K. A. Paul has the pictures on the Glopal Peace Initiative website already.

kapaul.org

... I don't see Nancy Pelosi doing the same thing. What a freakin' idiot.

then why doesn't Jesus himself come down and help them through these troubled times? At the very least, the Blessed Virgin could appear on a wall or tortilla or expressway underpass (wherever she's been fond of appearing) to offer some guidance.

They're all nuts. I hope this story and those almost surreal pictures get plenty of attention just so the public will realize just how removed from reality these people are.

Here's a tip from a liberal who didn't know you could look more stupid than you already do: Don't answer the door unless the guy's wearing a Domino's uniform.

The reason Hastert met with Paul is because the guy is backed by Carl Lindner - the low profile reclusive mentor to Charles Keating.

speaking of good Christians, when was the last time we heard a peep from Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell? This close to a big election, they would normally be in full-on bloviating mode right now. I guess now we know what it takes to shut them up.

Ha! I bet Hastert fell for Paul's evangelical rantings because, hey, the current leadership of the House seems to be in the same mode. Hilarity!

When it rains, it pours, indeed. I just hope this hurricane doesn't take the rest of the country down with it.

I wouldn't give that much thought to Hastert except as the title of the article points out - he's on the short list.

Hastert wasn't duped - he's desparate, reeling, and probably just not very bright. The guy can and has obviously played the politics game well - when he was able to control it. He obviously finds himself in a position that he can't reliably control. Allegations suggested that he tried to, but he seemingly failed to recognize that power and control are eroding and he's caught up in a torrent of explanations that don't seem to pass even moderate scrutiny. He seems to have several competing stories with incompatible timelines.

And by the way, did he actually apologize? Ever? I thought that I heard him say something about full responsibility and the buck stopping somewhere near. Now that seems to mean that he'll accept full responsibility by firing staff, but not actually really accept any personal culpability. Given that he's 3rd in line, we won't have to adapt to any style changes in our leadership.

Oh silly me, Clinton must have made him do it!

I know Aristide is a pretty contentious figure, and that some of the accusations leveled against may actually be true (though I'd say that's less than clear), but I think it's pretty specious to put him in a sentence with Hussein and Taylor. Whatever his flaws, there is no question that's ridiculous company for him. He is after all the most popular Haitian official ever elected, despite all that's happened since 2000.

And if you don't mean to associate him with those guys at all, or perhaps only with regard to how much Dennis Hastert probably dislikes him (in which case you're probably spot on), I would still urge more more caution. The way he was treated in the U.S. media, even in the NY Times, Washington Post, etc. (but not in Salon, for which I'm very grateful) was absolutely shameful. Even unintentionally associating him with monsters like Taylor and Hussein could have an impact among readers not so familliar with recent events in Haiti (which is probably most of us, really) could be damaging, considering the power of the anti-Aristide propoganda in this country.

Maybe Aristide himself doesn't deserve so much caution (though I'm not so sure), but all that demonization allowed the U.S. to justify an incredibly unprincipled Haiti policy for a long time. And Haiti certainly deserves better.

Small typo.

this stuff it always reminds me of the image of Nixon praying on his knees in the White House with Dr. Strangelove Kissinger staring at him with that mananical blank bovine stare. Nixon's prayers were answered, just not in the manner he envisioned. And the world became a better place.

Fast forward to Hastert holding hands with a snake oil salesman praying for clarity and redemption for something he says he didn't do. Let's hope his prayers are answered in like manner.

This is a bit off topic, but the AP reports that K.A. Paul was an advisor to Haiti's Guy Phillippe, the leader of the right-wing opposition to Aristide.

With all the bad news the Republicans have been getting lately --Foley, Irag, North Korea, Abramoff, Delay, Ney, etc.--- you would think they would be worried about losing the November elections. However many of them seem supremely confident in spite of polls that predict the democrats will win the House or the Senate or both. They have not even made plans for the possibility. Some might say lack of planning is one of the characteristics of this group (see Iraq and Afganistan). Possibly. Or maybe they know they will win no matter what the voters do. Was it Stalin who said it doesn't matter who votes but who counts the votes (see elections in 2000 and 2004)? Diebold ueber Alles?