... so Floridians can drive a stake into your political heart ... "Gov. Crist: Jeb Bush would be 'great' for Senate. RPOFer drooling and thigh rubbing is at a fever pitch: "Bush's interest in Senate seat excites strategists".
Mikey's man crush
The Maitland Housewife has a serious man crush, bordering on a masturbatory fetish: "I last saw Bush last summer at an education conference at Disney."
He was engaged, immersed in policy and, of course, the smartest guy in the room. Then he packed up his cerebral cortex and went home.
And I thought, "What a waste."
Reading that column, we poor bloggers at FLA Politics similarly "thought, what a waste" of ink ... err, pixels, that column was.
The "Jeb!"-worship gets even worse:That brain should belong to all of us. Even if you don't agree with Bush, and I often don't [when?], what he has to say is well-thought-out, well-intentioned and deserves a place at the table [at the country club]. If a little arrogance comes with the package -- OK, sometimes a lot of arrogance -- that's an acceptable trade-off [at least for Mikey].
So I very much hope Bush runs for the Senate. If the troops can serve four tours in Iraq, he should give us at least two in Washington.
To the extent you can stomach it, you can read it all here:"Mike Thomas: Sen. Bush? King Jeb's cerebral cortex might explode".
It is true, she's "a little slug"
Update: "Fla. rep. 'flabbergasted' Obama call wasn't prank".
"When President-elect Barack Obama called Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen at her South Florida district office Wednesday, she hung up on him."
'I thought: `Why would Obama want to call a little slug on the planet like me?' '' Ros-Lehtinen said.
A short time later, Rahm Emanuel, Obama's designated chief of staff, called. Ros-Lehtinen hung up on him, too.
"Obama calls; Ros-Lehtinen hangs up on him". See also "Fla. congresswoman accidentally hangs up on Obama" and "Oops! South Florida lawmaker, suspecting a prank, hangs up on Obama".
Fealty to Bushco ... does it ever end?
"Jeb Bush bid for Senate could clear GOP field". See also "Who will replace Sen. Martinez?" and "Why Jeb Bush Might Run for the Senate".
"Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink said she might run for U.S. Senate seat, even if former Gov. Jeb Bush runs." "Alex Sink may face Jeb Bush in Senate race". See also "Bush v. Sink for U.S. Senate?".
"It looks bad -- worse than bad"
"House Speaker Ray Sansom did not know he would be offered a high-paying job at Northwest Florida State College when he steered millions of taxpayer dollars to his alma mater, the school's president said Wednesday." "Controversy surrounds Rep. Sansom".
"If Sansom won't resign either the new job or the speakership, House members should launch an inquiry into whether he was promised the vice presidential post in exchange for wrangling largesse for the college. That action would be a clear violation of House rules -- and possibly state ethics laws." "House speaker's pork menu smells" ("It looks bad -- worse than bad.")
The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Speaker Sansom Feathers Nest At Hometown College". More: "Top Democrat calls for state House speaker to quit post or college job".
State Senate
"Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, on Wednesday announced his chamber's committee structure and named members to lead them." "Florida Senate president names vice chairs".
Bill Cotterell: "It's an affliction we see often in powerful people. There's something in the rarefied air of the board room, or the blandishments that come with controlling money, that can turn the heads of the most well-grounded executives." "Ethics look different seen from on high".
Ros-Lehtinen blew her chance
"Fidel Castro said Thursday that President-elect Barack Obama is a man Cuba can talk with and indicated that communist officials would be willing to meet with him wherever he wants." "Fidel Castro says Cuba can talk with Obama".
At least we don't have an intangibles tax
"A high incidence of infectious disease and a high number of uninsured residents were behind Florida's slip down the list in the state-by-state analysis of the nation's health."
"Florida received its health report card from America's Health Rankings, and the news is not good."
The Sunshine State came in at No. 45 in the annual survey released Wednesday.
That is a drop of four spots from its ranking in 2007.
Only five states ranked below Florida.
And what states might they be? Why, the solidly red states ofTexas, Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana were ranked below Florida.
"Florida drops four spots to No. 45 in America's Health Rankings survey".
And the healthiest state? The Peoples' Republic of Vermont.
FCAT Follies
The Palm Beach Post editorial Board: "The Florida Department of Education says it will save $1.2 million by dropping the summer FCAT retake for high school seniors. Florida would save millions more - and save students, teachers and parents lots of time and frustration - by dropping FCAT's importance." "FCAT retake? Try remake".
Hint: it sucks
"Panel to assess Florida's economy".
He's been "competence-free" as well
"Martinez, a Republican, has chosen another way. We take him at his word that he wants to spend more time with family rather than stay in office. That line is usually heard from someone snagged in a scandal, but Mr. Martinez has been scandal-free." "Florida Republican leaving the Senate".
That is ... if you don't count the scandals ("'I just took it for granted that we wouldn't be that stupid'"), not to mention the complete absence of competence. See also "House Of Cards" ("What exactly did Mel Martinez accomplish at HUD ... ?") See also "Bush's Mr. Cellophane".
For more on why Mel is so freakin' amazing see "Scott Maxwell: Martinez couldn't say no to Bush and paid price"
Can't prove it
"The Florida Elections Commission has dismissed charges against Rep. Paige Kreegel after investigators said it is not possible to prove that the Punta Gorda Republican improperly ordered a legislative aide to smear a political opponent." "Rep. Paige Kreegel cleared of charges".
We don't care, Mel ... just go away
Someone apparently has the idea that Mel - - is some sort of transformative political figure that people are interested in reading about. Now that's a laffer.
"While the book doesn't detail his political and policy views, he said in an interview weeks before his announcement that he hopes people who read it will have better understanding of the decisions he made in public life." "Martinez book sheds light on why he won't run".
Whatever
"Crist says he has 'no jitters' about his wedding".
Spy!
"Miamian, embargo foe, sues author for 'spy' claims".
No pain
"It seemed like a good idea for controlling urban sprawl: Require ample road capacity be in place before a new neighborhood or commercial development could be built." "Planning law hasn't prevented Fla. growing pains".
Enough with the silly "Excellence Commission"
"People who want to open a charter school can no longer maneuver around school districts considered unfriendly to the competition for approval to open. A state appellate court ruled Tuesday that Florida Schools of Excellence Commission, an agency created by the state to charter new schools, is 'facially unconstitutional.'"Ruling returns to school districts the power to charter new schools".
Credit where credit due
"Crist this week rejected six nominees submitted to him for an open seat on the 5th District Court of Appeal, saying the list wasn't sufficiently diverse because it contained no black nominees." "Crist, lawyers argue over diversity of 6 judicial nominees.
"Feeney's not talking"
"After losing his bid for re-election, U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney will walk away from Capitol Hill with nearly $240,000 remaining in his campaign fund, according to new election records."
Feeney can't spend the money on personal expenses, but he is allowed to use the cash to pay his lawyers, as he continues to defend himself in a U.S. Department of Justice investigation stemming from his Scotland golf trip with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Feeney's not talking.
"U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney has $240,000 left in campaign account".
... And Batista wasn't a dictator who tortured his own people ...
" Martinez:... He Would Have Won; ...".
Who writes this garbage?
"Government Keeps Hiring".
You just know ...
... there's a private contractor in the mix somewhere: "A state agency says it accidentally put the Social Security numbers of about 250,000 job seekers on the Internet for 19 days." "Fla. agency puts social security numbers on net". See also "Data left exposed for 19 days in Florida's job-service system".
'Ya think?
"About time gay adoption ban gets thrown out".
Regular racism OK, though?
The Palm Beach Post editorial Board: "GOP boots a supremacist".
Apparently regular racism is OK, though. See "After All, He Is Black".
Pasco
The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Rural Areas Vulnerable As Local Officials Drag Feet".
Your milk money, or ...
"Broward first-grader robs classmate at knife-point".
Gambling
"State, Seminoles Slow To Begin Talks On Gambling Compact".
Lazy bastards ...
... probably think they're entitled to unemployment comp: "Employers Shedding Jobs As Recession Deepens".
Like they're doin' us a favor?
"Crist and other officials Thursday dutifully thanked Brazilian jet manufacturer Embraer for locating its $50 million aircraft-assembly facility at the Melbourne International Airport." "Crist thanks Embraer for Melbourne move".
"Some"?
"During the presidential race, Storck drew criticism for forwarding an e-mail to a list of political contacts that contained what some [sic] considered racist language ("After All, He Is Black") in describing black voters for Barack Obama. Adams said that had nothing to do with his decision to run." "Hillsborough GOP Members Elect Officers".
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