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Bill Maher answered his own question while discussing the political prospects for Anthony Weiner and whether he is able to make a comeback in New York, compared to Mr. Appalachian trail, Mark Sanford, who has already been forgiven and won his party's primary for the upcoming House race in South Carolina.

As Maher explained during his New Rules segment this Friday, the Republicans are the Christian party and "there's nothing Evangelicals eat up like a redemption story," but when it comes to the Jewish guy from New York, "no Jesus mulligan for him."

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It looks like Sarah Palin isn't the only one desperate to get another Republican into the Missouri Senate race after Todd Akin has refused to step down. From this Wednesday evening's Hannity on Fox, Ann Coulter lashed out at Akin, calling him a "selfish swine" who "is going to hurt the Republican party" and suggested that someone needs to start a write-in campaign to get another name on the ticket.

These Republicans really get nasty when things don't go their way. Hannity and Coulter proceeded for the rest of the segment to play a major game of false equivalencies and projection and started carping about that evil non-existent "liberal media" giving President Obama, Bill Maher, and Joe Biden a pass. And they took turns bashing Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy and Anthony Weiner as part of the Democrats' "war on women," because we all know anything they've done in their personal lives, no matter how long ago, is exactly the same as the House Republicans passing hundreds of bills that go after women's reproductive rights, birth control, medical coverage and health care.

Of course we all know what Akin is really guilty of, which is allowing the general public to get a full view of the fact that what used to be considered extremists are now the "mainstream" of the Republican Party. They've been taken over by the TeaBirchers and have been happy to have their votes, but don't care so much for any sunshine on their views being allowed.

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House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) on Friday refused to condemn Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) suggestion that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Huma Abedin, had infiltrated the U.S. government on behalf of radical Islamists in the Muslim Brotherhood.

Last week, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) accused Bachmann and four other Republican lawmakers of “specious and degrading attacks” after they called on inspectors general in the State, Homeland Security, Defense and Justice departments to investigate “potential Muslim Brotherhood infiltration” of the Obama administration by Abedin, an aide to Secretary Clinton and wife of former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY).

McCain was just the first in a series of Republicans -- including House Speaker John Boehner, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner and former Bachmann campaign manager Ed Rollins -- who spoke up to condemn the anti-Muslim accusations.

Although Cantor had recently said his party needed to be more tolerant of LGBT people and Muslims, he seemed on Friday to legitimize Bachmann's call for an investigation.

"If you read some of the reports that have covered this story, I think that her concern was about the security of the country," the Virginia Republican insisted to CBS host Charlie Rose. "So, that's about all I know."

In an interview with BuzzFeed last week, Cantor called on Republicans for an "acceptance of diversity."

"I’ve always said we need to be a party of inclusion not exclusion," Cantor explained. "We need to be promoting tolerance and, you know, as someone who is a religious minority, I sort of grew up with having that mindset, knowing full well that I am in a very distinct way from a religious background, separate and apart from the mainstream of this country."

He added that it was "absolutely wrong to stereotype or look badly at anyone because of their religion."

(h/t: Think Progress)

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Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert on Tuesday lashed out at Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and other Republican "numbnuts" who have criticized Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) for suggesting that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Huma Abedin, had infiltrated the U.S. government on behalf of radical Islamists in the Muslim Brotherhood.

Last week, McCain accused Bachmann, Gohmert and three other Republican lawmakers of "specious and degrading attacks" after they called on inspectors general in the State, Homeland Security, Defense and Justice departments to investigate “potential Muslim Brotherhood infiltration” of the Obama administration by Huma Abedin, an aide to Secretary Clinton and wife of former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY).

Other Republicans like House Speaker John Boehner, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner and former Bachmann campaign manager Ed Rollins have also condemned the anti-Muslim accusations.

"Well, it’s obvious that John McCain didn’t even read the letter because of what he said in accusing Michele and us of making these horrible accusations," Gohmert told conservative radio host Dennis Miller on Tuesday.

"And I wish some of these numbnuts would go out and read the letter before they make these horrible allegations about the horrible accusations we’re making."

He added: "But we also know that John McCain himself had said back in the early stages of stuff going on in Egypt that he was, in his words, 'unalterably opposed to helping the Muslim Brotherhood.' Well, obviously the unalterable person has been altered, so he is OK with it now."

Last week, Gohmert told U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano that his suggestion that Homeland Security Advisory Council member Mohamed Elibiary was working for the Muslim Brotherhood had nothing to do with the fact that he is a Muslim.

“The allegations are not because he is Muslim,” Gohmert insisted at a House Judiciary Committee hearing. “You’ve followed me around the world, you’ve seen me huggin Muslims around the world, because the ones I hug are our friends, and this administration seems to have a hard time recognizing members of terrorist groups who are allowed into the White House."

"Numbnuts" is derogatory slang term that mostly likely originated in the U.S. military. It is often used to to describe an ignorant person, but it can also imply cowardice, sterility or impotence.

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(Jon Stewart mocks wingnut Michele Bachmann for her Muslim Brotherhood conspiracy theories.)

As we noted this week, wingnut and McCarthy wannabe Michele Bachmann went so far as to attack her fellow House member, Keith Ellison, claiming he has a "long record" of association with the Muslim Brotherhood. This following her and fellow Republicans witch hunt against Huma Abedin, aide to Secretary Clinton and wife of former Rep. Anthony Weiner. It seems Bachmann has finally crossed the line where the House Intelligence Chair has turned on her.

Chairman Of House Intelligence Committee Drops Support For Bachmann’s Islamophobic Witchunt:

Before facing heat this week for her paranoid quest to root out Muslim Brotherhood influence on the U.S. government, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) got support from the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers. But today, Rogers distanced himself from Bachmann’s allegations about Muslim-Americans.

In an interview with the USA Today, Rogers responded to a wave of criticism about Bachmann’s allegations about Huma Abedin, a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Rogers said:

That kind of assertion certainly doesn’t comport with the Intelligence Committee, and I can say that on the record. I have no information in my committee that would indicate that Huma is anything other than an American patriot.

This was not an activity that was sanctioned as any intelligence committee matter.

Rogers was singing a different tune earlier this month when he appeared on a radio show hosted by Islamophobe Frank Gaffney, a sometime Bachmann advisor and source of her attacks.

What kills me is that it took this long for anyone in her own party to finally call out this crazy flame thrower for the rhetoric that comes out of her mouth. After she went on Chris Matthews' show back in 2008 and said that she wanted members of Congress investigated for being "anti-American" we didn't hear a peep out of any of them. And she was rewarded with a spot on the House Intelligence Committee instead of being asked to take a trip to the doctor's office and being put on medication.

Continue reading »

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Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) on Thursday responded to criticism over her attacks on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Huma Abedin, by claiming that Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) also had a "long record" of association with radical Islamists in the Muslim Brotherhood.

Last week, the St. Cloud Times reported that Bachmann and four other Republicans sent a letter to inspectors general in the State, Homeland Security, Defense and Justice departments calling on them to investigate “potential Muslim Brotherhood infiltration” of the Obama administration by Abedin, an aide to Secretary Clinton and wife of former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY). Their accusations were based on a report by Frank Gaffney’s neoconservative Center for Security Policy.

On Wednesday, Ellison, who is Muslim, told the Star Tribune that this "is one of those moments when you can't stay silent," adding that the attacks were "McCarthyism at its worst."

Republicans like House Speaker John Boehner, Arizona Sen. John McCain, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Bachmann campaign manager Ed Rollins also condemned the anti-Muslim accusations.

Speaking to conservative radio host Glenn Beck on Thursday, Bachmann declined to respond to her Republican critics, but attempted to smear Ellison by associating him with Islamic radicals.

"So when you wrote this letter, then Keith Ellison comes out," Beck told Bachmann. "Keith Ellison is -- he has a record of being the Mafia hitman."

"Well, [Ellison] has a long record of being associated with CAIR and with the Muslim Brotherhood," Bachmann agreed. "[S]o he came out and essentially wanted to shut down the inspectors general from even looking into any of the questions that we were asking. So he wanted to shut it down. In response I wrote another letter back to Keith Ellison, a 16-page letter which I would encourage all of your listeners to go and read this letter. It’s what I call a bulletproof letter."

"And so then now what’s happened is the attack machine has been turned on myself and the other members of congress who have been asking the questions, that somehow we’re the Muslim haters, we’re the witch-hunters, we’re the new Joe McCarthyites because we’re asking these questions," she insisted.

Later on Thursday, Ellison told CNN's Anderson Cooper that Bachmann's charges were "ridiculous."

"That's not true," the Minnesota congressman explained. "I don't have any Muslim Brotherhood connections that she's talking about."

"I'm absolutely not trying to shut down their investigation. What I'm trying to do is raise a concern about unfounded allegations of disloyalty, specifically with regard to Huma Abedin and a few other people who she mentioned."

Ellison continued: "It's about marginalizing and alienating a group of Americans who she does not view as all-American enough."

(h/t: MinnPost)

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House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) on Thursday refused to consider removing Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) from the House Intelligence Committee even though he said it was "pretty dangerous" for her to accuse Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Huma Abedin, of infiltrating the U.S. government on behalf of radical Islamists in the Muslim Brotherhood.

Last week, the St. Cloud Times reported the Bachmann and four other Republicans sent a letter to inspectors general in the State, Homeland Security, Defense and Justice departments calling on them to investigate “potential Muslim Brotherhood infiltration” of the Obama administration by Abedin, an aide to Secretary Clinton and wife of former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY). Their accusations were based on a report by Frank Gaffney’s neoconservative Center for Security Policy.

During a press conference on Thursday, a reporter asked Boehner if it was appropriate for a member of the House Intelligence Committee to make these types of unfounded accusations.

"I haven’t seen the letter, but — I don’t know Huma, but from everything I do know of her, she has a sterling character," Boehner pointed out. "And I think accusations like this being thrown around are pretty dangerous."

"Would you consider taking her off the Intelligence Committee? Congresswoman Bachmann?" the reporter pressed.

"I don’t know that that’s related at all," the Speaker replied.

On Wednesday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) also blasted Bachmann and the four other Republican lawmakers for their “specious and degrading attacks” on Abedin.

“The allegations about Huma Abedin and the report from which they are drawn are nothing less than an unwarranted and unfounded attack on an honorable citizen, a dedicated American and a loyal public servant,” the Arizona senator said. “These attacks have no logic, no basis and no merit. And they need to stop. They need to stop now.”

“When anyone — not least, a member of Congress — launches specious and degrading attacks against fellow Americans on the basis of nothing more than fear of who they are and ignorance of what they stand for, it defames the spirit of our nation and we all grow poorer because of it,” he added.

The Minnesota congresswoman found herself fleeing from CNN cameras later that day as Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash tried to get her respond to McCain's comments.

“The good news is I can walk pretty fast in heels,” Bash told CNN host Anderson Cooper. “The bad news is Michele Bachmann can walk just as fast. And she proved to be pretty adept at not only avoiding my questions, but talking enough that I could barely get any questions out.”

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(h/t: Think Progress)

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Arizona Sen. John McCain took to the Senate floor on Wednesday to call out a fellow Republican lawmaker for "specious and degrading attacks" which allege that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's deputy chief of staff had infiltrated the U.S. government on behalf of radical Islamists in the Muslim Brotherhood.

Last week, the St. Cloud Times reported the Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and four other Republicans had called on inspectors general in the State, Homeland Security, Defense and Justice Departments to investigate "potential Muslim Brotherhood infiltration" of the Obama administration by Huma Abedin, an aide to Secretary Clinton and wife of former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY).

"It has been alleged that Huma Abedin, a Muslim American, is part of a nefarious conspiracy to harm the United States," McCain explained on Wednesday, noting that the accusations were based on an "unsubstantiated" report by Frank Gaffney's neoconservative Center for Security Policy.

"The allegations about Huma Abedin and the report from which they are drawn are nothing less than an unwarranted and unfounded attack on an honorable citizen, a dedicated American and a loyal public servant," the Arizona senator continued. "These attacks have no logic, no basis and no merit. And they need to stop. They need to stop now."

"When anyone -- not least, a member of Congress -- launches specious and degrading attacks against fellow Americans on the basis of nothing more than fear of who they are and ignorance of what they stand for, it defames the spirit of our nation and we all grow poorer because of it," he added.

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Keith Olbermann says Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) isn't the only one in Congress having inappropriate relationships.

There have been rumors of House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) having affairs for years, according to the Current host.

"You know what's next, right?" Olbermann asked Fallon. "Something with John Boehner. Boehner. B-O-E-H-N-E-R. You know what his nickname is? Is -- is 'boner.' He answers to that."

"All sorts of rumors about him too," the liberal host continued. "Oh, yes. For a long time."

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Even former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin couldn't resist telling her own penis joke after Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) resigned Thursday.

"Here in New York today, we all witnessed the spectacle of Congressman -- he's still a congressman -- Anthony Weiner announcing that he was going to resign because of personal behavior that was utterly reprehensible," Fox Business' Judge Andrew Napolitano told Palin. "Should the Congress have threatened to kick him out or are the people of Brooklyn and Queens entitled to have a pervert representing them in Congress if that is what they want?"

"Yes, they are entitled to have someone like Anthony Weiner represent them if that is truly what they want, but I have faith of the people there in Queens and elsewhere in New York that they deserve better," Palin replied. "Anthony Weiner, from henceforth after his personal indiscretions were disclosed, he was going to be rendered impotent basically in Congress and he wasn’t going to be effective."