Good Friday morning Fellow Seekers,
This piece is cross-posted at my new home, MinnPost.com. 
I’ve written before, admiringly, about the October 2002 speech Barack Obama gave opposing the war in Iraq, the same month that Congress voted to authorize the war.
On one such recent occasion, a comment in the thread by Centauri argued that Obama’s stand against […]

Good Thursday noon, Fellow Seekers,
(This piece is cross-posted at MinnPost.com. )
Tonight, it’s all eyes on Iowa. Tomorrow, as the candidates and the klieg lights shift focus to New Hampshire, there will be a few last days of backlash against the absurd idea that a handful of politically-obsessed citizens of one undersized, atypical farm state (see […]

Good Thursday morning Fellow Seekers,
The latest statements about and on behalf of U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad can, and probably should be taken to signify that he is laying the groundwork for reversing his September announcement to retire from Congress after nine terms representing the the suburban Third District of Minnesota.
Black Ink has reported for two […]

In case you wondered, the presentation by Rachel Paulose on human trafficking that had been scheduled for noon today at the Humphrey Institute has been postponed. The word released from Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, which was sponsoring the event, said: Rachel Paulose and Larry Jacobs […]

Good Monday morning Fellow Seekers of Wisdom and Truth,
The campaign to save Rachel Paulose’s job as U.S. attorney for Minnesota shifted into high gear last week. Perhaps she and her supporters believe that the decision will be made in the days ahead and want to rally some counterpressure. But the tactics and arguments employed make […]

A University of Rhode Island professor “suspects” that there is a campaign under way by unnamed Justice Department officials to hound U.S. Attorney Rachel Paulose from office to punish her for her “aggressive commitment” to prosecute human trafficking cases.
She offers no details and no evidence, but Women’s Studies Professor Donna M. Hughes, who supports […]

Good Tuesday morning Fellow Seekers,
Last week, after viewing a YouTube video, created by blogger and GOP operative Michael Brodkorb, of four dinky alleged “gaffes” committed by state Sen. Terri Bonoff during her announcement event, I wrote a dour but heartfelt post regretting the way this kind of cheap shot diminishes our politics. I stand by […]

Good Monday morning, Fellow Seekers,
Last week, guest poster Karl Bremer revealed that U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann — who generally opposes big government, who has specifically denounced the impact of agriculture subsidies, and who recently voted against the big agriculture bill that would extend the current subsidy programs through 2012 — has also benefited personally from […]

My esteemed former colleague Pat Lopez of the Strib got Al Franken to do what he wouldn’t do for me — talk about his “evolution” from Iraq war supporter to critic to opponent.
Trouble is, he didn’t answer the questions I raised, nor many of the questions Pat raised.
As I previously documented, Franken has moved around […]

I noticed this late (it was in the Times “Freakonomics” column Tuesday) but Freakonomist Steven Levitt (a fellow admirer of my childhood chum Roger Myerson who won the Nobel in economics this week) was drawn (as I was in my Monday post) to Myerson’s application of game theory to the mess in Iraq.
My favorite Myersonian […]

A second and very reliable source, with insider knowledge of National Republican Congressional Committee efforts to get U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad to run for reelection next year, says the committee believes there’s a better than 50-50 chance Ramstad will do it.
Sure, the NRCC really wants this to happen, and perhaps they’re getting ahead of themselves, but the talks […]

Good Tuesday noon, Fellow Seekers, 
Sorry, I’m a couple of days late providing a link to reporter Dan Eggen’s piece in Sunday’s Washington Post following up on the Office of Special Counsel investigation of Rachel Paulose’s management of the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota.
Eggen reviews l’affaire Paulose in general, confirms the ongoing special counsel investigation, and comes up […]

Sen. Norm Coleman tells esteemed colleague Fred Frommer of the Associated Press that he will discuss the latest set of allegations about Rachel Paulose, U.S. attorney for Minnesota, with Judge Michael Mukasey, Pres. Bush’s nominee to be the new attorney general.
Coleman says he wants to make sure the allegations that Paulose mishandled classified material, retaliated […]