| Scrushy appeals to judges for release
Don Siegelman were convicted in June 2006. At the end of their sentencing hearing in June 2007, Fuller ordered Siegelman and Scrushy taken into custody and not allowed to remain free while they appealed. Scrushy's attorney, Art Leach, said he believes his client has shown that he is not a flight risk. "The undisputed facts of Mr. Scrushy's extensive family ties in Alabama, record of never missing a court appearance and voluntary offer to place his homes under bond all demonstrate that Mr. Scrushy is not a flight risk," Leach said. Prosecutor Steve Feaga said Monday his office had not received a copy of the affidavit. Asked about Scrushy's offer to put his homes up as bond, Feaga replied, "It sounds like Mr. Scrushy has not come to grips with the fact there are some things in America money can't buy." Scrushy is currently serving an almost seven-year sentence at the federal prison in Beaumont, Texas.
An Endorsement That Gives A Real Edge
And while Kennedy's endorsement alone surely isn't enough to swing a whole state like New Jersey or California, it might be enough to shift enough votes to change delegate counts - which is what really matters at this point.
Remember, Democratic primaries aren't winner-take-all. Even if Clinton wins more votes in the biggest coastal states, a strong second-place showing by Barack Obama in those places - combined with winnings in Illinois and other interior states - could give him the majority of the day's delegates. (Or at least keep the count pretty close.)
Of course, all of that is just guesswork, based on polling numbers that may not be accurate and assumptions about voter attitudes that may not be correct.
But while I can't say with confidence whether people will pay attention to Kennedy's endorsement, I feel certain that they should pay attention - because Kennedy's embrace speaks directly to the misgivings (expressed, on more than one occasion, by me) that Obama was insufficiently committed to a progressive policy agenda and that he lacked the savvy to enact an ambitious, necessarily controversial agenda.
The Richardson File: The Santa Fe New Mexican follows the governor's ...
Gov. Bill Richardson’s use of an electric utility lobbyist as an on-loan staffer violated no state laws, Attorney General Gary King said Tuesday. A lobbyist for Public Service Company of New Mexico, Art Hull, worked for the governor from last November until April as part of a loaned executive program, which provides private sector officials with experience in the workings of state government. Hull remained on PNM’s payroll while he worked in the governor’s office and didn’t receive a state salary. He served mainly as a liaison between the governor’s office and Republican legislators. King’s office reviewed whether the arrangement violated state ethics law or the constitution’s anti-donation clause, which prohibits New Mexico from making donations to private individuals or entities.
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