This looks like great news, so why am I skeptical? Over at Flash Report, the drumbeat for right wing Republican darling, Eric Roach, to run against Republican lobbyist Brian Bilbray has become frantic. Roach, for his part, remains silent. In fact, Roach has missed two deadlines established by his own spokesman for an announcement of his intentions. Last week, we were told Roach would have an announcement by week’s end. This week, the same line. No announcement.

Now to this latest poll. The numbers for Busby are outstanding. In a poll of 450 potential voters, skewed heavily with Republicans, Busby outperforms Bilbray 43% to 37%. This seems pretty unusual, so let’s look at the poll a little more closely.

First, the poll was commissioned by conservative Republican and Eric Roach supporter, Bill Hauf. Hauf ostensible wanted to find out both Bilbray’s position in his race against Busby, but also the mood of the conservative electorate. The poll appears to have been designed to insure that Bilbray’s liberal tendencies would be exposed.

Second, the poll used a classic “push poll” methodology. The money question of voter preference is preceded by questions designed to predispose the respondent to make a specific choice. For example, prior to asking if a voter prefers Busby or Bilbray, there might be a couple of questions about Bilbray the lobbyist. Or, depending on the poll, a question about Bilbray eating the flesh of young children.

Third, the poll was designed to scare Republicans. Bilbray (the eater of living children) performed far worse against Busby than Roach, the white knight of the Republican right.

However, this poll is good news for Busby. The margin of error is too great to be just the product of the “push poll” bias. And, it shows that Republican support of Bilbray is incredibly weak.

The continuing drumbeat of bad news regarding the Bush Administration and the support of Republican leaders like Cheney and Hastert are huge negative for Bilbray. In fact, the mainstream party support for Bilbray is playing right into both Busby and Roach’s hands.

The result here is great for Busby, a major negative for Bilbray and a big inducement to Roach to take on Bilbray (for his own good).

It is interesting how many members of congress and CIA employees are having a hard time remembering the details of those cigar and booze filled nights over at Brent Wilkes’ “hospitality suite.” Via TPM Muckracker:

Porter Goss never participated.

Dusty Foggo played poker, but never saw any hookers.

Jerry Lewis (CA-41) never hung with Wilkes outside of California.

Duncan Hunter (CA-51) doesn’t drink, smoke or hang out with riff-raff.

John Doolittle (CA-4) doesn’t speak to the press.

What about one of Wilkes other pals in congress, Brian Bilbray? Bilbray received some big money from Wilkes and was active both in congress and as a lobbyist while Wilkes was running his “hospitality” operation for lonely members of congress.

Why isn’t someone from the Pulitzer Prize winning San Diego Union Tribune asking Bilbray about his association with Wilkes?

Northern California’s powerful Republican congressman, John Doolittle (CA-4), won’t find anything positive to say about an article out today in the San Diego Union Tribune. In a front page story, reporter Dean Calbreath, connects the dots between Doolittle and Cunningham co-conspirator, Brent Wilkes.

Many of those connections go directly through Doolittle’s wife, Julie, who ran a one-person fundraising business out of the couple’s Virginia home. Her primary client, John Doolittle.

More on how to start a money-making home business follows.

Julie Doolittle’s business, Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions, operates out of the couple’s home in an affluent Washington, D.C. suburb. Although she claims to have other clients, the only identified patrons of her services represent a who’s who of disgraced lobbyist elite.

Julie Doolittle’s home business earned her over $180,000 in commissions from campaign contributions to John Doolittle’s Superior California Political Action Committee.  Money that, based on community property laws, also belongs to her husband, Representative John Doolittle. The Doolittle’s jumped on this particular gravy train virtually the day John Doolittle became a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

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Brent Wilkes connection with the Doolittle’s lines up closely with Doolittle ascension to power.

Guess who got a 15% commission on every penny of that $50,000? Yes, Julie Doolittle’s company, run out of the congressman’s home in Virginia. A $7,500 payday for going to a political dinner that was organized and financed by a contractor trying to influence Representative Doolittle to earmark funds for his companies. According to numerous sources, this November dinner was organized and catered by Brent Wilkes wife, Regina.

In May 2004, vehement anti-gambling crusader, John Doolittle held a major fundraiser for his political action committee at a Las Vegas casino-resort. Brent Wilkes was there and, as always, Julie Doolittle’s home business was raking in a piece of the action for the family bank account.

To say that Doolittle is running a perfect scam would be an understatement. It’s not the big league bribery and extortion that put Wilkes’ other partner, Randy “Duke” Cunningham in jail, but it is a scam that nets Doolittle a nice income directly from his political action committee, with no strings attached and no reporting requirements.

Considering Doolittle’s position of power on a key congressional committee, how much effort is required to keep funds flowing?

Perhaps it is true that John Doolittle doesn’t have to rely on his wife to keep money flowing into his political action committee, but it is nice to have her depositing PAC money directly into the family bank account.