William K. Wolfrum Chronicles

When it finally became official that John Edwards had an affair, many felt hurt and betrayed. Still more felt a stab of pain for Elizabeth Edwards, who emerged from her husband’s campaign as a powerful liberal voice.

A couple weeks later, however, the Associated Press has gone way, way out of its way to vilify her.

“Wife blasted for keeping Edwards affair secret”

RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) — Two weeks after a devastating revelation sent her husband into political exile, Elizabeth Edwards isn’t getting the steady sympathy usually afforded to a woman scorned.

Instead, she’s faced criticism from dedicated Democrats who think she was too willing to keep the affair a secret to help John Edwards’ political ambitions, as well as her own.

At a time when she was expected to hold a prominent role in pushing an agenda of improved health care for Americans, she stands silent. While fellow Democrats converge in Denver, Colorado, to nominate Barack Obama for president, Edwards remains in seclusion in North Carolina.

It seems an odd way to treat a woman with incurable cancer wronged by a cheating husband, the latest in a series of deep hardships in life that includes the death of a teenage son.

But some former followers have questioned the recklessness of keeping the affair under wraps even though her husband — a former U.S. senator, two-time presidential candidate and the 2004 vice presidential nominee — said he confessed the affair in 2006, before the campaign began in earnest the next year.

Who are all these angry Democrats coming forward?

1. Brad Crone, an N.C. Democratic political consultant known for advising N.C. Democrats to avoid going after Elizabeth Dole’s Senate seat.

2. Chris Lehane, described in the story as “Democratic consultant who helped President Clinton through his cheating scandal.” And Lehane in no way “blasted” Elizabeth Edwards.

3. A commenter on Daily Kos.

4. Betsy Wells, a former Edwards delegate who didn’t “blast” Elizabeth Edwards, either.

And that’s it. Those are the “Critics (that) say Elizabeth Edwards lost their sympathy for keeping (the) affair secret.” In fact, it wasn’t even close to “critics” who said that. It was an unnamed commenter on a blog post.

Basically, the AP wanted to do this story during the Democratic National Convention, and ran with it regardless of its non-existence. The idea that Elizabeth Edwards has anything to answer for in regard to her husband’s affair is beyond hurtful, it’s pure misogyny. And that misogyny came purely from the AP. It was an invented story that’s sole purpose was to shame, insult and disrespect Elizabeth Edwards.

This is what passes for political discourse to the Associated Press these days. With John McCain stooge Ron Fournier running the joint, you can expect a lot more like it in the coming weeks. But it’s unlikely they’ll be able to match the outright hatefulness they produced in this transparent attack on a woman that deserves nothing less than outright admiration and respect.

–WKW

You know, after Hillary Clinton gave her speech at the Democratic National Convention, I immediately thought, “Hmmm, I wonder if Bill Kristol thought Hillary did well?”

Well, seconds after Clinton walked off the stage, Kristol was speaking on Fox News. And let me tell you, he wasn’t impressed at all.

Wow. Never saw that coming.

–WKW

As Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Jr. spoke tonight at the Democratic National Convention, CNN ran this graphic below him under the title “Fact:”

Bob Casey of Pennsylvania was denied a speaking role at the 1992 Democratic convention because he opposed abortion rights.

As Atrios wrote in 2005 (and perhaps three or four dozen times since):

The people who still “mention the fact” are Republican hacks who like to perpetuate the myth that liberals are “illiberal and non-democratic.” Casey wasn’t denied the opportunity to speak because he was anti-choice, he was denied the opportunity to speak because he refused to endorse the Clinton/Gore ticket.

Of course, facts are what the mainstream media says they are, all proof to the contrary be damned.

–WKW

A nation divided. A nation at war. An economy in peril. The Democratic National Convention in full swing. The Republican vice-presidential nominee and convention upcoming. An historic and vital Presidential election just weeks away.

And, as was expected, the nation’s discourse moves to the topic of Joe Biden’s hair:

“A quick Politico survey of stylists and hair transplant surgeons — some of whom have followed Biden’s career path for years, while others didn’t know about him until yesterday — found that there was little mystery.” — Politico

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“Joe Biden does bring one big constituency with him - the Hair Club for Men. …This man is a role model to millions of American men. He beat a disease - male pattern baldness.” - Boston Herald

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“I like Joe Biden, despite snide asides that he’s been preparing a 500,000-word acceptance speech since Iowa - and the hair plug jokes. (Is America ready for its First Plugged President? Must Biden be unplugged to lead?)” - Boston Herald

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“Also, America is no longer a place where citizens care about plagiarism or hair plugs” - Time Magazine

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“Sam Donaldson and his hair walk by, presumably to interview Joe Biden and his hair.” - Anderson Cooper 360, CNN

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“With tragedy sprinkled throughout his life, he’s earned every white hair (fill in your own hair-plug joke).” - Bloomberg

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“In fact, everything about Biden, from his hair plugs and capped teeth to his working-class Irish Catholic upbringing to his extremely long tenure in the nation’s most exclusive club, screams vain old white guy.” - Guardian Unlimited, UK

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“Biden has taken ribbing over the years for his changing hairline — there’s been talk about hair plugs since his first run for president in 1987 … ” - Delaware Online

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“(P)lus the widespread rumor that his hair is … not his own.” — Albany Times Union

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“It’s going to be wall-to-wall hair plugs today, a continuous stream of Joe Biden … ” - Michigan Messenger

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“Joe Biden, Senator Barack Obama’s vice-presidential running mate, is a career politician who has taken big contributions from lobbyists, been mocked for his hair transplants and admitted plagiarising speeches and exaggerating his academic record.” - Telegraph (UK)

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“But the juxtaposition between rich Romney and Biden - who bears a common touch from his hair plugs to his loafers - probably wouldn’t help McCain much.” - New York Post

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“He’s tan, rested and, thanks to exquisite teeth and some excellent hair plugs, camera-ready.” - Hartford Courant

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“Does Joe Biden Have Butt Hair on His Head?” - New York Magazine

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“And that leads to the easy warning that I’ve been telling friends for years, ‘Never trust a man who gets hairplugs.’ ” - Chicago Daily Observer

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“Biden’s hair. Look, it doesn’t really matter, okay? But it was distracting. Joe needs to tell his barber to take a little more off the back and sides.” - Huffington Post

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“I have to say his inability to shut up drives me up the wall. But there’s also an appealing lack of guile to the man; he wears his flaws like his hair-plugs - out and proud.” - Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic

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“… and the dubious distinction of becoming the first national party nominee with known hair plugs.” - Huffington Post

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“Hair plugs don’t bounce” - Jules Crittenden

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” … the mysterious hair helmet still sported by Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden … ” - Press of Atlantic City

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“The problem is that, whereas Obama is a young lightweight, Biden is an old lightweight–Obama with a hair transplant.” - Power Line

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“There is no doubt he had hair transplants. The guy is wearing Barbie’s hair.” - Debbie Schlussel

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“(I)s there anyone that thinks that Biden brings much of anything to this ticket? Aside from hair-plugs and an over-inflated sense of self-worth, that is.” - Ace of Spades

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“The selection of Joe Biden, the oldest functioning white liberal senator with a foreign policy background who is Catholic with hair-plugs in the Democratic party … ” - National Review

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“But I don’t see what Biden gains him. Biden is a slightly risible figure, what with his hair plugs (or whatever) … ” - National Review

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“Joe Biden now has an unfair advantage in the game of politics with hair that is not where God intended it to be. It’s just so unfair to Dick Cheney.” - Rush Limbaugh

Of course, media pundits and reporters are also piling on John McCain regarding his hairstyle:

“(M)aybe it’s because John McCain’s comb-over tells you everything you need to know about the man, and it’s not pretty.” - Bacon the Robot Monkey

Well, maybe not so much.

–WKW

Isn’t it just adorable when Iraqis think their opinion about their own country makes a whit of difference?

Baghdad, Iraq (AHN) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Monday a deal with Washington that will replace an expiring United Nations mandate for U.S. troops to stay in Iraq must provide for foreign soldiers’ withdrawal by 2011.

A second condition is that the deal will not make foreign troops and private contractors immune to the country’s laws.

“Iraq will not hold any agreement or treaty on the basis of one foreign soldier’s presence on the Iraqi lands, but through putting a specified timetable for the withdrawal of the foreign troops,” al-Maliki said during a tribal conference in Baghdad, according to Voices of Iraq. “Open immunities cannot be given to any person, regardless he is Iraqi or a foreigner.”

There just is nothing more cute than the “Prime Minister” of Iraq thinking he has a real say in anything. Heck, why not just sign a deal stating that all U.S. personnel will leave Iraq tomorrow? It will have the exact same effect as a deal that says the U.S. will be out by the end of 2011.

The U.S. isn’t going anywhere for a long, long time. Protecting the numerous permanent military bases, the $1-billion embassy and our oil fields is just not something the U.S. is ever going to leave to the Iraqis.

–WKW

As conservative bloggers and mainstream media sources work overtime to try and force Barack Obama to explain, reexplain, and then again explain his relationship with former Weatherman Bill Ayers, John McCain still has questions to answer about his own relationship with a criminal.

The criminal in question is McCain’s father-in-law, the late Jim Hensley. At the time of his death in 2000, Hensley was one of the richest men in Arizona and owner of one of the largest Anheuser-Bush Distributorships in the nation.

Hensley and daughter Cindy are well-established as the sponsors of McCain’s political career and McCain has called Hensley a “role model.” Ayers once contributed $200 to Obama, and the two have have worked together with a charity group and school reform group.

How else do Hensley and Ayers match up?

Jim Hensley vs. Bill Ayers

Felony Convictions: Hensley 1, Ayers 0.

Comment: In 1948, Hensley was given a six-month suspended sentence for falsifying liquor records to conceal illegal distribution of whiskey against post-war rationing regulations. Ayers has never been convicted of a felony.

Connections with Organized Crime: Hensley 2. Ayers 0.

Comment: Hensley and his brother were the owners of Ruidoso Downs racetrack, along with “silent partner” Clarence “Teak” Baldwin who had been banned from any ownership role due to illegal bookmaking activities. Long-time business associate Kemper Marley, Sr. was also connected with organized crime.

Illegally Acquired Liquor Licenses: Hensley 1, Ayers 0.

Comments: Hensley acquired a liquor license in Arizona despite the fact that he was not allowed to have one due to being a felon.

Killings Connected With: Hensley 21,000, Ayers 4.

Comment: While neither Hensley nor Ayers have personally murdered anyone, both were heavily involved with organizations that caused the deaths of others. For Ayers, that organization was the Weatherman. For Hensley that organization was Anheuser-Busch. In 2007, Arizona reported more than 700 alcohol-related deaths. Conservatively putting the average number of alcohol-related deaths in Arizona at 400, Hensley has been responsible for the deaths of more than 20,000 Arizonans. And while Budweiser cannot be blamed for each death, it is clearly a gateway drug to harder types of alcohol, thus culpability is Hensley’s.

Divorces: Hensley 1, Ayers 0.

Comments: Like his son-in-law, Hensley divorced his first wife after having an affair and remarrying. Ayers has been married to Bernardine Dohrn for nearly 40 years.

Abandoned Children: Hensley 1, Ayers -1

Comments: Hensley abandoned his first child, Kathleen Portalski. Ayers and Dohrn raised two of their own children and adopted a third.

As anyone can see from the plain facts, Jim Hensley was far more dangerous man than Ayers has ever been, and profited wildly from his illicit activities. It is time for John McCain to stand up and explain his ties with the felon Jim Hensley.

–WKW

To have a little throwback fun of your own, head on over to Yearbook Yourself.

–WKW

By William K. Wolfrum
New York Times Science Editor

When her child’s first blemish came, Mandy Sancton was unconcerned. Then came the second, and then third blemish. Within months, Sancton’s 14-year-old son Robbie had a face full of pimples. That’s when Mandy went to the Internet. What she found changed the direction of her life.

“The more I looked around, the more the truth started to stare me in the face,” said Sancton, a holistic healer. “That’s when I realized that the pain my son was going through was completely avoidable.”

What Sancton discovered was a conspiracy that shook her to the core - a child’s first haircut causes acne.

“For decades, barbers and hair dressers have hidden this horrifying secret,” said Sancton. “That they could get away with this for so long is criminal. Period.”

While the science is still shaky, a brave group of citizens have come together to form the organization Leave Your Newborn Children Hairy (LYNCH). The group claims that when a child receives his or her first haircut, thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, leaks out of the scissors into the child’s scalp. Within a time frame of 12-16 years the thimerosal works its way into the child’s pores, causing significant and embarrassing breakouts of acne.

Tim Johnson, a school-bus driver from Los Cruces, New Mexico, created LYNCH after years of seeing children suffer with acne.

“Day after day and year after year I’d see children come on my bus with serious acne issues,” said Johnson. “After I did some research, I realized that there was no scientific reason for children to get pimples. That’s when I started looking at the haircutting industry.”

What Johnson found was a long pattern of cover-ups and secrecy by the powerful International Barber Cartel (IBC). The IBC, says Johnson, has hidden vital medical facts in order to further its agenda of having its members give as many haircuts as possible. Like the tobacco industry, the IBC has striven to get children “hooked” on haircuts at earlier and earlier ages, ignoring the acne-causing risks that children face when their scalp is invaded by the ethylmercury that is included in thimerosal, says Johnson.

Still, as LYNCH fights its brave battles, some skeptics have come forward claiming that correlation does not equal causation. American skeptic of considerable note Perry DeAngelis pointed to an explosion in cases of lice and dandruff among children, with more than 70 percent of those infected having never received a haircut.

“These LYNCH people are wackjobs,” said DeAngelis. “Seriously, wackjobs.”

Nonetheless, Johnson and LYNCH point to a recent book published by journalist David Kirby. “The First Cut” details the nefarious activities of the IBC and its illicit partnership with the Mercury for All Syndicate (MAS). Kirby, who suffered from severe acne as a teen, has become a champion of sorts to the LYNCH crowd.

“David Kirby is a brave man,” said Johnson. “He has unselfishly given of himself and fought for the truth, surviving only on handouts from LYNCH members and grants from Faith-Based Initiatives.”

For Sancton, the realization that haircuts have left her young son disfigured was a bitter pill to swallow. Having joined LYNCH, however, Sancton says she is ready to fight for a world where hair is allowed to grow as God intended.

“My child is scarred, both physically and mentally,” said Sancton. “I can’t allow other children to needlessly be poisoned with this acne-causing mercury.

“You can throw all your facts away, as far as I’m concerned,” Sancton continued. “But my Mommy Instinct tells me that haircuts cause acne. And it must be stopped.”

–WKW

Crossposted at Shakesville

Yet more evidence that Thierry Henry is one of the most dangerous offensive players of his generation.

–WKW

In 75 days, Americans will head to voter booths and elect John McCain as the 44th President of the United States.

This is not a threat, nor is it nervous hand wringing. As of August 21, 2008, it is just nonpartisan common sense. Come November, John McCain will win. Very possibly by a lot.

There are myriad reasons for believing that Barack Obama’s historic run for the Presidency is destined to end in failure:

Voter fraud

The 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections were fraught with voter fraud. And there is very little reason to believe that the 2008 Presidential election will be any different, as the Democratic Party has done little in the way of investigating obvious cases of voter fraud in Ohio, Florida and elsewhere. If the vote is close, McCain will win.

Race

Barack Obama is an incredibly impressive politician. He is a brilliant speaker, thoughtful, can think on his feet and truly exudes competency and intelligence. But he is also African-American. And regardless of one’s opinion of the “Bradley Effect,” Obama’s race matters. To believe that Obama will not lose votes due to his race is to have one’s head buried in the sand. What remains to be seen is how many votes Obama will lose due to racism. It could be .5 percent, it could be 10.5 percent. But it will happen. The United States is not an evolved nation when it comes to racism and that will become even more clear on Nov. 4.

Bush and Cheney

McCain has made a habit of openly questioning Obama’s patriotism, accusing him of wanting to see the U.S. “lose” in Iraq for political gain. What’s ironic about this hateful claim is that the Republicans currently running the Executive Branch have placed have based nearly every decision they’ve made on politics and being beholden to big business.

Do you remember when George W. Bush announced he would veto any FISA bill that did not contain retroactive immunity for telecoms? That is putting politics ahead of patriotism. And it shows the disinterest and distaste for American citizens that has become the hallmark of the GOP. There will be an October surprise, which could go as far as World War III. Make no mistake; John McCain has the full power of the White House behind him.

Low Information Voters

The term “Low Information Voter” is a pleasant way to say that there is a huge block of American voters that are either disinterested, or just plain ignorant in regard to their government.

A recent Pew Survey asked Americans three questions - who is the U.S. Secretary of Defense, which party holds the majority in the House of Representatives and who is the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Only 18 percent of those were able to get all three of these questions correct.

Despite eight years of Republican rule that has given the U.S. two wars, driven the dollar to historic lows, created a massive housing crisis, and run up an astronomical budget deficit, there is a large contingent of American voters who just will not be able to make the connection that a McCain presidency will bring more of the same.

The Media

If a Presidential candidate runs an incredibly inept campaign and no one sees it, does it make a sound? Because John McCain is currently every bit as bad a politician as Obama is a good one, but unless a voter is willing to find out just how miserable McCain has been, they’ll never know. More than anything, the mainstream media is why Barack Obama will lose.

McCain has run a truly horrifying campaign at this juncture and it has cost him very little. In fact, despite having a campaign run by Karl Rove and a slew of lobbyists, and despite having a miserable record when it comes to foreign policy, and despite consistently neglecting his fellow veterans, he is still viewed as some type of unique figure in American politics who will stand up against anybody and who possesses brilliant military instincts.

When McCain took exorbitant contributions from oil companies and then immediately started to shill for off-shore drilling one would imagine that he’d pay a political price. But he didn’t. Even today, you’ll see “political experts” on news shows talking about McCain being a bipartisan “maverick.” And they say this knowing full well that McCain voted on the same side as President Bush 95 percent of the time. This will not change.

Liberal fear

The current meme traveling through liberal circles is that Obama needs to “fight back harder.” This is a strange theory in that Obama has fought back against McCain’s attacks, generally with a biting humor. In fact, one can look at events of today to see that Obama is more than willing to take the offensive. It took roughly five minutes for the Obama campaign to jump on McCain’s “I’ll have to look into how many houses I own” comments, producing an ad seemingly out of nowhere.

As far as standing up for himself, Obama has been steady from Day One. Where he has been shaky is in being unwilling to embrace liberal values.

Because despite being a rigid conservative, McCain was not rigidly conservative enough for the growing far-right faction of the GOP. But the simple fact is this - conservatives will vote for John McCain. They will never, ever vote for Obama or any other Democratic nominee, regardless of their feelings toward their own candidate. McCain could nominate an abortion doctor as his vice-presidential nominee, and conservatives will still vote for him.

And yet Obama has continually tried to showcase himself as a centrist who would is excited to work with Republicans. It is a losing philosophy.

Change you can believe in

Obviously nothing is written in stone. With just under three months until the election, there are numerous things that could happen that could help propel Barack Obama to the Presidency. But they haven’t happened yet. And McCain has paid very, very little for his pathetic and gaffe-ridden campaigning thus far, so it remains to be seen exactly what McCain would have to do or say that will cost him come November.

Of course, Obama could make it all moot by doing just one thing - choosing Hillary Clinton as his vice-president.

–WKW