. People will like that.

But no they won't. The American people are not going to say, "I am relieved and delighted our Congress passed a budget." They will be relieved and delighted if Congress cuts spending. They would be relieved and delighted if Congress finally took responsibility for the nation's borders. They won't be impressed if you just pass bills and call it progress.

Party leaders are showing a belief in process as opposed to a belief in, say, belief. But belief drives politics. It certainly drives each party's base.

One gets the impression party leaders, deep in their hearts, believe the base is... base. Unsophisticated. Primitive. Obsessed with its little issues. They're trying to educate the base. But if history is a guide, the base is about to teach them a lesson instead.

Certainly the ILGOP old guard goes so far as to taunt its base as base, unsophisticated, primitive, and obsessed with its little issues. How much more should it expect a boycott, at least in the governor's race.

The marriage amendment will bring conservatives out, but expect Judy to be snubbed, be it formally or organically driven. Social conservatives around the state tell me they physically will not be able to vote for her. Principles drive social conservatives to politics... and away.

WASHINGTON BLADE

Cowed Mary finally speaks  Mary Cheney was paid $1 million for her new book, proving Alan Keyes was right when he called her a ‘selfish hedonist.’ - Wayne Besen

http://www.washblade.com/2006/5-11/view/columns/besen.cfm

FOR SIX LONG years, Mary Cheney backpedaled from speaking out against Republican attempts to write her out of the Constitution, yet emerged from the musty closet just in time to peddle her new book, which hits stores this week.

Cowed Mary now wants to be Proud Mary, but it’s too late, for she has already sold us down the river.

From the comfortable confines of the V.P. mansion, Mary watched countless times as gay Americans get bashed. Yet, she remained a veritable Pet Rock until she received a $1 million advance to pry open her mouth.

Cheney launched a major public relations blitz for "Now It’s My Turn: A Daughter’s Chronicle of Political Life," but instead of sympathy, she deserves contempt for meekly attempting to justify her silence. She and her family had a unique opportunity to use the bully pulpit to educate Americans, and they failed miserably.

For example, in the 2000 campaign, Lynne Cheney bitterly replied to a question about her daughter’s sexual orientation with a sneering denial, "Mary has never declared such a thing."

In fact, Mary had come out to her parents and worked for Coors as its official gay liaison, which included traveling with Mr. Leather. Interestingly, he was omitted from her book.

DICK CHENEY WAS as disloyal as Lynne. During a Bush State of the Union address, he clapped as the president expressed support for a constitutional amendment barring same-sex unions. Talk about family values!

The ultimate slap in the face, however, came during the vice presidential debates, when Democratic nominee John Edwards mentioned that Cheney’s daughter was a lesbian. Mary says in her book that she mouthed an expletive from the front row of the audience, while her mother and sister maturely stuck out their tongues at him.

Soon after, in a presidential debate, John Kerry also noted that Mary was a lesbian. The response was swift and vociferous, with Lynne Cheney accusing Kerry of a "tawdry" political trick.

The appropriate response to a candidate calling an open lesbian a lesbian is to yawn as if it is no big deal. Why exactly were the Cheneys so hot and bothered over the truth?

Most reprehensible was Mary’s bafflingly defiant reaction, accusing the Democrats of using the issue for political gain. Perhaps she was correct, but Kerry and Edwards were actually trying to prevent using the Constitution to make Mary and her partner second-class citizens.

Was it not for political gain when her father and Bush cynically pushed for a federal amendment and also spearheaded 11 divisive anti-marriage state amendments to bolster their reelection bid in 2004?

Did Mary mouth expletives at Dick and George when they won reelection on her backs and that of her life partner?

TO THE CONTRARY, the dutiful daughter worked tirelessly to re-elect the terrible twosome, and now we face another vote on a federal constitutional amendment this summer. Thanks Mary!

Predictably, sycophants are coming out of the woodwork to cheer her on and snag her for fundraisers, as if Mary is a hero instead of a zero.

"Log Cabin Republicans applaud Mary Cheney for sharing her personal and family story," groveled Log Cabin President Patrick Guerriero.

The most gripping part of Mary’s story is when she admits that she was so distraught over a breakup with her girlfriend that she crashed her car and came out to her parents. Unfortunately, many young adults are not as lucky when they engage in self-destructive behavior often associated with coming out in a homophobic society.

Mary knew from experience that she could have helped put the brakes on such suicidal conduct. Instead, she let today’s youth crash and burn.