Matt Ortega

The following events take place between 8:24:01am and 8:24:59am.

In his final push before the end of the fundraising quarter, former Governor Mike Huckabee sent out an e-mail entitled “24″ in a shameless attempt to tap into the conservative popularity of FOX’s 24. The former governor even took the time to explain it to those fortunate enough never to have seen the show.

The hit show “24″ is about the action taking place in a 24 hour time frame. At the campaign, we’re in our own version of “24″ as we seek to show support in the first quarter reports of the reporting period in the Presidential race.

Huckabee informs supporters of the hard-knock life on the campaign trail for the Huckabee ‘08 staff to “put the focus on good stewardship of contributions.” Translation: People are not donating that much and we need your money!

From this moment until the end of Saturday, everyone on our team is focused on trying to help us reach a target goal in critical startup funds for the campaign. For starting less than 2 months ago with a zero balance (we could not transfer PAC funds for example), no staff, no headquarters, no printed materials, etc., to a vibrant and alive operation has been nothing short of amazing. People on our team are each having to do the work of 2 people so we get maximum output from minimum numbers of staffers. We have several people who have come to work without pay–we are providing “frat house” type living arrangements and assisting with food (paper bag lunches to be exact).

Our travel is done on the “spartan” style of using websites to get lowest cost coach seats on commercial flights, taking overnight red-eye flights to get cheap seats and travel and sleep at the same time so not to lose money or time, and staying in the lowest cost places (some are TOO LOW!) just to put the focus on good stewardship of contributions.

Oh the humanity! Also, did you catch that swipe at frat houses around the country? Apparently Huckabee is not gunning for the youth vote since Mitt Romney seems to have cornered that market.

I’ve had many moments the past 2 months when I wondered if it was worth it—once while eating for the first time in 6 days on a real plate with real tableware and not airport food on paper plates with plastic utensils I asked myself “why?”

The chicks, right? Chicks dig the power.

Then I thought about how much this country has done for me and how important it is that we do for it.

Or that.

Jack Bauer is not available to help us, but I’d rather have YOUR help than a fictional TV hero anyday!

At this point, it is quite surprising that the GOP candidates have not sought the 24-endorsement — yet. Can you imagine that commercial? “24 loves us, Jack Bauer approved!”

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Introducing the Rudy Giuliani Doll at the Cartoon Emporium.

Dress him up in the “Never Forget” 9/11 t-shirt, business suit, Hawaiian shirt and shorts, or a ball gown from his collection of cross-dressing appearances.

[Updated]

Reuters reports of an incident where an FBI agent was instructed to “keep quiet” on the firing of one U.S. attorney after speaking to the media. FBI Director Robert Mueller defended it by saying that I do not believe it’s appropriate for our special agents in charge to comment to the media on personnel decisions that are made by the Department of Justice.”

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California), however, did not see eye-to-eye with Mueller:

“I profoundly disagree,” replied Sen. Dianne Feinstein (news, bio, voting record), a California Democrat, who told the panel of the warning to the agent. “He (the agent) was simply saying that it would affect cases that were ongoing. And I think he’s entitled to his opinion.”

Also, Director Mueller testified, in response to questioning from Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York), that he was not aware of any voter-fraud cases that should have resulted in indictments, a key claim that Republicans cling to for numerous dismissals, including U.S. attorneys John McKay, Western District of Washington, and David Iglesias, New Mexico.

Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record), a New York Democrat, noted that among the shifting reasons given for firing prosecutors was failure to energetically pursue voter-fraud investigations.

Schumer asked Mueller if he was aware of any FBI voter-fraud probe that should have resulted in an indictment but did not.

“Not to my knowledge,” the FBI director replied.

Both federal prosecutors were involved in politically charged cases: McKay angered Republicans in his state when he declined to file any charges of voter fraud following the close 2004 gubernatorial race. The Democratic candidate won the race by a slim margin of 129 votes. Iglesias refused to speed up indictments of high-level Democrats in his state prior to the 2006 midterm elections.

Updated 03/28/07 at 1:49pm: Josh Marshall rounded it up quite nicely:

Back in January, Dan Dzwilewski, the FBI’s special agent in charge of the San Diego field office, told the San Diego Union-Tribune that Carol Lam’s dismissal would jeopardize on-going corruption investigations and that “I guarantee politics is involved.”

After his quotes were published, the folks back in DC told him to keep quiet.

On Monday, former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack (D) endorsed the candidacy of Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York). The Associated Press reported late Tuesday that the junior senator from New York will help cover the debt owed by the Vilsack for President campaign.

Democratic presidential contender Hillary Rodham Clinton has agreed to help one-time candidate Tom Vilsack, who endorsed her on Monday, as he seeks to retire a campaign debt of more than $400,000.

Clinton spokesman Mark Daley said he was uncertain how Clinton would go about raising money for Vilsack, but he conceded that at some point, she would have to contact her supporters. “Someone in her shop is going to have to reach out,” Daley said.

Vilsack and his wife, Christie, endorsed Clinton in her bid for the Democratic nomination at an Iowa news conference on Monday. Daley said there was no connection between the fundraising and the endorsement.

Vilsack’s endorsement of Clinton caused speculation that the former governor would join the ticket as a vice presidential candidate should she win the nomination.

Fred Thompson, former Tennessee senator, holds a commanding lead among the online Republicans, according to a new poll released by GOP Straw Polls.

Thompson recently floated the idea that he was considering a possible run and shows strong support in his second poll.

Of 6,477 ballots cast at press time, Thompson led second place finisher, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, by 24 points.

First Choice:

F. Thompson	2593 (40%)
Giuliani	1037 (16%)
Romney	770 (11.9%)
Gingrich	767 (11.8%)
Hunter	349 (5.4%)
Tancredo	293 (4.5%)
(none)	235 (3.6%)
McCain	154 (2.4%)
Brownback	138 (2.1%)
Huckabee	72 (1.1%)
T. Thompson	44 (0.7%)
Gilmore	15 (0.2%)
Pataki	11 (0.2%)

Thompson’s sharp rise in GOP polling shows a Republican Party in a dire search for a Reagan-esque candidate among a group of posers and right-wing reactionaries. (In recent weeks, glowing video endorsements appeared on YouTube: here, here, here and here.)

Fred Thompson holds a nearly 4,000 vote margin in acceptability, ahead of the next candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, another unannounced candidate.

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