…on the front page today, I thought I’d add this.

Next to National Review, the Weekly Standard is probably the most popular conservative news and opinion magazine in America. Bill Kristol, a well-known conservative TV pundit, is its editor.

The Standard‘s David Halper has written a story that strikes very close to home for Arizonans. Not only in its target, but in its sourcing as well. (All emphasis is added).

Richard Carmona, the former surgeon general under President George W. Bush and the current Democratic Senate candidate in Arizona, recently came under scrutiny after Senator Jon Kyl revealed a memorable conversation the two had about the perks of being a member of Congress. It happened in the 2006 election cycle, Kyl revealed to this publication last week, when Carmona was briefly recruited to be a Republican congressional candidate in the district outside Tucson.

“I had one phone conversation with him when the Republican party was looking for a candidate to run in the congressional seat [for the seat close to Tucson], and I talked to him about it,” Kyl told me.

“I thought his response was odd and a little off-putting. … He seemed more concerned about the perks of the office; he specifically asked about a house and a car, in the context of, well, he wasn’t a wealthy man and he would need to consider what went with the job. And he also seemed to think that it was just a lot of work for just two years, and having to run again, he thought, well, a position in the Senate would be a lot better to hold.”

Oh, and here’s a current report on how Senators McCain and Kyl, REALLY stand on the Arizona Senate race.

Carmona has faced a backlash from both senators, who charge that it was dishonest of him to use their comments to imply support and that what they said in 2002 should have no bearing on the race today. They have both endorsed Flake for Senate.

Flake’s new ad, “Integrity,” features the two senators standing side by side speaking directly into the camera about Carmona’s ad, with McCain calling it “the most shameful of all.”

“We helped Carmona 10 years ago, but found he’s not the kind of man to represent you in the U.S. Senate,” Kyl says.

“It isn’t just that he supports the Obama agenda; his ads prove Carmona lacks integrity,” McCain adds.

Your comments are always welcome. Yours too, HP.

The commander, staff and garrison (me, myself and I) of Fort Buckley hereby present our favorite video of this election cycle: “I Want To Be A Crony,” by Chrony Chronicles.

The video opens with this foreboding message: “Our Children Used To Have Big Dreams.” Used to?

Then, it shows fresh-faced children talking about the types of dreams kids have always had:

When I grow up, I’m want to be a doctor!

I’m going to be an architect!

When I grow up, I want to work hard.

I’m going to take care of animals.

I’m going to help sick people.

I’m going to build the tallest skyscraper in the world!

But, things are different nowadays. For more than three years, our children have seen what the federal government has done with deficit spending. (I.e., what the feds have done with their [the kids'] money.)

The kids have taken the hint. The video then shows us a series of kids telling us their revised, more modern dreams:

When I grow up, I want to work for the government and rig the system!

I want to work for the IRS

The S..E..C

The D..O..E

I’m going to Capitol Hill to work on a committee, and put whatever my friends want into legislation.

I’m going to fight for MY piece of the taxpayer pie!

I’m going to play favorites!

I want to be a crony!

One kid looks puzzled. “What’s a crony,” she asks.

It’s like having a best friend, who gives you other people’s stuff!

The kid then hears more about the perks of being a crony:

The tax code is so complicated, nobody knows how WE get rich!

I’m going to build a big government program, for all my crony friends. THEY won’t have to play by the rules.

We get to spend taxpayer money, ANY way we want!

The kid is convinced. She decides that she wants to be a crony, too.

Why be a tax payer, when I can be a tax spender?

Cronies aren’t only legislators who spend money. They’re also regulators, who take care of their friends and punish their enemies.

Go watch the video. Think about how our country is changing, for the worse. Think about the twisted messages we’re sending our kids. Then vote.

Update: More cronyism—this time, in the auto bailouts.

Auto bailouts bleeding more taxpayer cash
Obama cronies profit from cooked books

Reports that the auto bailouts will cost taxpayers $25 billion more than previously projected have sparked the predictable political squabbles that attend an election year. Liberals claim the cost to taxpayers was worth the price of saving American car companies, while conservatives grouse about what they see as government wasting more taxpayer money.

The reality, however, is uglier than either side realizes. Those behind the wheel of the automobile bailout were not folks who build cars but cronies who successfully leveraged their highly placed connections. Indeed, lift the hood, and what you find is that the auto bailout was a classic tale of cronyism, in which the well-connected sped away with big bucks.

Not surprising. Disappointing, but not surprising. You should read the whole thing. Before Tuesday.