Fred Barnes reports President Bush is reading, among other books, John Kennedy Toole's classic "The Confederacy of Dunces" (Actually, the name of the book is "A Confederacy of Dunces")

In any case, the president's enemies can have great fun with the book's title and suggest how fitting that he should be reading it, given how well it describes his administration, and all that.

But I think it's great the prez can find time to read such a great and funny book.

Some of his critics, if they haven't read it, should read it too. It's a hoot. And a reminder that we're all part of the same confederacy.

It's not surprising that the board of the American Red Cross would have higher standards for conduct for its CEO than Democrats would have for the President of the United States.

And he didn't even lie to a federal judge and obstruct justice.

Goes to Evelyn Richwine of Glen Mills who rails about the injustice being done to one defrocked attorney H. Beatty Chadwick who has been in Delaware County prison for 13 years for contempt of court.

Ms. Richwine apparently doesn't know that Mr. Chadwick has had the keys to his own jail cell since his incarceration. All he has to do is sign legal authorizations that would permit the court to find (or not find) the money he stashed away overseas during his divorce.

He has stubbornly refused to do so for 13 years. A series of judges have reviewed the case, given Mr. Chadwick the opportunity to free himself but he has declined to do so. He has outlived a couple of the judges on the case, most notably, the Hon. Joe Battle.

Granted it is a strange situation. But then H. Beatty Chadwick is a strange man. Ms. Richwine calls him a "decent human being" (though she admits to never meeting him) and the judge who sent him to jail, "inconsiderate, mean and cruel."

I met Chadwick only once. Decent is not the word I would use to describe him. Is it decent to flout a court order to deprive your wife of what is legally hers? To consistantly lie to judge after judge for years?

He is mannerly though. However, his defining characteristic is his stubborness.

"Release him you idiots," demands Ms. Richwine. "... Somebody better start to look into this ungodly situation."

Somebody has. In fact, many people have.

If H. Beatty dies in prison, he'll have only himself to blame.

Judge Over Barrel in Niagra Falls .

This story caught my eye because not too long ago I happened to be in district court and my own cell phone rang. I thought I'd turned it off but I hadn't.

Instead of sending me to jail, the DJ gently chided me about it. Very judicious, I thought.

Brian De Palma's anti-war propaganda film, "Redacted," the toast of Venice (or was it, Vienna) bombs in America.

Go figure.

So former Penn Delco school solicitor Mark Sereni is finally going to get independent investigation he always wanted into the Penn Delco school district mess.

Unfortunately (from Sereni's perspective), it won't focus on Business Administrator John Steffy's alleged failings, but on the split-dollar insurance policy deal that cost the district $640,000.

New solicitor Mike Levin has stated that the policy as it was written was in violation of the school code because it is illegal for a school district to invest in mutual funds.

Last week, the board unanimously voted a resolution authorizing Levin to investigate the deal.

Said Levin:

"According to my review so far, there were a lot of inappropriate things done in connection with this split-dollar policy, such that it is my recommendation that we ask New England Life Insurance to return all premiums and to seek repayment from Creative Financial Solutions, who was the broker who provided certain services."

As solicitor, Sereni reviewed the 2004 deal and approved it. If Levin is right, Sereni fell down on the job of protecting the district big time.

In the meantime, Levin has been hired on through 2008 to serve as the district's solicitor. It appears that those who feared The Return of Solicitor Sereni need not have worried so much.

Drudge reports, "Eco Warrior Sterilized to Protect the Planet..."

No doubt, she did the world a favor.

Hey, there's a new party of the rich.

Guess who? It ain't the Libertarians

Frank J. continues to be mean to trial lawyer/hair model/presidential candidate John Edwards

Things continue to improve in Iraq.

Are the Democrats and the Angry Left thankful for that? Don't bet on it.

UPDATE: And al Qaeda in Iraq is on the run too.

UPDATE II: Hillary Clinton gets in on the action.

Even the disadvantaged (aka poor people) probably ate too much on Thanksgiving. If this isn't a great country it isn't because it allows people to go hungry.

Robert Rector explains.

Money Q:

"In reality, poor people are increasingly becoming overweight for the same reason that most Americans are becoming overweight: They eat too much and exercise too little."

UPDATE: Still, there is nothing wrong with helping the truly needy.

OK, the holiday's over, so let's roll through this.

Haverford Township Commissioner Fred Moran has been convicted of felony bribery.

He was found guilty of soliciting this "bribe" from the firm hired to develop the Haverford State Hospital site.

His crime was in asking/demanding the sale price of the property to the developer be upped $500,000.

According to prosecutor, he did this, not to line his own pockets, but to enhance his political standing in the community.

“The motive of the crime was to embellish his own political stature … to ride in and save the day,’’ the prosecutor told the jury.

Yes, well.

It was the commonwealth's position that it in bringing the bribery charge it didn't matter a lick that the "benefit" Moran was trying to accrue was not financial.

I remember reading the original grand jury indictment against Moran months ago and being shocked to find the claim that a township commissioner trying to enhance his political stature by selling a piece of township property to a developer for the highest price possible could be construed as "bribery."

It sounded weird to me then and it still does.

Imagine you are selling your house, asking $200,000, and an interested buyer offers $190,000. You agree to $195,000, but then at last minute before the papers are signed you say, "No, I want $200,000." The buyer says, "But we agreed." And you say, "I changed my mind. Call it extortion if you want but I need $200,000." And the real reason is because you think getting the extra $5,000 will impress your wife. That may be a bad business practice, but should it be a crime? And how is that qualitatively different from Moran's behavior.

As I said the other day, if trying to enhance one political stature at the expense of another is a crime, every politician in America should be locked up.

The decision to bring this case, itself was a political decision. While such cases are not unheard of, they are rare. Most prosecutors require some sort of tangible benefit (i.e. money or property) to be sought by someone for themselves or someone close to them before they are hit with a bribery rap.

I have heard, and it somewhat telling, that on the morning of the trial's opening, the AG's office offered to drop the bribery charge if Moran agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor obstruction of justice.

Moran and his attorney Tom Bergstrom declined the offered. Which is to say, they rolled dice... and they lost. They thought the prosecutors was so weak that a jury would see through it.

In fact, the AG's case wasn't weak, it was just weird. Once the jury accepted the premise that an attempt to enhance one's own political stature was the same as taking an envelope stuffed with money, it was all over.

A benefit is a benefit is a benefit is what the AGs office hammered home. And the jury bought it.

I didn't and I don't. I'm sure it won't be the last time I disagree with a jury verdict.

This, I think, should be kept in mind:

The power to prosecute, to put people in jail, is the most awesome one that government has. And there are plenty of prosecutors throughout U.S. history who have abused that power to enhance their own "political stature." (One, today happens to be governor of New York.)

Only in the rarest of circumstances are politically motivated prosecutors held to account for their bad behavior. (Think former DA Michael Nifong in the Duke Lacrosse rape case.)

I'm not saying that the AG's office necessarily abused it's power in this case. I am saying that it had the discretion to conclude a bribery charge was not appropriate. It concluded differently.

I don't know Fred Moran. I don't believe I've ever even spoken to the man. But I have heard very few good things about his political leadership in Haverford.

However, being a lousy political leader or a ruthless one isn't, itself, a crime.

Generally, the proper fate of a bad politician is being challenged and losing at the ballot box.

Criminalizing rather standard behavior in the political area is not the answer to bad representation. For it has a way of snapping back on those who argue most vociferously for it.

Sir Thomas More had it right when he said he would give the Devil himself the benefit of the law for his own sake.

After the guilty verdict, Bergstrom said, “It’s a good reason to stay out of politics.”

He could have just as easily said that before the verdict, even before the trial. The indictment itself, at least, on this particular charge, provides just as good a reason.

In another township development deal gone bad for some politicians, former Haverford Township commissioner Fred Moran went on trial yesterday for "bribery."

The case is going to be a tough one to make, although Moran made it a little easier describing what he was asking of the developer was "extortion."

That he used the word in front of a political enemy (Andy Lewis) and to the developer himself suggests an innocence of mind.

After all, he was not asking for the money to put in his own pocket. According to his lawyer, he was "renegotiating" the purchase of the Haverford State Property so that the township, which was facing a budget short-fall, would get something out it.

The prosecution's theory is that he was requesting the money in order to enhance his political power. Maybe. But if that's a crime, every pork-scarfing pol in America ought to be locked up.

Moran's problem was the crudity with which he made his request/demand.

When it comes to asking developers to contribute to township's common good, like getting the ruby slippers off dorothy, it must be done "delicately."

Moran is certainly guilty of being indelicate. Whether he is guilty of anything else is more doubtful.

There are 150 reasons why police departments might want to rethink the use of stun guns.

My friend (and all around good guy) Ken Jacobsen will not like this George Will column about class-action racketeering but it's dead on.

Money Q:

"Democrats are rewarded for their devotion to trial lawyers, but there is another reason why they are disposed to devotion. The problem is not that Democrats are "bought" by trial lawyers. The problem is that Democrats, who see victims everywhere, are actually disposed to believe the narrative of pandemic victimization of investors."

New York University History professor Jonathan Zimmerman says it's time to get rid of gender stereotypes and offers this insight:

"(Hillary) Clinton has spent most of the campaign trying to dispel the idea that she's too feminine - too gentle, too thoughtful, too caring - to lead the nation. But when she adopts a tough persona, especially on issues of foreign policy and defense, some voters complain that she's behaving like a man."

I, of course, disagree. I think the Democratic candidate who has to dispel the rumor that she is too feminine, gentle, thoughtful, and caring is John Edwards.

Clinton doesn't "adopt" a tough persona. She IS tough. Her problem isn't that voters perceive her as behaving like a man. Her problem is they percieve her as behaving like a "bitch." And a frosty one at that.

Sounds like it's Zimmerman who has the stereotyping problem: his are all wrong.

Roger Kimball on Affirmative-Action and other hyphenateds embraced by today's progressives.

He calls civil rights champion Ward Connerly "indispensible."

That word also applies to Mr. Kimball.

Progressives will disagree. As usual they will be wrong.

Here's my print column for today.

A few things I left out:

There was a blow up last week between Supervisor Jack Dipompeo and Solicitor Bruce Irvine.

While going over some legal issues concerning the BPG by-right plan with Dipompeo and Supervisor Linda Houldin, Irvine allegedly made a crack about how Dipompeo would run back to BPG with the info because of his being in BPG's back pocket.

Dipompeo exploded and told off Irvine in no uncertain terms and left the room furious.

"I lost it, I admit it," Dipompeo told me. But explained he was sick of what he considered to be Irvine's unprofessional needling and insults.

Dipompeo said he has been in favor of the Town Center project over the alternative from the beginning. He has said that he didn't blame BPG for being frustrated with the how they've been treated. He said the normal township process for negotiating and approving development haven't been followed in the case of the Town Center.

He also said that the township did work well and quickly to help BPG get the Bryn Mawr rehab medical center approved and built. But while BPG officials admit that working with the township on that project was better they were still held to different standards than other developers.

They cited the fact that they were required to provide 15 traffic studies before getting approval. Contrast that with developer Claude de Botton getting a zoning change and approval without presenting a single traffic study. The one study he did provide the township was turned in a month AFTER his approval.

The disparity between how the BPG town center project and how Claude de Botton's proposed lifestyle center have been treated is rather stark. BPG makes a pretty good case and shows the different standards that have been applied.

While Supervisor Linda Houldin was proclaiming the importance of holding BPG to a density limit recommended by the International Council of Shopping Centers, Claude was issued a permit to develop his site at nearly twice that density rate.

Her claim to me that "I don't even know Claude de Botton" is being openly ridiculed by people who heard Claude refer to her as "my good friend" at a public gathering not too long ago.

The speed with which the township approved Claude's lifestyle center does seem pretty amazing.

Rumor has it Newtown GOP leader Mike Gillin isn't happy with all the attention being brought to his happy little berg. Why should he be? For any political leader scrutiny is never welcome. Things can be twisted or misunderstood too easily.

I called him over the weekend for his views on the most recent Town Center controversy but he didn't get back to me.

Being a political leader is an art. Have too heavy a hand and you lose the loyalty of your people. Have too light a touch and people aren't afraid enough for you to control things.

In the Town Center deal, Gillin, though he has publicly supported the plan, has tried to stay removed and let the elected leaders do their jobs. But they've screwed it all up.

Now Irvine is in BPG's cross-hairs. He is perceived by the developer as having worked against their project while giving Claude a pass.

BPG's view: We're paying the township solicitor while he actively works against us and he's overcharging us to boot. They're making a stink about it. And, of course, I'm helping them by publicizing it. But only because I think they've made a pretty good for themselves.

A lot of lawyers overbill their clients, which is why they have legal fee arbitration boards. But when taxpayers money is at stake it is a little less likely for those fees to be watched closely and challenged. And it is even less likely when the fees are coming out of the "deep" pockets of a developer who has more of an interest in not making waves and getting his project approved than cares about being nickel and dimed by a township.

In Newtown, the solicitor and the supervisors gave BPG no incentive to keep its mouth shut about the way the township has acted and the way they feel they've been treated.

Bad move.

Sorry for the lack of posts but I've been inordinately busy the last 24 hours.

In Today's column about foreclosures I expressly told readers not to call ME if they are in the process of losing their homes, call a guy like Tom Noden. But then I didn't tell them how to get a hold of him.

According to his business card, he can be reached at 610 566 3000 or 610 892 5784.
Or you can e-mail him at TomNodenRE@yahoo.com.

Hey free drive-through flu shots over at the Middletown Township Firehouse on Route 352 today.

I've just been told the line is non-existent right now.

I'm heading over.

Just a minute. According to the president of Iran there are no homosexuals in his country.

So who are they for hanging?

Happy people?

And people say I'M insensitive to Global Warming.

I never do this with my scooter.

UPDATE: Wife says it's "myyyyyy scooter."

I watched a documentary last night called Crazy Love, that can be summed up this way:

Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy has lye thrown in girl's face. Girl goes blind. Boy goes to jail. Boy gets out of jail. Boy marries blind girl. They live, not so happily ever after.

Rent it. It's terrific.

UPDATE: My friend Phil says this film ought to be called: Sex, Lye and Videotape.

No action was taken at last night's Newtown Township Supervisors meeting concerning the BPG's By-Right development plan for the Ellis Preserve.

I give the supervisors about a week before the big-box plan becomes a fait accompli. They need to meet with BPG's lawyer to set a time-frame for approval of the much more popular Town Center plan or they're going to lose it.

Check out today's print column.

Here's what you can do to prevent Global Warming in Delco. Yeah, right.

I did my part. I got a scooter. Now, buzz off, Andy!

So the cops come on to their property to serve a warrant next door and end up killing their guard dog/pet?

A big apology is in order here.

Then again, a dog starts chewing on my hand and won't let go, if I have a gun handy I shoot too.

I say we blame the criminal neighbor. If not for him none of this happens.

Time's Joe Klein was for the war before he was against it.

Now he says we're "winning" but Bush is still stupid.

I bet a lot of people felt the same way about the Civil War five years in.

Maybe that was a big mistake too.

Peter Berkowitz explains the pitfalls of Bush Derangement Syndrome (aka irrational hatred) to his fellow intellectuals. I don't think they're listening.

What? a No DUI? I'm thinking of moving to Texas.

Here's a preview of tomorrow's print column:

Newtown Township Supervisor Jack DiPompeo doesn't get it.

He says he can't figure out why the Town Center proposed by the Berwind Property Group three years ago for the Ellis Preserve hasn't been approved by the township.

"Never in my life have I seen more roadblocks thrown up for a project," he told me, "and its coming out of nowhere."

Actually, it's not.

Unless he considers the mouth of fellow supervisor Linda Houldin "nowhere."

The price oil is up what to do?

My neighbor has about six cords of wood chopped and ready to go into his wood-burning stove. He tells me he spends just $200 on oil a year. Mostly, he heats his house with wood. It's labor intensive but good for the heart, he says. Though hardly carbon neutral.

In the meantime, we buy our heating oil from Boyle. My wife was smart enough to get us locked in before the price spiked. (Nice job, honey!)

Boyle's a good company. When we had a problem with our heater just yesterday, they were right out here to fix it within the hour. Now we're toasty and burning through fuel (and dollars) like nobody's business.

Some people are starting to ask embarrassing questions about where all the donations to the Jena 6 are going.

In light of what I've been watching going on in Newtown Square, I found this story kind of interesting.

A judge has ruled against a teacher in Oregon who sued her school district because it prevented her from exercising her Second Amendment rights on school property.

Interesting case. Pro-Gun Pro-Christ, your thoughts?

Congressman Joe Sestak will be giving the Dems response to the president's weekly radio address.

Just who will give the Angry Left's response to Sestak has yet to be announced.

In other news, guess who turns 232 years young today? Happy Birthday fellas.

This sort of thing seems to start earlier and earlier every year.

The next thing you know the feds are going to rename it Cripesmas!

Maybe these people read about the antics of the former solicitor in Penn Delco. Maybe they didn't read enough.

Sounds like this mom has a pretty good lawyer.

UPDATE: In Canada the whole school board got in on the action. Yuck!

Here's my print column today on the BPG plan for a Town Center in Newtown Square.

One name that wasn't mentioned was Township Supervisor Linda Houldin who has been one of the more vociferous opponents of the Town Center plan. As far as BPG is concerned she's Linda Houldin Things Up.

I called her for the column but she didn't call back.

The skinny on Linda is that she has a job with Brandywine Conference and Visitors Bureau. Her newest title is "liason" to the county parks and recreation department and the county historical society.

Though she is employed by bureau, which is located in Chadds Ford, she doesn't work there. Oddly, she works out of an office in the county's parks and recreation department at Rose Tree Park.

Houldin's political patron is Newtown GOP boss Mike Gillin. If it weren't for him its highly unlikely she'd have a visitor's bureau job. So let's just say she's behouldin' to him big time.

Most recently Houldin arranged a Veterans Memorial photo op for Claude de Botton and his planned-for "Lifestyle" development on Route 3. No wonder the BPG folks are so suspicious of how they've been treated in Newtown. Especially seeing Claude's zoning changes and approvals zip through while their's languishes in limbo.

Gillin tells me he's for the BPG Town Center going forward. We'll see.

Township Board of Supervisors Chairman (and good guy) Joe Catania jokingly calls BPG's complaints "Claude de Botton envy" and explains away Claude's quick approvals as comparing apples to oranges. "They're both fruit but that's about it."

I'm willing to by that, but reasonable people might wonder if there isn't more going on here than meets the eye.

Catania thinks BPG may be bluffing in going ahead with its "by-right" plan -- so-called because that's a plan that the developer can impose on a municipality "by (legal) right," in so far as it meets existing zoning and what not.

BPG's "by-right" would be anchored by a big-box store. Nobody wants that. But right now the township is playing a game of chicken with BPG.

Catania said he would be trying to set up a meeting with BPG in the next few days.

BPG Prez Steve Spaeder will make a boat-load of dough no matter which plan is finally approved. But probably more with the Town Center. He says it isn't all dollars and cents to him. He'd like to do leave behind a development he can point to and be proud of. Another Target store doesn't accomplish that.

More to come in the days ahead.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention that when it comes to the Veteran's Memorial, Spaeder told me that he would've welcomed it into the Town Center project. Where better to have it, he asked, out on the edge of the township on in its heart? He believes he could've found a perfect spot for it in the 15-acre park he had planned.

WJS' Dan Henninger compares Clarence Thomas to Tom Robinson and Atticus Finch and his autobiography to To Kill A Mockingbird.

Good stuff.

Clarification:

In today's Daily Times editorial, it was written that despite the fact that none of our endorsed Democrats won county offices on Election Day, ".... we can live the results... What we cannot live with is that two of three of those eligible (to vote) did not even bother to exercise their franchise. Shame on you."

I can not speak for the rest of the editorial board but I, for one, will not be killing myself because of light voter turnout.

Dr. Stephen Pilder of Ridley Park has a letter in today's Daily Times applauding Rep. Pete Stark, D-Cal., "not only for his honesty, but for his choice words in rebuking a president who thinks he is an anointed Emperor."

Dr. Pilder continues, "It is high time our representatives in Congress start to represent us. (I'm up to my eyeballs in phony lip service.

"I thank Pete Stark for his comments. They are a breath of fresh air."

Pilder conveniently left out what Rep. Stark said on the floor of the House of Representatives (and later apologized for).

Here it is:

"You don't have money to fund the war or children. But you're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement."

As I said, Stark apologized. And here that is:

"I want to apologize first of all to my colleagues, many of whom I have offended, to the president. his family, to the troops that may have found (offense) in my remarks as were suggested in the motion that we just voted on, and I do apologize. ... With this apology I will become as insignificant as I should be and we can return to the issues that do divide us but that we can resolve."

And after saying that he walked to the Democratic side of the chamber and stood sobbing while fellow Democrats gathered around him.

Whether Stark was crying from shame or for some other reason I don't know.

But I will say this. For what Stark said he should not be thanked. And unless Stark is a disingenuous liar, he would agree.

I googled Dr. Pilder's name and I find that he is a very well-educated medical researcher who does a lot of his research on mice.

If some PETA activist started picketing his lab and suggested he played with mice and killed them for his own amusement, Dr. Pilder might be a little offended. At the very least he would think the PETA nut was a NUT!

And he would be right.

To suggest that any American president would send American soldiers into battle for his own "amusement" is idiotic and lame beyond belief.

Dr. Pilder may be a smart guy but he appears to be suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome.

There's a lot of it going around. And its symptoms aren't pretty.

I mentioned in a previous post that the reporting of the county's election results was slow on Election Night and that Andy Reilly was going to look into why.

I blamed the county's IT department. But I am now told the mistake was not their's but occured at the hands of someone in the Election Bureau who failed to reset the computer after trial run earlier in the week.

I was told it shouldn't happen again.

Additionally, I am told the the IT department did an excellent job setting up the wireless wi-fi for reporters who were in the vicinity election eve. The system worked flawlessly much to delight and appreciation of the working press that night.

Kudos to everyone in data processing.

And by the way, Republicans Christine Cannon and judicial candidate Mary Alice Brennan were the top vote getters in yesterday's election.

So much for the GOP being the party of chauvinistic sexists.

What did yesterday's elections results tell us about this county?

They told us that if it ain't broke people won't vote to fix it.

No matter how hard Democrats, particularly county council candidate David Landau tried to convince voters that one-party county government was a corrupt failure, the voters didn't buy it.

Turn-out was very light. Some people would say it was awful. So many people neglecting their civic duty and staying home.

But it would be unfair to say that most of them stayed home. Actually most of them went to work, ran errands, took care of their children (many of whom were home from school due to an "in-service" day for teachers) and did other things they considered more important than voting in a local election.

Light voter turnout generally reflects voter satisfaction with the status quo.

As hard as Landau and the Democrats tried to rev them up to turn out the patronage ne're do-wells it didn't work. Perhap's because people's impressions didn't conform with the Dem's negative message.

In a state or national election, negativity often works because people don't actually know many people who actually know the candidates. The closer things get to home, the less aggressively negative campaigns work. They turn off more voters than they energize. And they can energize the wrong voters. That is to say, the opposition's voters.

The fact is, this county's government works pretty hard and pretty well with the notable exception of the county's computer/IT department.

During the campaign, Republican Christine Cannon opined that the county's web site is pathetic. That it needs to get easier to access and more user friendly. She's right. And last night proved her point. Computer clitches failed to get election results posted in a timely fashion. While every other county in the region was showing off their election results, our government web site was showing nothing but zeros until nearly 10 p.m.

Even while basking in this lop-sided victory, out-going county council chairman and Middletown GOP leader Andy Reilly expressed dismay at the failure of the county's IT system. So much so that he suggested heads could roll as a result.

We'll see.

In the meantime, the GOP continues it impressive string of winning county elections. Despite trending demographics. Despite general dissatisfaction with a Republican administration in Washington and despite recent Democratic wins in the county, the GOP rolled on. It was an impressive win for Reilly in particular who acted as campaign manager for three county council candidates.

WSJ Bret Stephens puts waterboarding in perspective.

"Oxygen starvation and carbon monoxide poisoning killed many; bomb shelters turned into ovens and roasted the persons inside, so that rescue workers days later found the bodies seared together in an indistinguishable mass; the molten asphalt of the streets engulfed those who fled the burning buildings."
An estimated 45,000 people died this way in Hamburg. U.S. and British air forces would repeat the procedure over Dresden, Tokyo, Yokohama, Hiroshima, Nagasaki--"

And that's what happened during the "good" war when a Democrat was in charge. At least he was grown-up about all this.

After months of campaigning and making the case against the courthouse, attorney David Landau is seeking to become the first Democrat to sit on county council in 30 years. He appears to be the only Democratic candidate to that office to have a legitimate shot at winning.

He has given himself a puncher's chance by pounding away at the GOP monopoly on power and patronage in the county. The question is are enough people affected by this monopoly in a negative way that they will turn out to vote to end it.

The other question is will voters appreciate the manner in which Landau made the case or will they be put off by the negativity of his campaign. It seems unlikely that his running mates Ann O'Keefe and John Innelli will benefit from the stink he's made.

Whether Landau wins or loses today, what is clear is the county is trending Democratic and will be for some time.

There will come a day when a Democrat sits on county council and after that probably even a day when Democrats manage to take control. How Republicans handle that first sharing of power will matter and it certainly affect how they are treated when they are finally in the minority.

That will not happen this time around. But demographics don't lie. Tonight's election
results may give an indication of when that day will arrive. Will it be sooner rather than later?

In putting up good, experienced candidates as they have this time around, (as opposed to say, two decent and one hack) the GOP can stave off the future indefinitely, but not forever.

Nothing in politics lasts forever.

Economist Greg Mankiw explains why America's "health care crisis" isn't really a crisis, explodes a few myths and warns the cure could be a lot worse than the malady.

Whatever the reason for the Eagles dismal performance this season, it's time to think about rebuilding for the future. That will probably mean Reid goes. McNabb is done. And for a few seasons, the Birds won't be flying very high.

Get used to it.

And to think, we're only halfway through this year.

With "enemies" like these, "who needs friends?"

Michael Goodwin explains the idiocy of torturing AG candidate Michael Mukasey on the waterboarding issue.

The Dems were saved by senators Schumer and Feinstein. The hard left remains loony as ever.

Heading out to the Special Olympics at Villanova for a soccer game. I have a dog in this fight.

Our Kathleen Carey does a nice job reporting on yesterday's events.

Chilly this morning. But no matter how cold it is, Villanova students always make the athletes feel warm and toasty.

UPDATE: The soccer team from Delco fell 3 to 1 this morning. But they played hard and well enough over the weekend to win a Silver medal, I think.

On the way over to the game I heard this song on the radio. It pretty much sums up the attitude brought to the weekend by the Villanova students who routinely turn out to cheer the athletes on.

It's corny, but it's nice. Enjoy.

Late, I know but... The Democratic front runner no longer looks inevitable.

It could happen anywhere but it isn't. It's happening in Philadelphia one of the worst run cities in America.

Maybe this recent spate of shootings and violent criminality will start focusing the minds of civic leaders there. A serious crack-down is warranted. More cops. More jails. Tougher longer prison sentences for violent offenders. When are these people going to get it? When are the citizens of Philadelphia going to demand it?

Senate Democrats are threatening to derail the appointment of Judge Michael Mukasey to Attorney General because he will not say that the interrogation technique known as waterboarding is torture and prevented by the U.S. Constitution.

All most Americans have to know about waterboarding is that it allegedly worked to get al Qaeda's Kalid Sheikh Mohammed to reveal tons of info that allowed our government to upset and prevent numerous terror plots against this country.

Reasonable people can disagree about what constitutes torture. But few people would support a president who refused to use all available legal and even extra-legal means to prevent a terrorist attack that might take the lives of hundreds, thousands or hundreds of thousands of Americans.

Just as I predicted but even sooner, Don Imus, will be back on the radio Dec. 3.

Merry Christmas Hillary

Mark Corallo who once representated Blackwater, praises the men who work for the security firm in Iraq and its visionary CEO Eric Prince.

But that's not how the NYT reported it.

A preview of tomorrow's print column today:

On Wednesday, I called Mike Levin, the new solicitor for the Penn Delco school board, to see how things were going now that he's gotten his feet wet.

Before I said a thing, the first words out his mouth were these:

"Who's been arrested today?"

He was kidding. And he got the laugh he intended to get. In these dark times in this district it helps to have a sense of humor. Mike Levin does, plus a whole lot more.

Check it out.

(But for some reason I think some people are just going to hate it.)