New Week, Same Complaint?

Last week, the Akron Beacon Journal had some strong words for the Sheriff and progress -- or lack of -- in the jailhouse death of inmate Mark McCullaugh. Something tells me they won't be very happy with this week's news, either.

In the editorial and on Friday night's NewsNight Akron television program, the newspaper opined the public deserved to know far more about the death of jail inmate Mark McCullaugh three years ago. For those not following from home, McCullaugh died under the cloud of rough handling when he died under struggle with deputies.

The newspaper charges the delay in finding out what really happened behind bars in the jail's mental health unit -- where, one must point out, McCullaugh was almost a regular -- is still missing an independent and complete assessment. The ABJ then goes on to muse a strong county executive would have wrapped all this up by now.

Despite seeing one deputy cleared of murder; despite five deputies cleared of criminal charges, and another deputy cleared of perjury; despite civil suit settlements that took all those years, still there's no clear picture on what happened.

I don't think the latest release is going to help shed anymore light on exactly what led to the tortured life of a man who should have been in any institution other than a jail, except for the fact that we as a society have decided it isn't right to provide middle ground for the Mark McCullaughs who are a danger to themselves, others close to them, and the men and women we trust to treat their health and watch over their safety.

On pulling the County Executive into the fray, it bears pointing out an independent Sheriff isn't exactly why McCullaugh died behind bars. Raising the issue of charter government is the kind of political distraction one usually sees in Washington, not Akron.

In fact, County Executive Russ Pry provided an attorney from the County's law department to investigate. According to an executive summary by Linda Murphy, released Friday by Sheriff Drew Alexander, there are several points from her independent examination that don't quite mesh with the conventional account we've read the past three years.

She says:

• no criminal charges should have been bought against the five Summit County deputies, no state or federal laws were violated and no policies of the Sheriff's office were violated;

• the deputies involved should have never been indicted in the first place, and blames pursuit of an indictment on Grand Jury "misled by an incomplete and poor investigation";

• among the issues: the special investigator of the Ohio BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigation) provided testimony that was "incorrect and inflammatory" and that laws on use of force "...were not properly reviewed and may not have been understood..." by investigator William O'Connor;

• O'Connor's testimony that McCullaugh was not a threat to himself or anyone else ignored the record of seven prior suicide attempts, four threats to kill his ex-wife, more than a dozen incidents of "homicidal and violent behavior" and even two cases where his mother was afraid he would kill or harm her;

Murphy's report also disputes central tenants of the scenario used to indict, noting medical testimony "defied logic" and came from the medical examiner, George Sterbenz, who never even looked at McCullaugh's medical records until after signing the death certificate, and charges that McCullaugh was "..hogtied, anally raped, pepper sprayed and tasered..." excessively could not be confirmed by the evidence.

Murphy goes on to note Doctor Sterbenz apparently was even confused over how pepper spray works, contradicting the testimony of five others -- including emergency room doctor, paramedic, deputy and nurses at the jail. She even points to a lack of evidence backing up a claim by Deputy Joshua Griffin that other deputies used excessive force -- even after Griffin admitted he changed his testimony and recanted. Griffin is the deputy who escaped perjury charges last week when another Grand Jury issued a "no bill", or failure to indict.

Expect to see and hear more from Murphy's report -- the kind of independent review from the Executive's office the newspaper called for -- later this week.

The Beacon Journal may be right about one thing: it is highly unlikely we'll know what happened inside the confines of the mental health unit that left McCullaugh dead, 11 others injured or involved directly, and the lives of six corrections officers in legal purgatory for years.

What we do know is the system didn't work for Mark McCullaugh or those Summit County deputies, hospital and social workers who came into contact with a man out of control and in such rage use of force meant nothing. Society didn't like the idea of men and woman wandering in rubber-walled hellholes. Thanks to stereotypes such as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and a public thirst for bars instead of in-control treatment, we aren't likely to get a safe place to protect those who would harm us and themselves soon.

Sheriff Drew Alexander has taken a harsh rap for this case, and unfairly. He's been consistent about sharing information as much as he could with lawsuits and investigations swirling, while calling attention to the greater problem beyond the tragedy of Mark McCullaugh. Alexander noted, early on, that this wasn't just an isolated exposure of a system that doesn't work well.

When do we face the next Mark McCullaugh?

Gettin' With The Times

Summit County Executive Russ Pry ought to get a nice round of applause for helping to drag local government into the late 20th century by updating collection practices to include credit cards. Going plastic is more than just everyday; it's the way the world does business.


Pry's publicity machine reminded the news media of this in a news release today, noting Summit County's Animal Control and Building departments were the latest to go MasterCard, AMEX and Discover ( I'm not sure what happened to VISA; there's the follow-up) in giving taxpayers the same opportunity to pay public bills as they use to pay private.


With the explosion of digital payments -- not just using a credit or debit card, but also using e-banking to serve your e-commerce needs -- it was long overdue, and surprising that it didn't come sooner than the March 2009 vote from County Council on Pry's bid to modernize government billing.


You DO pay a convenience fee for this; the company managing the payments charges 2.5%, a heck of a lot cheaper than many businesses enjoy (and pass along to their customers) and considerably less than what it costs to buy a ticket to a concert or sporting event with all their consumer-unfriendly add-on fees. But in the long run it's worth in, allowing the government to more track with more accuracy their payments and cash flow. Ditto the consumer: the end-of-the year statement most credit cards provide is a gold mine when figuring out taxes and tracking our own payments.


If you've been tagged with a traffic ticket recently (count me among the nailed) then you know you can do the same thing through the court systems on the most routine violations, saving considerable time and trouble.


There is always great discussion on the impact of the web on government information, most recently the "costs" of opening city records to critics of the Plusquellic Administration. But the growing use of web-based payment and electronic billing shows another side to making government records more available online; it includes the system of billing that no longer ties us to remembering to send the check or taking time out of the day to drive down to the courthouse to make a payment. And unless the mainframe computer has a serious case of e-digestion, there's always a record of it.

During a recent trip overseas, I was struck how restaurants and cafes in even the smallest of towns used wireless credit card processing (such as the unit, at left) and servers and hosts didn't have to take the card away from customer view to process, they would tally up the bill and slide the card right in front of you. It addresses a security concern while also standardizing the use of wireless technology, which provides great opportunity for growth in other ways as well.

Welcome to the new way of doing things. It is a great reminder of how far we've come -- and how far we still have to go in taming technology to work for the end user: us.

The Numbers Game

Wednesday's official announcement -- after the news broke Tuesday -- of jobs coming to Akron is welcome news from any camp. The question is: just how many, really?

There's no reason to doubt the people behind this latest announcement of good times to come (with a week before an election; nice timing!) in Akron, but AkronNewsNow's Chris Keppler asks some pointed follow-up in a video Q&A featuring PlusOne Communications Bob Madden about the number of jobs to be created in their new support center in the old Firestone Bank building.

When Mayor Plusquellic first included the project in his listings of accomplishments (2008 State of the City address) it had 300 jobs attached. The actual number was closer to 250, if the reference was directed at construction jobs renovating the building. Madden and his wife Jill Bacon Madden spent about $2 million dollars on the project, a hefty investment but not bad considering they bought the empty building for $2 (no million) from the City.

Call me a cynic for wanting a better understanding of all this, especially with less than a week to go before the election. The biggest economic activity lately seems to be the frequent news conferences, video opportunities, photo ops and media push both for and against the recall. But even as a cynic, I think it is admirable the Madden's put their hard work and money (most of it coming from themselves, according to what we can ascertain) behind their mouths in recognizing opportunity here at home.

It's easy to say "oh, again?" when any politician holds forth on the next best thing; if all of those best things really happened the way they are presented we'd at least have a perception things are getting better. At least we keep throwing it up against the wall to see what sticks.

On Tuesday, City Hall advised the media there would be a big announcement, with the promise of a thousand-job announcement. By the time it wound up in print this morning in the Akron Beacon Journal, that number was 1500. Note, though, it'll take awhile to ramp that up to the thousand or even 1500 level if hiring at 40 or 50 jobs a month.

Comment postings on the story note some of these jobs may be coming at the expense of another Akron-area telephone support company, so does that mean we get over a thousand new jobs or are we moving pieces around on a chess board? Without more information on which clients make up this new economic base for PlusOne Communications it's difficult to figure out the gross job picture from the net job picture.

But at this point in economy-starved northeast Ohio maybe it's treason to examine the fine print. After all, the headline's what matters, right?

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Speaking of timing, 1590 WAKR and the WAKRNewsNow all-news online stream from AkronNewsNow will be re-broadcasting our two-hour special on the recall election. "WAKR Primer: The 2009 Recall" airs from 7:06 p.m. through 9:00 p.m. on WAKR Saturday, and we'll repeat our continuous stream of this program online again on Sunday from noon to 10:00 p.m.

At this point I figure there aren't many voters in Akron who haven't made up their mind on the simple question of stay-or-go for Plusquellic, but just in case here's another chance to listen to each side make their case. You can also access more audio and video here on AkronNewsNow.

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Akron voters can still vote early (or late, at least until 8:00 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Monday evening) in the recall election. The Summit County Board of Election is keeping absentee voting booths open for duty at the 470 Grant Street offices from 8:00 in the morning through 8:00 at night each weekday and from 8:00 a.m. through noon on Saturday. Maybe by Tuesday everyone in Akron will have voted early so we can find out the result early on June 23 and get back to hoping the Indians bullpen figures out how to hold a lead...wouldn't it be wonderful to get back to winning instead of whining?

It's The Economy, Stupid

Consider this an Akron version of the old TV game show "Family Feud," complete with host Richard Dawson's famous "survey says....!"

Most of us in Summit County apparently think having a job is pretty important; in fact, more than 46% of the 1,067 adults surveyed by the Center for Marketing and Opinion Research agreed employment is the top issue when it comes to quality of life here, pacing a big increase in all economic issues over the past three years. Taxes and money issues finished a strong second with crime and safety a distant third; education then government/political issues wrap up the top five.

Even with a national and state economy providing plenty of angst, over three quarters of those surveyed by phone still think Summit County is either an excellent or good to live. Fewer than one in twenty four think life stinks.

But again, the economy looms large with less than 16% holding the opinion the local economy is excellent or good, and half of that number thought Summit County offered a positive outlook for finding a job.

What to make of these numbers?

No big surprise but confirmation folks really do pay attention to the pocketbook issues. While the rest of the nation calls what is happening a recession, it's been life in Ohio for years now and provides what should be the biggest wake-up call to political and business leaders. In 2007, more than 21% of those surveyed had some confidence in their ability to find a job in Summit County; that number dipped to 11.3% in 2008 pre-Wall Street bubble burst and is now 8.1%.

Statistically, fewer people think this is a good place to find a job than the number of people on unemployment benefits. That spells big trouble for politicians who talk a good game about creating an environment of opportunity for young people to stay here on graduation. This spiral goes by many names, including "brain drain" which is the latest catch phrase to describe what parents and grandparents have been talking about for decades in describing a future northeast Ohio -- a place where the kids come back for holidays with tales of opportunity found elsewhere.

We are at a point in time where it is tough to find an oasis of opportunity; that used to be the Carolinas, or Las Vegas, or Florida but now those states are hard-hit by the national economy. But when things swing back, as they inevitably do -- remember, every boom has a bust and vice-versa -- will Ohio be better positioned for the recovery or will we still be trapped in that spiral given lip service by the regardless-of-which party leadership?

The Web Weasels

Just when I thought it couldn't get worse...take a look at your tax dollars at work supporting partisan political candidates. I can't imagine why the web designer and webmaster at Summit County Council would let this go through -- actually using the County's website to promote links to candidate websites not only soliciting votes but also contributions. Is there no shame?

Every member of County Council has a profile page on the County's site; certainly not unusual except for the two members who include a web site reference in addition to calling or emailing.

Summit County Council District 1's Nick Kostandaras official Summit County Council page (seen at left)includes a link at the bottom of his contact information. Follow the link and go to Nick's election page (seen at right) which asks not only for your support but also includes links to contribute.

So taxpayers shell out to build the government-run page...which then directs users to the campaign-run page? Anyone else out there struck by how how inappropriate it is to use a publicly-funded resource to direct voters and citizens doing business with the county to a campaign website?

But wait, there's more...Nick's not the only one.

Louise Heydorn, who represents Summit County Council's District 3, has the exact same deal on her official County site (seen at right) using a link below her profile to drive voters and citizens to her campaign web site (seen at left) which not only encourages us to "Meet Louise" but also to write-in her name. Again, thanks to your tax dollars an official government web site has a direct link to a partisan campaign site.

Isn't technology wonderful? Just think of what this opens up:

• Mayor Plusquellic, County Executive Pry join forces to list Obama links on County, City
• Mayor Robart, Sen. Coughlin agree to list McCain links on City, State sites
• Board of Elections lists ACORN links for ease of voter registration
• Summit GOP agrees to link to Secretary of State Brunner's home page, party photos

OK, that last paragraph is political sarcasm in case you couldn't tell; what isn't a joke is the use of government resources to further partisan election efforts. Kostandaras is a Democrat; Heydorn is a Republican; both should work fast this weekend to remove those links and put the people's websites back in the realm of the people where it belongs and not some political perk add-on that abuses their power of office.

Pigs In Mud

The phrase "play hardball" isn't just about America's unique game; it denotes the winner-take-all mentality and whatever it takes to win mindset we voters love in our sports teams but say we don't want from our elected leaders -- but the results speak differently.

Supporters of Presidential candidates employ a constant mantra of apologies and resignation for ill-tempered, foolish outbursts designed to grab 20 seconds of air time; the candidates themselves play political pinball evading denunciation of the nonsense that erupts from the lips of friends and family, trying not to give aid to their enemies while spanking the exuberance of their allies.

A powerful state's Governor fades into exile after investigators of money-laundering hit the mother lode of sex, money and power -- even to the point of wiretapping the bedroom and phone calls of lovers. We've learned nothing from the kill 'em all impeachment pain of ten years ago. Everyone loses, but the powers-that-be continue to think as long as they lose less they win.

The latest chapter in the Summit County "Elephant Wars" battle between Alex Arshinkoff and Kevin Coughlin has now officially turned into a three-ring circus; a menage a trois of local political heavyweights that now includes Democrat Party boss Wayne Jones, thanks to his behind-the-scenes no-longer "anonymous" sniping at Arshinkoff. Both AkronNewsNow.com and the Akron Beacon Journal have provided quite a chronicle of the spectacle, a not normally seen view of what happens behind closed doors on an unfortunately fairly routine basis.

I was reminded of all this when going over some of our recent coverage, of all things, from Winter Haven and the Indians getting ready for the 2008 campaign. Manager Eric Wedge -- now with two children, a Manager of the Year award tucked in his belt and that oh-so-close season last year says he tells his players the game "Isn't your life; it's not your wife."

This is not to say Wedge doesn't want to win; it's pretty apparent he wants to bring that World Series gold to fans and a community spending far too much time as the butt of jokes from outsiders. It is a reflection of a man who's come to terms with the things that really matter in life and the journey it takes to get there. Former Indians third baseman and now Mahoning Valley Scrappers Manager Travis Fryman tells a similar tale of how the game almost destroyed his marriage, his family, and the life he worked so hard to build. Only when he realized the destructive power of such single-minded pursuit was he able to turn things around and save the people closest to him.

I admire Wedge, Fryman, and the entire Indians organization for their pursuit of a championship while keeping an eye on the core values they believe will get them to the promised land. The mindset clearly filters from the top office to the players, even down to the folks who keep the machinery of baseball's business rolling in the background, away from our view.

What does it say about Summit County's level of discourse when the whispering campaigns of political abuse, campaign shenanigans and even sexual preference (and that brush doesn't just paint one side, I must add) leak out as "evidence" placed in "anonymous" Manila folders hand-delivered by a state employee from a party boss's law office to the state official? When Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, ultimately charged with determining what "competent" means, can hold such "evidence" in higher regard without the due process of holding hearings in the open before tossing aside the wishes of the citizens who elected their duly-appointed representatives?

This entire case speaks of Gulag-type kangaroo courts employed by Soviet-style tyrants; should Ohio's business of managing elections and political parties really come down to which side does a better job of Khmer Rouge-style slash and burn attacks or is our expectation that, once elected, our public officials do the people's business with dignity and responsibility without the stench of the partisanship that got them to the dance? At what point do the bricks really start flying toward the glass houses these holders of our public trust live behind, and do we as an electorate really want to see that kind of game? When it's our game being played don't we hold the way it is conducted as high as the results?

"It's not your life; it's not your wife," says a leader of men we cheer for to bring honor and a championship back to Northeast Ohio in a game designed for boys. There have been enough attempts, especially in the past nine months, to use sleazy, shadowy attacks behind the curtain of "anonymous" as if that somehow make the attackers clean in Summit County's game designed by old men.

It doesn't.

Tuesdays With Alex

Summit County GOP Chairman Alex Arshinkoff did something he usually never does today: a sit-down with reporters, an actual, honest-to-God news conference to talk about the counting from his vantage point of Central Committee members who will decide the direction of the party.

This is the election that keeps on giving; members of the Central Committee will be the ones to elect the local GOP Executive Committee, which in turn elects the Chairman. That's the way it's been for the better part of three decades with Arshinkoff at the helm, either as the saviour of the local Republican effort or the devil taking the local party down (depending on your point of view.)

Just about a third of the more than 450 committee posts were contested in last Tuesday's primary election and Alex says his side picked up 87; he says rival State Senator Kevin Coughlin's troops took 72 with four still ties. No decision on when the Central Committee as a whole meets, says Arshinkoff, until the primary numbers are certified by the Summit County Board of Elections. When I spoke with Coughlin last Wednesday he expected such a meeting could come as early as the end of March but much depends on final counting at the BOE. Nice to see both sides agree on something here.

AkronNewsNow's Tina Kaufmann has posted her story here, complete with audio from Arshinkoff and Coughlin reaction. However, we can note a couple of things to watch for:

• Just how much of a battle can we expect over the four ties?
• Arshinkoff says a handful (seven) committee positions could actually be claimed by both sides as supporters -- folks on the Alex-Kevin fence;
• Just what will the rules be in the actual voting? Coughlin indicated he thinks he will pick up quiet support from members if they cast secret ballots.

All interesting issues to consider ahead of the next round in what we've been calling the "Elephant Wars" in this classic struggle for control of the party that realistically doesn't stand a chance of achieving dominant wins with half the county (Akron) still 9-1 in the blue but the suburbs more to the purple or red.

Summit County is important to state Republicans because it's one of those gateway counties; to the north lies the Democrat Fortress of Solitude in Cleveland, to the south the GOP's promised land of rolling hills, farms, and subdivisions. When Coughlin talks about how Summit GOP candidates should do better he's talking about the suburban races the Republicans actually have a chance of winning; when Arshinkoff talks about staying competitive he's really talking about keeping the Democrats at no more than 60-65% which means a Republican candidate has a chance when the 'burbs and rural areas start to kick in.

At least, that's been the model that worked for the past three decades -- maybe this year will be different with the first election since 1952 to feature a Presidential ticket led by candidates with virtually zero true government executive experience. Even in the Reagan v Mondale, Bush 41 v Dukakis and Clinton 2 v Dole races at least one of the candidates had a clue on what holding the big office really means -- statewide or nationally.

This election, though, is different. No clear decision on who has more real experience, no matter how many times Hillary's red phone rings at three in the morning and McCain draws on his heroic history. I get a sense from listening to supporters (and detractors) that this election has more to do with who the heart says to vote for instead of the brain, and that may be enough to short-circuit the traditional wisdom of how to build a winner in Ohio -- and make no mistake we've earned our role as a microcosm for the rest of the country. It is also why the 35% solution for the GOP in Summit County may be a strategy outdated by the unique nature of candidates we're expecting to choose based on whether they uplift, repulse, or follow despite core value misgivings.

Political Junkie Update

I've posted the Summit County filings from today's deadline for the March 2008 primary on AkronNewsNow but among the things to watch for:

• Sheriff Drew Alexander gets another free pass; so does Council's Cazzell Smith. Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh isn't so lucky;
• as noted elsewhere Russ Pry has primary opposition from Joe Finley, with Jim Laria waiting in November;
• John Widowfield lost his bid for Municipal Court Clerk last fall; now he's looking to boot Louise Heydorn from her County District 3 post;
• the big fight will be among judges again, with the GOP contested nomination for a Common Pleas seat between David Drew and Tom Parker; also Democrat Elinore Marsh Stormer will face Probate veteran Judge Bill Spicer in November;
• still to be tallied: the onrush of candidates for the highly-coveted Republican Central Committee positions (sarcasm here for my friends in northern Summit County...) and the likelihood Senator Kevin Coughlin's New Summit Republicans rounded up enough horses to make it a hot race to unseat longtime GOP Chairman Alex Arshinkoff.

Year End Chores

As part of our end-of-the year stuff in the Esposito home Nature Girl was insisting I get in our semi-annual property tax payment in so it clears before January 1...nice to know tax planning is in her nature.

So off I go to navigate downtown's Ohio Building to personally deliver the check because Nature Girl is not only thorough but also paranoid that we have a stamped copy for the files, and hence started my adventure.

My experience in the Ohio Building has been largely limited to walking in from the parking deck just east of the Building to the fourth floor atrium, then navigating up to County Council chambers. For the most part any other interaction I ever have with the county is handled with a check in the mail, but now I have a newfound appreciation for those who make the trek for business because there sure as hell is little pleasure in it.

From the fourth floor entrance off the deck you need to walk around and find the stairs; it isn't easily marked but thank God Fiscal Officer John Donofrio's staff has plenty of signs posted for idiots such as myself who need to find the third floor. After walking into dead-ends around the lighted atrium with the third floor taunting me from the open space below I finally find the stairs and make my way down...only to find more confusion.

Taxes and property is a big deal with lots of records so I'm forced to navigate to other offices away from the atrium; again, thanks to the proliferation of many signs although the people I literally bumped into were in the same boat. We find the offices, need copies of the bills that won't be mailed until next month, but otherwise the fine folks behind the glass are helpful and courteous.

After all this walking I need to...well, rest. So I notice in this public building on the floor where the people's business is done paying taxes there are doors to the men's room and a women's room at one of the dead-ends in the atrium. Of course, they have security keypads so they aren't open to the public.

Hasn't anyone in government figured out yet if it weren't so hard to find a place to pee in a public building we might not be p-o'd at government as much as we are?

Finally frustrated I opt to hop down a couple flights -- following signs again to tell me where the stairs are because the stairs aren't conveniently located where the giant atrium draws everyone's attention. Finally downstairs I see there is actually a convenient behind-the-glass window on the first floor South Main entrance lobby but it isn't for taking payments to the county -- that might be too easy. Instead it is for the CSEA (Child Support Enforcement Administration) leading me to conclude deadbeat parents needing to drop off a check have an easier time than the people of Summit County who own property and want to pay their taxes on it.

Suggestion to County Executive Russ Pry: the next time Summit County constructs a building for public purposes make every restroom open to the public (after all, they're paying for it) and by all means make the architects have to drop off tax payments in person so they get a full appreciation on how important it is to make doing business with the government as convenient as buying a burger -- not asking for Swenson's curbside service but it's a start.

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Ironman viewing note for tonight: as posted earlier the NewsNight Akron crew already taped our Newsmaker of the Year special but it won't air until a week from today (9:00 p.m. on January 4, 2008) because of scheduling conflicts from the panelists. Tonight Eric Mansfield does his own NNA Year in Review show; pray he doesn't run out of breath. He's also anchoring Channel 3's 6:00, 7:00 and 11:00 newscasts in addition to the Akron-Canton News at 6:30 and 10:00 in addition to the PBS 45/49 9:00 p.m. broadcast.

Using Hillary

The latest broadside fired by the New Summit Republicans against incumbent, long-time party boss Alex Arshinkoff is textbook, and right out of Alex's own playbook to boot: use a polarizing person, issue or thing to provoke action.

This brochure was dropped to select Summit County households just in time for the holidays (you can see the whole trifold with this .pdf file) and since I got mine in my northern Summit County mailbox ahead of the frozen candy boxes, bills, cards bearing holiday wishes and the usual hate mail I have to figure Alex got his in Hudson, too.

It has the usual: he squanders money with party money on his ride (an Escalade); expensive eats (more than $6600 bucks alone in one posh downtown joint); party time at the country club (five grand at the Portage CC! What did that buy, a burger and chips?...) and $600,000 on the party headquarters, including drapes. All this and Summit County doesn't have more Republicans holding office.

But in order to make this stick for people to actually care and 1) run for the GOP Central Committee and, 2) actually vote for someone who runs for the GOP Central Committee it takes a world of hurt to force said people to act.

Image from New Summit Republicans brochure

This ought to do it...

When in doubt and you don't have a cavorting Bill, or the Mayor cussing out parking lot attendants, or Nancy Pelosi arranging taxpayer-financed flowers for her office go with the big guns. Nice touch with the shot on the back of Ronald Reagan pointing with "how can you help" underneath.

Enjoy the holidays. The campaign for control starts in earnest right after we watch Ohio State play another national title game against another speedy SEC team. I'd rather bet on Alex versus Kevin...