GOP Hope: Jacko's Huckster Rabbi?

HOME POLITICS NATIONAL NEWS WORLD ECONOMY SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT Joe Conason Carl Hiaasen Connie Schultz E.J. Dionne Gene Lyons Jonathan Alter April 24, 2012 THE BIG STORY, BY JOE CONASON Will GOP Exploit Secret Service, GSA Scandals? Colombian prostitutes and crazy Vegas partying inspire hot headlines and infuriate the public. When Senators like Joe Lieberman demand that the President be "held accountable," however, surely nothing is there. So why do Republicans believe they can use the scandals against Obama? READ MORE A GRAND OLD PARTY Protesting GOP, Huntsman Torches Career Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, the conservative Republican who once hoped to steer his party toward moderation and rationality, has thrown in the towel, comparing the GOP to China's Communist Party. "This is a guy who's pouring gasoline on his political career and setting it on fire," said Rick Wilson, a veteran Republican strategist. READ MORE TODAY IN STUPID Major University Plans To Kill Computer Science Dept. The University of Florida announced plans this week to eliminate its computer science department, saving $1.7 million while enraging students and faculty. Said a "shocked" Zvi Galil, dean of Georgia Tech's College of Computing, "It is unbelievable that a major AAU university would even contemplate such an action..." But the same university budget added insult to injury with millions in extra funding -- for a certain non-academic program. READ MORE FEATURED COLUMN: CARL HIAASEN Convicting Zimmerman Won't Be Easy It will be astonishing if George Zimmerman is convicted of second-degree murder for shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Not that Zimmerman was right to the pull the trigger, but that particular charge will be extremely difficult to prove. Why Special Prosecutor Angela Corey didn't file for manslaughter instead has lots of smart lawyers scratching their heads. READ MORE FAMILY VALUES New GOP Hope: Michael Jackson's Huckster Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is best known as the Hasidic rabbi who served as Michael Jackson's spiritual adviser. Do Republicans really believe he can capture a New Jersey Congressional seat? READ MORE FEATURED COLUMN: JEFF MADRICK French Voters Counter Austerity With Democracy Can democracy be raising its wonderful, if often lazy, head in Europe? Too often there is skepticism that democracy itself -- the will of the people -- can lead to wise economic decisions and that the American founding fathers were all fearful of the rule of the masses. I have long held the opposite view. READ MORE CARTOON OF THE DAY   (c) 2012 Eastern Harbor Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 28 West 27th Street, Suite 502 New York, NY 10001