STATE OF THE UNION (CNN), 9 a.m.: Bush; Clinton;Keen; Shah; and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).

THIS WEEK (ABC), 10 a.m.: Bush; Clinton;Keen; and Shah.

NEWSMAKERS (C-SPAN), 10 a.m.: Rep. Ike Skelton(D-Mo.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

FACE THE NATION (CBS), 10:30 a.m.: Bush;Clinton; Keen; and Shah.

MEET THE PRESS (NBC), 10:30 a.m.: Bush; Clinton; Keen; and Shah.

WASHINGTON WATCH, 11 a.m.: House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.); and National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer.

Have a local New England or National news story or lead? Email it to Gipper’s Ghost – gipper@bangauey.com

cbsnews.com – California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger withdrew his support for President Obama’s health care plan today, making him one of the latest politicians to express displeasure with the deals and concessions Democrats have made in order to secure enough votes for the legislation.

“While I enthusiastically support health care reform, it is not reform to push more costs onto states that are already struggling while other states get sweetheart deals,” Schwarzenegger said today in his State of the State address. “Health care reform, which started as noble and needed legislation, has become a trough of bribes, deals and loopholes.”

The White House hailed the Republican governor’s earlier support of the health care bill as an example of bipartisan support for the Democratic package. Indeed, in October, Schwarzenegger said his state’s interests aligned with President Obama’s plans.

“Our principal goals, slowing the growth in costs, enhancing the quality of care delivered, improving the lives of individuals, and helping to ensure a strong economic recovery, are the same goals that [President Obama] is trying to achieve,” he said. “I appreciate his partnership with the states and encourage our colleagues on both sides of the political aisle at the national level to move forward and accomplish these vital goals for the American people.”

Now the governor, whose state faces an out-of-control budget crisis, says the plan will simply “pile billions more [in expenses] onto California.”

“California’s congressional delegation should either vote against this bill that is a disaster for California or get in there and fight for the same sweetheart deal Senator [Ben] Nelson of Nebraska got for the Cornhusker State,” he said. “He got the corn; we got the husk.”

Before Nelson promised to vote for the bill, which passed in the Senate on Christmas Eve, he secured a deal in which the federal government would completely pay for any expansion of Medicaid in Nebraska, leaving the state government off the hook.

Schwarzenegger isn’t the only one who disapproves of Nelson’s deal: A Rasmussen poll last month showed only17 percent of Nebraska voters approved of it, while Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas said Tuesdaythat the deal should be removed from the bill.

I am going to ignore the fact that the only reason Arnold is now opposing this is because he doesn’t like the fact that a state like Nebraska is getting a gazillion dollars for Medicaid while Kahleefonyah is not or he is looking for his congressional delegation to get the same sweetheart deal.  I am just happy he’s come around and taking no prisoners voicing his displeasure.

P.S. – I know one republican governor who will be sleeping on the couch tonight.

P.S.S. – Wouldn’t it be funny if the gubenator came out to support fellow republican Scott Brown to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of his wife’s uncle, Ted Kennedy?

-Gipper’s Ghost

Have a local New England or National news story or lead? Email it to Gipper’s Ghost – gipper@bangauey.com

yahoo.com - With the 2010 election year barely under way, two senators and one governor — all Democrats — ditched plans to run for re-election in the latest signs of trouble for President Barack Obama’s party.

Taken together, the decisions by Sens. Chris Dodd of Connecticut andByron Dorgan of North Dakota as well as Colorado Gov. Bill Rittercaused another bout of heartburn for Democrats as they struggle to defend themselves in a sour political environment for incumbents, particularly the party in charge.

As 2009 ended, Democrats watched a string of their House members announce retirements and one congressman defect to the GOP.

Now, with Dodd, Dorgan and Ritter out, Republicans have even more to crow about, if not better opportunities to pick up Democratic-held seats.

Within a year Dodd will become a lobbyist or an employee in the financial services industry.  If Country Wide was still around I would say it’s a mortal lock he would be employed by them.  Write it down….you heard it here first.

-Gipper’s Ghost

Have a local New England or National news story or lead? Email it to Gipper’s Ghost – gipper@bangauey.com

wbz.com – The race for Ted Kennedy’s U.S. Senate seat may be closer than some political pundits expected.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in Massachusetts finds there’s just a 9-percent difference between the two major party candidates.

Martha Coakley is favored by 50-percent while Republican Scott Brown is favored by 41-percent. Only 1-percent favor another candidate.

Joe Kennedy, no relation to Ted Kennedy’s family, is running as an independent.

Seven-percent say they are undecided and Rasmussen says more undecideds are likely to be democrats than republicans

President of the Rasmussen Report is Scott Rassmussen tells WBZ NewsRadio 1030 voter turnout will be especially critical and small turnout will benefit Brown.

Rasmussen says healthcare reform is the big issue of the campaign and this survey shows 53-percent favor the plan in Washington while 45-percent are opposed to it.

-Gipper’s Ghost

Have a local New England or National news story or lead? Email it to Gipper’s Ghost – gipper@bangauey.com

latimes.com – How low will the new American president go for the world’s royalty?

This photo will get Democrat President Obama a lot of approving nods in Japan this weekend, especially among the older generation of Japanese who still pay attention to the royal family living in its downtown castle. Very low bows like this are a sign of great respect and deference for a superior.

To some in the United States, however, an upright handshake might have looked better. RememberMichelle Obama casually patting Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on the back during their Buckingham Palace visit? America’s royalty tends to make movies and get bad reviews and lots of money as a sign of respect.

Obama could receive some frowns back home as he did for his not-quite-this-low-or-maybe-about-the-same-bow to the Saudi king not so long ago.

It’s pretty clear with this soon to circle the globe photo,  he was asking Emperor Akihito, “Is that dog mess on my show?”, because he definitely stepped in it with this bow.  President Obama definitely needs some better PR people to keep from getting his photo snapped while in compromising positions like this.  Better yet, maybe they should just stop him from bowing to royalty in the first place.

-Gipper’s Ghost

Have a local New England or National news story or lead? Email it to Gipper’s Ghost – gipper@bangauey.com

Assistant Manager/Cuba

Hours: 5 days/week rotating shifts

We are searching for an Assistant Manager for our McDonald’s restaurant located on the United Stated Naval base in Cuba. Candidates must have restaurant Management experience, posess a valid United States passport, and be willing to relocate to Cuba.

The outrage!  The United States continues to export its imperialism and torture around the world.  It’s pretty clear this is another torture tool used by the U.S.

You might as well make the job requirements to include the ability to pour boiling hot canola oil down the throats of Gitmo prisoners, stuff french fries under the finger nails of terrorists, and using milk shakes to water board the enemy.

These poor prisoners have been subjected to movie night, high tech fitness equipment, video games, and now this!  What’s next?  A Starbucks?  I can see it now making the combatants drink a grande half-caf cinnamon spice mocha with non-fat soy milk and telling them it has regular milk with fat.  Gasp!

-Gipper’s Ghost

Have a local New England or National news story or lead? Email it to Gipper’s Ghost – gipper@bangauey.com

bbc.com – A former US congressman famously caught with $90,000 (£54,000) in cash in his freezer, has been sentenced to 13 years for bribery and money laundering.

William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat who served for nearly 20 years, was convicted in August of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes.

The 62-year-old was also found guilty of trying to get millions more for brokering business deals in Africa.

Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence him to at least 27 years.

Jefferson’s defence lawyers had argued that he was acting as a private business consultant in making the deals, and sought a sentence of less than 10 years.

The veteran politician had been under investigation since the spring of 2005.

In August that year, FBI agents found the money in his freezer, wrapped in foil and hidden in boxes of pie crust.

Jefferson was voted Louisiana’s first African-American congressman in 1991.

He was re-elected in 2006 even after news of the bribery scandal broke, but narrowly lost his re-election bid in 2008 to a Republican rival.

This is one of the smartest politicians I’ve heard of  in a long time.  He was smart enough to realize that you never stuff bribe money into food containers that have an overwhelming odor like frozen burgers patties,  frozen fishsticks, or frozen chicken nuggets.  It’s pretty much a dead give a way that you’re some sort of criminal when you pass a $50 and it smells like tuna.  William Jefferson knew this and went with a virtually fragrant free pie crust box to stuff his loot into.

More money launders, embezzlers, tax evaders, and dirty politicians are caught when trying to pass a Benjamin and it smells like frozen pizza.  It’s a well known stat in the law enforcement community.  Look it up.

-Gipper’s Ghost

Have a local New England or National news story or lead? Email it to Gipper’s Ghost – gipper@bangauey.com

boston.com – The three challengers to Attorney General Martha Coakley have been eager for more debates with the perceived front-runner in the US Senate race, and they have asked for them pointedly — none more than Alan Khazei.

Khazei, after challenging Coakley on that point in a radio debate this morning, this afternoon turned to a different technique: Calling on comedian Stephen Colbert to come to Massachusetts and moderate a debate. Colbert, the host of Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report,” plays a right-wing commentator on the show.

“Are you tough enough to come here to Massachusetts — the birthplace of freedom, the birthplace of our democracy — and moderate a debate up against four progressive Democrats?” Khazei asked Colbert in a video posted on his campaign website. “I’ll show up anytime, anywhere, any hour, any day.”

“So Stephen, are you willing to come?” Khazei asks. “I’ll be there.”

Khazei appeared on Colbert’s show as a guest in January to promote a national day of service on Martin Luther King Day.

“I believe Martin Luther King also said, ‘Follow the money,’” Colbert said at one point. “‘I’ve got my mind on my money and my money on my mind,’ is one of the things I believe he said.”

“I can assure you, Martin Luther King did not say that,” Khazei responded.

A U.S. Senatorial debate moderated by Stephen Colbert is a bloggers dream.   The resulting material will be endless. The debate out-takes will be hilarious and not in a flattering way either.  It’s without a doubt that at least one of these candidates, if not all,  will try to compete with Mr. Colbert’s wit and with that look totally foolish.  Case and point is the video that Mr. Khazei put together to bait Mr. Colbert into being the moderator. It’s a good idea, but poor execution.  A last second hail Mary, by a candidate seriously behind in the polls, that fell to the ground 5 yards short of the goal line.

If there is a God in heaven, please, please, please, please make this happen!

BTW – I appreciate the attempt at humor and if he actually gets Mr. Colbert to moderate it will be quite a coup, but could Mr. Khazei and his office look any less senatorial in this video?

-Gipper’s Ghost

Have a local New England or National news story or lead? Email it to Gipper’s Ghost – gipper@bangauey.com

Separated at birth:, The Childcatcher (from the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), the most loyal servant to the Baron and Baroness Bomburst of Vulgaria, and Charles Krauthammer, The Washington Post’s conservative columnist.

It could have happened!

BTW – When I first dreamed of being a comedy news blogger I couldn’t wait to make this comparison.

Washington Examiner – Two U.S. Secret Service armored vehicles used to protect Vice President Biden struck and killed a pedestrian in Temple Hills early Wednesday morning, authorities said.

The vehicles were traveling together from Andrews Air Force Base at about 2:30 a.m. when the pedestrian was hit at the intersection of Suitland Parkway and Naylor Road in Temple Hills, U.S. Park Police said.

The drivers stayed on the scene and rendered first aid until police and rescue officials arrived, said Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan.

The pedestrian, an adult male, was transported to Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly with multiple critical injuries, police said. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

The armored sport utility vehicle and limousine were occupied only by Secret Service employees and were not carrying the vice president or any other dignitaries, said Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan.

The vehicles, part of a fleet used to protect the vice president, were used to whisk Biden during his trip to Fort Lewis, Wash., and were heading back to a garage at the time of the incident. The armored cars were transported to and from Fort Lewis on military planes. The vice president was there to speak at a memorial service Tuesday for seven soldiers who were killed Oct. 27 in Afghanistan when their vehicle exploded after being struck by an improvised explosive device.

Biden returned to Andrews much earlier and was already at his residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Northwest Washington at the time of the incident, Donovan said.

Police have not released the pedestrian’s identity pending notification of family. Park Police were still investigating the incident and had not determined a cause.

Does this mean Vice President Biden’s insurance premiums go up?

-Gipper’s Ghost

Have a local New England or National news story or lead? Email it to Gipper’s Ghost – gipper@bangauey.com