Would you donate to Gov. Palin's legal defense fund?
If you have a couple extra coins knocking around in your pocket, you could consider a donation to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's legal defense fund. The former Republican vice presidential candidate has about $500,000 in legal fees - partly due to investigations into efforts to fire an Alaska state trooper who's her former-brother-in-law.
Also, supporters say about a dozen new ethics complaints have been filed against Palin in the last four months. The 'Alaska Fund Trust' says on its website: "For Alaskans, the time has come to end the siege on our government by political tricksters. Enough is enough. With the help of reform-minded advocates from across our nation, we will stand up for what is right."
They add that the fund will "reduce the incentive for mischief by Palin's opponents" and turn back the tide of partisan and personal political attacks.
Donations will be limited to $150, and the fund won't accept money from corporations, lobbyists, foreigners or state contractors. Supporters say the names and contribution amounts of all donors will be made public.
They insist this is one of the "most restrictive and transparent legal funds in history," and compare it to other recent funds - like those for both Clintons and former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens.
Here’s my question to you: Would you be inclined to donate to Governor Sarah Palin's legal defense fund?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Why has former Pres. Bush been silent on torture debate?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Since the release of those Bush-era interrogation memos, former Vice President Dick Cheney hasn't been able to stop tallking. This was a guy who we barely saw or heard from for eight years. Cheney insists the harsh techniques kept the country safe and President Obama should release more documents to prove that.
As president, George W. Bush denied that his administration authorized torture of prisoners.
Bush's former top political adviser, Karl Rove is accusing Mr. Obama of seeking "show trials" of former administration officials. Even Senator John McCain, who fought for limits on interrogation during the Bush administration, says any talk of prosecution is about "settling old political scores." I guess the fact that laws may have been broken doesn't matter to McCain.
But with all the talk - one person we haven't heard from is former President Bush himself. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy insists an independent commission is needed to find out who exactly authorized this stuff, saying: "I want to know who was it who made the decisions that we will violate our own laws; we'll violate our own treaties; we will even violate our own Constitution."
While president, Bush repeatedly denied that his administration authorized torture of prisoners. But just last week a Senate report showed top Bush officials as early as 2002 gave the CIA approval to use techniques like waterboarding - which has been considered torture since the Spanish Inquisition.
Here’s my question to you: When it comes to the torture debate, why has former President Bush been silent?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
What about Pres. Obama's second 100 days?
(PHOTO CREDIT: Aude Guerrucci-Pool/Getty Images)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The consensus is that President Obama's first 100 days in office have been very successful. But the outlook for the next 100 days may not be nearly as rosy. The president's first three months in office focused, among other things, on the economy, reaching out to world leaders and winding down operations in Iraq while ramping them up in Afghanistan.
But despite job approval ratings of about 65 percent - not exactly chopped liver - there is criticism. Conservatives say President Obama hasn't worked for real bipartisanship, while some Democrats are worried about bailouts of big financial institutions and car companies as well as with his plan to increase troop levels in Afghanistan.
CNN's John King points to three things that could trip up the president in the days to come: First, he's perceived as a liberal, which is often a liability in U.S. politics. Nearly 4 in 10 Americans think Mr. Obama is trying to do too much at once; and if there are major setbacks, the risk is voters will question his leadership and governing skills.
In the next 100 days - look for some new issues to take center stage, including the president's push for health care reform along with energy and environmental proposals. It's yet to be seen if the American public will back Mr. Obama's push for more government intervention in these areas. But if the current poll numbers are any indication, Mr. Obama's honeymoon is far from being over.
Here’s my question to you: How are President Obama's second 100 days likely to be different from the first?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
Recent Comments