Friday, January 03, 2003

Isn't That Special? Last fall, the Charlotte Observer reported that their new "people's senator" had just purchased a $3.8 million dollar mansion in toney Georgetown that Elizabeth Edwards described as having "a pool next door and you can hear children playing." Their hometown newspaper also said that Edwards has signed a book deal with Simon & Schuster. Maybe with some of the advance they can hire someone to go next door and tell those kids to pipe down. Here the WaPo comments, not kindly, on the reach of Edwards' ego and it's not pretty. If you thought the Washington press corps had a hard nose for John Kerry, watch what they are about to do to John Edwards.

Hello, Suckers: We can just picture the high-fiving and thigh-slapping that must be going on inside the Raelian cult's microbe rich precincts as they rejoice at the latest cloning scam. Reporting a story the National Enquirer wouldn't touch, straight-faced cable heads interviewed any Raelian who could sit up straight over the too-long holiday. This morning's papers are calling it a (duh) hoax. The fake seriousness with which the media treated this shabby episode is no hoax - it is an outrage.

A Watchbird Watching: Because we too, want to be "the champion of the regular people" we try to bring you articles, editorial and comment from smaller-than-the-NYTimes newspapers. Here's a zippy column from a man named Bill Roe in the Carolina Morning News keeping us up to speed on Hillary and one Mark J. Jimenez who was part of a "ring to funnel illegal campaign contributions" to the Clintons. We've read about Mr. Jimenez but Mr. Roe ties it all together in an interesting package.

We Love A Mystery: As the way-too-long holiday fortnight winds down it's always interesting to have a good old fashioned mystery to follow and the disappearance of a pretty, pregnant 27-year-old wife in Modesto, California is shaping up as a tabloid thriller. The gone-fishing husband is not looking good at the moment but one never knows. Here's today's San Francisco Chronicle update but check the Modesto Bee for more details as the investigation continues.

Another Tiny Item That Makes Us Smile: Over at the National Review Online's cozy cyber water cooler called The Corner, Editor Kathryn Jean Lopez ( while providing some of Aaron Brown's more bloated commentary) asks "...anyone ever watch his whole show? I'm not sure it is possible..."

-Your Weekend Primed LComStaff