Quick "Hits" With One Week to Go

A few quick hits from the campaign trail:

- The NY Times has not endorsed one Republican running for national office for the first time since Watergate.

- On Sunday, Sen. John Kerry put his foot firmly in his mouth by telling a group of college students:

"You know, education -- if you make the most of it, you study hard and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. And if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

Unbelievably, his comments were SUPPORTED by at least one prominent Democrat. CNN reports "Vietnam veteran and former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia defended Kerry and applauded the senator for showing 'our party how to fight back with the truth.'"
Watch Senator Kerry's remarks for yourself here

- On Wednesday, November 1, the NY Times will publish a remarkably reflective piece on Ned Lamont's attempt to purchase himself a Senate seat for over $12M. Lamont, who has constantly referred to the fact that he "built a business from scratch" despite the fact that he was a child of privilege is not exactly your average Connecticut resident. The Times reports:

Mr. Lamont often mentions his use of an environmentally correct vehicle, a Ford hybrid, on the campaign trail, but Mr. Lamont and his wife also own a Lexus convertible, a Mercedes, a Volvo, a Jaguar and an electric Gem they keep at their vacation home in Maine. Their children attend private schools in Greenwich, where, until recently, they belonged to an exclusive, mostly white country club, and their art collection includes a Norman Rockwell, “The Right to Know,” bought for $1.05 million.

[Query this: The NY Times calls a hybrid an environmentally "correct" vehicle. Doesn't that mean ALL non-hyrbid cars are "incorrect"?]

-If Senator Lieberman wins reelection, how will he treat the significant numbers of state and national Democrats -- including our senior senator -- that campaigned against him? I suspect the answer to that question depends on two facts: (1) whether the Democrats retake the Senate, and (2) whether Sen. Lieberman plans to run in 2012 at the age of 70.

Connecticut Federal Judge Strikes Police Officer With Car

The New Haven Register is reporting:

The motorist who struck and critically injured a city police officer working a traffic detail Tuesday is a senior federal judge in New Haven, sources said.

John M. Walker, Jr., who is in his mid-60s, had been the chief judge for the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for six years until Sept. 30, when he assumed senior status with the federal judiciary.

Police sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said Walker was the driver of the sport utility vehicle that struck Officer Dan Picagli, a 17-year veteran, on Chapel Street in Wooster Square. Picagli, 38, remains in critical condition at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

UPDATE: The Hartford Courant is reporting that Officer Picagli, a much revered member of his community, died Saturday night. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.