Wolf! Wolf!

Powerline:

It is becoming increasingly clear that the Democratic Party perpetrated massive voter fraud in state after state in the 2004 election, just as it did in the 2000 election. The latest news comes from Wisconsin, where a task force has been formed to probe fraud apparently perpetrated by the Democrats in Milwaukee. (my bold)

Now let's read from the news article they think leads to these claims:

Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann said he and U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic agreed to investigate potential problems together. The effort will also include the Milwaukee Police Department and the local office of the FBI.

McCann told the newspaper the group of prosecutors and investigators, including one with computer expertise, will try to "see if there was voter fraud or not. That's the major thrust." (again, my bold)

So at this point, there's no evidence of any fraud, and I could just as easily make a claim that Republicans are to blame and be on equally safe ground.

There's more in the article:

McCann's announcement comes after a series of revelations by the newspaper that have left critics worrying that the problems signal either bureaucratic blundering or widespread fraud, though they can't determine which because the system itself is so messed up. (again, the bold is mine)

So there is absolutely no reason at this point to suspect targeted fraud by a political party. But leave it to the folks at Powerline, one of the pioneers of the new media, to create a partisan story to further their cause.

One more laugher from the aforementioned Powerline piece:

Voter fraud is the great unacknowledged issue of our time. Nothing will change unless an outraged citizenry demands change.

Ah, memories. Let's see what they had to say about "an outraged citizenry demand[ing] change" in Ohio:

Today's Democrats have no respect for our country's institutions or for democratic processes. Partisanship is all. Surely they must understand the damage they do to our institutions when they refuse to accept the basic principle of democracy: when you lose an election, the other guys get to govern.

So let the other guys run rampant with cries of fraud while at the same time dismissing any claims by the other side. Got it, guys. Thanks.

By the way, let me once again state that bipartisan attempts to clean up situations like these will ultimately lead to a stronger Democracy and should be applauded. I'm on the record as being all for it. But using instances like this for unproven claims of targeted fraud is simply ridiculous.

*UPDATE* Hey there, Crooked Timber readers! Thanks for stopping by. I've got some popcorn and some cold drinks in the fridge. Take off you shoes and let me rub your shoulders 'til you feel alright...