Was Rendell’s Haitian Rescue A Glory-Grab, After All?

PaWaterCooler.Com is reporting that Gov. Rendell flew to Haiti to deliver medical supplies and rescue 54 orphans after a woman who is a former U.S. attorney for Western Pennsylvania did  the work in organizing the effort.

Mary Beth Buchanan spent four days, according to PaWaterCooler, obtaining clearance for the children to enter the United States, medical supplies,  physicians to escort the children and  an airplane cleared to land in Haiti.

The only thing she failed to get was the airplane, in lieu of which came an interrogation from a senior consultant for UPMC — a major health facility headquartered in Pittsburgh — regarding the details  of her mission. The supplies Ms. Buchanan had gathered were the ones carried to Haiti by Rendell.

Ms. Buchanan is openly mulling a challenge to incumbent Congressman Jason Altmire (D-Pa4). Altmire is an ally of Rendell and has close connections with UPMC where he was a former acting vice president.

God Bless Rendell (for a change)

Ed Rendell has not been the most competent governor to lead our state but God bless him for the effort he put out to rescue those 54 orphans from Haiti and for persevering through the garbage thrown at him to get the job done.

Here’s a story about what the mission had to go through before a successful end.

59 Percent Of Pennsylvanias Down On Rendell

The recent Rasmussen Poll shows that 59 percent of Pennsylvanian disapproved — and 38 percent strongly at that — of the performance of Gov. Fast Eddie “X-Man” Rendell. I haven’t seen this reported too much in the dinosaurs.

Anyway, thank you again Republicans for Rendell. Gotta always admire the steel trap thinking of the “fiscal conservative, social liberal.” You guys and gals would give Jethro Bodine a run for his money in a battle of wits.

Rasmussen also has Republican Pat Toomey beating either Democrats Arlen Specter (46 to 42 percent) or Joe “DamnĀ  the Pennsylvanians Full Speed Ahead” Sestak (44 to 38 percent).

Note that 35 percent of Pennsylvanians have a very unfavorable opinion of Specter.

Regarding President Obama, 50 percent approve of him and 48 percent don’t.

Governor X

Kristin Davis, the madam who supplied former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer with hookers, has been saying that another prominent governor has used her service. Governor X

She referred to him as Governor X.

She was asked on the July 24th Opie and Anthony radio show who that might be. She apparently wrote a name on a piece of paper and passed it to her hosts, who then spent the next 10 minutes dropping hints.

Those hints included:

“What, did he pay her in coal and steel?”

“I guess he had a little filly on the side.”

“Did he used to be an Eagles scout?”

Can this explain why a certain someone is standing in the way of passing the state budget?

Governor X

Will Ed Still Write To Vince?

Gov. Ed Rendell was among those sending a letter to U.S. District Judge Ronald L. BuckwalterĀ  praising convict Vince Fumo and urging an easy sentence. Will Ed Still Write To Vince?

Who says there is no honor among thieves?

It didn’t do that much good. Buckwalter gave Fumo –who was ranking the Democrat on the state Senate Appropriations Committee until his indictment in February 2007– 55 months today for his conviction on 137 federal corruption charges.

Hey, it’s still half-a-year less than what his predecessor as the people’s representative fromĀ  South Philadelphia’s 1st Senatorial District — Buddy Cianfrani — got in 1978. Take heart, Vince. Buddy was out in 27 months.

Also sending a letter of support for Fumo was former State Supreme Court Judge Sandra Schultz Newman, a Republican.

For an interesting explanation of Pennsylvania politics read the book by former Delaware Countian and judicial reformer (and martyr) Bob Surrick: “Lawyers, Judges and Journalists: The Corrupt and the Corrupters”. Free chapters can be found here: surrickbook.com/free.htm.

Mrs. Newman’s son Jonathan chaired the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board for 4.5 years until January 2007. He actually did a pretty good job.

Ā Will Ed Still Write To Vince?