12 March 2008
News and Comments - 03/12/08
Posted by Joy Bischoff under: What's News .
13 Comments so far...
Joy Bischoff Says:
12 March 2008 at 2:50 am.
Sources: Spitzer’s Resignation Expected Wednesday
NEW YORK (CBS) ? Eliot Spitzer is going to resign his post as governor. Sources tell CBS 2 HD he’s using the resignation as a bargaining chip with the feds. But after negotiating all day there was still no deal Tuesday night.
Spitzer doesn’t have the luxury of playing deal or no deal. Experts agree that his involvement in a prostitution ring makes him damaged goods.
“I think his career is politically at an end,” noted criminal defense attorney Ronald Fischetti told CBS 2 HD.
Sources tell CBS 2 HD the governor knows this and is using his defense team, led by Michele Hirshman, to leverage his resignation against potential charges he may face.
When asked what the best-case scenario is for Spitzer, Fischetti said, “No charges, absolute resignation and contrition. I think the worst that could happen is a felony plea on a number of charges they could lodge against him.”
Fischetti says that as a former prosecutor himself, Spitzer would not want to plead guilty to a felony that could carry jail time, like tax evasion, money laundering or bringing a prostitute across state lines.
http://wcbstv.com/politics/eliot.spitzer.resignation.2.674943.html
Matt Says:
12 March 2008 at 9:08 am.
Gold futures edge up, as dollar falls sharply
By Polya Lesova, MarketWatch
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Gold futures edged higher to trade above $978 an ounce Wednesday, as sharp weakness in the U.S. dollar underpinned demand for the precious metal.
Gold for April delivery rose $2.70 to $978.70 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
On Tuesday, gold futures gained $4.20 to end at $976 an ounce.
The U.S. dollar was on the defensive Wednesday, giving back part of the bounce seen on back of the Federal Reserve’s effort to significantly boost liquidity in near-frozen credit markets.
Also on Nymex, May silver gained 12 cents at $19.89 an ounce and April platinum edged up 60 cents at $2,053 an ounce and June palladium dropped $7.05 to $493 an ounce.
Matt Says:
12 March 2008 at 10:03 am.
The gets kind of funny:
Spitzer’s Troubles May Hurt Clinton
Echoes of the Past Could Drown Out Campaign Messages
After all, it was Spitzer who, in the view of her advisers, caused the slide that put her where she is today, fighting from behind for the Democratic presidential nomination. A question about his proposal to let illegal immigrants get driver’s licenses tripped her up in a debate in late October and ended 10 months of unquestioned dominance in the race for the nomination.
Now, his apparent involvement with a prostitution ring has not only distracted attention from her efforts to take down the front-runner, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), it has also brought back unhelpful memories of her own husband’s dalliances in office. There on cable television again were pictures of Bill Clinton hugging Monica S. Lewinsky. And the image of Spitzer’s wife standing painfully by his side while he acknowledged unspecified wrongdoing could not help but remind some of Hillary Clinton’s own stand-by-her-man moment.
This certainly is not the way Clinton’s strategists would have mapped out this week on the campaign trail. They want voters to be thinking about that 3 a.m. phone call in terms of who is ready to handle a crisis in the White House, not in terms of where an unfaithful husband might be catting around town. And, sure enough, the late-night comedians wasted little time linking the Spitzer case to the Clintons. Jay Leno joked Monday night that Spitzer’s scandal “means Hillary Clinton is now only the second angriest woman in the state of New York.” David Letterman offered a Top 10 List of excuses Spitzer might cite, including the No. 1 excuse: “I thought Bill Clinton legalized this years ago.”
Jesse Says:
12 March 2008 at 10:20 am.
I guess Cameron isn’t around today to snag the articles. Good job Matt.
With all the concerns over autism from vaccinations and also mercury, a lot of parents could be in trouble if this kind of thing spreads:
Parents may be jailed over vaccinations
LONDON - As doctors struggle to eradicate polio worldwide, one of their biggest problems is persuading parents to vaccinate their children. In Belgium, authorities are resorting to an extreme measure: prison sentences.
Two sets of parents in Belgium were recently handed five month prison terms for failing to vaccinate their children against polio. Each parent was also fined 4,100 euros ($8,000).
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080312/ap_on_he_me/polio_vaccine_prison
jobob911 Says:
12 March 2008 at 10:39 am.
I dont know why people do such stupid things that more than likely will ruin their career, it makes no sense at all.
E.E. Says:
12 March 2008 at 12:35 pm.
Very sad for his family.
RESIGNED TO DISGRACE
Eliot Spitzer Steps Down Following Biggest Scandal In Modern New York Political History
Lt. Gov. David Paterson Will Become State’s First Black Governor
U.S. Attorney: No Plea Deal
By STEVE FINK, WCBSTV.COM
NEW YORK (CBS) ? Eliot Spitzer’s tumultuous tumble from the zenith of a promising political career to the nadir of a shocking sex scandal came as no surprise Wednesday as the bright, bull-headed governor announced his resignation, effective Monday, under bloating pressure from state lawmakers and the public.
Lt. Gov. David Paterson will become the 55th governor of New York and the state’s first black governor.
There were rumors that the once-heralded Democrat had negotiated a plea deal to avoid jail time in the case, but U.S. Attorney Michael J. Garcia squashed those rumors. “There is no agreement between this Office and Gov. Eliot Spitzer, relating to his resignation or any other matter,” he said in a statement to CBS 2.
That leaves Spitzer open to being indicted and facing prison time.
http://wcbstv.com/politics/eliot.spitzer.resigns.2.674646.html
Jesse Says:
12 March 2008 at 5:39 pm.
McCain is a dangerous man. If he is president, he will push buttons.
McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq
March 12 (Bloomberg) — John McCain is at least as determined as George W. Bush to stay the course in Iraq and more confrontational than the president on foreign policy issues ranging from Russia and China to North Korea.
The perception that McCain is less bellicose than the administration is belied by his own positions. He’s skeptical about Bush’s plan to provide nuclear fuel to North Korea. He has signaled he would be tougher on China. And he called Russia’s elections “rigged” even as Bush said he wanted a “close” relationship with the president-elect.
“On Russia and China, he is clearly more hawkish than Bush,” said Ken Weinstein, chief executive officer of the Hudson Institute, a research group in Washington.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20080312/pl_bloomberg/apzut4blweek
Saddened Says:
12 March 2008 at 6:58 pm.
McCain is such a bully. He would be a very bad image for America abroad. There is a difference between being strong and being arrogant.
Cavetrollhead Says:
13 March 2008 at 1:35 am.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/comments?type=story&id=4440418
McCain takes fire for lobbyists tied to campaign. (Kind of goes along with the article the other day.)
Remember when Romney get such grief for a couple of lobbyist working for his campaign? Now The press continues to turn on their Little Darling.
Jesse Says:
13 March 2008 at 1:38 am.
No kidding and their little darling is probably as outraged as a girl stood up for a date.
Cavetrollhead Says:
13 March 2008 at 1:48 am.
Wow Jesse,
That article about vaccinations is scary. I exempted my son from them because my daughter became extremely ill after they vaccinated her through the age twelve requirements when she was only 3. My son has had none but the first barrage and I don’t intend to get them for him. I may be making a mistake, and I worry about it, but I am trying to help him avoid some of the auto-immune type illnesses that plague our family. I know I am not a doctor but it is a gut feeling.
Joy Bischoff Says:
13 March 2008 at 1:56 am.
Cave, I had that predisposition to auto-immune and with problems but it became full blown immediately after I got my vaccinations for going to Venezuela when I was 21. Haven’t been the same since. So I think your reasoning is good. I waited with my kids until they were older and had stronger immune systems but was very shaky about it because of what I went through.
Joy Bischoff Says:
13 March 2008 at 1:57 am.
Have you noticed I’m trailing you around tonight? I think it’s past my bedtime though so goodnite.
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