Why the Memo Is So Significant

Information known so far shows threat to the very foundation of our democracy

 

 

A House Intelligence Committee memo that is set to become public has set off intense speculation about its exact contents.
Those who have seen it, described it as “shocking” and as a threat to our republic.

Major news organizations, including The New York Times, have worked around the clock to discredit the memo ahead of its release, writing it off as a conspiracy theory. However, these are the same media organizations that have pushed the unproven narrative that Trump colluded with the Russian government for over a year.

So what do we know so far?

We know for a fact that the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee paid Fusion GPS, through law firm Perkins Coie, to produce an opposition research document on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.
We also know, through the reporting of award-winning national security reporter Sara Carter, that the FBI used the so-called Trump Dossier, to obtain a FISA surveillance warrant to spy on the Trump team.

It is also a fact that top FBI officials, including Peter Strzok, the lead FBI agent on both the Hillary Clinton email server and the Trump campaign case, sent numerous text messages to FBI lawyer Lisa Page showing a clear bias in favor of Clinton and against Trump.
Strzok later went on to become part of Robert Mueller’s special counsel team, but was fired after the biased text messages had been uncovered by the Department of Justice inspector general.

We also know for a fact that top Obama officials, including his National Security Adviser Susan Rice, and his ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, made dozens if not hundreds of so-called unmasking requests for the identities of members of Trump’s team during and after the elections.

(Click on the map to see it in full)

This type of spying on Americans had been detailed in a declassified top-secret NSA report published in April 2017. The report shows that so-called minimization and targeting procedures aimed at avoiding Americans being spied on were systematically violated by the NSA and the FBI under the Obama administration.

We also know for a fact that there were numerous leaks from the Obama administration to media organizations pushing the false Russia collusion narrative. Former FBI Director James Comey testified under oath before Congress in June last year that most of the reporting based on these anonymous intelligence leaks was incorrect.

We also know that former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who had overseen a report investigating the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections, has repeatedly said, including under oath before Congress, that no evidence was found of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
We also know for a fact, based on court documents in the UK, that former British spy Christopher Steele, who had been hired by Fusion GPS to produce the Trump dossier, had given secret briefings to media organizations on at least two occasions. These media included The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, The New Yorker, and Yahoo News.
We also know from court documents filed by the House Intelligence Committee that Fusion GPS made direct payments to journalists who covered Russia related matters.

These facts alone paint a frightening picture. One of a presidential candidate working hand in hand with a sitting administration and the most powerful law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the world against her political opponent.

When the memo is released, we will surely learn more facts about this scandal.
The difficult question Americans will face is how we address this grave threat to democracy itself.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) sees this memo as tied to the future of the United States as we know it. In a statement released by his office, he said, “There is no higher priority than the release of this information to preserve our democracy.”
If the memo indeed shows that there was a conspiracy to use state power to aide a favored political candidate and to attempt to destroy her opponents’ candidacy, then it will have revealed that we have entered a dangerous new era in American history in 2016—one that people will have to be held accountable for.

There Are Real Cigarette Smoking Men Inside FBI

FBI Agents See McCabe Resignation as Step Toward Freeing Agency From Politics

Agency was dragged into politics under former Director James Comey and Deputy Director Andrew McCabe

Andrew McCabe resigned from his position as deputy director of the FBI on Jan. 29, just hours before the Senate approved the release of a memo that allegedly shows the FBI using its powers for political motives that protected Hillary Clinton and sought to undermine President Donald Trump.

The shakeup at the top of the FBI is being framed by some politicians and legacy news outlets as an attack on the agency itself, with former Attorney General Eric Holder stating on Twitter that “Bogus attacks on the FBI and DOJ [Department of Justice] to distract attention from a legitimate criminal inquiry does long term, unnecessary damage to these foundations of our government.”

A veteran FBI agent, though, says that for many FBI agents, the claims of Holder and others couldn’t be further from the truth.

“The truth is that agents are very smart people. They realize the attacks from the White House are not directed at the rank and file, but clearly directed at the elite,” said Marc Ruskin, author of “The Pretender: My Life Undercover for the FBI,” who spent 27 years in the agency.

Ruskin said that among the community of former and retired FBI agents, they largely believe the agency had been dragged into politics by former FBI Director James Comey, and that this politicization of the agency continued under McCabe.

“For every agent who defends Comey there are ten who are angry with the bureau being allowed to be manipulated for political purpose,” he said.

“The belief of the rank and file FBI agents and retired agents is that the politicization of the FBI which occurred over the past couple years with Comey, McCabe, and others is essentially being cleansed,” Ruskin said.

“This is clearing house and getting the FBI back to its role as a neutral agency free from political influence,” he said.

Clearing the FBI of political influence was also raised by Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy. He stated in an email that for those who admired the FBI “and understand its important role in protecting national security and public safety,” Jan. 29 was a red letter day.

McCabe, Gaffney said, “epitomized the politicization of the Bureau’s senior management that has hampered its performance under former directors Robert Mueller and James Comey and undermined the American people’s confidence in the organization.”

He noted that the memo allegedly exposes “politically motivated domestic surveillance and other malfeasance” that took place in the FBI under McCabe’s watch.

According to Ruskin, to properly understand the shakeup and its perceptions within the FBI, it’s important to understand the divide between FBI management and the agents on the ground.

Most bureaucracies use a pyramid system of management, where employees often enter at the bottom, then make an effort to rise through the ranks. Ruskin noted, “The FBI is not like that. Most agents enter at the bottom rung, and most want to stay at the bottom rung.”

Many who enter the FBI, he said, do so out of a desire for adventure or for a sense of justice. When advancing their careers, Ruskin said, “They want to get into more complex investigations, and instead of handling routine cases they handle major white collar or organized crime cases.”

The agents who go into the FBI management, however, are often of a different breed. “The agents who go into management are often the ones who aren’t the best street agents,” Ruskin said. “They’re the ones who aren’t very comfortable on the street or can’t develop rapport. Once they’re in management they try to claw and crawl their way to the top.”

Because of this difference in goals, there are two starkly different cultures in the FBI between agents on the ground and those who go into management.

“Agents are very dedicated to the truth and to finding the bad guys,” Ruskin said. “The other culture is of desk jockeys trying to advance their careers and rise to the next level. They’re trying to not rock the boat, and to not do anything that would inhibit their rise to the top.”

“Guys like McCabe were known for being notorious for destroying anybody who got in the way. Many perceived him to be a martinet who crushed anyone who got in his way,” Ruskin said.

McCabe, he said, was known as a micromanager who enjoyed power and pushed around those beneath him, but also had a sycophant nature who looked to appease the supervisors above him. Ruskin said, “They aren’t going to be any tears shed by his departure, particularly to the people who he viewed as obstacles in his steady climb upwards.”

“Understanding there are these two cultures—the management culture and the rank and file street culture—you’ve got to understand the rank and file are not bothered by the commentary on the politicization,” Ruskin said. “They don’t feel they’re being targeted. They understand that they and management are two different animals, and an attack on management is not an attack on the rank and file.”

There’s Something Big Happening 

In North Korea

KCNA KCNA/Reuters
… but how in charge is he now?

A whirlwind of speculation has surrounded North Korea within the past month as the country’s leader Kim Jong-Un has not been seen in public since September 3. 
Separating truth from fiction in North Korea can be incredibly difficult. The country tries to maintain total secrecy as to its inner political workings, and its leadership is an almost-total black box.
The majority of information related to the Hermit Kingdom comes from South Korean newspapers, think tanks, and the occasional North Korean defector, and even those reports can be of uncertain value.
But the general trend of information from the past month signals that something might be going on inside North Korea, even if no one’s sure of what. Some are speculating that supreme leader Kim Jong-Un may have been the victim of an internal coup. Gordon G. Chang of The Daily Beast has outlined a number of pieces of evidence that North Korea might be undergoing major shifts in its political order.
On the other hand, there’s a long history of predicting changes in North Korea that don’t actually end up happening. And in January, political scientist Jay Ulfelder forecasted that North Korea belonged in the same category of coup risk for the coming year as the United States or Canada. The Hermit Kingdom’s decades of rock-solid autocracy, and lack of recent coup attempts or civil wars informs against the potential for a surprise shakeup in leadership, according to Ulfelder’s model.

Of course, none of this means that there isn’t something significant now underway in Pyongyang. Here are the key arguments that the media is citing to support this conclusion.  

Benjamin Mack
A station in the Pyongyang Metro

1. North Korea’s Capital Is In Lockdown 

Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, has been reportedly locked down since September 27. This lockdown is a general travel ban preventing anyone from entering or leaving the capital, although it also applies to citizens of the city. 

In a coup scenario, the lockdown could either be an attempt to prevent possible defectors or coup plotters from fleeing the city after an unsuccessful attempt, or it could be a move by the putschists to impose order after successfully seizing control.

It is also possible that the there’s no coup at all, and that the lockdown signals that something else is afoot, like a further purge of officials that Kim finds disloyal. 

2. Kim Jong-Un Has Not Been Seen For Over A Month

Kim Jong-Un, the supreme leader of North Korea, has not been seen in public since the start of September. North Korean state media has chalked his absence up to health concerns. A video in July and another video in September showed Kim walking with a limp. It is also thought that the leader might be suffering from gout, due to his preference for strong alcohol and fatty food.
The rather heavyset Kim has also been spending an awful lot of time on his feet lately; one South Korean media report says that the Supreme Leader has been undergoing surgery for resulting ankle fractures.

There’s at least one sign that the health rumors might be causing confusion or unrest inside of North Korea, or that the country’s leadership realizes they might have a situation on their hands — on Sunday, senior North Korean officials reversed course and said that there was no problem with Kim’s health. 

3. Kim Missed One Of The Country’s Biggest Annual Events

Kim, ostensibly because of health issues, failed to attend last month’s meeting of the Supreme People’s Assembly. This was the first such assembly that he has skipped since taking power in 2011. 

But that’s not all. The assembly’s official minutes curiously failed to mention Kim Jong-Un until the very end of the document. This could be interpreted as proof of the Supreme Leader’s tenuous grip on power. 

Then again, both Kim’s father and grandfather did not always attend the assemblies, and his absence alone does not necessarily hint at political turmoil. 

Jason Reed/Reuters
North Korea’s Hwang Pyong So (L), a senior aide North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un, attends the closing ceremony of the 17th Asian Games at the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium on October 4, 2014.

4. North Korean Officials Visited South Korea Unannounced

A high-ranking delegation of North Korean officials that included what are considered to be the Hermit Kingdom’s second and third in charge paid a surprise visit to South Korea on Saturday. The visit was the first such high-level talk between officials from the two countries in years. It might even have been the “most senior” northern delegation ever to visit South Korea.

Yet Andrei Lankov, a North Korean scholar who teaches in Seoul, told The Washington Post that this could be part of an ongoing North Korean “charm offensive” that is meant to distance the North from excessive Chinese influence. It doesn’t automatically indicate any changes in Pyongyong, at least not on its own. 

5. There Are Rumors Of Increasing Dissent

The South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported in July that officials and soldiers throughout North Korea are becoming increasingly restive under Kim Jong-Un. Officials are apparently openly criticizing Kim or disagreeing with his policies, something that would have been unthinkable under Kim’s father or grandfather.  

6. Kim Has Carried Out Frequent Purges

Since taking control of the country, Kim is estimated to have purged half of the top 218 military and regime officials within North Korea. He has also changed his army chief three times in 15 months. All of this points to a possible lack of legitimacy and support for Kim’s rule — or possibly the relatively new leader’s deep mistrust of his own top officers.

Either way, Kim changed the military order as many times during his first two years in power as his father Kim Jong-Il had done during his 17 years in control.

Kim even purged a close member of his own family. In December 2013, Kim had his uncle Jang Song Thaek executed. Jang was Kim’s second in command and regent, the official responsible for overseeing Kim’s transition to power. 

Jang’s purge could signal Kim’s desire to exercise total rule and put an end to a period of behind-the-scenes competition between powerful personalities in the North. 

KCNA/Reuters
Kim Jong-Un with North Korean navy officers — possibly during better days.

7. A Prominent Defector Says Kim Is A Figurehead 

Jang Jin-sung, a former key member of the late Kim Jong-Il’s propaganda machine and a prominent North Korean defector, has asserted that North Korea has been in the midst of a political upheaval for awhile now. According to Jang, the Organization and Guidance Department, a group of elite officials created by Kim Jong-Il, has seized power and is using Kim Jong-Un as a figurehead. 
But the claim has no outside confirmation.

Given that North Korea is essentially a black box, it is easy to jump to conclusions on the health and stability of the regime. Taken in total, these points seem to hint that something big is underway in the Hermit Kingdom. They could just as easily add up to nothing. 

An unnamed US official, speaking to Reuters, said that there was no indication that anything unusual was underway in North Korea. But as with most other things North Korea-related, there’s little way of knowing for sure.

Modi, The Dark Lord - There’s A Dark Side To India’s New Prime Minister That Should Worry Everyone

Gujarat’s chief minister Narendra Modi speaks during the “Vibrant Gujarat Summit” at Gandhinagar in the western Indian state of Gujarat January 12, 2013. Fresh off his re-election as chief minister of Gujarat and amid expectations he could contend to be the next prime minister, Modi avoided talk of a bigger political future during a state investment event. 

Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have won India’s general election by the biggest margin in 30 years.
Modi will be sworn in as the new prime minister of India on May 21.

Indian stocks surged to a record in India, with the BSE having risen as much as 6.15%, and the rupee also strengthened against the U.S. dollar. Modi has largely positioned himself as a champion of economic progress as India’s economic growth has languished to 10-year lows. And one can’t argue with the fact that Modi is a much more charismatic leader than prime minister Manmohan Singh.
While there’s much optimism around what a Modi win could mean for the Indian economy, there’s a lot to worry about as well.
Modi is a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) a Hindu nationalist party and has done a good job avoiding questions about his role in the deadly Gujarat Hindu-Muslim riots of 2002 that left over a 1,000 dead. Modi was chief minister of the state at the time.  The riots began after a train with Hindu pilgrims was set on fire in Godhra, killing 59 people. Hindu mobs then turned on Muslims in Gujarat

In the aftermath, Modi has addressed the issue saying: “I feel sad about what happened but no guilt. And no court has come even close to establishing it.”

Modi only fanned the flames with his New York Times interview in 2002, in which he said his only regret was that he didn’t manage the media better. Following this, the U.S. imposed a visa ban on Modi and Britain announced a 10-year boycott.

The Supreme Court of India however has given him a “clean chit” — exonerating him of wrongdoing.

Modi has also called for a crackdown on illegal immigrants in India. He has accused West Bengal of being soft on illegal immigration and accused it of sheltering them in order to secure votes from minorities. Sujoy Dihar at LiveMint points out that Modi has said illegal immigrants should have their “bags packed” in case he comes to power. Modi’s rhetoric, and it has been argued that of the BJP, has shown an anti-Muslim bias.  

In a note published earlier this year, Nomura’s Alastair Newton points out that during a Feb. 23 rally in Assam, Modi called for Hindu migrants from Bangladesh to be assimilated back into India. He said non-Hindus should be sent back to their home 
nations. Modi’s rhetoric has raised concerns about what this could mean for neighborhood politics.

Indian publication LiveMint pointed to Modi’s decision to contest the seat in the holy city of Varanasi as a sign that he hasn’t abandoned his Hindu supremacist ideology: 

“It is widely expected that Modi’s nomination from Varanasi will positively affect the outcome for the BJP in a number of other seats in Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar which are electorally important as together the two states send 120 lawmakers to the Lok Sabha. Further, the choice of Varanasi is also symbolic in nature which indicates that the party may not have completely abandoned the Hindutva ideology.”

The company Modi keeps


It isn’t just Modi we need to watch, it’s also the company he keeps. Amit Shah, the general secretary of BJP and former Minister of home affairs in Gujarat, is Modi’s closest confidante. In a profile for Caravan Magazine, Poornima Joshi, identifies Shah’s sketchy past. 
 From Joshi:

“The Supreme Court has set up a special monitoring committee to probe twenty-two fake encounter deaths in Gujarat from 2002 to 2006; in four of these years, Shah was Gujarat’s home minister, and in charge of the state police. This includes the three cases in which Shah himself has been arrested and formally accused: the killings of the gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife, and the subsequent murder of a witness. 

In 2004, Gujarat state police killed Ishrat Jehan and three of her acquaintances. Shah hasn’t been charged, though one of the victim’s father’s through a Gujarat high court has tried to get the court to arraign Shah. Two police officers accused in the case say the attack has the approval of Modi and Shah. In 2010, Shah, facing murder charges, was forced to resign.

In her profile, Joshi writes “behind the public projection of Modi’s claims to be the source of unprecedented development in the state, it is believed that the two men dominated through intimidation and force.” For his part Shah argues that he hasn’t been charged with anything and that it’s all part of a wider “political conspiracy” against him.

As Modi takes the helm of the world’s largest democracy, it’s important for Indians and the international community to watch Modi and Shah’s relationship unfolds.

Meanwhile Giriraj Singh, a BJP leader in the Indian state of Bihar, caused a storm by saying those that oppose Modi should find themselves a home in Pakistan, not India. A comment that the BJP distanced itself from though Modi didn’t outright condemn.

The economic dream

Modi has come to power on the back of Gujarat’s economic success during his time as chief minister of the state. But many have pointed out that Gujarat’s economy was doing well long before he came to power.

The strong sweep by Modi and his allies suggests there’s a chance that economic reforms won’t be stymied every step of the way, as they were during the Congress’s fractious rule.


But Modi’s seeming religious intolerance, his ambiguous stance on women’s issues, and the implications of his rule on Indian press freedom (especially as Hindu nationalists take to the internet to intimidate Modi critics) are cause for concern. Those celebrating Modi’s win should be cognizant of what his rule could mean for a democratic nation.

老牛吃嫩草 - 中共国式情人

中共国式情人:详述情 妇,二奶,小三和零售的区别

英国撰稿人James Palmer，通过互联网以及线下接触到一些被中国官员或富豪阶层所包养的女性情人，在观察并与她们交流、见面之后，James Palmer写下了他对"中共国式情人"的记录。

姗姗脚上那双三千多块的鞋子是她情人给的，而她脚底坚硬的老茧则是她童年的遗赠。"我们小时候在老家村子里经常赤着脚玩儿"，她告诉 我"KTV里的姑娘们，脚都是这样的。"

26岁的时候，姗姗长途跋涉走出四川的农村，那里是中国南方相对贫困的地区，以辛辣的饮食和"辣妹子"著称。现在，她的情人吴先生将他安置在 北京一套"值两百五十万"的公寓里。一有时间能避开老婆，他就会来看她。这位任职于石油巨头的国企官员年近五十，为了开发新的油田，他最近半 年都在非洲。姗姗觉得无聊就在网上找了个语伴(language-exchange partner)想提高自己那三脚猫英语，就是这样，我和她交上了朋友。

姗姗提到吴先生的时候不会称他"男友"。他是她的"男人"，她的"爱人"，有时她会叫他"叔"。当她提到"男友"的时候，她指的是四川那边一 个和她年纪相仿的男人，空闲的时候她花大把时间和他发短信，每年他们见面两次。

当了情妇的乡下姑娘，经历都大同小异。她十七岁时到了成都，在宾馆的KTV里做女招待，之后她去了北京做同样的营生。干这一行得取悦男人，要 是他们给了足够的钱，还包括和他们上床。她就是这样遇到了他的情人，在他们第四次"约会"之后，他提出想要供她生活。



中共式情人

从他的角度来看，这个决定不难理解：姗姗活泼聪明，身材可人。而对她来说何去何从更是显而易见。政商圈子在台面之下经手成捆成捆的钞票，其中 有几张会跑进她的手提袋里。姗姗的"叔"替她付房 租，给她买礼物，还给她一个月两万块的生活费。这差不多是北京(译注：2013年北京市平均月工资为5223元)平均标准。在小一些的城镇， 一万块甚至五千块就已经足够。在这个"行业"的顶端，一个情妇每天都有一万块钱可以花。

她坚决不让我去她的公寓，因为周围住得都是二奶。当地的地产商将那些地方官员和生意人作为目标客户，期待他们把钱投进北京的楼市泡沫里，那些 人将购房视作投资，让自己的女人住进去。"一半的公寓是空的"，姗姗说"另一半住的都是姑娘"。每个人都传绯闻，说别人的闲话。要么关于钱， 要么关于男人。如果被她们看见我和一个外国人在一起，她们会说上一个月。

包养女人在中国的权势阶层中很是平常。根据中国人民大学危机管理研究中心的一份研究，95%的贪腐官员保持着不正当的性关系，这层关系一般建 立在提供钱财的基础上，其中有60%包养情妇。

近期的整治迫使官员们行事更加谨慎，这之前官员们有两个社交圈子。就像电影《好家伙》里面亨利·希尔说的那样："周六晚上属于妻子，但是周五 夜一定要和女朋友在一起"。这部片子讲述的黑帮故事与中国地方官场不无相似。

小雪和玲玲是姗姗的朋友，她们比姗姗稍稍大几岁，同样来自四川，我和她们共进了晚餐。她们都觉得最近远离了社交活动，这更多是一件好事，可以 更加轻松。"在以前这是很大一块工作。"小雪说，在四川的时候她被一个生意人包养。"你得打扮得漂漂亮亮，得巴结在场的重要人物，但又不能做 的过头，让和他们同行的女人妒忌。但你还是得像这样……"她眨了眨眼，睫毛微颤，把声音提高了八度，"哇，你好聪明呀!哇，你的工作好重要! 哇，你真的只有55岁?看起来好结实!"

"我到北京的过程是这样的。"玲玲补充道，"之前我在(四川)内江和一个官员在一起，当时他们迎接上级视察，来访的官员中有一位特别喜欢我， 就希望那家伙把我借给他，换取官场上的照顾。于是在内江的时候我和他睡了，然后他就把我带到了北京。但我们还是处不到一块儿，就分手了。"

"如果你当官，你一定得养情妇，至少得有个女朋友。"小雪说，"要不然你就不是真男人。我以前有个朋友假扮过别人的情妇。她是一个男"同志" 的最好的朋友，那个"同志"的男友是一位官员。那位官员愿意出钱请我那朋友和他出去，装作是他的情人。"

大多数情妇是农村妇女，在被包养前做的都是性工作，卡拉ok吧、按摩院、夜店是生意往来中必不可少的部分，她们便是在这些地方遇到了她们的包 养者。她们工作牵涉到的情感和性一样多。就像外国有人在网上寻求"女友体验"一样，中国男人也喜欢这种虚幻的亲密感。"你得变成那个他在二十 岁的时候追求的女孩。"小雪说，"他想要的是：让他相信即使自己不出钱，你还是会和他在一起。"

她讲出了当一个情妇与招待客人一晚上之间的区别，后者意味着尽可能地服侍好客人，以男人的需求为先。当情妇则不然，"如果你一直对他太好，他 会知道这不是出于真心。如果他盯着别的女人看，你得表现出嫉妒，一晚上跟他怄气，直到他道歉为止，这样他才知道你是在意的。"

俗话说："老牛吃嫩草。"

姗姗平常同"叔"在一起的时候总是没大没小，亲热又轻佻。但当他在非洲的时候，姗姗有点担心。"半年的时间很长。"她说，"你觉得他会不会跟 黑人姑娘上床?我觉得不会。那些女人都有艾滋病。他不会骗我的，对吧?"

受过教育的城里姑娘一样可能当上别人的情妇，但讲究实用让农村女人们的生活比前者过得更滋润。城市里的女性一般通过日常工作接触年长的男性， 他们的情人关系始于真正的相互吸引。她们未曾失足所以保持了"纯洁"，所以他们比乡下姑娘有更高的市场价值，在高端场合也更容易被别人认可。

进一步的区别则在"二奶"和"小三"两词当中。前者知其本分，后者则试图迂回周旋于情人与其妻子间，想要造成离婚并取而代之。实际中这两个词 可以相互代替，但个中差别对于意图将自己与她们农村出身的"同行"区别开来的城里姑娘来说显得尤为重要。

"大多数小三有稳定的工作，学历比二奶们要高。小三想要和情人结婚是因为她们投入了许多：她们的青春和感情。"说这话的人专门为第三者创建了 一个网站，理查德·伯格的《红门背后》(Behind the Red Door: Sex in China)里记录了这段话。

根据我个人的经验，那些女人中的多数从未期望嫁给自己的情人。一位姓虞的都市女性曾告诉我：她有钱，她的家庭足够富裕，她还有一套自己名下的 公寓。她就是愿意当他的情人，这样他除了老婆之外就不会有别的女朋友了。

温女士今年四十出头，她烫头发，涂指甲油。她也曾见识过那条难以逾越的鸿沟。当时她是北京一个年轻的上班族，和一个身家上亿的房地产老板约 会。"我清楚他有老婆，"她说"我并不傻。可我以为我是他的二奶，而且他爱我。后来我发现在城市各处还还包养着其他三个女人。我是他的第五个 女人，而不是第二个。"

农村出身的情妇们可能更多地关心银行账户里的数目。婚外恋清若是始于感情，擦出过火花，则可能造成戏剧性的结果。"我从未想到我所深爱的，和 我过了四年的人最后会成为敌人。"26岁的纪英男在13年7月接受《独立报》(The Independent)采访时这样说道。在这之前，她曝光了其情人范悦的贪腐行为。范悦是国家档案局的副司长，依托职位之便他得以负担平日的奢侈开销和 两人的出国旅行。

他们结识的时候，范悦已经步入中年，纪英男只有22岁。正如俗话所说："老牛吃嫩草。"在所有类似的恋情当中，年龄差距总是令人沮丧。在高档 餐厅里，我喜欢观察周遭的成双成对的男女，猜测女伴"是情妇还是女儿"。连那个蜡像似的前任总书记都被谣传说有一个比自己女儿还年轻的情人。

另外，一些年轻的中国女人正把自己变成小孩子，多半是以整容手术的方式来模仿日本动漫里大眼睛的女主角。年长些的男人很吃这一套，那憔悴的容 貌，和那待哺幼儿似的做作的撒娇，都能撩拨起他们的兴趣。在他们的私照上，那群姑娘个个都像是只有十四岁，男人们在她们旁边一起玩着幼稚的游 戏或者正冲着镜头做鬼脸。

我遇见的那些农村女人都是幸运儿，她们一贯聪明、漂亮、风趣，明白世人皆自私，或者说就是运道够好——在年纪尚轻时逃离了中国充斥着粗野暴 力，被有组织的犯罪所控制，每天面临强奸和殴打危险的性行业。

即便如此，权力、金钱和美色的交集仍然有毒而且危险。情妇可能会身陷囹圄，甚至更糟。2006年，北京房山区官员许志远为了"琐事争执"雇自 己的司机勒死了他的情妇。2007年，济南市人大官员段义和指使他的侄女婿用炸弹引爆了其情妇的轿车。而在2011年，另一个北京处级干部罗 少杰派他的助手将其情妇谋杀并碎尸，原因是后者威胁要举报他贪污。

在网络时代，情妇还冒着其他的风险，尤其是在当下，选择性堕胎意味着年轻女性比男性少，也就意味着总有一群男青年饱受性压抑之苦。"荡妇羞 辱"(Slut-shaming)在中国的网络上相当常见。女性一旦被愤怒的前男友或者情人的妻子曝光或者揭发，她就会发现谩骂和侮辱排山倒 海般向自己涌来，自己的单位和父母也会收到这类留言。

 

British protesters descend on Najib in London over failed investment

October 30, 2013

Prime Minister Najib Razak addresses the World Islamic Economic Forum in London yesterday. - Reuters pic, October 30, 2013.A group calling itself British Victims of Investing in Malaysia (BVIM) yesterday protested outside a convention centre in London where Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was attending a business conference.
The group, made up of 60 families, came to voice their disappointment in the investigations of a fraud case in Malaysia.
Comprised of bus drivers, small business owners and city workers, they protested for 4 hours - from 5pm and 9pm - at the Excel International Convention Centre, the venue of the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), of which Najib is the patron.

They lamented lack of action by Malaysian authorities against Doxport Technologies Sdn Bhd, which they said embezzled £2.5m (RM12.7 million) from the investors in 2008.

In 2011, the disgruntled investors lodged complaints with the Bukit Aman police headquarters, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and the Companies Commission of Malaysia.
Doxport Technologies chairman and director was Datuk Seri Abdul Azim Mohd Zabidi, who was once the Umno treasurer. The managing director was Sivalingam Thechinamoorthy while Gurmeet Kaur was listed as a director.
The protesters said they were under the impression that Malaysia had "secure and accountable business system', and as such, had expected to profit from their investment. Their money was invested into purchasing Telekom switches and equity in Doxport.
They said the police report in 2011 was lodged after discovering that there were no such Telekom switches operating in Malaysia.
Earlier this year, the group filed a lawsuit against Azim and the company.
Azim was chairman of Bank Simpanan Nasional from 1999 to 2009, and vice-president of the World Savings Bank Institute from 2006 to 2009. He was also the director of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, the company at the centre of the scandal-ridden Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project.
BVIM also issued a statement, questioning Malaysia's "rule of law" in protecting foreign investors.
“It is ridiculous that after more than two years since we lodged a criminal case in Malaysia, that no charges have been made or people arrested. I will tell all my friends, colleagues and the people I meet never to invest in Malaysia,” said Steve, a bank worker from London.
Another investor known as Mohammed said he had spent his life savings on the failed investment.
“I invested my life savings because I liked Malaysia, my family is really suffering and it seems the law means nothing in Malaysia. I hope no one invests in Malaysia and suffers like us," Mohammed, a bus driver from London, said.
On their website, the group pointed out that it had already met Najib along with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir and other Malaysian politicians and dignitaries over the last 3 years to highlight their case.
They said investors, accompanied by British House of Lords member Nazir Ahmed, visited Malaysia to meet Najib to get an assurance that they would be given justice.
"PM Najib promised that this would be the case. In addition, when PM Najib visited the City of London to promote Malaysia as a place for inward investment, several investors met him and were assured that any police investigation would be fair," the website said.
The group, backed by 15 British MPs, also voiced their concern about the "safety" of British investments in Malaysia. - October 30, 2013.


Claiming duped by ex-Umno treasurer, British investors storm London in protest


October 30, 2013

A group of British investors attempted to bring their grievances to Prime Minister Najib Razak today. Pictured is a screenshot of the group's website at www.britishvictimsofinvestinginmalaysia.org.ukA group of British investors attempted to bring their grievances to Prime Minister Najib Razak today. Pictured is a screenshot of the group's website at www.britishvictimsofinvestinginmalaysia.org.ukKUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — A group of British investors who suffered heavy losses in a Malaysian telecommunications scheme braved the St Jude storm in London yesterday to highlight their case to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who was in the UK capital for the 9th World Islamic Economic Forum.

The British investors — comprising bus drivers, small business owners and city workers —  accused Malaysian authorities of dragging their feet about pressing fraud charges against former Umno treasurer Datuk Seri Azim Mohd Zabidi.

“The BVIM (British Victims of Investing in Malaysia) stated at the protest their disappointment at the length of time it is taking for justice to be done in Malaysia with the criminal fraud case they have launched already in its second year of investigation!” BVIM said in a statement today.

“With no results for over two years coming from the Malaysian AG (Attorney-General) and Public Prosecutor, the BVIM asked: If there is any rule of law in Malaysia for foreign investors? If British investment in Malaysia is safe?” they added.

Sixty British investors sued Azim and his IT company, Doxport Technologies Sdn Bhd, last February for allegedly misappropriating US$4 million (RM12.6 million) in 2009.

The suit was filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court against Azim, Doxport Technologies, director and CEO Sivalingam Thechinamoorthy, and accounts department staff Gurmeet Kaur.

The 60 British investors had invested about US$4 million (RM12.59 million) purchasing Telekom switches and equity in Doxport Technologies in January 2009, when Azim was the Umno treasurer then, according to their lawyers.

The investors subsequently lodged a police report in 2011 after realising that no such Telekom switches were operating in Malaysia.

Their lawyer, Hasnal Rezua Merican, said last February that the police have already sent investigation papers to the Attorney-General’s Chambers after investigating the case for 14 months.

英国成俄国贪官和黑社会乐园？

近年来，在英国伦敦目睹大量俄国富豪携巨额资金涌入同时，越来越多英 国人也开始质疑以黑红不分和暴力冷血著称的俄罗斯有组织犯罪势力是否已经在英国安家？BBC最新一期《广角镜》节目（29日播出的 Panorama）通过 对一名“告密者”在英国离奇死亡的调查，试图给问题一个答案。

《广角镜》节目记者表示，有关俄罗斯有组织犯罪的调查节目本身，一路上就遇到过不少怪事情。

比如在节目即将后期制作的时候，摄制组一名成员就接到一封电子邮件。 发信人自称为“H”，并坦白称他是受到俄罗斯政府雇用的黑客，原本应该盗窃BBC记者电邮信箱中的情报，但是最终决定提前先打个招呼“提醒”一下。

这期《广角镜》节目的调查重点是2007年俄罗斯国库价值2.2亿美元的资金失窃大案，并希望透过案件发现更多俄国有组织犯罪的幕 后黑手。

惊天窃案

BBC记者麦肯泰尔在莫斯科调查马尼斯基死亡案件。

这一惊天大案的中心人物，也是最终向国际世界敲响警钟的正是一位居住生活在伦敦的英国公民。

比尔·布劳德（Bill Browder）是大型投资基金公司“冬宫资本”（Hermitage Capital）的总裁，曾经负责管理国际投资者数以十亿美元计在俄罗斯的投资。

2007年的一天，俄罗斯内政部警察莫名其妙地突击搜查了公司和公司律师在莫斯科的办公室。

几个月之后，冬宫资本突然发现，麾下3家公司被盗用为偷税工具，而被盗用的公司先后共从俄罗斯国库偷税高达2.2亿美元。
当布劳德决定雇用莫斯科的一位名叫谢尔盖·马尼斯基（Sergei Magnitsky）的律师调查公司被盗用案件不久，这位律师本人突然被官方指控涉嫌偷税并被捕。

2009年11月16日，在警方监护下等待法庭开审的马尼斯基突然死于“急性胰腺炎”。


杀人灭口？

马尼斯基死后埋葬在莫斯科的一个公墓中。很多人相信他被俄罗斯官员“谋杀”。

不少涉案人士迄今怀疑马尼斯基一定是由于找到了一些“不应找到”的线索而被杀人灭口。

俄罗斯官方则坚持称，马尼斯基死于急性胰腺炎引发的心力衰竭；不过，即使是俄国政府内部的人权理事会的调查结果都表示，马尼斯基在 押期间曾长期被官方拒绝看病请求。

布劳德本人坚信马尼斯基被杀人灭口，他如今四下奔走，试图游说英国政府对涉案的俄国官员和前官员进行法律制裁。
布劳德的行动给他本人和公司雇员都带来了报复威胁。不过，他拒绝退缩，并决定把与马尼斯基一案有关官员的名字公诸于众。

横尸伦敦

就在布劳德公布了俄方涉案官员名单之后，一位自称掌握证据的俄罗斯人找到了他。

这位名叫亚历山大·佩皮里切尼（Alexander Perepilichny）的俄国人交给布劳德大量银行文件，证明俄罗斯官员确实通过英国公司将偷税资金打入瑞士银行帐户。

冬宫资本向瑞士司法当局报案并提出起诉案。 瑞士当局随即展开了一个大规模司法调查，并会晤了佩皮里切尼。
一年半之后，佩皮里切尼在伦敦西南萨里郡一处豪华住宅区横尸街头……

《广角镜》“俄国人来了”节目4月29日周一英国夏令时2030分在BBC电视一台播出。

拉美不再需要“查韦斯神话”



14年来，乌戈•查韦斯(Hugo Chávez)滔滔不绝地抨击资本主义，喊出了受压迫者的心声，让他成为穷人心中的罗宾汉，并让一无所有者获得了一点认同感。查韦斯身材壮硕、像座小山， 不愧是曾经作过坦克部队指挥官的人。这让他看起来似乎坚不可摧，然而，两年之前患上的癌症却最终毁掉了他企图永久统治委内瑞拉的抱负。
这位58岁的委内瑞拉总统的去世，在他的祖国以及更广泛的地区留下了一个真空。但人们会长期怀念他吗？或许，怀念他的只有俄罗斯的军火商，以 及中国国有银行——后者拿委内瑞拉未来石油产量作抵押，向该国发放了400亿美元贷款。在其他地方，查韦斯的政策并不奏效。
在国内，委内瑞拉面临着充满变数的过渡，存在三个潜在的挑战。在派系林立的现政权中维持团结，是查韦斯指定接班人、委内瑞拉副总统尼古拉斯• 马杜罗(Nicolás Maduro)面临的第一个挑战。第二个挑战是，现政权要在定于30天内举行的总统选举中与反对派展开对决。不过，这是一场针对查韦斯敌人的斗争，每一位 查韦斯主义者都乐于加入这场斗争。民调显示，在“同情票”的支持下，现政权会在大选中轻松胜出。
这就产生了第三个、也是最严重的挑战。当委内瑞拉从哀痛中醒来，它看到的会是什么？首先是查韦斯的社会主义统一党(United Socialist)，该党仍将是委内瑞拉国内最强大的政治组织；然后还有糟糕的治理、腐败、通胀、供应短缺、以及不断升级的暴力，这些因素已使加拉加斯 变成世界上最可怕的城市之一。这里体现出了查韦斯在政治上的高明之处。他在世时因革命而备受赞誉，却没有因革命造成的灾难而受到诘难。新政府 恐怕就享受不到同样的待遇了。“国王万岁，打倒恶政！”——很久以前，拉美那些为争取独立揭竿而起的人就喊过这样的口号。
拉美各地都需要采取类似的行动去除查韦斯的神话色彩。委内瑞拉有理由夸耀自己在2000年至2010年间把本国贫困率从52%降到32%。但 很多其他国家也做到了这一点、甚至做得更好，而且没有像查韦斯那样把本国经济洗劫一番。巴西就是人们常常举的一个例子。在走自由主义路线的秘 鲁，贫困率下降的幅度甚至更大；而奉行自由市场的智利，其贫困率则下降了一半。拉美智库Sedlac指出，在消除贫富不均方面，委内瑞拉是表 现最差的国家之一。
这样令人难堪的统计数据却从未妨碍查韦斯大肆宣扬其“玻利瓦尔革命”的好处。但大多数拉美人心中其实清楚得很。他们或许乐于见到“被欺负”的 查韦斯去刮美国人的鼻子。但他们同时也明白，委内瑞拉的模式以石油为基础，无法复制到拉美其他国家。他们还看到委内瑞拉危机四伏的局面，绝对 不会希望本国也有同样的遭遇。这就是示范的力量。查韦斯主义可能会在委内瑞拉存在下去，就像庇隆主义(Peronism)在阿根廷的命运一 样。但查韦斯主义被当作可行甚至可取模式的日子早已一去不复返了。
毕竟，查韦斯只是近些年来帮助拉美国家增强团结意识的众多人士之一。他是美洲玻利瓦尔联盟(Alba)的推动者，该联盟是一个左翼国家组织， 成员包括古巴、厄瓜多尔和玻利维亚等国。但该联盟没有更广泛的追随者，而且对巴西希望成为南美领袖的雄心构成了妨碍。美洲玻利瓦尔联盟还是拉 美太平洋联盟(Pacific Alliance)的眼中钉，后者是一个自由贸易协定组织，成员国包括墨西哥、哥伦比亚、秘鲁和智利。没有了查韦斯的意识形态与“支票簿”，委内瑞拉的地 区影响力将逐渐减弱。巴西或拉美太平洋联盟中的快速增长典范国家将取而代之——这二者都代表了更加务实的发展模式，没有令人厌烦的左翼夸夸其 谈——这种夸夸其谈往往对西半球国家间的关系构成损害。
查韦斯的去世标志着一个时代的终结。而他的一生还代表着拉美历史开倒车时期——即由民粹主义军事独裁者或“强人”当政时期——的结束。荒谬的 是，这种故事里总是弥漫着一种受害者心态，故事里总有一位国家救星在与阴暗的外部势力作斗争。然而，在过去20年里，拉美取得的进步如此之 大，使得这片大陆比以往任何时候都要繁荣和自信，受害者心态难以继续引发共鸣。拉美的大国已站在国际权力舞台之上，而不再身处舞台之外。
一位贤哲曾言：“我心无半点恶意，也绝不会诅咒别人下地狱，应当容许人们怀有最美好的希望。”这句话也可适用于查韦斯。他心中惦记着穷人，并 以布道者的姿态在电视上神气活现地展现对穷人的爱。这确实令人感动，但他的离去只会有益于该地区。

金正日是怎么死？

Did he die screwing them all ?

韩国媒体週二报导，熙川发电厂水坝因偷工减料龟裂漏水，朝鲜前领导人金正日在怒火焚心下赶往视察途中，暴毙于专 列车厢。

韩国《朝鲜日报》报导，据通晓朝鲜事务的韩国消息灵通人士透露，去年12月17日猝然去世的朝鲜国防委员长金正日，就是因为在朝鲜慈江道清川 江游域上兴建的熙川发电厂水坝，因偷工减料而龟裂漏水，导致怒火三丈的金正日暴毙于前往视察的专列上。

朝鲜当局于去年12月19日曾宣佈，金正日在前往现场指导的列车上，因身心过度疲劳而去世。

报导指出，被朝鲜歌颂为「强盛大国栋樑事业」的熙川发电厂，能解决平壤市及附近地区电力不足的困窘局面。于2009年3月动工以来，至去年底 为止，金正日已前后8次由平壤北上视察。其中，有4次还是和接班人金正恩一同前往，激励兴建工人。

主体工程频出状况

原本工期定为10年的熙川发电厂，在金正日父子督促下，于3年多的今年4月5日竣工，因而在朝鲜出现了「熙川速度」的新造语。

但由于工期的急遽缩短及偷工减料，使得可容纳8亿5000万立方公尺水量的高100公尺、宽555公尺的水坝，处处出现龟裂跡象，漏水程度已 达水坝安全令人堪忧的地步。

报导指出，金正日于去年12月在听取熙川发电厂水坝漏水报告之前，已获知「主体钢铁」、「主体纤维」等象徵「强盛大国」的栋樑事业，都因偷工 减料而出现不达標准值的消息。

当再听到熙川发电厂水坝也发生同样毛病后，终于导致暴毙于视察专列上的悲剧。

据报导，今年4月5日举行的熙川发电厂竣工典礼，金正恩未出席，或许正是为了「金正日怒火暴毙」这个原因。

Republicans Blast Susan Rice for Misleading Public: “That’s Our Job”

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—A trio of Republican senators today blasted U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice for misleading the American public, which, in the words of Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC..), “has traditionally been our job.” “Ambassador Rice has been engaged in nonstop lies and double-talk,” said Sen. Graham, one of three Republican senators who had a closed-door meeting with Rice. “If she really wants to do those things so badly, she should run for the U.S. Senate like the rest of us.”

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) agreed with Sen. Graham’s assessment, saying of the meeting, “I heard Susan Rice spew nothing but half-truths, distortions, and complete fabrications. It felt like I was watching Fox News, except that she’s black.”

The third senator, John McCain (R-Ariz.), said that he found Ambassador Rice’s story profoundly disappointing: “Considering that the C.I.A. was involved, I thought there’d be more sex.”

The Latest Developments In The Petraeus Sex Scandal Has Taken A Turn Toward The Bizarre.

Paula Broadwell, the original other woman.
In the past 12 hours, the news flow in the Petraeus sex scandal has taken a turn toward the bizarre.


Jill Kelley, the mysterious woman in Tampa.
Let's recap:

    The center of gravity in the scandal has shifted to a mysterious woman in Tampa Bay whom many of our top military and law-enforcement brass appear to be obsessed with.

    This woman, Jill Kelley, is the wife of a surgeon and an "unpaid liaison" between the public and a nearby Air Force base. This "job" seems mainly to include hosting and attending parties and emailing with generals and FBI agents.

    Paula Broadwell, General Petraeus's mistress, lost her mind and sent anonymous harassing emails to this woman.

    Kelley got freaked out by the harassing emails and called the FBI, thus triggering the investigation that, so far, has sucked in the head of the CIA, a top general, and an FBI agent.

    The FBI agent assigned to investigate the case lost his mind and emailed "shirtless photos" to the woman.

    Another top US general, John Allen, lost his mind and sent 20,000-30,000 pages of email to the same woman, some of which were described as "inappropriate"

    General David Petraeus showed up at a party at this woman's house in a 28-car motorcade.

    The woman, Jill Kelley, has hired the same lawyer that defended Bill Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the same crisis PR person who represented Michael Vick.

    The woman insists that she has done nothing wrong and that she's the victim here (did anyone suggest she has done anything wrong?).

    The FBI agent who sent the shirtless photos of himself to the woman called Congress two weeks ago and leaked news of the investigation to House majority leader Eric Cantor.

    Paula Broadwell's dad says, tantalizingly, that "this story is about something else entirely" and that the whole truth will eventually come out.

    "Classified" material has been found on Paula Broadwell's computer, but both Petraeus and Broadwell deny that it came from him.

    The FBI just raided Paula Broadwell's house.

If this story really is about "something else entirely," we can't wait to hear what that is.

伊利諾州國會議員的「潮州女兒」達克沃斯 - 从伊拉克戰场到达她祖国政治

擁 有一半華裔血統的譚美．達克沃斯(Tammy Duckworth)，6日晚宣告當選伊利諾州國會議員，成為伊州首位亞裔國會眾議員。

達克沃斯的父親是美軍，母親林麗嬋是泰國華裔。她曾在2006年參選聯邦眾議員，以些微差距落敗，今年捲土重來，再 戰伊州第八選區聯邦眾議員，與共和黨對手華許(Joe Walsh)經過被稱為是國會選舉歷史上最昂貴的選戰之一，終於勝出。

出生於泰國的達克沃斯，由於父親曾為聯合國工作，從小就跟著父親遊走東南亞各國。她在取得碩士學位後，因加 入預備軍官培訓課程(ROTC)，決定投入軍旅，成為首批戰鬥直升機的女性駕駛員。

她在2004年參與伊拉克戰役時，因駕機被擊中而喪 失雙腿，從此必須以輪椅和義肢代步。但她從不以行動不便，阻礙自己，曾以三輪車長征26.2哩的芝加哥 馬拉松大賽。

歐巴馬總統上任不久，她被任命為聯邦退伍軍人部助理部長。

她表示，童年的經驗讓她更能體認生 長在美國的優勢和權益，也讓她更懂得珍惜、感謝，包容不同的文化，也更具國際觀。

Duckworth defeats Walsh in congressional contest

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Candidates for the 8th Congressional District seat, Democrat Tammy Duckworth (left) and Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh hold campaign events Thursday night. (Phil Velasquez, Chicago Tribune)

Democrat Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran who lost both legs in combat before turning to politics, defeated freshman Republican Rep. Joe Walsh on Tuesday night after a bitter and expensive campaign that attracted outsize national attention.
With 93 percent of the unofficial vote counted, Duckworth had 55 percent, with 45 percent for Walsh. Duckworth led in all three counties: suburban Cook, DuPage and Kane.

“I am proud to be your servant in Congress. Together we bring a new attitude to Washington, and starting on my first day I will remind the Congress that we are here to serve, not to obstruct. All Americans should be served by their government,” Duckworth told supporters.
Walsh conceded, congratulating Duckworth on a “tough, tough race.”
“I'm going to cry tonight. ... It wasn't an easy phone call for me to make,” Walsh told supporters. “Cry a little. Then get up. We have a state to save. We have a country to save.”
The campaign was watched nationally because of Walsh's status as a firebrand tea party icon and Duckworth's backing from top Democrats, including President Barack Obama, who did an automated phone call for her.
The contest was marked with scathing attacks from both sides. Duckworth labeled Walsh a “deadbeat” who was too extreme to represent the district. She seized on his personal financial struggles and frequent campaign faux pas, including his claims that medical advances have eliminated the need for women to have life-saving abortions.
Duckworth's strategy throughout the long and bruising campaign was to underscore her stark differences with Walsh, said Duckworth campaign manager Kaitlin Fahey. Walsh's “loud, bombastic” rhetoric made that easy, she said.
“When he took a position that was so counter to the heart and soul of this district, we would highlight that and make the distinction clear between these two candidates,” Fahey said.
Walsh, meanwhile, painted Duckworth as a failed bureaucrat who relied too much on her personal narrative as a war hero instead of her ideas for office. He contended she was more concerned with becoming a national political figure than helping voters in a district drawn by Democratic leaders specifically to elect her.
“From Day One, it was, ‘Justin, get me on the first plane back after every vote, and I don't want to be in D.C. until one hour before I have to vote,'” said Walsh spokesman Justin Roth. “And because of that, there's just a groundswell of people who appreciate the fact that they actually have a member of Congress who actually wants to hear what they say.”
Both candidates enjoyed wide name recognition from the start and wrestled to keep a race that kept venturing into the national spotlight focused on local issues. Given that many knew Duckworth's military story, she sought to get beyond that by portraying herself as a member of the community who would fight to bring jobs and federal dollars back to the district, support immigration changes and embrace its growing diversity.
For his part, Walsh is an outspoken freshman in Congress who touts the fact that he has made few friends while in Washington, even among his Republican counterparts. He campaigned on holding the line on national debt, saying he would not vote for a single program that added to it. Walsh supports an overhaul of the Medicare and Social Security programs while declaring that government needs to “get out of the way” of small businesses struggling under a bad economy and confusing regulations.

In a district that voted 62 percent for Obama in 2008, Duckworth's campaign kept a close eye on independents.
Despite his status as an incumbent, Walsh had cast himself as David while comparing Duckworth to Goliath. Duckworth routinely out-raised Walsh, and she had $4.5 million in her campaign chest as of last month, compared with roughly $1.8 million for Walsh.
But Walsh received major support from conservative political groups that poured more than $5 million into the race on his behalf. Duckworth also got about $500,000 in support from outside groups.
Walsh said his campaign focused on building support on the ground as opposed to the airwaves, noting it was cheaper and more effective when neighbors tried to win over neighbors.
In addition to his statements on abortion, Walsh drew attention for saying Duckworth talked too much about her war service, unlike “true heroes.” He also claimed radical Islam was infiltrating the suburbs and apologized after he called Obama “idiotic.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee sought to tie Duckworth to imprisoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who appointed her to lead the state veterans affairs agency.