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Some sloppy reporting, instant web indignation, and holiday vacations produced a surge of hysteria that might have been avoided.

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by William Westmiller
(Libertarian)

One of the hazards of instant mass communication is that incorrect stories can get distributed immediately. A particular hazard during holiday vacations.

There is NO NH DEBATE on January 6th. Ron Paul was NOT EXCLUDED. That event was canceled three weeks ago.

Ron WILL participate in the January 5th ABC/WMUR GOP debate in New Hampshire.

So, what happened?

Months ago, NH GOP chairman Fergus Cullen had been in touch with FoxNews about a possible forum on January 6th. He had even contacted all the GOP candidates to see whether they were available. However, plans for the ABC debate were finalized with all candidates early in December and Cullen "threw in the towel." See "OUTFOXED" in the NH Union Leader of December 16^th.

At that time, Cullen had not received a response from Ron Paul, who had committed to a conflicting luncheon at the NH Liberty Forum at the same time.

Skip ahead to December 27th, when the Union Leader reported that all candidates had agreed to the ABC/WMUR debate and reporter Garry Rayno added a confusing paragraph about Giuliani finally agreeing to the (canceled) January 6th forum, which had already been converted into a simple state GOP brunch.

Due to the timing of this article, there was no way to confirm who will or won't attend the brunch, but it is not a broadcast debate and has nothing to do with FoxNews. Nevertheless, a blog in Washington picked up the story, scrambled it and their "BHDC Staff" reported a list of the candidates who would be attending, which did not include Ron Paul (he hadn't officially confirmed, due to the conflict).

That story was picked up by the AP Newswire, which added some information that it had from a month earlier about the format being discussed.

Finally, the AP article was picked up by Lew Rockwell and passed along to DailyPaul.com, with all the errors intact. Of course, a firestorm ensued on all the Ron Paul nets before the information could be verified. Immediately, thousands of messages went to FoxNews and the NH GOP protesting the exclusion.

Unfortunately, the Ron Paul campaign didn't sort out the facts before sending out a news release blasting Fox for their "outrageous" conduct, even if they did note that the information had not been confirmed. From there, the report spread into dozens of blogs and news commentaries.

An unfortunate false alarm. Lesson: Fast news is sometimes "bad" news. Faux News is worthy of criticism for what they have done, not for what they haven't done. Look before you leap.

...

Update1: Not all MSM is bad. For some favorable coverage of Ron Paul, see my "Media Ears" articles: ABC, Newsweek, PBS & Cable 47

Update2: The New Hampshire GOP website makes no mention of any events on January 6th, but it does promote the NH Liberty Forum scheduled for January 5th, where Ron Paul will be speaking. I'm informed that the campaign was working with Forum sponsors and Cullen to accomodate any possible NHGOP event.
Fox News does mention the January 5th ABC debate on their schedule, but nothing in New Hampshire on January 6th.
There does appear to be some residual confusion about the GOPNH brunch on the 6th, which may occur, where some candidates may attend, and which Fox may cover as a news item, but it certainly isn't a live, broadcast debate or forum. Those questions probably won't be answered until after the New Year. Best wishes to all, particularly Ron Paul.

Update3: If you believe there is an error in my report, please provide a link. The story from the Big Head DC blog, linked in the article, may be a satirical fabrication intended to distress Paul supporters, which is their inclination. As for St. Anselm College, their schedule show no events whatever on January 6th.

Update4: This gets more interesting. The source for the original story was the Big Head DC blog, run by one Rob Capriccioso. At first, I thought he had just made an innocent error, but his wife says he is "working on a cutting-edge blog war strategy.

""Blog wars were so lame before my husband came around. It was just people making fun of each other or posting unflattering pictures. BORING! But then my husband figured something out: posting full names and job names really scared people and can potentially disrupt their lives. So exciting!"

Then, I discovered that Capriccioso was responsible for "outing" Trent Lott, apparently with fabricated emails from a purported homosexual lover. Did he decide to spoof the entire Ron Paul story, just to "disrupt the lives" of Ron Paul supporters?

Update5: WorldNetDaily, in a post by Chris Brunner, has confirmed the accuracy of this report.  In a review of other candidate websites and news schedules, no such event exists. It is unlikely that there will be any additional updates until January 2nd.

"RON PAUL SHOULD BE A PORN STAR"

If this also includes kicking the United Nations into the East River, then count me in.

"The war in Iraq was sold to us with false information. The area is more dangerous now than when we entered it. We destroyed a regime hated by our direct enemies, the jihadists, and created thousands of new recruits for them. This war has cost more than 3,000 American lives, thousands of seriously wounded, and hundreds of billions of dollars. We must have new leadership in the White House to ensure this never happens again.

Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America. And now, there are new calls for a draft of our young men and women.

We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing America and bring the troops home. No war should ever be fought without a declaration of war voted upon by the Congress, as required by the Constitution.

Under no circumstances should the U.S. again go to war as the result of a resolution that comes from an unelected, foreign body, such as the United Nations.

Too often we give foreign aid and intervene on behalf of governments that are despised. Then, we become despised. Too often we have supported those who turn on us, like the Kosovars who aid Islamic terrorists, or the Afghan jihadists themselves, and their friend Osama bin Laden. We armed and trained them, and now we’re paying the price.

At the same time, we must not isolate ourselves. The generosity of the American people has been felt around the globe. Many have thanked God for it, in many languages. Let us have a strong America, conducting open trade, travel, communication, and diplomacy with other nations."

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND NO VOTES FOR HILLARY

OH PLEASE

On Nov. 5, supporters of Ron Paul raked in more than $4.2 million in donations in 24 hours, mostly of them collected over the Internet.

Today, they're at it again. Hoping to detonate what they call a "money bomb," the supporters started fundraising at midnight Saturday and have already raised $2 million as of about 10:30 a.m. today, more than at this point on Nov. 5, according to figures they posted online. They hope to collect a total of $10 million by midnight Sunday.

Last time, they tied their fundraising to Guy Fawkes Day, which commemorates a British mercenary who tried unsuccesfully to kill King James I on Nov. 5, 1605. This time, they're seizing on the 234th aniversary of the Boston Tea Party and converging on this snowy city to rally.

They plan on gathering on the State House steps at 1 p.m. and parading down to Faneuil Hall, where they will listen to speeches in tune with Paul's libertarian platform. Speakers will include the Republican presidential candidate's son, Dr. Rand Paul, an eye surgeon, and Carla Howell, the libertarian who ran unsuccesfully for governor in 2002.

There are also plans to dump some tea (or at least some boxes labeled tea) into the Harbor, though the details were still sketchy as of this morning.

The increasingly contentious race for the Democratic presidential nomination got a little bit nastier today as Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) charged that her chief rival, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill), wet his bed when he was a toddler.

Iowans have grown used to displays of testiness on the part of the leading Democratic contenders in recent weeks, but few were prepared for Sen. Clinton’s accusation that her surging opponent had been a bed-wetter.

Moments after her campaign released this latest bombshell, Sen. Clinton went to great lengths to show that the bed-wetting incident, while occurring when the Illinois senator was only three years old, was “relevant” to the current presidential campaign.

At a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, Sen. Clinton said that the alleged bed-wetting incident “should not disqualify” Sen. Obama from the White House, but should make Democrats “think long and hard” about voting for him in next month’s caucuses.

“Personally, I don’t have anything against having a bed-wetter in the Oval Office,” Sen. Clinton said. “But you can be sure that the Republican right-wing attack machine will have a field day with this kind of thing.”

At a campaign appearance in Davenport, Sen. Obama brushed off his alleged bed-wetting as an “isolated incident,” and added an apparent jab at Sen. Clinton: “I’m not the one who’s so scared about this race that I’m peeing myself now.”

In response to Sen. Obama’s remark, Sen. Clinton later released a statement referring to herself as “rubber” and Sen. Obama as “glue.”

On a trip to Great Britain while he was President of  
the United States , Bill Clinton had a meeting with  
Queen Elizabeth. During that meeting he asked her,  
"How does one manage to run a country so smoothly?"  
 
"That's easy," the Queen replied, "You surround  
yourself with intelligent ministers and advisors."  
 
"But how can I tell whether they are intelligent or  
not?", asked Bill.  
 
You ask them a riddle," she replied, and with that she  
pressed a button and said, "Would you please send Tony  
Blair in." When Blair arrived, the Queen said, "I have  
a riddle for you to answer for me.  
 
Your parents had a child and it was not your sister  
and it was not your brother. Who was this child?"  
 
Blair replied, "That's easy. The child was me."  
 
"Very good," said the Queen. "You may go now."  
 
Sizing up his wife's chances in her presidential bid,  
and thinking back on that meeting, Bill Clinton spoke  
to Hillary. He said to her, "I have a riddle for you,  
and the answer is very important. Your parents had a  
child and it was not your sister and it was not your  
brother. Who was that child ?"  
 
Hillary replied, "Yes, it is clearly very important  
that we determine the answer. Can I deliberate on  
this for awhile?"  
 
"Yes," said Bill, "I'll give you four hours to come up  
with the answer."  
 
So Hillary called a meeting of her campaign team, from  
top to bottom, and asked them the riddle. But after  
much discussion and many suggestions, none of them had  
a satisfactory answer. She was quite upset, not  
knowing what she would tell her husband, the former  
President. As Hillary was leaving her meeting she ran  
into her most formidable challenger to her  
presidential nomination, Barack Obama.  
 
So she said, "Mr. Obama, can you answer this riddle  
for me? Your parents had a child and it was not your  
sister and it was not your brother. Who was the  
child?"  
 
"That's seems pretty easy," said Obama, "I think the  
child would be me."  
 
"Oh thank you," said Hillary. "You may just have  
ensured my nomination for the democratic candidate for  
the Presidency of the United States !" So Hillary  
went back to Bill and said, "I think I know the answer  
to your riddle.  
 
The child was Barack Obama.!"  
 
"You are so stupid!" shouted Bill. "The child was  
Tony Blair"  
 
The bottom line... guess where we're headed with the  
two of them again running the Country!  

More classic Hillary waffling:

Across 90 minutes, the fierce competition between the two Iowa front-runners shone through only once -- when Obama was asked how he could offer a new type of foreign policy since several of his advisers once worked for President Clinton.

Hillary Clinton laughed out loud at that, and said with a smile, "I'm looking forward to hearing that."

Obama, also smiling, waited for the laughter to die down before saying, "Hillary, I'm looking forward to you advising me as well."

Uh oh ,, bad move Hillary

Sen. Hillary Clinton on Thursday tried to portray herself as the candidate most able to bring about change at the Democratic presidential hopefuls' final debate before next month's Iowa caucuses.  "Everyone wants change. Well, everybody on this stage has an idea about how to get change," Clinton said.  "Some believe you get change by demanding it. Some believe you get it by hoping for it. I believe you get it by working hard for change."

Great idea Hillary....suggesting we vote for one of your opponents and change you from a candidate to retired

Thursday's debate, sponsored by The Des Moines Register and Iowa Public Television, comes as recent polls show Clinton losing her lead nationally weeks before Iowa's January 3 caucuses.

SHOCKINGLY RICHARDSON HAS THINNER THIGHS THAN HILLARY

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton faced a tougher-than-expected path in New Hampshire on Wednesday after seeing a big lead slip there, and a top aide denied reports of turmoil in her camp.  LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE

Already staring at a close contest in Iowa with rivals Barack Obama and John Edwards, the former first lady has seen her double-digit lead vanish in New Hampshire.  FOR GOOD.

A WMUR/CNN poll showed the New York senator leading Obama 31 percent to 30 percent in the northeastern state, which on January 8 holds the first primary vote in the run-up to the November 2008 presidential election, after Iowa's January 3 caucuses.  THIS IS THE CLOSEST HILLARY WILL GET.  THE RESULTS WILL BE A BLOW OUT

The results meant that with three weeks to go until Iowa, Clinton suddenly faced the possibility of losing both of the earliest states, even as she enjoys a sizable lead in national polls.  THE NATIONAL POLLS ARE LIBERAL BULLSHIT.  THESE TWO LOSSES ARE THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR THE BITCH

Coupled with the New Hampshire poll was a report in the New York Daily News that said Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, was alarmed by his wife's poll slide and -- according to one source -- has "literally dozens of ideas" on how to right the ship.  AND THIS MEANS ANYONE SHOULD VOTE FOR HIPPOCRITE HILLARY BECAUSE....

"She's in big trouble and she knows it," a top Democratic operative and Hillary Clinton booster told the newspaper. The article said staff purges might occur.  TYPICAL LIBERAL...IT'S SOMEBODY ELSE'S FAULT....HELLO IT'S THE CANDIDATE....SHE SUCKS

"These have been the people who have been the most skeptical about Hillary all along," Fowler said.  OH YOU MEAN LIKE....EVERYBODY

It all amounts to a significant challenge for Clinton, whose campaign lately has been advancing her as the most electable Democrat and trying to raise questions about Obama, pointing out that the Illinois senator vowed in a 2003 questionnaire to vote to repeal the anti-terror USA Patriot Act but two years later voted to reauthorize the law.  DIDN'T THE LYING BITCH TELL THE PEOPLE OF NEW YORK THAT SHE WOULD SERVE OUT HER TERM IF ELECTED TWO YEARS AGO....LIAR LIAR

The Obama campaign was bracing for negative attacks from the Clinton side heading into the final weeks before the first of the state-by-state contests to choose the parties' nominees.  NEGATIVE ATTACKS....SIGNS OF DESPERATE LAST THROWS

"We're really hoping to focus on issues, that it doesn't become some sort of negative campaign. If we can keep that focus positive, I think that folks will be well-served and I really like our chances here," said Ned Helms, a co-chair of Obama's New Hampshire campaign.  A VOICE OF REASON....HILLARY SUCKS

HO HO HO .. HILLARY IS A HO

Calls Belief in Talk Show Hostess a “Personal Matter’

Under pressure to explain his religious faith to the American people, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama delivered a forty-five minute speech today discussing his belief in Oprah Winfrey.

In an election year that has been dominated by discussions of candidates’ religious faith, perhaps no candidate’s religion has been more controversial than Sen. Obama’s Oprahism.

Speaking to supporters at the University of Iowa, the Illinois senator devoted his entire speech to his religious faith but mentioned Ms. Winfrey only once by name.

“My religion is a personal matter to me,” Sen. Obama told his followers. “Having said that, let me make this clear: I have accepted Oprah as my host.”

Later in the day, Ms. Winfrey toured the state with Mr. Obama and, in a stunning demonstration of her influence, briefly caused a solar eclipse.

“Sun and moon, do my bidding!” she roared, raising her hands above her head and delighting the crowd with the celestial display.

“Oprah is without question the most powerful force in the election right now,” said Carol Foyler, 45, an Obama supporter from Cedar Rapids. “I’d like to see Bill Clinton do that.”

Davis Logsdon, who studies the interrelation between politicians, religion and talk-show hosts at the University of Minnesota, said that Sen. Obama’s worship of Oprah Winfrey puts him in the mainstream of American theological belief.

“Over thirty percent of Americans currently define themselves as Oprahists,” Mr. Logsdon said. “And that number is higher during sweeps.”

"LET ME GET YOU ANYTHING THAT WILL

HELP YOU LOOK BETTER THAN ROSIE O'DONNELL"

.........................................

"SERIOUSLY.....YOU NEED HELP"

..........................................

This is a handwritten letter than Ronny boy sent out to his supporters.  It makes you wonder if Paul has take his alzheimer's meds.

THIS IS A LITTLE HARD TO READ SO CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ORIGINAL RAMBLING SCRAWL OF A WHACKO

FINALLY, SOMETHING GOOD TO USE HILLARY POSTERS FOR

"I'M SORRY....HILLARY PROMISED NOT TO HAVE SEX WITH ME IF I GAVE HER MONEY"

One day after a National Intelligence Estimate revealed that Iran halted its nuclear arms program in 2003, North Korean president Kim Jong-Il ejected Iran from the Axis of Evil, calling them “not evil enough.”

A visibly furious Kim called a press conference in Pyongyang today to excoriate the Iranians as “evildoer wannabes” and “pussies.”

“I can’t tell you how many times Mahmoud Ahmadinejad looked me in the eye, told me he was developing nuclear weapons, and cackled like a madman,” Kim said. “That man does not deserve to cackle.”

Kim added that when Iran was admitted into the Axis of Evil in 2002, “they knew the rules: no nukes, no membership.”

The National Intelligence Estimate, Kim said, showed that Iran was not holding up their end of the bargain: “They said they were enriching uranium and all the while they were going all Libya on my ass.”

In the first step towards formally removing Iran from the evil organization, the North Korean strongman said he was “un-inviting” Mr. Ahmadinejad from the Axis of Evil’s winter golf outing in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In a terse statement from Mr. Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president said he would agree not to attend the outing but wanted his deposit back.

As for who would take Iran’s place in the Axis of Evil, Kim said there was no shortage of candidates: “Right now we’re looking at Venezuela, Syria, and Rupert Murdoch.”

Get out there America and don't like this liar get her fat ankle in the door.

CAN YOU SAY BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!?  HIPPOCRITE HILLARY SUCKS AND AMERICAN KNOWS IT

Whatever public sympathy Hillary Clinton had built up during the tense hostage situation at her New Hampshire campaign office appeared to dissipate Saturday, as she was met with a round of boos during an address over the phone to an Iowa political event.

At the Heartland Presidential Candidates Forum in Des Moines, community activists lustily booed the Democratic frontrunner after she declined to commit to passing comprehensive immigration reform in her first 100 days in office.

Clinton said reform would be a "high priority" for her, but that didn't satisfy a crowd looking for legislation that would move illegal immigrants swiftly on a path to legalization.

Former radio talk show host John Ziegler also made an off-color Clinton comment Saturday while introducing GOP candidate Fred Thompson at an event in California.

"In case you missed it, some nut job broke in (Clinton's campaign office) and took hostages and apparently threatened to blow himself up unless he got a chance to speak to Hillary," Ziegler said. "Now, I found this rather odd because I always feel like blowing myself up after I hear Hillary Clinton speak."

The unfettered nastiness was a sign that things are back to normal on the campaign trail, after the hostage situation resolved peacefully. With the days dwindling until the leadoff Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, the infrastructure of the Clinton campaign swiftly got back on track.

By morning, Clinton’s campaign offices across the country were reopened, after closing Friday as a precaution. Other candidates who evacuated nearby offices like Barack Obama also reopened them Saturday. And even though ugly winter weather wrecked campaign plans for candidates across the Midwest Saturday, Clinton made pains to address the Iowa forum by phone.

Her husband’s appearance at an event in Norwalk, Iowa, though, was canceled as snow, ice and rain plastered the area and closed Des Moines International Airport. GOP candidate Mitt Romney canceled all Iowa events due to weather, and Obama had to delay his appearance at the Heartland event.

It’s unclear what effect, if any, the New Hampshire standoff will now have on Clinton’s campaign. Police arrested 46-year-old Leeland Eisenberg shortly after 6 p.m. Friday, following the six-hour scenario where police said Eisenberg took at least five people hostage at Clinton’s office, demanding to speak with the candidate.

Even though taking shots at Clinton may again be fair game, the averted crisis at least gave the Democratic frontrunner temporary relief from the relentless direct attacks of her opponents, Democratic and Republican.

Just two days earlier at a Florida debate, GOP candidate Mike Huckabee had suggested strapping Clinton to “the first rocket to Mars” in response to a question about space exploration. Minutes before Eisenberg stepped into her Rochester office with what appeared to be a bomb, Clinton and Obama had been publicly and aggressively tussling over their dueling health care plans.

But as news of the hostage situation spread at the Democratic National Committee meeting in Virginia, which she was supposed to attend, well wishes poured from both sides of the aisle as candidates hoped for a peaceful resolution.

And Clinton must have scored points for projecting calm in the aftermath of the crisis.

Expressing her gratitude to those who helped end the standoff peacefully Friday before heading to New Hampshire, Clinton struck a presidential tone. She said she’d been in contact with local, state, and federal law enforcement, as well as the governor, from the beginning. Buttoned up against the Washington cold in a long black coat and tan pashmina, she was the poised image of a leader who'd been on top of the situation from the start.

"It appears that (Eisenberg) is someone who is in need of help and sought attention in absolutely the wrong way," Clinton said in Portsmouth, N.H., adding that the campaign would get back on schedule.

An aide to GOP candidate Rudy Giuliani told FOX News afterward that his campaign discussed the incident and decided it would not increase or alter current security measures.

Meanwhile, Eisenberg, who is being held without bail, is set to be arraigned on kidnapping and other charges Monday afternoon. He was due to appear in court Friday for a domestic violence hearing with his wife, who had filed for divorce just three days earlier, when he walked into Clinton’s campaign office carrying what police later said were road flares.