* It appears that Sen. George Voinovich continues to support President Bush's war without end policy in Iraq. Voinovich plans to vote against anything that promotes a timeline for withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Citizens should continue to put pressure on Voinovich to change his mind: (202) 224-3353 or http://voinovich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm
* The Toledo Blade has an interesting editorial that points fingers at Taft and Voinovich for the problems at the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation.
***The Brad Blog has a fantastic piece on Ohio GOP chair and Cuyahoga County Board of Elections member, Robert Bennett. Here are some excerpts:
One more of the Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), Ohio, Board of Elections directors, Republican Sally Florkiewicz, has stepped down this afternoon. Her resignation leaves just one member, the board's chairman, Bob Bennett, left to fight the demand by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner that all board members resign in the wake of a years-long string of elections disasters, two criminal convictions related to the recount of the 2004 Presidential Election, and a new criminal investigation which was launched last week into newly-revealed administrative election improprieties and irregularities in the county.
The resignation of Florkiewicz from the board of Ohio's most Democratic county leaves only Bennett --- who is the chair of both the Election Board and the state's Republican party --- to fight the order by Brunner. A hearing will be held next Monday concerning the complaint filed along with the SoS's resignation demands, after which Brunner is free to fire Bennett directly, according to state law. As ever, the members of Ohio's supposedly "bi-partisan" boards of election have always served at the pleasure of the SoS, who, for years, was the highly partisan right-winger and co-chair of Ohio's Bush/Cheney 2004 committee, J. Kenneth Blackwell.
Brunner replaced Blackwell last November after the former SoS was thoroughly rejected by Ohio voters in his bid for Governor.
"Regrettably, the lone board member who has refused to resign will face removal," Brunner said in a statement posted to the SoS website late this afternoon..........Brunner's statement today also calls for applicants to the newly vacated board. She notes that "applicants must be a qualified elector (voter) of Cuyahoga County."
Given that Bennett, as chair of the board, was nonetheless a resident of Columbus --- at least an hour's drive from Cuyahoga's Cleveland --- one wonders just why he would have been appointed to such a post, heading the state's most Democratic area, in the first place. We suppose only Blackwell and the state's Republican party would be able to answer that one. We'll leave you instead to speculate to your heart's content.....
In case you are interested, Bennett's drive to Cuyahoga County's Board of Elections from Columbus would take him just a little over 2 hours to drive. It is obvious to me that Bennett was "placed" at the BOE to "handle" the vote count. He must have done a good job because the Republican candidate for President won and the GOP and Bennett celebrated. Now Bennett refuses to give up his position. Here are some ideas for Brunner: 1. Empty Bennett's desk at the BOE and put his belongings in boxes. 2. Change the lock to his office.
Bennett needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Either Bennett can leave with dignity and resign on his own, or he can be thrown out with the trash.