You mean, like a casserole recipe? Another chickenhawk willing to expend other people's blood to test a ludicrous political hypothesis.

Scarborough is no better than any of the other conservative ranters, and shame on Salon for seeing his "Is Bush an idiot?" routine for anything other than what it is: pandering to a base of increasingly frustrated conservatives. Not frustrated that Bush is stupid, or criminal, or shameless, or incompetent, mind you--just frustrated that he's become so unpopular.

That's the only real "principle" conservatives have: Rape the environment, steal from the middle class and poor to give to the rich, get on your back and whore your head off for corporations and special interests, use other people's kids as cannon fodder, but for God's sake keep your image and your approval numbers up. Bush hasn't done that, and they've turned on him. And now they're trying to look smart by dissing him. Too late for that, guys. He's your albatross--you fed him, propped him up, and fobbed him off on the country--and you're stuck with him.

He's still a pompous ass.

...Just a reminder.

Joe Scarborough is shifting turning his claws in the direction of the Bush administration, just like the rest of the population. And he's being interviewed in Salon, and competantly expressing himself as a fair and thoughtful conservative. Presumably, we fair and thoughtful Salon readers will start tuning in, too. The whole thing sounds oh so premeditated and effective. Bravo, Mr. Scarborough, bravo. Your cynical acts are being executed with nimble panache. You do your job very well.

If I am wrong, however, and if Mr. Scarborough and other honest conservatives are truly appalled by what is happening, let this be a lesson in the dirty tactics and following reallignments of the democratic process. This is a world that Joe, et. al., have created. The fact that none of these transitioning conservatives bemoan these tactics leads me to think that they're doing the same thing they've always done: attacking the weak and newly exposed underbelly of the Bush administration, because they CAN.

Look, I'm not a fan of Scarborough and I'm still skeptical of his transformation into "enlightened conservative", but the real reason the Lori Klausutis didn't gain more traction in 2001 was because Scarborough was not even in Florida when she died. He was in Washington.

Besides it's not like Republicans don't turn on their own whenever they get a chance. Remember the race-baiting against McCain in South Carolina in 2000? Predictably, the Harris campaign in Florida has tried to drag out the Klausutis story to scare off Scarborough but it seems to have backfired on them: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15034557.htm

Over 22 letters on this topic so far and with the exception of BGRASSO, MAGOO, and a few others, you all are as oblivious as Koppelman, who actually took "Average Joe" seriously.

Now get this through your heads:

Joe Scarborough is an ENTERTAINER. He makes a six-figure salary by yanking you back and forth - one night he's fanning the flames of war, pulling in all the trained seals who bark and clap for Bush. The next night, he makes up a shocking question "Is Bush an Idiot" and all of a sudden, he's got the lefties tuning in to see if Average Joe has finally come to his senses.

Don't you get it, you morons?

He's playing you! Scarborough is a money-making sociopath. He doesn't have any real convictions save one: Make Money For Joe.

The one thing you can always count on is that Joe will go where the wind is blowing.

The American public was soured on Clinton? Average Joe was there to make hay.

The American public is sour on Bush? Average Joe is adjusting his show to get the best Nielsen and Arbitron ratings.

Joe is just like Matthews, like O'Rielly, like Coulter and yeah, you simple-minded suckers, just like Olbermann. They are all just hookers standing outside the corporate-owned media whorehouses trying to get you to come in and get your right-wing or left-wing nuts off. It doesn't matter. A whore will play any role you want - French maid, cheerleader, barely legal, even your mom, as long as you pay for it.

Koppelman sits through this interview with a straight face while Average Joe explains that he doesn't run for Congress again because of his sons. What horse shit. Koppelman should have had the balls to ask, "Well that's great Joe, but doesn't it have something to do with the fact that you're making so much loot now you'd be crazy to leave?"

I've got to hand it to Scarborough, just as I have to hand it to Ann Coulter and to the latest arrival Glen Beck: They all know how to get you into the GE, Viacom and Time Warner whorehouses and show you a good time.

Lori Klausutis

Google it! Mysteriously dead interns are a bitch...

(TBA beat me to it!!!!!)

Maybe this is the real reason why Joe is not running for Senate from Florida.

A more striking example of republicans superior news management is the strange case of the dead intern found in the office of Florida republican congressman Joe Scarborough.

As noted in a "special report" in "http://www.Americanpolitics.com", despite the near orgiastic press frenzy surrounding the disappearance of Democrat Gary Condit gal pal Chandra Levy, barely a feather has been ruffled on behalf of the real corpse found on the (Fort Walton)district office floor of Joe Scarborough on July 20th.

Despite initial reports from the controversial coroner in the case, Dr. Michael Berkland,(Berkland's medical examiner license was revoked in Missouri for reporting false information) that Klausutis suffered seizures as a result of an auto accident years ago, the deceased woman's family denies this according to APJ writers Denis Wright and Chris George.

Discrepancies between initial reports and the autopsy have raised suspicions (e.g. Originally Berkland reported no head trauma. The autopsy revealed a bruise on Klausutis' head), and can best be appreciated by reading the APJ piece in its entirety.

But what truly should hit any conscious media/political observer over the head is the discrepancy between media reaction to the Levy case versus the Scarborough affair.

Imagine that Scarborough, who shocked supporters recently by announcing his retirement from congress, and more shock by divorcing his wife, was a democrat. Is their any doubt that the Republican attack machine would have generated a feeding frenzy.

Any doubt that dreadful teams of blond prosecutors, Olson, Alkasne and the hideous Mary Grace of Court TV, would be summoning Scarborough to explain the pretty young corpse on the floor?

Rest assured. The Republican attack machine would be up, running and Joe Scarborough would by now be a household name.

http://www.counterpunch.org/florida2.html