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The Raw Story

Poll: 73% of younger veterans would support ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal: A survey commissioned by Vet Voice Foundation concluded that a vast majority of recent US military veterans would accept the repeal of the controversial Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy.

Male pregnancy and abortion: The sex life of pipefish: PARIS — A skinny little fish called the pipefish is high on the list of wildlife oddities, for the male of the species is the one which gets pregnant.

Boehner cheers up bankers: ‘Don’t let punk staffers take advantage of you’: As the Senate Banking Committee finally considers a bill to reform the financial system that collapsed nearly a year and a half ago, House Minority Leader John Boehner is already cheering up bankers concerned about how the bill will affect

Senate sends jobs bill to Obama: WASHINGTON -- Amid deep election-year worries about high unemployment, the US Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to send President Barack Obama a 17.6-billion-dollar package aimed at creating jobs.It is the first of what I hope will be a series of jobs

Border patrol arrests man for crossing street: The town of Derby Line, Vermont, may be one of the most unusual places in North America. Running right through it is the Canadian border, on the other side of which is the village of Rock Island, Quebec.To the average

Nuns could provide ‘cover’ for pro-life holdouts on health reform: A strong new endorsement of the Democrats health reform bill from within pro-life community could help shift some momentum in its favor among lingering anti-abortion holdouts.In a major break from the Conference of Catholic Bishops,

Judge orders banks to trial over Milan bond deals: MILAN — A judge in Milan ordered banks JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Depfa, UBS and 13 people to stand trial for alleged fraud in the sale of derivative instruments, the prosecutor told AFP on Wednesday.JPMorgan, Depfa, Deutsche Bank and UBS have

Insurer went on campaign to drop HIV-positive clients: Krugman: Situations like this will get much worse without health care reformHealth insurance companies have become notorious for dropping coverage of clients with pre-existing conditions or those whose health problems become costly. But rarely has an insurer been accused of

‘I’s on Edjukashun’: Colbert mocks Texas school board: The Texas Board of Education recently made the decision to modify textbooks in a way that teaches students a version of history thats more favorable to conservatives. As one of the largest purchasers of textbooks, Texas has the power to

After months of opposition, Kucinich flips to ‘yes’ on health bill with no public option: Under intense fire from Democratic leaders and some reform activists, the sole remaining progressive against the health care bill has reluctantly reversed his opposition, bringing his party one crucial vote closer to its passage.This is not the bill I want

Hoyer: GOP acting like kid who killed his parents and wants sympathy: Democratic leader notes GOP Whip Hoyer backed use of deem and pass in pastHouse Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) paraphrased an old definition of the Yiddish term chutzpah to offer a stinging rebuke to Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) on

Hawaii considering law to ignore Obama ‘birthers’: Birthers beware: Hawaii may start ignoring your repeated requests for proof that President Barack Obama was born here.As the state continues to receive e-mails seeking Obamas birth certificate, the state House Judiciary Committee heard a bill Tuesday permitting government officials

Health bill protesters jeer at man with Parkinson’s disease: The passion against health care reform has elevated to such a level that protesters on Tuesday mocked an apparent Parkinsons Disease victim, scorning him as a communist who is looking for handouts.Protesters on both ends of the health care debate

Analysts: US may be seeking Israel ‘regime change’: The Obama administrations row with Israel over settlements has prompted some analysts to wonder whether it seeks regime change, a new government that can make peace with the Palestinians.However, the analysts doubt that President Barack Obamas administration, which has made

Revealed: Ashcroft, Tenet, Rumsfeld warned 9/11 Commission about ‘line’ it ’should not cr(...): Senior Bush administration officials sternly cautioned the 9/11 Commission against probing too deeply into the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, according to a document recently obtained by the ACLU.The notification came in a letter dated January 6, 2004, addressed

Premiums will rise under Democrats’ health plan: Last month, President Barack Obama bemoaned double-digit increases in healthcare premiums -- most notably a 39% year-over-year hike by the Blue Cross insurance leviathan Wellpoint in California. Wellpoint is raising premiums by double digits for many customers in 11 states.But

Postal Service pot seizures up over 400 pct. since 2007: report: The United States Postal Inspection Service has been pretty busy lately.Thats because shipments of marijuana being seized in the mail have dramatically escalated in recent years, up over 400 percent since 2007, according to a new report.There is no better

ACLU sues to obtain legal basis for Predator drone program: The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit after federal agencies neglected to answer a Freedom of Information Act request seeking documents pertaining to the legal basis for the militarys Predator drone program.The request specifically seeks information as to

Riots erupt across Jerusalem as Hamas leader calls for renewed ‘intifada’: JERUSALEM (AFP) – Hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces across east Jerusalem on Tuesday in the worst rioting in years, as a senior Hamas leader called for a new intifada or uprising.As the unrest rocked Jerusalem, US Middle

Afghanistan issues blanket pardons for war crimes: KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan confirmed for the first time publicly on Tuesday that it had enacted into law a blanket pardon for war crimes and human rights abuse carried out before 2001.Human rights groups have expressed dismay that the law

Daily Kos

National Insurance Rate Authority Won't Be in Reconciliation Package: The HHS rate review oversight proposal, introduced by Feinstein and included in the Obama plan, hasnt passed muster with the parliamentarian under the Byrd rule, as many of us speculated would be the case at the time it was proposed.

No CBO Score Tonight, Excise Tax Negotiations Back On: The excise tax, the issue that essentially forced the sidecar reconciliation, is back as an issue as Congress tries to find a way to squeeze more savings out of the bill for the CBO without raising taxes on the wealthy

Cantor Admits "Deem and Pass" Is Legitimate: Not that this will keep Republicans from screeching about the Slaughter Solution being unconstitutional (no matter how many times theyve voted for bills using it), but this morning Eric Cantor was forced to admit that the process is legitimate. this

Late afternoon/early evening open thread

Gingrich Broke the Law?: Hahahahaha. American Solutions: Passing Laws Without Voting On Them Is Blatantly Unconstitutional. In an email to supporters, Newt Gingrichs American Solutions for Winning the Future wrote: Because Speaker Pelosi cannot find enough votes to pass the deeply unpopular ObamaCare bill

AR-Sen: Lincoln's newfound distate of unions: Fresh off attacking health care and Democrats in her first primary ad, Lincoln is now trashing labor unions: Hughes: Only someone who has become a career politician in Washington, D.C., could spend 10 years asking for our support, take hundreds

Insurer Fortis Targeted HIV Patients for Rescission: While insurers continue to argue that they arent the bad guys, the evidence continues to mount against them. Murray Waas reports the latest. Reuters) - In May, 2002, Jerome Mitchell, a 17-year old college freshman from rural South Carolina, learned

Where's the CBO Report?: Chris lays out the timeline: In order to pass the bill by the Easter recess, and avoid any further delays that could sink the bill, the Senate needs to take up the bill next week. In order for the Senate

Don't Ask, Don't Tell? Don't Care: A survey commissioned by Vet Voice Foundation has found that an overwhelming majority of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars would be accepting of gays and lesbians serving openly in the armed forces. The phone survey of 510 veterans

Midday open thread: Some asshole makes a good point about the GOP hysteria over deem and pass: As with reconciliation, Republicans have made far more use of these procedures to “ram through” their agenda when in power, and the rules certainly gave them

Hey FOX: If they're passing HCR without a vote, why isn't it over yet?: You might have wondered, as I did, why passing health care without a vote is taking so damn long. But one place where theyre not even capable of that level of reflection is Fox News. Watch as anchor Margaret MacCallum

Jobs Bill Passes (With Bipartisan Support): As the midterms get closer, expect more and more votes where Republicans find that they just cant say no: The Senate approved and sent to President Obama on Wednesday what Congressional Democrats hope will be the first in a series

OMG! 100 times worse than Watergate!: Heh. The staff in the office of the Secretary of the Senate is sending us a message. The one I hinted at earlier. Did you see it in their schedule today? Its not just that this

Kucinich's Switch, Where does that Leave the Count?: Kucinich is flipping. “In the past week it’s become clear that the vote on the final bill will be very close,” Kucinich, who voted No last time because of the lack of the public option, said at a presser moments

Weak tea: Heres more evidence that the passage of health care reform may weaken rather than strengthen tea party enthusiasm: the turnout at Tuesdays health care protests was smaller than expected. As you can see in this video, even Fox was caught

Strategic Vision Comes Out From Under the Bed: Well, well, well. Normally, a fairly unremarkable gubernatorial primary poll (even in potentially competitive Georgia) would not merit much attention. Given the pollster, in this case, though, I will make an exception: Georgia Gubernatorial Race, Democratic and GOP Primaries, polled

America To Congress: Get Out Of My House: The new NBC/WSJ poll is out and its not good news for incumbents. In fact, 51% of respondents want someone new in Congress, whereas 38% would vote to re-elect their representative. And by 2:1, respondents favor split government rather than

Today in Congress: In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader: FLOOR SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010 House Meets At... 10:00 a.m.: Legislative Business First Vote Predicted... 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Last Vote Predicted...

Cheers and Jeers: Wednesday: From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE... Ayers? Ayers??? Republicans said this would happen, yknow. But did we listen to them? Nooooooooo! We laughed and called them names. Said they were being ridiculous and paranoid. Patted them on the butt head

Your Abbreviated Pundit Round-up: Glenn Beck day because of intertubez rumors about his staying power: Howard Kurtz: With his celebrity fueled by a Time cover story, best-selling books, cheerleading role at protest rallies and steady stream of divisive remarks, Beck is drawing big ratings.

Think Progress

Bachmann: ‘MoveOn.org people’ are not ‘real people.’: While yesterday’s tea party rally outside the Capitol drew an anemic crowd of about only 300, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) urged supporters to keep up the fight against health care reform for the rest of the week. Bachmann warned that

Boehner Tells Bankers To Fight Financial Reform: ‘Don’t Let Those Little Punk Staffers Take(...): This week, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) released the latest version of his financial regulatory reform bill, which aims to correct the deficiencies in the financial system that led to 2008’s economic crisis. The House of Representatives has

After Calling Self-Executing Rule Unconstitutional, Pence Admits He Previously Voted For It: Last week, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) stirred faux outrage over the House Democrats’ plan to use a “self-executing rule” to pass the Senate health care reform bill, saying Americans would “have standing to sue against” the bill and that it’s

‘Climate Crime Scene’ declared at Smithsonian’s David H. Koch Hall Of Human Origins.: Today, the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History unveiled a new exhibit named after right-wing billionaire polluter, David H. Koch. Greenpeace dispatched its Climate Crime Unit at the opening of the $20.7 million David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins in

AFP Refuses To Pull ‘Disgraceful’ Ad Attacking Congresswoman Whose Parents Recently Died Of(...): Conservative anti-reform front group Americans for Prosperity has been running vicious attack ads in Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper’s (D-PA) district, claiming that health care reform will lead to lower cancer survival rates. The ad — also running in 17 other key

Catholic nuns break with bishops and urge passage of health care reform.: In recent weeks, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been outspoken in its opposition to the Senate health care bill, saying that it doesn’t sufficiently restrict federal funds from being used for insurance coverage of abortions. However, in an

Bachmann Accuses The Media Of ‘Treason,’ Claims Use Of ‘Deem And Pass’ Warrants ‘Impe(...): Last Friday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) began freaking out that House Democrats are considering the use of a common parliamentary procedure known as either a “self-executing rule” or “deem and pass” to finish health care reform. “If they do that

Health care reform protesters mock man carrying sign saying he has Parkinson’s disease.: Activists staged “competing rallies” outside of Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy’s (D-OH) district office yesterday, in a noisy, often confrontational attempt to influence the undecided congresswoman’s vote. At one point, a man with a sign saying he has Parkinson’s disease and

Kucinich will vote for health care bill, says he’s bothered by ‘the attempt to de-legitimat(...): In recent weeks, it has become clear that the vote in the House of Representatives for the Senate’s health care bill will be very close. The lone progressive holdout on the bill had been Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who had

Hawaii considers legislation to ignore birthers.: The birther conspiracy continues to live on, despite definitive proof showing that President Obama was indeed born in the United States. Hawaii’s government agencies are becoming so frustrated with the delusional birthers that the state is considering a bill “permitting

ThinkFast: March 17, 2010: Norm Ornstein, a congressional scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, criticized Republicans for feigning indignation over House Democrats’ possible use of a self-executing rule to pass health reform. Noting that House Republicans used the rule more than 35 times in

POLL: More Than 70% Of Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans Comfortable Serving Alongside Openly Gay Troops: As the Pentagon prepares to survey soldiers about President Obama’s decision to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, a new poll of military personnel who served in the Afghanistan or Iraq wars has finds that sexual orientation is “not a burning

Lawmakers introduce legislation outlawing Florida’s ban on gay adoptions.: This afternoon, two Florida lawmakers introduced legislation to overturn the state’s ban on gay adoptions, something the legislature hasn’t debated in the law’s 33-year history. Rep. Scott Randolph’s measure, which amended a bill about gun ownership and adoptions, would have

Alexander Admits Senate GOP Will Obstruct Fixes To Improve Health Care Bill Simply For Partisan Gain: Yesterday, while discussing the Democrats procedural options for finishing health care reform, the Washington Post’s Ezra Klein discussed how the political dynamics would change if the House passes the Senate bill and then a reconciliation bill with some substantive fixes

1967 Flashback: ‘Gov. Romney Would Quit Church For Social Justice’: Fox News hate-talk show host and practicing Mormon Glenn Beck told his listeners to “run as fast as you can” if they find their church preaching “social justice,” claiming it is a “perversion of the Gospel.” In 1967, Michigan Gov.

CNN Taps Unhinged Conservative Blogger Erick Erickson As Regular Political Commentator: CNN announced today that conservative blogger Erick Erickson will join the network next week as a paid political commentator, primarily paired with John King on his new 7 p.m. show. Erickson, editor of the leading conservative blog RedState, also announced

Potential Arizona Gubernatorial Candidate Joe Arpaio: ‘We Should Send Troops To Mexico’: Joe Arpaio, an Arizona sheriff known for his controversial immigration enforcement tactics, says he’s “considering” running for governor of Arizona. “I would run for governor for two reasons, because the people want me, and I know I can do the

New York Times urged to issue correction for David Brooks’ column.: In his New York Times column today, David Brooks complains that the use of the budget reconciliation process to finish health care reform with a “simple majority” vote will ruin “the remnants of person-to-person relationships” that are left in the

Holding up the health care bill, Rep. Gohmert shouts, ‘I brought an abortion to show you today.’: As House Democrats prepare to vote on health care reform in the next few days, tea party activists protested outside the Capitol this morning, shouting cries of “kill the bill.” Reps. Steve King (R-IA) and Louie Gohmert (R-TX) addressed the

Conservatives Who Demanded We ‘Listen To’ And ‘Stand Behind’ Gen. Petraeus Now Disregard Him: When Vice President Biden recently told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel’s intention to build thousands of new settlements was undermining U.S. interests in the region, he was reportedly conveying the assessment made by Gen. David Petraeus.Foreign Policy’s Mark

Little Green Footballs

Wednesday Afternoon Metheny: Here’s a midday music break with the Pat Metheny Group, from a 1992 performance at Japan’s “Live Under the Sky” music festival.

Holder: 'Reading Miranda Rights to a Corpse': Attorney General Eric Holder is turning into quite a rambunctious cowboy: If bin Laden is found, he’ll be killed, Holder says.Osama bin Laden “will never appear in an American courtroom,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. told House members at

Hitchens: The Great Catholic Cover-Up: The investigations into child abuse in Germany’s Catholic schools are continuing to widen, now getting close to Pope Benedict himself, as his brother Joseph Ratzinger has been implicated in covering up the systemic child abuse (with the now well-known Catholic

Tuesday Afternoon Music: Bruce Hornsby, 'In The Low Country': Here’s Bruce Hornsby with an excellent solo version of “In the Low Country,” from his latest album Levitate.

Onion: New Initiative by US Bigots: The Onion reports on an initiative among the nation’s bigots to develop new state of the art slurs to keep pace with rising numbers of multi-racial births.WASHINGTON—A coalition of the nation’s most fervent bigots convened in Washington Monday to address

Clinton Pledges 'Unshakeable Bond' with Israel: Hillary Clinton dialed down the diplomatic confrontation with Israel this morning, pledging that the US has “an unshakeable bond” with Israel, and dismissing suggestions that the relationship between the US and Israel was at its worst point in decades.“We have

Onion: Kentucky Violated NCAA Rules

Video: Flogging the Scientists: Environmentalist Peter Sinclair fires off some pretty good snark at the climate change denial community in his new video, “Flogging the Scientists.” The title comes from denial mob leader Marc Morano, who said about climate scientists, “They deserve to be

Monday Afternoon Music: Gorillaz, 'Stylo'

Fox News vs. Glenn Beck: There is growing tension within the ranks at Fox News over the Glenn Beck Clown Show: Howard Kurtz - The Beck Factor at Fox: Staffers say comments taint their work. (Ya think?)Fox staffers note that veteran producer Gresham Striegel left

J. D. Hayworth: I Am Schtoopid: May I be blunt? The idea that legalizing same sex marriage will lead to bestiality is one of the most stone-dumb reactionary talking points of the religious right. Do these people really think the only reason humans don’t “marry” animals

Pew Research: Outlook Grim for Pay Walls: As mainstream news organizations increasingly find it difficult to turn a profit in the Internet Age, Pew Research has been studying the attitudes of news consumers toward some of the proposed solutions; and the prospects are pretty grim for news

Sunday Night Music: Steely Dan, 'Gaslighting Abbie': I like this version of Steely Dan’s “Gaslighting Abbie” even better than the one on Two Against Nature. Ricky Lawson is an ultrafunky metronome in this one, Walter Becker squeezes out some nicely twisted licks, and the arrangement is more

Record-Shattering Warm Winter Stuns Canadian Climate Scientists: Even as the right wing screams louder than ever that anthropogenic global warming is a “hoax,” climate scientists in Canada are appalled at the warmest winter on record: Wacky winter a signal of years to come: Climatologist.Of course, you already

A Big Defeat for the Anti-Vax Crowd: This week, Jenny McCarthy and the anti-vaccination “movement” were definitively shut down by a special branch of the US Court of Federal claims: Court says thimerosal did not cause autism.WASHINGTON – The vaccine additive thimerosal is not to blame for

What Right Wing Racism?: White nationalist Richard Spencer has launched a new site to promote his “academic” brand of racism: Alternative Right - An Online Magazine of Radical Traditionalism.We’re not talking Stormfront here, with neo-Nazi troglodytes tossing around the ‘N’ word with abandon. Spencer

Video: Attack of the Boxer Blimp: California Senate candidate Carly “Demon Sheep” Fiorina is back with another bizarre video, this time attacking Barbara Boxer. It’s still amusing, but the new video feels self-conscious; her campaign is trying to manufacture another web sensation by being deliberately weird.

Why I Left the Right, Exhibit R for Dan Riehl: Dim bulb wingnut blogger Dan Riehl is increasingly specializing in some of the most vile, ugly commentary on the right; it’s a crowded field, but with posts like this one he manages to stand out: Riehl World View: Isn’t It

Israel Apologizes for Settlement Announcement: During Vice President Biden’s visit, Israel’s right wing Interior Minister suddenly issued a statement that the Ministry had approved a plan for new settlement building in East Jerusalem. This led to a minor diplomatic crisis, with Hillary Clinton saying that

Video: ZOMGItsCriss on the Big Bang: If you can resist ZOMGItsCriss when she gets serious about science, then mister, you’re a better man than I.

Crooks and Liars

Administration Economic Officials See "Extended" Period of Unemployment: I continue to worry that at some point, Wall Street will convince the administration that it would be a great psychological ploy to cut off unemployment compensation to convince the market theres a recovery.And if they do that, all hell

Bill O'Reilly quotes false survey: 46% of Physicians May Leave Medical Profession: UPDATED: DOWNLOADS: (11) PLAYS: (40) Bill OReilly

Tea Party Petitions Court To Remove Sen. Menendez. Is NJ Turning Into California?: I was taking a look at Gov. Chris Christies budget today and then I saw this. Will New Jersey follow in Californias footsteps and start governing by mood ring?A state appeals court today ruled

Franken: A Perversion of the Filibuster: From the Senate Democrats Sen. Franken speaks out on the GOPs continued abuse of the filibuster:Freshmen and sophomore Democratic Senators today went to the Senate floor as a group to highlight the Republican obstructionism on nominations. As of this morning,

Catholic nuns endorse HCR in defiance of bishops' mandate: Wow. On Monday, Catholic Bishops released a letter opposing the Senate health care reform bill because it didnt contain the Stupak language. While they acknowledged differences with the Catholic Health Association, their message was clear: they were speaking as the

Beck steps up the eliminationist attacks on progressives as health-care reform effort comes to (...): DOWNLOADS: (0) PLAYS: (11) Well, I

"Live Chat " Blue America PAC endorses Connie Saltonstall, Progressive Challenger To Bart Stupak: (John Amato: Please donate to Connie at Blue Americas 2010 act blue page here.)From the 2008 Democratic Party Platform:The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a womans right to choose

Dennis Kucinich is voting for HCR: Looks like Howard Fineman was right last night on KO when he said Dennis would switch his vote because Dennis Kucinich held a presser this morning and said even though its not the bill he wanted, hell vote for HCR.Greg

Tea Partiers Mock And Scorn Man With Parkinson's: DOWNLOADS: (8) PLAYS: (121) Even by

Right Wing Attacks an 11 Year Old: Lawrence ODonnell talks to The Nations Chris Hayes about the right wings latest shameless attack on a child; coming from all of the usual suspects of course. From Media Matters.Right-wing media set sights on family of 11-year-old who spoke about

CNN hires RedState's Erick Erickson, officially descends to the ninth circle of hell: As if there isnt enough insanity on the airwaves, enter CNN to the fray. Theyre rolling out a new 7PM ET show featuring John King (John King USA), and bringing on balance in the form of

Mitch McConnell Accuses the Democrats of 'Scheme and Deem': DOWNLOADS: (1) PLAYS: (14) Greta Van

Rep. Louie Gohmert on the Health Care Reform Bill "I Brought An Abortion To Show You" And Wash(...): (h/t ThinkProgress)Even though the turnout was less than expected, as Rachel Maddow put it, what they lacked in bodies, they made up for in exclamation points. One of those politicos responsible for a quite a bit of the punctuation of

Mike's Blog Round Up: Thats Why: Basic middle class assumptions are full of holes.Sparkle Pony: Could some one explain why two months of pills costs three thousand bucks?Echidne of the Snakes: Where the female bloggers are.Figleaf (NSFW): New acronym: IJNNWCDI. Its just not news

Open Thread: McCains GOP primary challenger JD Hayworth says he supports a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage -- because to do otherwise could lead to a man marrying a horse. Photoshop by D-Cap,

C&L's Late Nite Music Club with Jimi Hendrix: Title: Purple HazeArtist: Jimi HendrixVia Blogcritics:Sony/Legacy is now the major label home for Jimi Hendrix and that means were getting re-issues of Are You Experienced?, Axis: Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland, and the posthumous recording First Rays Of The New

What If You Threw A Tea Party, And No One Came?: The best laid plans...Our newest contributer, Karoli, has audio from the teabaggers celebrating the RNC sign donations, which Heather reported on for VideoCafe yesterday: DOWNLOADS: 1 PLAYS: 2

Michael Moore: 'Waiting To See If People Rise Up - And If So, I'll Rise With Them': Michael Moores doing a media blitz to mark the DVD release of Capitalism: A Love Story and after a couple of delays, I finally get to talk briefly to him Tuesday afternoon.I first note hes a Crooks and Liars fan.

Problems Bill Donohue can't make go away: I was brought up Catholic coming from a Sicilian heritage like I did. I went to Catechism, made my Communion and Confirmation and even took off from school for Ash Wesdnday. As I grew older I distanced myself from the

Military Trying to Lead the Politicians to Water: Its a disquieting thing, when one sees four-star general officers thinking that they need to be more proactive and outgoing about their advice on foreign policy and national security issues. Its not

Common Dreams

National Security Experts Grim on Terror War: National Security Experts Grim on Terror War

Study: Prison Population on the Rise: Study: Prison Population on the Rise

Lebanon Slides Towards Civil War as Anniversary of Hariri's Murder Looms: Lebanon Slides Towards Civil War as Anniversary of Hariris Murder Looms

Britain and US: Worst of Wealthy Nations for Children: Britain and US: Worst of Wealthy Nations for Children

US Briefing on Iran Discredits the Official Line: US Briefing on Iran Discredits the Official Line

Doubts Raised on Linking of Iran to US Deaths in Iraq: Doubts Raised on Linking of Iran to US Deaths in Iraq

Korea Deal Marks Big Victory for Realists: Korea Deal Marks Big Victory for Realists

Michelle Malkin

Landmark Legal Foundation to Slaughter House butchers: Not without a fight: Photoshop exclusive: Big Fur Hat at iowntheworld.com and Applecross Media(Get your Constitution Butchers poster here.)Not without a fight, Deem-o-crats:Mark R. Levin, president of Landmark Legal Foundation, today issued a warning to the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives about

In response to amnesty stooge Dick Armey: I have wonderful, grass-roots friends at Freedomworks. Dick Armey is not one of them.He’s a clueless promoter of bailout-happy, big government Republican Sen. John McCain. And Armey’s a blowhard-y Beltway dinosaur who can’t resist shooting off his mouth and alienating

Obama, Pelosi on a money-grubbing mission: Demcare is not a done deal. They haven’t even released the House version to the public yet, but plan to ram it through on Saturday. Those pesky little details aren’t getting in the way of what’s really important, though. Within

The 11 Senate Republicans who voted for the$17 billion Porkulus II jobs bill: The tax breaks and projected jobs in the Senate jobs bill are illusory. The $17 billion package circumvents pay-go rules. But no matter. The Senate passed the Porkulus II today — with support from 11 Republicans.Here’s the roll call vote:The

The Krazy Kucinich Kickback Contest: Krazy Denny Kucinich (D-Outer Space) basked in the spotlight this morning upon announcing his switch from “no” to “yes” on Demcare. He still doesn’t think it goes far enough and says he didn’t like the process, but he’s signing on,

The slaughter on the southern border: My column this morning looks at the continuing chaos on our southern border. Displaying her fabulous sense of timing, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano chose to announce amid all the bloodshed that she’s scrapping the doomed Fence to Nowhere project.The system

Doing the health care anecdote-vetting the Left won’t do: Here is Larry Scary O’Donnell — who can usually be seen frothing at the mouth with bulging neck veins as he melts down on MSNBC — sloooowly reading a teleprompter as he chastises me, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck for

What are Pelosi and the House Democrat women up to now?: The gender card is the first and last refuge of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She’s played it since Day One of her reign of error. She wielded it last week when she surrounded herself with kiddie human shields. And it

Wreckonciliation Tweet of the Day: From @johnthune2012, a perfect summation of the last year in the Age of Obama/Pelosi/Reid:***As noted below in comments by Dan, our Texas blogger friend Kathleen McKinley said it first last week: “We’ve Moved From Passing Bills Without Reading Them to

Get the cameras into the House Rules Committee hearing room: Democrats lied, transparency died — and GOP Rep. David Dreier wants to resurrect it as the Obamacare shell bill heads to the House Rules Committee and the backroom deals and surreptitious favor-stuffing begins:Dreier Calls for Cameras in Rules Committee Hearing

House Republicans to force vote on Pelosi’s Slaughter House solution: Deem this.

When you’ve lost MSM newspaper editorial boards…: I worked for the Seattle Times editorial board for several years as the lone conservative. It was a center-left paper then, and remains so today. The board took a few right-leaning positions (opposition to the death tax, for example), but

Making their voices heard: Protesting Demcare on Capitol Hill: They only had a few days to mobilize, but bus loads of Tea Party protesters from across the country have descended on Washington today to make their voices heard on the Demcare cramdown.Time: March 16, 2010 from 9am to 6pmLocation:

Nanny Nancy lines up the kiddie human shields: Cradle to grave.

Liveblogging the House Budget Committee wreckonciliation mark-up: The hearing is just underway. I’ll blog the shell game. Stay tuned for updates…

Corruptocrat AG Eric Holder and his terror-coddling DOJ, Pt. 9,899: Three must-read items following up on themes and stories I’ve been covering for you since day one of the reign of corruptocrat AG Eric Holder at Obama’s DOJ:In August 2009, I reported on the ACLU’s spying project: Operation CIA Paparazzi

Reverse Midas Touch: House Democrat won’t attend Obamacare Road Show in Ohio: Photoshop: Mr RightCue The Police: Don’t stand so, don’t stand so, don’t stand so close to me…Representative John Boccieri, Democrat of Ohio, whose vote on major health care legislation could be crucial to the outcome, will not be attending President

Valerie Jarrett: Hurray for Obama’s “womanly leadership”: It’s moronic exchanges like this one between White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and rambling Indian magazine editor Shoma Chaudhury — who slobbers all over President Obama for his “womanly” leadership — that should make every rational woman cringe. First,

Big Government Burrito: A taste of the 2,309-pg Demcare/Student Loan Reconciliation Bill: If the TARP bank bailout was a “crap sandwich,” the Democrats’ Student Loan Nationalization plan wrapped inside the latest version of the health care takeover is a Big Government Burrito.The House Democrats’ 2,309-page reconciliation bill headed for House Budget Committee

Not without a fight, Bobby Gibbs: No, you hush up.

The Washington Monthly

Wednesday's Mini-Report: WEDNESDAYS MINI-REPORT.... Todays edition of quick hits: * Pakistan: Suspected U.S. drones fired missiles at vehicles and hit a militant hide-out in a tribal region of northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least nine insurgents, two officials said. * Expect...

A few key 'yes' votes: A FEW KEY YES VOTES.... When Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) announced this morning that he will support the health care reform bill, it gave reform proponents a helpful boost. But, while Kucinich is the first no vote to switch, there...

The wit and wisdom of Mike Pence: THE WIT AND WISDOM OF MIKE PENCE.... House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.), the #3 official in the House GOP leadership, spoke to The Daily Caller about some of the procedural questions surrounding health care reform. So, for example,...

The light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train: THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL ISNT A TRAIN.... Times Jay Newton-Small has a good piece today about a larger political environment that Democrats find intimidating, but which may poised to change. Take a good look around, Democrats,...

Classy: CLASSY.... I suppose its safe to say we wont be hearing the phrase compassionate conservatism again anytime soon. Supporters and opponents of health care reform assembled outside Rep. Mary Jo Kilroys (D-Ohio) office yesterday, at times leading to heated exchanges...

More cover for pro-life Dems: MORE COVER FOR PRO-LIFE DEMS.... Following up on an item from the weekend, there are a lot of eyes focused on pro-life Democrats right now, some of whom may balk at health care reform. The question, for them, is whether...

A stroll down memory lane: A STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE.... Lately, the complaints from opponents of health care reform have been almost entirely about process. Republicans have decided they dont like reconciliation or the self-executing rule anymore -- they loved it when they were in...

Wednesday's campaign round-up: WEDNESDAYS CAMPAIGN ROUND-UP.... Todays installment of campaign-related news items that wouldnt generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers. * Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), facing an uphill re-election fight and a tough primary challenge,...

Senate sends jobs bill to White House: SENATE SENDS JOBS BILL TO WHITE HOUSE.... It took a little longer than expected, but Congress completed its work on another jobs package today, sending to the White House for the presidents signature. The Senate approved and sent to President...

Kucinich to support health care reform bill: KUCINICH TO SUPPORT HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL.... Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) hosted a press conference on the Hill this morning to announce, once and for all, how he would vote on the Democratic health care reform package. Kucinich, of course,...

Putting the 'opposition' in 'opposition party': PUTTING THE OPPOSITION IN OPPOSITION PARTY.... Starting early last year, Senate Republicans had a decision to make about how they would approach their responsibilities to the nation. The GOP had just suffered another round of humiliating defeats, and found themselves...

'The repercussions they will suffer will be huge': THE REPERCUSSIONS THEY WILL SUFFER WILL BE HUGE.... The new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll offers a few interesting insights on health care. In particular, the results suggest Democrats would be committing political suicide if they let this opportunity fail....

Chutzpah watch: CHUTZPAH WATCH.... Let me get this straight -- the single biggest story in the political world yesterday was over consideration of a House procedure, used many times before by both parties? Republicans decided they dont like self-executing rules anymore, so...

Tuesday's Mini-Report: TUESDAYS MINI-REPORT.... Todays edition of quick hits: * Israel: The discord between the United States and Israel over Jewish building in East Jerusalem deepened Tuesday with Israeli officials rejecting demands by Washington and expressing anger over the public upbraiding of...

A tale of two headlines: A TALE OF TWO HEADLINES.... Paul Krugman makes a point that congressional Democrats may want to keep in mind over the next several days. By this time next week well have seen huge headlines about health care. These headlines will...

Major legislative breakthroughs are always controversial: MAJOR LEGISLATIVE BREAKTHROUGHS ARE ALWAYS CONTROVERSIAL.... Americans now consider programs like Medicare bedrocks of our society, but it was not always thus. Dem leadership staff is highlighting a series of numbers from 1962 on President John F. Kennedys proposal. In...

Diminishing returns, cont'd: DIMINISHING RETURNS, CONTD.... We talked the other day about the right-wing protests against health care reform, and how attendance seems to have fallen off quite a bit as the process has unfolded. It looks like we saw another example of...

Franken describes nominating breakdown as 'nuts': FRANKEN DESCRIBES NOMINATING BREAKDOWN AS NUTS.... President Obama nominated Michael Punke to serve as the Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, and his nomination was confirmed unanimously by the Senate Finance Committee three months ago. Islam Siddiqui was nominated to serve as...

Desperate times call for desperate rhetoric: DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE RHETORIC.... Josh Marshall had a good item earlier on the tone of Republicans rhetoric this week about health care. To be sure, GOP attacks on reform proposals arent exactly new -- and have never been...

This is CNN?: THIS IS CNN?.... If I didnt get independent confirmation of this, I honestly would have assumed the announcement was some elaborate practical joke. Alas, its true. Prominent conservative commentator and RedState.com editor Erick Erickson will join CNN as a political...

Wonkette

Ron Paul Was Better As A Libertarian Candidate: Of course the biggest news this weekend was Bob Barr winning the Libertarian nomination for president at the partys craziest convention in a while. For some brilliant on-the-scene coverage, check...

Google, Gobble, We Accept Her, One of Us: Last week Americas Princess Diplomat took a dream trip to the magical land of Google with gaunt diplozombie David Miliband. And look! Its our old friends, the Condi Hand Turkeys, to act as special...

Barack Obama Spoke At Wesleyan!: Here is Your Barry pinch-hitting for Ted Kennedy at the Wesleyan commencement this weekend. He talked about how you should serve your country and have big ambitions. Be sure to watch all the way...

REPORTER BRAVELY EMPTIES POCKETS OF OBAMA'S ...: REPORTER BRAVELY EMPTIES POCKETS OF OBAMAS BODY MAN: When Mr. Obama dropped food on his tie while eating in the car between stops, Mr. Love was ready with a Tide pen. He always carries one, along...

Angry Jim Webb Too Angry To Be Veep!: The name of gun-toting incest pornographer and former Republican Jim Webb keeps coming up when people talk about who will be Barack Obamas vice president, mostly because the nomination of a Sexist...

Bush To Make Short, Embarrassing Appearance At McCain Fundraiser: George W. Bush will appear at his boyfriend John McCains fundraiser in Arizona today. McCain is so proud of Bushs support that the nations 43rd president will appear briefly, in the dark, with a...

How We Are Hungry: Another reason we will all be starving soon: with no more illegal immigrants to pick crops, upstate New York farmers arent planting as much food anymore. Compounding the problem is...

BEST IDEA EVER: While you terrible humans ...: BEST IDEA EVER: While you terrible humans have been out on your beaches and patios drinking Corona and eating ribs, hilarious Clinton lawyer-friend Lanny Davis has been delivering the best Michigan...

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, Suckaz!: The survivalists are getting ready, financial wizard and California congresswoman Laura Richardson nearly lost three houses to foreclosure, Terminator Hillary is now hunting Obama in Puerto Rico, but...

Watch Everybody Freak Out Over Hillary's RFK-Obama Assassination Freakout: The response to Hillary Clintons wacky but Obama might get assassinated like Bobby Kennedy comments has been swift, massive, and hilarious. Or depressing. Swift, massive, and depressing. Or...

More Shocking Video: Hillary Gives Her Instructions: Somebody at Daily Kos just found this shocking video of Hillary making her plans. The man in the chair is, of course, George Stephanopoulos.

JIM GIBBONS DIVORCE INSANITY: America's worst ...: JIM GIBBONS DIVORCE INSANITY: Americas worst governor and alcoholic adulterous sex-assaulter crook Jim Gibbons and his power-crazed wife Dawn are finally getting the divorce everybody always knew...

Scott McClellan Can't Ruin George Bush Junior's Day: The great George W. Bush delivered the commencement address at Colorados Air Force Academy today, the same day that his former hobbit slave was publicizing mean books about him. Here he is this...

John McCain's Biggest Fan: 'Your Name': Ooh looky its another Kustomized Kampaign Trinket for you, the reader! For just $250, you can show the world that YOUR NAME totally supports JOHN MCCAIN. But are there any names or phrases that...

Even Little-Girl Hillary Was A Conniving Monster: We usually dont like to encourage the comedy YouTube jokes because none of them are funny, or its something you can watch on the TeeVee, later, on your sofa or whatever, eating your carry out....

Scott McClellan's A Big Hit!: SEE WHAT EVERYONES SAYING ABOUT SCOTT MCCLELLANS NEW #1 BOOK, GEORGE BUSH JR. MADE VAGUE ERRORS!I would think if he harbored such deep feelings about things he wouldnt have and shouldnt have...

Your Wonkette Is Moving, Tonight!: Hello Peoples! Remember that whole thing about your Wonkette getting a new home, and all that? Well, it is still true — and tonight, Wonkette will suffer the miracle of transmigration. What...

BARRY OBAMA'S RACIST POETRY: "Under water ...: BARRY OBAMAS RACIST POETRY: Under water grottos, caverns/ Filled with apes/ That eat figs./ Stepping on the figs/ That the apes/ Eat, they crunch./ The apes howl, bare/ Their fangs, dance,/ Tumble...

McCain Fundraiser Tour Fails Its Way Through Mormon World Capital: Ever since John McCain pissed all over Mitt Romney in a debate, and even before then, Mormons havent taken kindly to the foul-mouthed, unhandsome, twice-married atheist grumpus. So its no surprise...

Karl Rove Calls Scott McClellan Gay Woodsman: Wonkette comical typos operative Ron sends us this screen shot of a CNN.com article in which Karl Rove lets slip a revelation of his own about terrible snitch Scott McClellan. McClellans syntax in...

Talking Points Memo

(Freaked) Fly on the Wall: TPM Reader JO checks in from the Lone Star State ...Im on a telephone town hall with my representative (unfortunately) Jeb Hensarling. Most of the callers are elderly and ill-informed. Sadly, they probably get most of their information from Fox

It's Official: No CBO score tonight. Which might seem like sort of an obscure and technical matter, except for it pushes the big vote back till Sunday.

SLIDESHOW: Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Weeds: Heres an example of how fluid the current state of public opinion is on Health Care Reform and, even more so, how you really need to dig into the weeds with some of these polls rather than just focus on

That Shuster Is A Wascally Wabbit: Somehow MSNBCs David Shuster got Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) to come out in support of a single-payer system on national TV. Go figure.

That'd Be A Bummer: Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) says some of the Health Care Reform fix bill might fail the reconciliation test.

Sake or Moonshine?: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) helpfully explained on Fox today what he meant when said Dems were all liquored up on sake and making a suicide run.My comments really reflect the fanaticism of the Democratic leadership, Graham said. And I dont

CBO Score Coming: Multiple sources in the House and Senate are telling us to expect the Congressional Budget Offices score of the health care reform package to come out late today. Nothing official yet, but if the House is going to vote on

It's Not About Health Care Reform: One of the ironies about Democrats, especially in Congress, being so tentative about health care reform is that the anger the reform efforts seem to have unleashed isnt really about health care reform at all. Thats not to say the

Enough Already: Its gotten so out of hand that Hawaii is considering legislation that would allow state officials to ignore repeated requests from the same individual for Obamas birth certificate.

Switcheroo: A key vote switch: Dennis Kucinich just announced that he will vote for the health care reform package even though its not as progressive as he would like -- and despite his pledge to vote against it.

Who Let The Watchdog Out ...: Jon Stewart, on the new financial watchdog: We should give it laser eyes. Oh, and a jet pack! And Adamantium claws! It will be an unstoppable dog killing machine! Watch.

Over At The CNN Circus ...: CNNs hiring of RedStates Eric Erickson as a political analyst for John Kings new show isnt remarkable because the network is bringing on board an uber-conservative. Conservative doesnt begin to describe Erickson (and probably does a disservice to conservatives). Its

TPMDC Morning Roundup: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will reportedly speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone as early as today in the midst of the bilateral crisis. That and the days other political news in the TPMDC Morning Roundup.

Various & Sundry: Some miscellaneous developments you may have missed today.Democracy for America is polling its members to see if it should support Connie Saltonstall in her primary challenge to Bart Stupak. Filed under only in the USA: Uber-Winger Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

All Nonsense: The procedure every(GOP)one is so up in arms about is called a self-executing rule. How many times did the Republicans use it the last time they controlled Congress, 2005-06? More than 35 times! And the Democrats? They complained about it

Petraeus Makes His Move: I mentioned a few days ago that part of the backstory to the recent crisis in US-Israeli relations is tied to a briefing David Petraeus gave the Adm. Mullen and the Joint Chiefs back in January. (And lets not get

Big Boats: Evaluating the Connecticut Senate and Gubernatorial hopefuls, yacht by yacht.

Taketh the Cake: Okay, this is rich. Rep. Eric Cantor is insisting that Speaker Pelosi hold an up or down vote on the original senate bill alone rather than a single vote on the original bill and the amending bill. Really?Have we forgotten

Let's Be Clear: Before the bamboozlement gets too far, lets be clear about what the House is considering doing. There are two bills. The senates original bill and the changes to that bill the House has now negotiated with the Senate. Normally, this

Power Line

The Current Tally: Byron Yorks sources say their best estimate is that there are now 204 votes for the government health care takeover bill, 209 votes against it, and 18 undecided. The good news, one could infer, is that the Republicans only have

These are the good old days: As they got older, my parents noticed to their dismay that their friends talked more and more about their doctors. According to my parents, nearly all of their friends liked their doctors. However, there was always something to complain about

Is breathing room anything like Lebensraum?: The AEI Irantrackers most recent news roundup provides excerpts from remarks by Presdient Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressing a seminar on job creation: * The Islamic revolution of Iran is a humane revolution reaching beyond the geographic boundaries of Iran... * Our

Is Eric Holder a dope?: Attorney General Eric Holder testified yesterday before the House Judiciary Committee. As you mght expect, members took the opportunity to press Holder on his views regarding terrorists rights. And Holder appears to have given the subject some thought! Fox News

Civility for thee...: Weve followed the speeches given by Obama NEH chairman Jim Leach here (commenting on Leachs The tension between speaking and listening) and here (commenting on Leachs Bridging cultures: NEH and the Muslim world). One finds in both speeches Leachs praise

Cool Cole: Today is the anniversary of the birth of the great Nat King Cole. Cole was born on St. Patrickss Day, though until Daniel Mark Epstein did the research for his biography of Cole, we werent entirely sure that the year

Why Be Like Sweden?: Our Europhile President and many Congressional Democrats aspire to make the United States more like Sweden. More like our outdated image of Sweden, anyway; the real Sweden is undergoing something of a free market renaissance. In this video from the

Obama's self-defeating crusade against Israel: President Obama is attempting to use a mis-timed announcement by Israel of its intention to build housing units in East Jerusulem as a means of pressuring Israel into making major concessions to the Palestinian Authority. Israel has apologized for the

Is That A Threat Or A Promise?: Barack Obama says he wont campaign for any Democrats who vote against the government medicine bill. Somehow, I dont think thats going to have the intended effect.

Throw the Bums Out: Voters seem to be paying attention to the corrupt processes the Democrats are using to try to take control of the health care industries, and they dont like them. Im pretty sure thats the explanation for Scott Rasmussen finding Republicans

Obamacare through the prism of Romneycare: Tim Cahill is the state treasurer of Massachusetts. He recently bolted the Democratic Party to run for governor. The Boston Globe reports Cahills pointed comments on Obamacare as with a local twist:State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, an independent candidate for

3,000 percent!: Stumping for Obamacare yesterday in Ohio, Obama touted its manifold virtues like the patent remedy salesmen of old. For whatever ails us, this legislation is the cure. Here Obama touts the legislations magical reduction of expenses for employers with an

Support Dartmouth United: In addition to Dartmouths trustee elections, which I wrote about here and here, alumni are also electing the executive committee of the Association of Alumni. My friend Mike Murphy has assembled a fine slate which, this time around, is unencumbered

When Obamacare met Obama-ed, part 2: Professor Peter Wood is the anthropologist and president of the National Association of Scholars. He is also the author of the invaluable Diversity: The Invention of a Concept.Professor Wood notes that congressional Democrats have added President Obamas takeover of the

An unconstitutional solution: Michael McConnell, a law professor at Stanford and a former judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, argues that the Slaughter solution for enacting Obamacare is unconstitutional. The argument, which appears in the Wall Street Journal,

All about Natoma: A case study: Have more lies ever been told about a worse public policy than the Democrats impending nationalization of health care? If so, I cant think of it offhand this morning.Obamacare wont improve the health care system. It isnt fiscally responsible. It

A perfect tournament for our times: The NCAA mens college basketball tournaments begins this week, the field of 65 teams having been selected and seeded yesterday. This year, the conventional wisdom holds that the quality of the at-large teams selected to make up the numbers is

The soft bigotry of low expectations, blackboard jungle edition: As I noted here, the Obama administrations Department of Education has announced that it will crack down on civil-rights infractions in public schools, including alleged disparities in the disciplining of white and black students. The notion behind this initiative is

It's All About Natoma: In Ohio today, President Obama tried to sell the Democrats health care takeover bill by personalizing it:President Obama, declaring that every argument has been made on his health care overhaul, sought to seal the deal with Congress and the American

Condemn this, part 2: Haaretz reports that Israel has not only received a tongue lashing from Secretary Clinton delivered to Ambassador Michael Oren, but has received four peremptory demands:1. Investigate the process that led to the announcement of the Ramat Shlomo construction plans in

Eschaton

Evening Thread: Enjoy

Bad Fed: It hasnt been interested in using the consumer protection powers/obligations it has, so I have no idea why anyone would expect them to use any new powers they if they get them.

Fresh Thread: Party on.

Vindicating Rahm: Im so old I can remember when having the House pass the Senate bill and then pass a fix in reconciliation was crazy dirty fucking hippie fantasy shit. Now apparently its Rahms great triumph!

Somebody Hit The Panic Button: If Id gone back in time to the end of 2008 and told the incoming Obama administration that they would pass a large stimulus bill, but nonetheless unemployment would rise to around 10% by the end of the year and

Making Stuff Up: Other journalists still surprisingly willing to defend their sister news organization despite their habit of just making things up.We have authority because we earned it has morphed into we have authority because were backed by a giant international corporation.

Afternoon Thread: enjoy

THREE HEADED MONSTER

Gerald Ford 1913-2006: Former President Gerald Ford passed away on December 26, 2006. We would like to take the time to reflect on this man who had

The First 100 Hours: Democratic leaders in the House have promised to pass several items on their legislative agenda in their first 100 hours in power. Potential items

Will Frederick Kagan's December 14, 2006, "Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in Iraq" be the(...): Will Frederick Kagans December 14, 2006, Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in Iraq be the option that President Bush pursues? If so, should

Are the Holocaust deniers something we should be concerned with?: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has convened approximately 70 researchers such as ex-Klansman David Duke to discuss their doubts about the extent of the Holocaust,

Where do we stand now with regard to Iraq?: There has been a flurry of diplomatic efforts in recent weeks to end the violence in Iraq. With the naming of a new defense

Dear Mahmoud,: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to the American people. Here is your chance to respond.MRB:Dear President Ahmadinejad and Noble Iranians,Thank you for

Are Republicans happy or disappointed that Rep. Pelosi decided Rep. Hastings would not be Chair(...): Even before the election results were final, Republicans began voicing their outrage at the possibility that Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., might become Chairman of

What role should Iran and Syria play in a post war Iraq ?: With the Bush administration being pushed toward a regional resolution to the war in Iraq, the question becomes what role, if any, should Iran

What should US economic policy be toward Asia?: With President Bush wrapping up his latest Asian tour, should any changes be made to US economic policy in regard to Asia, or are

What do we do about Iran's impending nuclear capability ?: President Bush has mainly been talking about economic and diplomatic isolation, however, the administration is also leaving open the option of military action. The

Can Lady Liberty's message be the same in an age of Islamic extremists ?: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless,

Is Europe lost already?: With a history of lax immigration policies and emphasis on tolerance, has Europe already been lost to radical Islam? Is the United States headed

Which Presidential hopefuls are in the best position for 2008? Which ones are not ?: With the midterm elections behind us now, which candidates are best positioned for a Presidential run in 2008, and whose Presidential aspirations may have

2006 Election Post Mortem: The real question today is not just who won which race, but what the election results mean for each one of us and the

Exercise your right to vote !: Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a

Time to predict the outcome of the November 2006 election: Each of us will now set forth our respective predictions of the final overall outcome of tomorrows election. We will also predict the specific

Is going Negative a Positive ?: In the last few days before the election it seems like there are no political campaigns left that have not gone negative. The research

Can Barack Obama be elected President ?: In his victory speech, Senator Barack Obama said regarding his long shot candidacy... (When I announced my campaign) at the time, as many of

Should Iraq be Partitioned ?: President Bushs position is that partition as a solution in Iraq is a non-starter. Nevertheless, the idea of partition being part of the solution

Kerry gaffe: November gift ?: You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be

AMERICAblog

Where are the Wall Street indictments?: Quite a few people are asking this question including this investment fraud attorney who is a guest writer at CNBC.com today. Its never made sense to me how trillions could disappear and the only people that have been arrested were

If HCR passes is it vindication for Rahm, and proof that liberals are toothless?: Its an interesting question. Now that it appears that liberal Democrats are voting for the Senate health care reform bill, with the Reconciliation fix, is this vindication for Rahm, and more generally, proof that liberal threats have no teeth?Ben Smith

Republicans are funny little people: DailyKos founder Markos Moulitsas on the latest GOP obstruction tactics, and the more general GOP tendency to blame us for doing what theyve already done.Congressional Republicans are funny little people. Once obsessed with “nuclear options” and “up-or-down” votes, they have

Hitchens takes on the Vatican over pedophile scandal - the Pope was complicit: Wash Post:Very much more serious is the role of Joseph Ratzinger, before the church decided to make him supreme leader, in obstructing justice on a global scale. After his promotion to cardinal, he was put in charge of the so-called

Interview with Ireland's top blogger, Mick Fealty of SluggerOtoole.com: When I was attending the Personal Democracy Forum conference in Barcelona this past November, I had the good fortune to meet and hang out with Mick

Insurer Fortis targeted HIV patients to drop coverage: From Reuters: In May, 2002, Jerome Mitchell, a 17-year old college freshman from rural South Carolina, learned he had contracted HIV. The news, of course, was devastating, but Mitchell believed that he had one thing going for him: On his

Kucinich will vote yes on health care reform: Rep. Dennis Kucinich just announced that hell vote for the health care reform bill:This is not the bill I wanted to support even as I continue efforts until the last minute to try to modify the bill. However, after careful

The NY Times discovers that GOP leader McConnell is an obstructionist: Today, the NY Times profiles Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and makes a startling discovery: McConnell is all about politics and obstructionism. Apparently, McConnells strategy wasnt clear to the Times before today. But, now, there seems to be a better understanding

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Good morning and Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh.The Presidents day is packed with St. Patricks Day related events. Thats because Irelands Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen is in D.C. He gets a meeting in the Oval Office this morning, a

Happy St Patrick's Day: The Pogues joining up with the Dubliners. St. Patricks day was always a big event growing up. My mothers side left Ireland during the Great Famine and my dads side arrived in America at the turn of the century. My

Hillary keeps up pressure, Mitchell cancels trip for peace talks: After a career of bullying, Netanyahu may have gone too far at the wrong time. No word yet on when special envoy George Mitchell will head back to Israel though much of that will have to do with how and

Kucinich reportedly will vote for Senate HCR bill: Jane is reporting.

On the GOP's hypocrisy over process: Norm Ornstein, from the conservative American Enterprise Institute, destroys the GOPs latest round of lies over Congressional procedure:In the last Congress that Republicans controlled, from 2005 to 2006, Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier used the self-executing rule more than 35

Lehman sacked whistleblower who called out accounting games: Its all fun and games on Wall Street until someone wants to tell the truth. Reuters:Lehman Brothers Holdings ousted whistle blower Matthew Lee just weeks after he had raised concerns with Lehmans auditor about the firms accounting in 2008, the

A Teabagger picture says 1,000 words

Prototype device allows blind soldier to 'see': What an amazing advance.The BrainPort converts visual images into a series of electrical pulses which are sent to the tongue. The different strength of the tingles can be read or interpreted so the user can mentally visualise their surroundings and

Former Bear Stearns economist to run for Senate seat in NY: Hes arguing that the Democrats have not been effective at creating jobs. Uh huh. Soooooo, I guess failed businesses like Bear Stearns imploding didnt help much with the whole job creation situation, no? Maybe he should have paid closer attention

CNN hires right wing blogger as pundit: Ive always said, youre asking for trouble when you hire one side and not the other. This is the same mistake the Washington Post made a few years back - they hired as a conservative blogger and didnt bother hiring

This time David Brooks is wrong about Reconciliation: From Jonathan Chait at TNR:Today David Brooks has written the platonic ideal of a David Brooks column. It is in some sense the template for nearly every David Brooks column, but it captured the major elements so perfectly that it

Alan Grayson on Palin: 'The most intelligent leader that the Republican Party has produced sinc(...): Last week, Sarah Palin went to Florida and made the mistake of attacking Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL). While Palin can get away with slinging abuse at many Democrats, Grayson isnt one of them. He shows how to respond to the

TPMCafe

Book Review: Zionism's Invented State: Israeli Exceptionalism: The Destabilizing Logic of Zionismby M. Shahid AlamPalgrave Macmillan, 272 pp., £55.00Israeli Exceptionalism: The Destabilizing Logic of Zionism arrived in the mail shortly after I completed sending a thank you note to two other authors and friends, Kathleen

Reflections from Fort Hood on Seven Years in Iraq: Theres a place in central Texas where valor runs deep and life is deeply connected to something known as warrior ethos. Its also an area known for its warm greetings, wide open spaces, exceptional football and damn good music. And,

What Do Israel and Iran('s Nuclear Weapons / Program) Have to Do With Each Other? Part II: Yesterday I wrote a post with the narrow purpose of picking apart a manipulative and nonsensical conservative talking point regarding the spike in tensions between the US and Israel. Bottom line: completely separate from how any of us feels about

AIPAC Asks Congress To Back Netanyahu, not Obama ++ Handy List: The diplomatic crisis over Israeli settlements is going into its second week and there is no sign that either side is backing down. It started when the Israeli government announced that it would expand settlements in East Jerusalem while Vice

What Do Israel and Iran Have to Do With Each Other?: ...well, a lot, obviously. But when it comes to immediate-term US foreign policy objectives -- particularly the current flap over Israeli settlements -- the two are quite separate tracks. I feel compelled to stress this point because of a VERY

What David Brooks' Editors and Producers are Missing: Jonathan Chaits New Republic, post today, David Brooks At His David Brooksiest takes to a new level my own not-so-quiet campaign to wake up Brooks enablers:Today, David Brooks has written the platonic ideal of a David Brooks column, Chait announces.

A Terror Trials Pep Talk: There are two reasons I am utterly baffled by the possible reversal of the decision to try terrorists in federal court. First, it comes at a time when efforts to find, kill, and capture terrorists are having significant success. The

Health Care 2010 and 1994, and the Political Lessons of History: Health care reform is necessary, and House Democrats should vote for it because its best for the nation.They should also remember the political lessons of history. To paraphrase Mark Twain, history doesnt repeat itself but it does rhyme. As the

Linkage: Iran, Settlements, Health Care & Israel?: Late yesterday afternoon, I participated in an hour long Alhurra discussion program with three other Middle East specialists: Edmund Ghareeb of American University, Ori Nir of Americans for Peace Now, and David Schenker who directs the Program on Arab Politics

Biden-Israel Blowup Backstory: There is a much more complicated story emerging around the Israeli settlements issue that I just wrote about. Two months ago, General David Petraeus sent his top briefing team to

Keep The Heat On: There are only two political parties in Israel, really, the party that dreads the loss of Greater Israel, i.e., the party of settlements, and, the party that dreads the isolation of global Israel, i.e., the party of America. Think of

A Broadband Jobs Bill: As the FCC finishes its first-ever national broadband plan, Congress and commissioners would do the country a service to see it as a jobs bill --and to support it for that reason, if no other.As reported in the New York

AIPAC Blasts Obama Administration: Its a standard AIPAC statement. Except this one is blasting the United States and not the Arabs. Not a word criticizing Israel, not a word supporting the President or the US government. Its an incredible document.This is the lobbying position

The AIPAC Statement We Need But Have Not Gotten (Yet): I have written the mock press release below partly as farce and partly as hope for the kind of statement that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) might eventually issue in response to the provocative and disconcerting posture of

Pledge to China's Leaders: You Will Lose Money on Government Bonds: The battle over Chinas role as an investor in U.S. government bonds is taking ever more bizarre turns. According to the New York Times, Chinas Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao, warned the United States about running large deficits and inflation, saying

That Pointy-Headed Pragmatist: What is Barack Obama trying to do, and why? David Brooks has his answer, and I have mine. Brooks Friday column was prompted by theories of Obama that have taken hold on the right and left -- the latter viewing

The Internet: The new common medium: This speech was delivered at Columbia University, on March 11th, 2010. Columbia University - Education - New York - United States - Colleges and Universities

The US-Israeli Crackup: The New York Times reported last night that the Secretary of State really let Netanyahu have it in a 43 minute conversation yesterday. She told him, among other things, that Israels latest hijinks was a deeply negative signal that put

America To The Rescue, (Not) Again: We are told that President Obama has taken a leap of political faith in trying to bridge a final peace settlement between Palestinians and Israelis. The United States new weapon is proximity talks: if either side fails to meet American

Financial Innovation: What Is It Good For (II)? Credit Default Swaps: In his survey of financial innovations over the last four decades Brookings economist Robert Litan bravely comes to the defense of credit default swaps (CDS), the instrument that gained so much notoriety with the collapse of AIG. Litan notes the

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