CHANGE: Ohio Democrat Steve Driehaus Losing To Steve Chabot 39% to 56%. “A new SurveyUSA poll sponsored by Firedoglake shows incumbent Democrat Steve Driehaus substantially behind former Republican Congressman Steve Chabot in Ohio’s 1st congressional district. If the election were held today, Chabot would beat Driehaus in a head-to-head match up, 56% to 39%.”

Related: Did Firedoglake Take Out Vic Snyder? “Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) announced his retirement today, mixed–but mostly dire–news for Democrats, who were hopeful that he could hold on and defeat his likely, scandal-tainted GOP opponent Tim Griffin. One of the possible reasons for the retirement? A poll conducted by SurveyUSA, paid for by the progressive blog Firedoglake, which tested negative messages about the health care reform bill and whether it made voters sour on Snyder.”

CORY DOCTOROW: Candy-ass vice-principal calls the bomb squad over an 11-year-old’s science project, recommends counselling for the student. “A San Diego school vice-principal saw an 11-year-old’s home science project (a motion detector made out of an empty Gatorade bottle and some electronics), decided it was a bomb, wet himself, put the school on lockdown, had the bomb-squad come out to destroy X-ray the student’s invention and search his parents’ home, and then magnanimously decided not to discipline the kid (though he did recommend that the child and his parents get counselling to help them overcome their anti-social science behavior).” I don’t see the vice-principal’s name, but it should be made public. And the parents should sue.

Really, another reason to take your kids out of public school, where this kind of behavior is increasingly common.

UPDATE: Reader Bryan Woody writes:

I read this story in the Union-Tribune here and loved this line from the story:

“The school, which has about 440 students in grades 6 to 8 and emphasizes technology skills, was initially put on lockdown while authorities responded.”

So a vice-principal at a technology-centric magnet school freaks when a student actually uses technology, and is incompetent enough that he/she doesn’t know how it works?

That’s how it looks. Lame. He (or she) should be disciplined for this clueless overreaction, and probably sued.

COAKLEY CAMPAIGN getting desperate. Also, busing in SEIU folks.

UPDATE: More thoughts from Dan Riehl and William Jacobson. [LATER: From the comments at Jacobson’s: “Realistically speaking, though, most 23-month-olds who’ve been raped with a hot curling iron don’t require the morning after pill.”]

ANOTHER UPDATE: Busing in those SEIU folks just might backfire. Or maybe this explains why they’ve got to bring ’em in from out of state, when there ought to be plenty of SEIU folks right there in Massachusetts.

THE DECADE’S cookbooks and food lit.

SPITTING COBRA: Another dispatch from Michael Yon.

BUT STILL, DON’T GET COCKY: Scott Brown pulls ahead on Intrade.

HAITI: “Nothing On The Ground Yet.” At least, not outside Port Au Prince, where this report is coming from.

UPDATE: Not looking good.

WHO’S MISSING HERE? “President Barack Obama joined his two predecessors at the White House on Saturday to kick off a relief drive for earthquake-stricken Haiti.”

His two predecessors? Where’s #39? Is somebody at the White House trying to avoid unfortunate comparisons?

But wait, this isn’t an isolated incident:

The Cook County Democratic party sent out a direct mail piece this week touting endorsed candidates centered on the theme that “throughout history, Democrats have led us to prosperity.”

Pictured is the roll of Democratic presidents of the past seven decades in chronological order, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Bill Clinton and favorite son president Barack Obama.

Oops. Where’s Jimmy Carter?

Still “history’s greatest monster,” I guess . . . .

UPDATE: A couple of readers note that Bush 41 wasn’t there, either. I kinda put that down to not wanting to be outnumbered by Bushes, but good point. Actually either he (because of his tsunami work with Bill) or Carter (general third-world do-gooder) would have made more sense than W. An alternative theory, from a couple of other readers, is that the Haiti relief effort is going badly and Obama wanted W. in the picture to protect him from criticism. That seems a stretch to me.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Beldar writes:

I’m sure you realize that Bush-41 — born June 12, 1924 — is 85 years old, even though he’s still pretty spry and active for an 85-year-old. He’s a duty-driven old warhorse whose long service to his country looks more remarkable with every passing year, but can we finally permit him to let some other, younger men (including his son) answer the bugle call?

And I would have thought you would know, and have remembered, that Bush-43 has done more actual good in the Third World than the last several presidents put together while he was actually IN the White House, in part through HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment work in Africa, but even more dramatically (if less sexily) through fighting malaria with simple mosquito nets and pest eradication programs in Africa and elsewhere. I seem to recall reading about that on InstaPundit, but perhaps I’m mistaken, so if you want me to run down some links, lemme know and I’ll fire up the old Google engine.

Yeah, sure, Dubya’s never gotten the public recognition for that work that he and the United States deserve, and indeed half the American public thinks he’s a sharp-fanged Grinch who screened video of starving Iraqi babies at night while he and Laura (often joined by the Cheneys) laughed and dined on caviar and champagne. But that’s horseshit, of course, and I hate to see you perpetuate, even gently or by omission, the false stereotypes that the so-called “reality-based community” cling to so bitterly.

(Of course, it’s only fair that Bush-43 be involved in the relief efforts, since he’s 100% responsible for the man-made global warming that CAUSED the earthquake!)

Good point.

MORE: Reader Drew Kelley writes:

Outside of the fact that Bush-41 is 85 years old, it does sort of follow with the last time this type of relief effort was mounted.

The Christmas Tsunami brought together G.H.W.Bush and W.J.Clinton to raise needed funds.

Now, it is Clinton and G.W.Bush.

Hopefully, when this happens again (and it will), it will be when the next President is in office, and the effort can be led by G.W.Bush & B.H.Obama.

Heh.

VIRGINIA POSTREL: Saying It Over and Over Doesn’t Make It True: The NYT’s “Ethics” Rules Cont’d.

REAL JOURNALISM AT WORK: Bill Shory has an excellent reputation in this town, and for a reason.

A RECIPE FOR BRAISED SHORT RIBS OVER POLENTA. If they’re as good as these, they’re awesome.

RASMUSSEN: 67% Say News Media Have Too Much Influence Over Government Decisions.

HELP HAITI with charitable texting. “Text the word ‘HAITI’ to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross. And get on with your life!”

SOYLENT PINK? In Vitro Stem-Cell Pseudo-Pork on the Menu Soon.

DAN RIEHL: How An Army Of Davids Could Win MA For Scott Brown.

And, yeah, the polls look good for Brown, but don’t get cocky. Remember, if it’s not close, they can’t cheat.

DONALD BOUDREAUX: The Haiti Earthquake and Economic Freedom: Richer Societies Are Safer Societies.

IN THE MAIL: From Mark Bechtel, He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back: The True Story of the Year the King, Jaws, Earnhardt, and the Rest of NASCAR’s Feudin’, Fightin’ Good Ol’ Boys Put Stock Car Racing on the Map.

THE HILL: Ethics committee probing Visclosky, Tiahrt for ties to PMA lobbying firm. “The House ethics committee is examining Reps. Peter Visclosky’s (D-Ind.) and Todd Tiahrt’s (R-Kansas) ties to PMA Group, a now-defunct lobbying firm that was raided by the FBI last year. The ethics panel Friday announced that it has extended a review of Visclosky’s and Tiahrt’s activities for 45 more days after an initial probe that began Dec. 2. The committee said it will announce its “course of action” by March. 2.”

COUNT BASIE REMEMBERS THE BLUES.

ANOTHER WAY TO use a gun to protect your property. I’m skeptical.

MICKEY KAUS: The Deal: Join a Union, Get a Tax Break?

Is Health Care Reform Now a Vehicle to Promote Unionization? It’s one thing to delay until 2018 the tax on “Cadillac” health plans for existing union-negotiated plans, to let the parties rejigger the balance between wages and benefits. That’s a standard “grandfather” clause, letting people whose existing arrangements are disrupted keep them going for a while (though why it should apply only to union pay packages is a good question).

But it’s another thing to extend this union loophole to collective bargaining agreements that haven’t been negotiated yet, or to not-yet unionized firms that organize and then tap into existing collectively bargaining benefit arrangements. That would in effect give workers a tax bonus if they should organize between now and 2018. The government might as well mail a “first time union member” check of $3,000 to every American who successfully unionizes his workplace.

Don’t give ’em any ideas.

NETWORK FLAW CAUSES scary Web error.

“MONEY IS WORTH NOTHING NOW, water is the currency.”

This is something that’s come up in past disaster preparedness posts. If you’re keeping emergency supplies, it’s a good idea to stock a water filter, along with bottled water, etc. And don’t forget that toilet tanks, hot water heaters, and pipes trap clean water.

MARTIN PERETZ: Harold Ford, Jr. Can Win.

CHARLIE COOK: Colossal Miscalculation On Health Care: Obama and Hill Democrats should have focused much more on the economy. They focused hardest on what they cared about most.