I know the big McCain story for today is the one covering McCain's inappropriate and intimate friendship with influential lobbiest Vicki Iseman.

BUT there's another story with possibly BIGGER implications: the Republican Chair of the FEC is demanding McCain prove he did not mislead them to get a loan from them - or the FEC will force McCain to take public financing!!

This can't possibly happen. No waaay!

Again, I know the big McCain story for today - but PLEASE consider getting this story out.

Update: Sorry - forgot the link:

http://news.yahoo.com/...

Multiple sources reporting it now - um, err, including http://www.TexasKaos.com

Please DIGG this story and get it out to the mainstream:

Digg This!

Oh, c'mon! Tell me you don't relish saying that? The man was due! From the moment of George Bush's miserable existence, the man has been giving it to people. From the rugby player he sucker-punched from behind while in college to the 1000s of Katrina devasted Americans he drowned to our troops whose lives he destroyed (emotionally, family, mentally, financially, and literally), the man has screwed so many billions (literally) of people over that it actually feels to celebrate him taking it in butt for once. Even if it is only for a routine colonoscopy.

Hell, this made it worth letting Dick Cheney President for a day.

Of course, this is not the first time George Bush has taken it up the a**. No dear reader, follow me on the flip for several more occasions when the out of bs coming out Bush required frequent colonoscopies.

Part I: Making the Borrower Pay for Deeply Flawed & Predatory Lending System

Originally & fully posted at TexasKaos.com

George Bush likes to brag about how his administration has seen one the highest levels of home ownership ever. That fact, like everything else Bush has ever said, needs to checked further. There is a crisis brewing, one that he and his administration has been aware of for some time but have done nothing to stop.

In fact, by downplaying financial warnings and by optimistically pumping up home ownership like its some big party, he has misled the American consumer into jumping into economic waters they simply weren't prepared to swim. But like Iraq, Bush will leave this mess for someone else to clean. Roll up your sleeves because that's going to be you, me and every American who doesn't have a rich daddy to save them.

At the risk of hyperbole, I'm posting this incredible story I just saw.

The AP is reporting that a military judge has thrown out terrorism charges against Omar Khadr, a detainee at Guantanamo.

That's a serious blow to Bush's whole war-crimes trial system that he's put up by itself.

However, what may be more stunning is that this ruling could throw out THE ENTIRE WAR-CRIMES TRIAL SYSTEM. And how? Because a technicality which appears to have been caused by the Bush Administration itself.

Get it? They create a system which ignores international human rights and American system of laws, but then they screw up that whole screwed up system with a screw up!!

Update: Lawyer says this is not just a technicality. See Notes at end.

Update 6: As predicted by the defense lawyer of this case, the judge in the trial of Bin Laden's driver threw out those charges as well on the same grounds - that he did not have jurisdiction.

Full post (with pics) at TexasKaos.com

The man who has shown his compassion (not to mention his IQ) for women by offering to buy their babies from them for $500, showed his tolerance for religious freedom at the Texas Senate...by walking out on the first Muslim prayer ever held in the Texas Senate.

Yes. That's right. Dan Patrick, the reichtwing radio talk show host whose "baby buying" bill was first reported by TexasKaos' moiv and has since brought widespread condemnation of Patrick, the Texas GOP and (of course) Texas, walked out on the very first Muslim prayer held in the Senate and then had the audacity to call himself tolerant!

Originally posted at TexasKaos.com WITH Pictures

The Sam Fox - or as I call him Sam Faux - nomination has nothing to do with John Kerry, though I am happy he got a chance to confront the S.O.B.

This this is about Values. An Ambassador is the face of America - do we want a liar to represent us?

We have one as President already!

Please follow on the flip. And let you friends know. Thanks.

Originally at TexasKaos.com

There will be numerous sightings of Barack Obama in Texas including tonight in Houston and tomorrow in AUstin. Whether you have made up your mind about which candidate you're going to support or you're still open, I think this is a great thing for our state. For too long Democratic candidates running for President have ignored Texas because they consider it a lock for Republicans. How foolish. Given that John Kerry, who came infrequently and never at crunch time, still received 40% of the votes in George Bush's supposed home state in 2004, I think it would be a serious mistake for ANY candidate to ignore Texas.

Original post at TexasKaos.com

Wow! Texas just became the first state to order all its school-aged girls to get the controversial HPV vaccine. Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a common cause of STDs and can lead to cervical cancer and other gynecological cancers. Bypassing the Legislature, Republican Gov. Rick Perry signed an order Friday making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer. But why is it controversial? It's not except that some conservative groups believe girls with the vaccine will have more sex. That's right. These groups would rather expose young girls to HPV-related cancers than give them a vaccine that could save their lives.

Full post at TexasKaos.com

If you weren't disgusted enough with George Bush yesterday as he gave his State of the Union speech last night (assuming you had the stomach to watch), then perhaps this story will remind you just the immense harm that man has inflicted to this nation and its people.

Traditionally, members of both Parties invite guests to the SOTU to make a statement. Sometimes, these people are just pawns used to score political points. George Bush (read Karl Rove) has used this strategy so often, you can't help but be cynical about these guests. Rarely do they honestly represent the simple, human story they are meant to invoke. Last night's speech had such a rare and exemplary guest. His name was Cesar Borja Jr. and he was a guest of Presidential candidate and Senator Hillary Clinton.

Posted in full at TexasKaos.com

Blacks really should just get over slavery. I mean, c'mon, guys (or is that homies?). Y'all were enslaved several hundred years, taken from your people in Africa, stripped of your cultural and religious identities and given new ones (like "boy" or "mami"), given new families here, taken from those families, treated as animals to be bred and sold off or, as some farmers do, raped - for several hundred years.

But, DAMN, y'all gots yer freedoms & civil rights since the '60s. Why. can't. y'all. just. get. over. it?

And THAT is a question put forth by this Republican Virginia legislator, Frank D. Hargove (standing).

Originally at TexasKaos.com

A pizza store in Dallas, Texas has received death threats for announcing that it will accept Mexican pesos. Um, there's gotta be more to the story you say, right? NOPE. Hundreds of apparantly very bored people & some reichtwing blogs is going nuts over the fact that an American business is accepting - of all things - money, albeit Mexican pesos. And people friggin sent DEATH THREATS over this.

A pizza chain has been hit with death threats and hate mail after offering to accept Mexican pesos, becoming another flashpoint in the nation's debate over immigrants. "This is the United States of America, not the United States of Mexico," one e-mail read. "Quit catering to the damn illegal Mexicans," demanded another.

Putting aside the moronic idea that all Mexicans are illegal, why would ANY business want to turn down money??

Oh, looks like I got a late Christmas present: Stephen Colbert will host Bill O'Reilly. The two will swap guest spots next week in what has got to be one of the most anticipated political and entertainment appearances since the show started. Colbert's satirical & comedic portrayal of a fictional conservative news analyst is based entirely on Bill O'Reilly (um, who does a pretty good job of fiction himself).  This begs the question: "Which one's the bigger fake?"

Originally posted at TexasKaos.com

Remember last week's poll? Roughly 1/2 of us agreed with the Texas Republican party which warned Texans that Texas would lose political power if Democrats came into office. It was a powerful message to put self-interest over poor performance and corruption. Many of us however felt that we needed to take one step back to move several steps forward.

And then there were some of you who just weren't being realistic. I mean the "Same influence" crowd I could see was being optimistic, but the "More influence" crowd, what were you guys smoking?



Well, looks like you guys in the Same & Better crowd were right. Texas really ain't going nowhere! First Silvestre Reyes lands, over TWO senior members, the chair of the powerful House Intelligence committee and now Ciro Rodriguez and Nick Lampson have landed two coveted committee positions.

Join me on the flip but here's a tantalizing thought: has the National Democratic party signaled, with these three Texan selections in a span of a month, that it's coming back and going to (goosebumps!) FIGHT FOR TEXAS (and the South)?

Originally Posted at TexasKaos.com

Great news for Texas and Texas Democrats. One of the tactics the Texas GOP has used to scare Texans from voting for Democrats is the fear that we'd lose influence in national politics, as reflected in this Houston Chronicle article.

I actually thought this was a legitimate issue. I mean why should someone vote against their own self-interests? Now did we really want one of the most corrupt and arrogant politicians representing us is another question. And Texas, did you really want people to think of this idiot when they think of Texas? I mean. Good gawd. It was an issue Texas Democrats needed to address and only a few did IMHO. So we'll address this after the flip.

Originally on TexasKaos.com

This woman, China Arnold, is accused of murdering her one-month old baby by burning her in a microwave oven. It's a horrific crime and makes one wonder about the mental state of someone who could do this. What kind of mother would kill her own child and through such gruesome means? I can only presume that it's due to a mental illness possibly even a result of hormonal imbalances brought on by post-partum depression. We have seen many, MANY instances of violent, post-partum related crimes such as Andrea Yates.

Originally posted at TexasKaos.com

Each week TexasKaos.com polls it's readers and last week our poll asked "Are you confident in the Leadership of the Texas Democratic Party?"

Considering our readers are some of the most active Democrats and Progressives in Texas, it's usually a good read into the party's most active members. We've got precinct chairs, SDEC members, candidates for office, and then good ole peons like myself.

Last week's poll should truly shock you & the Texas Democratic Leadership.

We at TexasKaos have a goal to make Texas competitive by 2008. It was embarrassing to see the Blue Wave wash over much of America but leave Texas mostly dry.

That's gotta change and I'm betting many of you in other states that are thirsty for change feel the same way.

May I suggest that we hold our State Reps accountable? Each of us need to organize at a state level and try to understand the best ways to make our Party better.