Apparently Republicans believe they constitute all whites:

Congressman John Lewis, Former Mayor and Wal-Mart star Andy Young, and current Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin have up a very vile ad attacking white people, which you can listen to here.

As a listen to the ad demonstrates, it is an ad criticizing Republicans, not white people. What does Michael Steele think of this Red State idea that Republican = white?

BTW, the idea of the author of the vile Georgia Voter ID law lecturing JOHN LEWIS on racism is rather sick.

As you travel to your polling place tomorrow, don't take a short-cut through the woods: Dick Cheney is going hunting.

It will be Cheney's first hunting trip since February, when he accidentally shot a hunting companion while attempting to fire at a covey of quail on a private ranch in Texas.

Raw Story has Denver trainer and "masseuse" Mike Jones' profile as he posted in on AOL's Hometown. You can view the pix here.

This one's the cutest:

Reverand Haggard, I submit, should not have resigned, as reported by Jeralyn here. He should have fought for his position.

He admitted to a "'lifelong' sexual problem"; meaning, ... I guess, he has always been gay but married because Jesus required it of him?

A letter written by Ted Haggard was read to the congregation of New Life Church this morning:

Evangelical pastor Ted Haggard confessed on Sunday to a "lifelong" sexual problem, and said he was "a deceiver and a liar," in a letter read to his New Life Church. "There is part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it all my life," he said in the letter.

A letter from his wife was also read:

Gayle Haggard said while her heart is broken, she remains "committed to him until death do us part."

So much for the "just a massage" story. One of the members of the Ted Haggard investigation committee said in an interview Saturday night:

...a member of the four-member oversight board said in an interview Saturday night that Haggard admitted Thursday to sexual misconduct.

The board member, the Rev. Michael Ware of Victory Church in Westminster, said the board first met with Haggard and his wife Thursday and Haggard immediately confessed to sexually immoral conduct.

Ware would not describe what Haggard admitted to but made clear the probe was limited to allegations by Michael Forest Jones, an admitted gay prostitute from Denver. Ware said more details would be shared with the congregation today.

I wonder if Haggard stuck to his story that he threw away the meth he bought unused. On the one hand, it would debunk the overused "gateway" theory of drug use. On the other, he's asking us to believe the equivalent of "No, I've never even smoked a joint, but i was thinking of shooting up heroin -- could you tie me off?"

The church investigation has concluded. Pastor Ted Haggard has been fired for "sexually immoral conduct."

The board that made the decision, called the "Overseer Board of New Life Church," said in a prepared statement Saturday afternoon: "Our investigation and Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has committed sexually immoral conduct."

A letter of explanation and apology by Haggard as well as a word of encouragement from his wife will be read during services at New Life Church Sunday morning, the statement said.

Here's the full text (pdf) of the announcement:

Here comes the dump on Pastor Ted Haggard:

Pat Robertson:

"We're sad to see any evangelical leader fall," the Rev. Pat Robertson said on his television show, "The 700 Club." But, he added, it "just isn't true" that the NAE represents 30 million churchgoers, as the association claims.

"We can't get their financial data. I think it's because they have very little money and very little influence," Robertson said.

Jerry Falwell:

The Rev. Jerry Falwell, speaking Thursday night on CNN, said Haggard "doesn't really lead the movement. He's president of an association that's very loose-knit . . . and no one has looked to them for leadership."

Jealousy and running for cover. I suspect Falwell and Robertson never liked Haggard to begin with. He was far too moderate for their brand of evangelicalism. He was the up and comer and they are the old guard whose dynasties are fading.

James Dobson's Focus on the Family released this statement today about Ted Haggard:

"All of us at Focus on the Family are heartsick over the allegation, not yet confirmed, that Ted has had a private life with a homosexual for several years. We will await the outcome of this story, but the possibility that an illicit relationship has occurred is alarming to us and to millions of others.

"Ted has been my close friend and colleague for many years. He has been used mightily to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Colorado Springs and around the world. He will continue to be my friend, even if the worst allegations prove accurate. Nevertheless, sexual sin, whether homosexual or heterosexual, has serious consequences, and we are extremely concerned for Ted, his family and his church.

"We ask that the Focus on the Family constituency and Christians everywhere pray for Ted and his loved ones. Our hearts go out to all of them. Perhaps the allegations are false and the circumstances are not as we have heard. Either way, the situation has grave implications for the Cause of Christ, and we ask for the Lord’s guidance and blessings in the days ahead."

Yes, school bus drivers shouldn't flip the bird while they're on duty. And perhaps, as the Issaquah (WA) School District claims, a bus driver who gave President Bush the finger has engaged in a similar "pattern of behavior," although it would be nice to know whether she's ever been disciplined for prior alleged incidents of a similar nature. In any event, it's fair to wonder whether the school district fired the bus driver only because the president happened to see her making the gesture.

Congressman Dave Reichert called the district's superintendent to report that the president, who rarely takes note of the world around him, happened to notice the upraised finger. Shortly after that, the driver was fired -- a seemingly harsh response to a rather minor incident. Again, it would be useful to know whether lesser discipline has been imposed upon the driver for other work rule violations, and whether a policy of progressive discipline (starting with, for instance, a warning or a brief suspension) has been used with other employees who commit similar violations.

The driver has filed a union grievance. Perhaps the full factual record will become public as the grievance moves forward. At this point, losing a job over a disrespectful gesture seems extreme, particularly when it's the president who deserves to be fired. The district claims the decision isn't political, but would the termination have occurred if the complaint hadn't come from a congressman?

Regardless of Mike Jones' credibility (discussed here), Ted Haggard made some self-incriminating statements this morning.

This morning, Haggard said he had never had sex with Jones but said he did buy methamphetamine out of curiosity.

Curiosity? Haggard claims he threw the drugs away. He was curious about what meth looked like? That's a hard one to swallow. (Jones, you'll recall, claims that Haggard used the meth to enhance his sexual experiences with Jones.)

Haggard says he was massaged by Jones but denies having sex with him. Make of that what you will. (More about Haggard in this 2005 profile at Harper's.)

Could Mike Jones be lying about some or all of his accusations against Pastor Ted Haggard?

Mike Jones took a polygraph examination, and was asked about his claim of a sexual relationship with Haggard. The polygraph examination showed "some deception." However, the person who administered the test said on Denver radio station KHOW that the results could be skewed by Jones's "mental and physical exhaustion."

I am not a supporter of the accuracy of polygraphs. They are junk science in my opinion. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if Jones fabricated or embellished some of his story.

The meth allegations make more sense to me than the sex allegations, but we'll see what develops.