Ethics panel votes to charge Sanford

ov. Mark Sanford agreed Thursday to remove the last hurdle to a long-delayed House of Representatives impeachment investigation of his travel and campaign expenses.

Sanford’s attorneys said they planned to turn over a disputed State Ethics Commission investigative report to the House, likely early next week. House leaders have been waiting to review the report, which has been shielded from the public, before allowing impeachment hearings to begin.

Sanford’s attorneys provided some insight into the months-long ethics investigation Thursday, disclosing the commission has questioned about three-dozen instances of Sanford’s travel and use of campaign funds.

One sponsor of the House impeachment resolution, Rep. Greg Delleney, R-Chester, said the special impeachment panel could meet before Thanksgiving.

NY-23 ABSENTEE COUNTS: Hoffman can’t win

It’s over. Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh, leads by 3,105 votes with 3,072 absentee ballots left to be counted.

...With 58.6 percent of all absentees counted, Mr. Hoffman has gained 71 votes on Mr. Owens so far.

7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.

11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.

12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.

13 Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

15 Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

16 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.

17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

18 As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.

19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul.

Romans 13-1:

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Americans Overwhelmingly Say Obama Bowing To Japanese Emperor Was Appropriate—Even In A Fox Poll

Despite a lot of complaining by conservatives, the American people don’t actually have any problem with President Obama bowing to the Emperor of Japan—and that’s according to the new Fox News poll.

Respondents were asked: “When the president of the United States is traveling overseas, do you think it is appropriate for him to bow to a foreign leader if that is the country’s custom or is it never appropriate for the president to bow to another leader?”

The numbers: Appropriate 67%, Never appropriate 26%. Even a majority of Republican respondents were okay with the bow, by a 53%-40% margin. Democrats weigh in at 84%-9%, and independents 62%-30%.

House panel votes to audit Federal Reserve

WASHINGTON — The House Financial Services Committee has voted to pull the curtain on the normally secretive Federal Reserve by subjecting the nation’s central bank to a sweeping congressional audit.

The provision would direct the Government Accountability Office to examine transactions the Fed has undertaken to spur lending, stabilize banks and revive the economy.

The Fed is an independent agency of the government and has been shielded from scrutiny. The proposed audit would not include a review of the Fed’s monetary policy deliberations.

Antipathy toward the Fed’s closed-door activities has grown after it used its emergency powers during last year’s financial crisis to pump hundreds of billions of dollars into the struggling financial sector

Senate confirms controversial judge

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday confirmed U.S. District Judge David Hamilton for the Chicago-based federal appeals court, approving a nominee targeted by conservatives as a liberal activist.

Hamilton was approved on a 59-39 vote and became the eighth of President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees to win confirmation. He is the third confirmed for a U.S. appeals court, which is usually the last stop for federal court cases.

Republican senators — backed by their conservative allies outside Congress — had blocked a vote for five months until Democrats overcame a filibuster last Tuesday with a 70-29 vote.