In the Loop Carpetbagger Deflector contest. (WashPost) Funny

[coda]

How to Sweep an Accusation Under the Rug

By Al Kamen
Monday, August 16, 2004; Page A15

And now, the winners in the In the Loop Carpetbagger Deflector contest. This was to help our Gaithersburg neighbor and new Illinois GOP Senate candidate, Alan Keyes, come up with a deft sound bite to overcome allegations that he is a carpetbagger.


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The hundreds of e-mail entries -- including several dozen from Illinoisans -- generally grouped around a few themes: Polish sausage vs. crab cakes; Abraham Lincoln's being from Kentucky; Clinton; Osama and Obama; locks and "Keyes"; and spending time at O'Hare.


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"I intend to walk in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln -- a man who was born outside of Illinois, moved to Illinois, ran for Senate and lost." -- Washington lawyer Eric Columbus. In that Lincolnesque theme, Adam Vaught, a third-year law student at Northern Illinois University, suggests: "All of my life I've wanted to run for the Senate in Illinois, just like Abraham Lincoln. That's why I talk about slavery every time I speak."


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"Comparing my decision to that of Senator Clinton ignores history and geography. Moving west in search of opportunity is an essential dynamic in our national heritage. It's a shame that those who accuse me of inconsistency don't share the values of Americans who honor the pioneer spirit." -- Donald A. Lash, executive director of a nonprofit organization in New York.


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• "Alan Keyes -- representing the interest of all Illinoisans since, well, last Friday." -- Randall Harrison, who works for the Agriculture Department in Chicago.



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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3658-2004Aug15.html