Removed, temporarily.

CBS 2 News has learned that Francis Cardinal George is temporarily removing Father Michael Pfleger from his position as pastor of St. Sabina Roman Catholic Church on Chicago's South Side.

CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports the move comes after several days of deliberation and consultation by the Cardinal, who first learned about Pfleger's racially charged comments about Sen. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton from the pulpit of Trinity Unity Church of Christ last Thursday night.

The Cardinal immediately contacted Pfleger who agreed not to refer to the presidential candidates by name, but as CBS 2 reported at the time, there remained the possibility of some further disciplinary action against Pfleger.

The Cardinal reportedly spoke to Pfleger again this morning.

A spokesman for the archdiocese would neither confirm nor deny action had been taken to remove Pfleger. Another spokesman said she expected to have some announcement later today.

Obama's buddies. What a wonderful bunch.

All this anger, all these wasted years of religions training to be misused in the service of political hate, all to avoid telling his dad he's gay.

Hey, I'm just saying. He's "theatrical" by admission. My gaydar hasn't blared this loudly since a guy in leather chaps sidled right up in the next urinal over during the intermission of Rent.

Posted by: Ace at 01:48 PM | Comments (23)
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You know, I've got some pull at FOX, what with my ongoing romantic involvement with one Miss Suzanne Sena.

(Who is now anchoring daytime segments instead of the overnight stuff. Coincidence? No, my friends, Suzy S. knows the night-time is the right-time for a little quality time with Jack M.-time.)

So, given that DrewM. has been blogging like a madman today, and that all he really wants is to be rewarded with a photo of Miss. Megyn Kelly in those sexy, naughty librarian glasses she occasionally breaks out, I figured I'd do a fellow co-blogger a solid.

One phone call to my little Suzy Snookums later, and viola, a photo of MK in her glasses arrives in my e-mail box.

Enjoy it Drew M. You've worked hard this primary season. You've earned a little bunk time pal.

Your fakey internet friend,

Jack M. more...

Posted by: Jack M. at 12:59 PM | Comments (54)
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He says the "controversial statements" were made while at a panel with the women seen in the post below.

Quoting Johh Fund, who, note, reports these as rumors, not as verified facts:

Indeed, rumors are swirling on the campaign trail that a new video will soon surface featuring Mrs. Obama appearing on a panel with radical speakers during which she makes more controversial statements.

According to a Hillary blog, Bob Beckel has some "worries" the Whitey Tape is real and it is (giggle) being released by Republicans now, which is dumb, he thinks because it means "Hillary will be the nominee."

Um, if it's dumb for Republicans to release it now and it only seems to benefit Hillary, isn't it more likely Hillary is releasing it? How come only pro-Hillary Democrats have the scoop on this while we right-wing bloggers have to quote them?

Anyway, here's Beckel, noting the many sources he'd heard this from, giving him "worries." Skip ahead to around 1:20 to hear about The Rumor and The Dropping Shoe.

Uggghhh. I hate this. I am beginning to believe this is real, which pisses me off, because I know it's going to turn out to be total fucking bullshit.

Something to Bear in Mind... I got taken in by the Mickey Kantor "White Niggers" hoax. All it took was a caption purporting to accurately convey the words he said to get me to hear Kantor saying "white niggers," though he said nothing of the sort. The caption pushed that interpretation on me, and once I "heard" it, it took me a long time to not hear it. I am indebted by skeptical readers for offering up the words he did say; once I had an alternate "translation" of his words, I could hear he wasn't saying anything objectionable at all.

Many readers suggest that the supposed "Whitey did this, Whitey did that" statements are more likely "Why'd he do that, why'd he do this." I imagine that if there is a tape including either "Whitey" or "Why'd he," it will also include that very "helpful" caption. So ignore the caption and just listen to the words and the context.

This seems to be a pretty prestigious confab -- Bill Cosby gave a speech during this conference, the one we've heard, telling blacks they have to stop blaming whites for stuff within in their control like their kids not speaking proper English -- so it seems to me pretty unlikely Michelle Obama would let the mask slip and begin ranting about "Whitey."

Barack Obama was running for Senator at the time, for crying out loud.

Still... I guess we'll see.

But I for one refuse to be taken in by the same cheap trick twice in the same election cycle.

Good Point! IreneFingIrene:

It seems like LJ is saying it will drop tomorrow because Beckel said it might. But Beckel never sourced his info. Its very possible its LJ.

Circle jerk.

Yes, and while Beckel notes sources, several of the cobloggers at Larry Johnson's are pushing this. At any rate, everyone claims to know people who know people who in turn have seen the tape; no source says he's actually seen the tape with his own eyes. It's all hearsay and rumor.

And then repeated hearsay and rumor, which seems to add credibility because "everyone's saying it," but in all likelihood all the rumors originate with the same couple of rumor-spreaders.

Posted by: Ace at 12:30 PM | Comments (70)
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Looks like a media-arranged group shot of, um, "important" black female figures, so I don't know if Michelle Obama really chose to grin and gab with Mrs. Farrakhan.

Is this something? I don't know.

Full-sized pop-up of the pic here.

Via Larry Johnson's blog, which is down maybe due to a traffic spike.

Thanks to Drew for the tip and for finding the direct link to the pic.

Update: Michelle Obama just sent me an email:

I could no more disown "Mother" Khadijah Farrakhan than I could disown this spork I just got with my Quizno's Cobb Salad.

Wait, where did that spork go? I had it just a moment ago.

Oh well. Easy come, easy go.

Note: While the photo looks real enough and I'd bet serious, life-changing money* it's real, I can't check for the citation as LJ's blog is down. It is possible (I guess) this is a photoshop.

* "Serious, life-changing money" for me is about forty buck.

Update: The cite as claimed on the blog is--

"From JET Magazine, a powerful Chicago-based publication, July 26, 2004"

I would check that, but I canceled my subscription to Jet in 2003, after they ran an article on the most important hip-hop records but failed to include Suzanne Vega's Tom's Diner.

Confirmed: Slublog found the pic -- or at least the caption -- on Lexis/Nexis. It's from Jet, about a Rainbow PUSH conference in Chicago.

So it's real.

Posted by: Ace at 11:54 AM | Comments (32)
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Heh.

I expect soon there'll be a quickie study which "proves" that conservatives' greater scrupulousness is due to our hidebound, unimaginative mode of retrograde thinking.

Liberals' lack of scruples will by comparison be "proven" to be a result of their more enlightened, more nuanced, more contextual mode of free-thinkin' thought.

Evidence of Liberal Lying? 90% of women claim they'd rather "chat up" (i.e., monkey-fuck) someone with a hybrid than the latest sports car.

In related news, my moped would get 60 miles to the gallon, if only I didn't have to dodge all the pooter flying at me like I'm driving in Hurricane Vagina.

Via Fark.

Posted by: Ace at 11:20 AM | Comments (52)
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A 21 year old woman tried to rob a man at an ATM. The man and his friend chased her down and caught her.

The man was 71 and the friend was on a motorized scooter.

IÂ’m glad they caught her but if you can out run or maneuver that pair, you really need to consider another line of work.

BTW- Sorry about all the posting today but Ace seems to be otherwise occupied. So does Allah at Hot Air. Hmmm. Maybe they are comforting Hillary in her hour of despair. I hear Ewoks can be very soothing.

Personally, I prefer to think they are working hard to ensure that Megyn wears the glasses!

Posted by: DrewM at 10:58 AM | Comments (11)
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Actually, so does Hillary but that doesnÂ’t matter now.

According to the UN climate change chief, no matter who wins the US will be supporting some serious changes.

"All three presidential candidates have recognised the importance of climate change; want to act on climate change; want to develop a strong domestic policy approach; seem to favour a policy approach that goes in the direction of a cap-and-trade regime which would mesh very well with the direction in which other industrialised countries want to go; and seem to favour an international approach to climate change," de Boer said in Paris.

"So, in other words, whoever wins the presidential elections, I think that we will see a pro-active, international, market-based approach to climate change in the United States, founded on solid domestic policy."

See, this is the real fallout from HillaryÂ’s demiseÂ…having to deal with the fact Maverick is still the Republican nominee.

Ed at Hot Air has a rundown of the joys of the cap and trade system currently being debated by the US Senate. By joys I of course mean, higher prices, higher taxes and increased government involvement in the economy all for very little reduction in CO2 levels.

Meanwhile a scientist with the US Army says, hey, maybe that sun thing has something to do with the temperature here on Earth.

The Army is weighing in on the global warming debate, claiming that climate change is not man-made. Instead, Dr. Bruce West, with the Army Research Office, argues that "changes in the earthÂ’s average surface temperature are directly linked to ... the short-term statistical fluctuations in the SunÂ’s irradiance and the longer-term solar cycles."

In an advisory to bloggers entitled "Global Warming: Fact of Fiction [sic]," an Army public affairs official promoted a conference call with West about "the causes of global warming, and how it may not be caused by the common indicates [sic] some scientists and the media are indicating."

In the March, 2008 issue of Physics Today, West, the chief scientist of the Army Research Office's mathematical and information science directorate, wrote that "the SunÂ’s turbulent dynamics" are linked with the Earth's complex ecosystem. These connections are what is heating up the planet. "The Sun could account for as much as 69 percent of the increase in EarthÂ’s average temperature," West noted.

Dr. West was immediately burned at the stake for heresy because after all, the science is settled.

Posted by: DrewM at 10:30 AM | Comments (22)
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From the Slushop Collection

I think the more interesting thing is the bum's rush they are giving Hillary. Look at what this is based on.

public commitments from delegates as well as more than a dozen private commitments. It also included a minimum number of delegates Obama was guaranteed even if he lost the final two primaries in South Dakota and Montana later in the day.

This is essentially an exit poll of superdelegates, who as many have pointed out arenÂ’t locked into to their selection until they vote at the convention.

I have no doubt the numbers are right or will be tonight or tomorrow but why the rush? Oh yeah, because the MSM has spent almost 20 years sucking up to and protecting the Clintons but the moment the next It Candidate came along they dropped her like a lottery winner ditching his old wife for a young hottie.

If sheÂ’s learned nothing else during this campaign, I think Hillary now understands what itÂ’s like to be a Republican.

With this out of the way, the days only real question remainsÂ…will she or wonÂ’t she...wear the glasses?

Please Megyn, we need them now more than ever.

UPDATE: For those keeping hope alive...NBC says it's not over. Yet. Of course they also report Obama has picked up 11 delegates today (10 supers and 1 former Edwards supporter).

Posted by: DrewM at 09:52 AM | Comments (27)
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As some of you may know, Hillary, reluctantly (very reluctantly) is my gal. Alas, it appears over.

Hillary Rodham Clinton will concede Tuesday night that Barack Obama has the delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, campaign officials said, effectively ending her bid to be the nation's first female president.

The former first lady will stop short of formally suspending or ending her race in her speech in New York City. She will pledge to continue to speak out on issues like health care. But for all intents and purposes, the two senior officials said, the campaign is over.

Most campaign staff will be let go and will be paid through June 15, said the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to divulge her plans.

The advisers said Clinton has made a strategic decision to not formally end her campaign, giving her leverage to negotiate with Obama on various matters including a possible vice presidential nomination for her. She also wants to press him on issues he should focus on in the fall, such as health care.

As the final two states vote it appears we are left with only one important question to ponderÂ…Will Megyn Kelly wear the hot librarian glasses tonight as she reports the exit polls?

Megyn, please wear the glasses. ItÂ’s the only thing that will salvage the evening.

UPDATE: Not so fast says the Clinton campaign.

It's going to be like this all day but the math just isn't there for her even if she gets what she wants out of Michigan at the convention. She won't drop and release her delegates (in case THE TAPE does surface) but she's got no where to go with this. She'll make nice noises, take some cash in to pay off debts and then either get the VP nod (I doubt it) or fade away back to the Senate waiting for '12.

Posted by: DrewM at 07:08 AM | Comments (78)
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... those that can "afford it".

It comes in the form of a loss of the $219 personal exemption on state income taxes, but by December could accrue to almost $1000 per person.

The money is already being put to good use.

A total of $9.7 million in fines was deposited into a trust fund to help cover the cost of the law. Monthly penalties for those who can afford health care but refuse will jump and could total as much as $912 for individuals by December.

How much will it cost to implement this law?

In 2006, a legislative committee estimated the law would cost about $725 million in the fiscal year starting in July. In his budget, Patrick set aside $869 million, but those overseeing the law have already acknowledged costs will rise even higher.

No worries though. They're gonna make up the shortfall with a buck per pack increase on smokes.

On the plus side I've heard Massachusetts is really pretty in the fall. So they got that going for them, which is nice.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 05:43 AM | Comments (82)
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