Longshot presidential contender Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) has an interesting way of pandering to Gulf Coast voters.

GOP presidential hopeful Rep. Tom Tancredo (Colo.) said Friday it is “time the taxpayer gravy train left the New Orleans station” and urged an end to the federal aid to the region that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina two years ago.

“The amount of money that has been wasted on these so-called ‘recovery’ efforts has been mind-boggling,” said Tancredo, who is running a long-shot presidential campaign. “Enough is enough.”

I don’t disagree that the level of waste has been disgraceful, but where’s the love?

“At some point, state and local officials and individuals have got to step up to the plate and take some initiative,” said Tancredo. “The mentality that people can wait around indefinitely for the federal taxpayer to solve all their worldly problems has got to come to an end.”

I can only imagine how well FEMA would perform in a President Tancredo administration.


Howie Klein has a disturbing potential scoop about a potential murder-suicide, gay prostitution, Ralph Reed, and Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC). Don’t know if there is any there there, but it could make Larry Craig look like an asterisk on the ass of the GOP elephant.

Sen. John Warner has announced his retirement. He won’t be seeking reelection in 2008. You can watch his announcement here. This sets up a grueling Republican primary, or possibly a caucus (more on that later), between Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA-11) and Fmr. Gov. Jim Gilmore.

Warner’s retirement would radically alter the 2008 political landscape nationally and in Northern Virginia. An open Senate seat would establish Virginia as a battleground in the GOP’s fight for the Senate. Democratic Party leaders are promoting former governor Mark R. Warner as a likely candidate. Warner (not related to the senator) lost a 1996 challenge to the incumbent by five percentage points.

On the Republican side, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.) has long coveted Warner’s seat and has worked assiduously to position himself for a run. A moderate, Davis would probably have serious competition from conservatives, possibly from former governor James S. Gilmore III.

A Davis candidacy would have a domino effect in Fairfax County. Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (D), who has refused to commit to finishing his term if reelected in November, has made no secret of his interest in succeeding Davis in the 11th District, where Democrats are gaining strength. Former representative Leslie Byrne has been mentioned as another possible contender.

Connolly’s departure would set off a rush at the local level for the chairman’s job, with a number of possible aspirants, including supervisor and Metro board member T. Dana Kauffman (D-Lee), who is not seeking reelection, and Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Sharon S. Bulova (D-Braddock).

Today is Karl Rove’s last day at the White House. This made him cry.

Meanwhile, as rumored, Tony Snow called it quits today.

And Sen. Larry Craig is probably headed out the door.

Is that enough Republican decimation for one day? No?

Here’s a good retrospective on one of the lesser known of the purged prosecutors.