Veterans Day, 2005

We're saluting veterans in the lead up to Veterans Day.

This was our Veterans Day Tribute, 2005:

President Bush Ushers in the Golden Age of Aggie Jokes

Here is the official biography for Dr Robert Gates, posted at the Texas A&M website.

President Bush nominated Mr Gates today to replace Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense.

Mr Gates was CIA Director from 1991-93 and is currently President of Texas A&M University.

Hey, hear why the Aggie brought a ladder to the bar? He heard the drinks were on the house.

You're Doin' a Heckuva Job, Rummy!

President Bush has anounced that former CIA Director Robert Gates will be nominated to replace Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld who announced Wednesday he is resigning. (MSNBC)

Dems take House, Governorships, Legislatures -- Senate still Undecided

The Democrats have set a political precedent. PoliticalWire.com reports for the first time in history, a party did not lose a single Senate, Governor or House seat it was defending.

HOUSE:

Democrats needed 15 seats to take over the US House.

They picked up 28 seats in the House.

SENATE:

As of Wednesday Morning, Democrats picked up 4 of the 6 they need to take the Senate -- but Virginia and Montana are still in play, giving the Democrats the potential to take the upper chamber.

Update: AP has called the Montana Senate race for Democrat Jon Tester. That leaves only Virginia in play at 2:00 pm EST, Wednesday.

Early this morning, Republican Bob Corker won the Tennessee Senate seat, Democrat Claire McCaskill took Missouri. Democrats held New Jersey and made gains taking Senate seats in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Rhode Island early in the evening.

An all night hand count is still going on in Montana where election officials failed to set the automatic count feature on voting machines.

The count's still going on in Virginia, where Democrat Jim Webb declared victory in the Senate race. The count appears close enough to allow a recount. That can't begin until after the votes are certified November 27.

STATEHOUSES:

Democrats gained 6 Governorships.

That now gives Democrats a majority of Governors -- 28.

Democrats also made gains in state legislatures. From Reuters:

So far, Democrats control both chambers in 21 states, while Republicans control 15 and 9 were split between the two parties....

Control of state capitols could spark new redistricting plans to benefit Democrats in Congress. (CNN)

Marty McFly in a Landslide

Actor Michael J Fox was a huge winner in Tuesday's election. All of the Democratic candidates he campaigned for -- and cut TV ads for (see below) -- have won, with one exception. And in that case, Virgina, Democrat Jim Webb leads. (YouTube)

Is It Over Yet? The Virginia Recount

Control of the US Senate may come down to the razor thin margin in the Virginia Senate Race -- and the Commonwealth's automatic recount law.

Any recount won't happen until late November, and the results could be delayed until December. (Code of Virginia)

Speaker Pelosi

The two most feared words in the GOP lexicon: Speaker Pelosi.

She's made changes in Iraq the main focus of the new Democratic Majority.



I gave up on other coverage. CNN broke away quickly when a principle in the election showed up at a podium. Click to FOX or MSNBC, and you were stuck with their talking head of the moment. (CNN)

I Never Choked My Mistress!

Rep Don "Mistress-Choker" Sherwood (R-PA) was not only a casualty of the Democratic Party offensive Tuesday night, he is the subject of the most popular Watching Washington video on YouTube. More than 7,600 views by election night.

Here it is again -- our translation of his infamous campaign ad -- "I Cheated on my Wife, But I Never Choked my mistress."

Grand Old Party Poopers

In what may be the most telling sign yet of how down in the dumps over the election the GOP can get -- the Republicans are not throwing their traditional election night party in DC tonight.

"The Reliable Source" column in the Washington Post reports:

"...the DCCC and DSCC are throwing election-watch parties tonight at the Hyatt Regency for victorious (they presume) Democrats.".

But they've been unable to find a single party in the District set up for the Republicans.

You've Seen his Picture

Arnie Sachs was a Washington newspaper photographer.

He died Friday.

He won the Grand Prize and Spot News Awards from the White House Photographers' Association back in 1958. That was for a picture he snapped during the Little Rock Central High integration crisis. "Fallen Integration Fighter" showed a protestor lying on the ground, trying to take a bayonet away from a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne.

But you remember another picture with an Arkansas connection he snapped.

He was working freelance for the American Legion at the White House when he took it.

Mr Sachs was taking pictures during Boys Nation at the White House Rose Garden on July 24, 1963. Lots of pictures of Legion leaders posing with the President.

That's when a teenage kid broke through the lines and ran right up to JFK. Arnie Sachs probably didn't think much at the time of the picture he took with JFK shaking hands with 16-year-old Bill Clinton from Hope, Arkansas.

It would one day be the most famous shot he ever took.

Arnie Sachs was 78. (WashPost)

Mo Trouble for Voting Politicians

Missouri's election chief calls her voting experience "very troubling."

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (D-MO) was ordered to show photo ID at the polls -- even though courts have ordered that poll workers may not require photo ID. (AP via Yahoo!)

Chabot's Troubles at the Polls

Rep Steve Chabot (R-OH) was turned away from his polling place because he didn't have sufficient ID with him. His drivers license listed his office, rather than his home address -- so he had to return to the house to find a utility bill. (Cincinnati.com)

"Mean Jean" and the Vote Machine

Rep Jean Schmidt (R-OH) was among those having problems with them new-fangled electronic voting machines. The Congresswoman, who accused Rep John Murtha (D-PA) of cowardice on the House floor earlier this year, couldn't get her ballot to go through the optical scanner.



And just two years ago the good folks at Diebold promised to "deliver Ohio" for President Bush and the GOP. Guess the warranty expired. (WKRC-TV, HT: HinesSight)

Operation Enduring Occupation

The Simpsons take on Iraq:

I Approve this Message, Too

Politicians with heads up their butts, bullhorn brandishing voters, and gay-vampire-terrorist-marriages.

The last in our collections of the most memorable political campaign ads.

Kerry Apologizes

Sen John Kerry (D-MA), facing a firestorm of criticism for a botched joke that ended up disparaging US troops in Iraq, has aplogized for his comments. From his statement:

"I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended."

Democratic candidates have canceled appearances with the Senator since his remarks earlier this week. (CNN)

War Probe Promise?

The latest ad from the Democratic Party suggests Congressional investigations into the lead-up to the Iraq War: