Obama supporter "Ellie Light" has been a very busy woman... astroturfing newspapers around the country with her pro-Obama letters. David Axelrod must be proud.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer...

In recent weeks, Light has published virtually identical “Letters to the Editor” in support of President Barack Obama in more than a dozen newspapers.Every letter claimed a different residence for Light that happened to be in the newspaper’s circulation area.

“It’s time for Americans to realize that governing is hard work, and that a president can’t just wave a magic wand and fix everything,” said a letter from alleged Philadelphian Ellie Light, that was published in the Jan. 19 edition of The Philadelphia Daily News.

A letter from Light in the Jan. 20 edition of the San Francisco Examiner concluded with an identical sentence, but with an address for Light all the way across the country in Daly City, California.

Variations of Light’s letter ran in Ohio's Mansfield News Journal on Jan. 13, with Light claiming an address in Mansfield; in New Mexico's Ruidoso News on Jan. 12, claiming an address in Three Rivers; in South Carolina's The Sun News  on Jan. 18, claiming an address in Myrtle Beach; and in the Daily News Leader of Staunton, Virginia on Jan. 15, claiming an address in Waynesboro. Her publications list includes other papers in Ohio, West Virginia, Maine, Michigan, Iowa, Pennsylvania and California, all claiming separate addresses.

Light – who e-mailed an identical missive to this reporter on Jan. 16 without listing a hometown – would not answer e-mailed questions about the address discrepancies in newspapers that ran her letter, or her identity, although she did say she wasn’t a former co-worker of this reporter’s who had a similar name.

"I do not write as a representative of any organization," she said in an e-mail. "The letter I wrote was motivated by surprise and wonderment at the absence of any media support for our President, who won a record-breaking election by a landslide less than 18 months ago, and now, seems to be abandoned by all, supposedly for the infantile reason that he couldn’t make all of Bush’s errors disappear in one day."

Media support? The job of the news media is to hold public officials accountable for their actions. They are supposed to be watch-dogs, not cheerleaders for one side or the other.

Conan O'Brien's last show as host of the Tonight Show will be aired tonight. Could Conan land on the Fox network this year?

NEW YORK - Shortly before agreeing to the terms of his unpleasant exit from NBC , Conan O'Brien joked on " The Tonight Show " that his plans for next week include making a big move to Fox.

 

" Megan Fox ," he said to the laughter of fans who have made him a folk hero for losing his dream job.

A day after sealing his deal with NBC that gives O'Brien $45 million and allows Jay Leno to return to "The Tonight Show" throne, O'Brien airs his final show, with Will Ferrell , Tom Hanks, Neil Young and promised surprises.

Fox — the network — represents the most attractive landing for O'Brien if he wants to continue hosting a daily television talk show. CBS is comfortable with its late-night lineup of David Letterman and Craig Ferguson , ABC has expressed no interest in O'Brien, so Fox is the only one of the four big broadcast networks with room for the late late-night host. Fox has long sought its own late-night franchise.

Fox does seem to be the logical choice for Conan O'Brien for two reasons: they don't have a late night show and Fox attracts a younger audience than NBC or CBS.

CNS News catches The Washington Post cherry picking the results of its own poll. Hey, I thought only the Bush administration engaged in that type of behavior.

(CNSNews.com) - A large majority of Americans say they want a smaller government that provides them with fewer services, according to a new poll from the Washington Post and ABC News. But the Washington Post story about the poll makes no mention of this fact.
 
The poll asked: “Generally speaking, would you say you favor smaller government with fewer services, or larger government with more services?”
 
Fifty-eight percent said they favor a smaller government with fewer services, and only 38 percent said they favor a larger government with more services.
 
The Post did not mention the results from this poll question in its news story about the poll.

 

If the Democrats have lost Jack Cafferty, they are in big, big trouble.

Cafferty may have lost hope in change, but I doubt he wants a refund.

The Associated Press wants you to know that Republicans are hypocrites because they voted to expand Medicare back in 2003, at a cost of $500 billion over 10 years, but they voted against Obamacare in 2009.

Democrats are troubled by the inconsistency of Republican lawmakers who approved a major Medicare expansion six years ago that has added tens of billions of dollars to federal deficits, but oppose current health overhaul plans.

All current GOP senators, including the 24 who voted for the 2003 Medicare expansion, oppose the health care bill that's backed by President Barack Obama and most congressional Democrats.

As a conservative, I'd like to believe that Republicans learned important lessons from their electoral defeats in 2006 and 2008, but I know this to be untrue. How do I know? Because Sen. Orrin Hatch told me so...

Six years ago, "it was standard practice not to pay for things," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. "We were concerned about it, because it certainly added to the deficit, no question." His 2003 vote has been vindicated, Hatch said, because the prescription drug benefit "has done a lot of good."

So because the Medicare entitlement "has done a lot of good," it's acceptable to expand the federal budget and increase the debt. Isn't that precisely what the Democrats are claiming -- that Obamacare will do a lot of good despite its crushing regulations and budget busting cost?

It's hypocrisy like this that has damaged the Republican brand to the point where the Tea Party is more popular than the Republican Party. It should also serve as a case study for Republicans the next time they decide to out-Democrat the Democrats.

From a jubilant and merry Associated Press...

Senate OK's health care bill in victory for Obama

WASHINGTON – In an epic struggle settled at dawn, the Democratic-controlled Senate passed health care legislation Thursday, a triumph for President Barack Obama that clears the way for compromise talks with the House on a bill to reduce the ranks of the uninsured and rein in the insurance industry.

The vote was 60-39, strictly along party lines, one day after Democrats succeeded in crushing a filibuster by Republicans eager — yet unable — to inflict a year-end political defeat on the White House.

At the White House, Obama called the vote historic, and said because of it, "we are incredibly close to making health insurance reform a reality in this country. Our challenge now is to finish the job."

Victory. Triumph. Those are words generally reserved for monumental achievements such as winning a war or landing on the moon. In this case, I believe the editors forgot to insert the word "pyrrhic" before "victory"...

1. Barack Obama's poll numbers have declined rapidly since the early summer
2. The "historic" health "insurance" reform has not been signed into law. As of today, Democrats are not sure they can reconcile the House and Senate bills any time soon
3. Moderate Democrats are opting to retire of join the GOP rather than stay and fight along side Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid
4. Respected Democrats like William Daley are warning the president and the Democrat leadership that they're headed for a huge defeat in 2010 and beyond 

Victory and triumph all around. Pass the egg nog.

P.S. Have you noticed that Democrats (and by extension the AP) have begun to refer to this bill as "health insurance reform?" Hmm... when did that happen? Oh, I know... when they couldn't muster the votes for a single payer system or a so-called "public option" or expansion of Medicare, etc.

Chris Matthews engages in the worst kind of political rhetoric. President Obama is commander-in-chief of the U.S. Armed Forces and the cadets at West Point are defenders of freedom. We're all on the same team Chris, despite our political differences.